Summer Luxury Video: Dream Yacht

Irwin Weiner ASID - In my next life, I'm going to have a yacht - and I think it will be the Diamond 70 shown in today's featured design video. The deck levels have been brought right down to ocean level to recreate a poolside experience - smart design. The pool on the lower deck features a transparent LCD hatch (made from a thick resin material).

There's also an "American-style" bar with armchairs, a sauna, and a dive room. And, well, it might be fun to have my own helicopter, too. The Italian marine firm Avadesign has this 70-meter concept by Andrea Vastano, and it's designed to be "sort of" green - aluminum construction, with four decks integrating low fuel consumption and technology in place to reduce emissions from two diesel engines and two electric engines couples with gas turbines.

Bonus

Click here to watch another video with a pool in it, albeit on dry land: Amazing Technology Turns a Patio Into a Pool (fun to watch - I'd like one of these, too).

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Video Interview with Iconic Designer Peter Marino

Irwin Weiner ASID - A dear friend of mine created a beautiful clothing boutique in the glory days of St. Thomas (when it was exclusive and hard to reach), and she commissioned a young Peter Marino to design her space. From her small commission to Marino's meteoric rise as a residential and commercial designer, I loved this video interview because it traces some of the history of his work and his network, from Andy Warhol to Barney's to all the offshoots from Barney's, including boutiques for Chanel, Armani, and Fendi. His honesty is refreshing, and I like the way he insists on not taking on a client if they're going to be too stress-inducing or not interested enough in having a high-quality end product.

Bonus

When we began Design2Share back in 2007 (gasp - we've been around for awhile, haven't we?), we selected Peter as one of our first "Designers We Love." Click here to read what we said back then about Peter Marino. 

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Celebrities Are Coming Out ... As Interior Designers

Irwin Weiner ASID - It's exciting to see celebrities come out. For rock star Lenny Kravitz to say that he enjoyed decorating his room when he was a young child and he needs a well designed space in order to make his music, his "coming out" as an furniture designer and interior designer (back in 2003) injected much-needed verve into our sometimes too sedate industry. Look at his energetic, dynamic Mademoiselle chair designs in the photo below for Kartell (click on the photo for more information) or his impressive accomplishments on his Kravitz Design website.

Likewise, international tennis sensation Venus Williams has embraced the expansion of her personal brand by opening up her own design firm - and V*Starr Design is an impressive company (see website screenshot below), complete with an extremely accomplished design team.

Kudos to Lenny and Venus for confirming what I've always believed: interior design is always evolving, and personal vision and energetic drive and a strong sense of style is what it takes to be a success in our field. Enjoy today's featured videos that follow, with interviews that confirm that these two superstars are in love with the design world.

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Summer Travel Video - London's Quirkiest Places

Irwin Weiner ASID - We're celebrating England's great 2012 festivities this summer by focusing in the following video on some of the quirkiest places in London for visitors. Don't forget that this dynamic (and rather expensive) city is always changing, so we imagine that quirky new additions to the London scene are being added every day.

Visitors for the upcoming Summer Olympics have many off-the-beaten-path delights to explore - much more exciting than the usual tourist sightseeing fare. (In the following video, don't forget to click on the link near the end of the vid for more quirky features. They're very addictive to watch.)

Bonus

Do some design and collectible shopping while you're in London. Click here to read UK Antique Heaven and watch a video.

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