If you’ve ever had to vent a fireplace or wood stove, then you know how much trouble it can be. Do you put the pipe in the ceiling or the wall? Who will install the thing so that you can be safe from chimney fires? Will the insurance company approve of the specifications? You’ll have none of these concerns if you choose a freestanding eco-fireplace from Koloo—which is actually more of a decorative fire appliance, as its panels measure approximately eight inches. The Italian company makes the Nago-L and Nago-S, two modern mini-towers with a glowing fire at the top.

Nago-L eco-fireplace. Manufactured by Koloo.

Flueless Eco-Fireplace with Modular Magnetic Panels

Nago-L and its smaller counterpart Nago-S highlight the lovely flame of the fire by ensconcing it within two glass partitions. The square pieces of the base get covered in a variety of materials, as per the customers’ desire—everything from acrylic and Plexiglas to stone and ceramic. Nago-L stacks three square units atop one another, while Nago-S sticks to one. Constructed of a white steel structure, the Nago eco-fireplaces are little flueless wonders.

Better than their size is Nago’s versatility. Its panels can be changed easily (they’re attached using a magnetic system), so the look of your personal fire appliance can reflect not only your style, but your mood as well. Choose hot red Plexiglas for nights when you feel daring or cool white ceramic for days when you feel subdued. Completely made in Italy, Nago-L and Nago-S fit lots of interiors, including living rooms, bedrooms, restaurants, and hotels.

About the Manufacturer: Koloo is an Italian design company with a new idea—to let the customer be the designer. Following this philosophy, Koloo products are available exclusively online through Koloo’s web store. The company offers modern furniture and accessories in a variety of materials: stone, wood, ceramic, eco-leather, metal, and Plexiglas. Koloo products include lamps, eco-fireplaces, coffee tables, shelving, and accessories such as mirrors and candlesticks.

KBIS is the annual kitchen & bath industry show, and the ultimate destination for kitchen and bath trends. This year we followed around KBIS trendspotters Jason Oliver Nixon and John Loecke, the design duo behind Brooklyn-based Madcap Cottage, to get their take on the show’s “Top 5”. Take a look!

From the bold Silestone Life! Series, to Moen’s clever new accessories, Rohl’s smart stainless copper plated sinks, the awe-inspiring Haveli collection at Ann Sacks, and Kohler’s tech-savvy Numi - these represent some of the some of the latest trends, and best designs at the show.

Gliding our fingers over textured fabrics creates a sensation impossible to describe, see, or hear. While many of us choose interesting soft, thick, woven and silken fabrics to place over our skin as clothing, we don’t always allow ourselves the same freedom of choice in fabrics and leathers for the home. Thanks to designers and manufacturers that manipulate the surface design of our upholstered furniture, draperies and other various interior textile uses, tactile sensation gets a renewed feel of the extraordinarily original variety.

Top Ten: Relief Upholstery Designs.

Relief Print Designs of Textiles and Upholstery Bring a Heavy Dose of Texture into Interior Design

1. Jumbo Crocodile - Marble
MANUFACTURER: Edelman Leathers
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 28 sq. feet

Just enough gloss combined with a hand antiqued finish, the Jumbo Crocodile - Marble design of full grain vegetable-tanned aniline-dyed cowhide by Edelman Leathers has an average size of 28 square feet. The engraving of the hide is tanned in an old-fashioned manner to create a crocodile look upon the cowhide skin.

2. Herringbone
MANUFACTURER: Climatex
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 53.5”W

Composed of 60% WV and 40% redesigned Lenzing FR™, the Climatex upholstery fabric of Herringbone complies with the “principles of eco-effectiveness” in their solid color designs. The climate-controlled surfaces infuse moisture management and renewable, raw materials to come up with an abrasion-resistant textile design for residential use.

3. Pinus Nigra
DESIGNER: Sylvia Döhler
MANUFACTURER: Nonwovens
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 33.5”- 35.4”W x 98.4”L or 196.9”L

Every batch of the Pinus Nigra by Nonwoven is unique in comparison with the next, since each fabric is made individually and thus is completely original. While the textiles are not washable, the designs themselves are produced in limited batches for special orders and are made from 100% Lenzing FR®.

4. Archipelago - Tide Pool
MANUFACTURER: Designtex
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 54”W

With its cotton/polyester backing, the Tide Pool design of the Archipelago Collection by Designtex (recently covered in a 3rings article) is a geometrical spectacle of perforated circular designs. Created as part of their Sta-Kleen fabric division - reducing stain potential while adding to the durability factor - the entire Archipelago collection of animal print-driven and other textured fabrics are a must for extending the life of upholstery

5. Elephant
DESIGNER: Joseph Noble
PRICE: $39.50
Dimensions: 54”W

With a poly vinyl face and a heavy duty wyzenbeek, the Elephant upholstery by Joseph Noble is designed for upholstery that needs a super-charged leathery texture. In four different colorways of neutral tones, this leathery textile is great for residential or contract use.

6. 3D-TEX® PP/KHF
MANUFACTURER: Mayser
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 39.4”W x 0.4”H x 70.9”L

The 3D-TEX PP/KHF natural fiber upholstery is what the German manufacturer, Mayser, describes as a “compression mould nub plate” made of polypropylene from a renewable material - like kenaf, hemp and flax - using a needle-punched weave for maximum durability.

7. Dash on Plushy
MANUFACTURER: Dedar
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 53.1”H

Suggested for use as a drapery textile, the Dash on Plushy - and its sister design, Swing on Plushy - by Dedar use a permanently pleated fabric design out of 100% PES FR to created an abrasion-resistant, fire-retardant and versatile material that is machine washable. Its 1” vertical repeat and 2” horizontal repeat creates a grid-like, brick aesthetic that never tires.

8. Baby Osterich
MANUFACTURER: Aviron Textiles
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: 55”W

Made from 100% PVC, the Baby Osterich faux leather upholstery by Aviron Textiles is designed for upholstery and wallcoverings. Its sixteen colorways allow for plentiful options to create a textured interior space in the color of your choice.

9. Allure
MANUFACTURER: Designtex
PRICE: $36
Dimensions: 54”W

Made from 28% viscose and 72% polyester with an acrylic back, the Allure upholstery by Designtex has a warranty of ten years, making it an extremely durable relief textile for residential use. Coming in 14 different colorways, the print can be both vibrant, in colors like magenta and blue - or subtle, in neutral tones.

10. Woven
MANUFACTURER: Madison Leathers
PRICE: Available upon request
Dimensions: n/a

Upon first glance, the woven leather upholstery by Madison Leathers appears to be the construction of an outdoor wicker chair. Offered by Madison Leathers in either a full grain hide or a calf suede, however, the Woven leather textiles come in custom sizes to fit every project that desires the feeling of a relief weave.

Hope you enjoyed our roundup of the Top Ten Relief Upholstery Designs!

Top Ten articles publish every Tuesday. Email 3rings@designerpages.com if there’s a category you’d like to see.

One of the great things about a TRE-Più Door is that you know it will withstand the test of time. Loosely speaking—and at great risk of doing injustice to the company’s eclectic collection—Tre-Piu’s line is divided into two kinds of doors, classical and technically innovative.

Continuum. Designed by Antonio Citterio. Manufacturd by TRE-Più.

TRE-Più’s Doors Synthesize Millennial Functionality and Enduring Aesthetics

The company has authored more than 100 different doors, each of which offers excellent craftsmanship and high style. Some, however, seem to privilege innovation in the movement mechanics of this most crucial point of entry, aspiring either towards a seamless integration that de-emphasizes the door as an autonomous design element, or towards better operation that saves space.

Antonio Citterio’s Continuum, for instance, features wood paneling evocative of a mid-century aesthetic. Along with beveled trim and a precision closure that duplicates the texture of the surrounding wall, Continuum appears the proverbial “hidden door,” making it right for fans of minimalistic Modernism as well as those who just appreciate the party trick aesthetic of a room without a door.

Then there’s the TRE-Più Sliding Door System. By replacing the traditional bargeboard with an easy-to-install steel rail, TRE-Più has made this old standby easier to operate as well as more streamlined in appearance: “both door panel and rail exhibit a modern and aggressive design, which makes this new sliding outside the wall door a piece of refined and contemporary technologic dimension.”

Nor is TRE-Più behind the curve when it comes to environmental responsibility. The company’s Evolve line takes wood harvested from sustainably managed forests (FSC Certified) and “enhances the raw material, creating a fibrous structure, a texture that can be felt to the touch.” The result is an innovative product that behaves like wood yet feels like a fine textile.

Lastly, Planar is a precision machined door with the advanced aeronautical aspect of an airplane wing. Featuring prefect coplanarity (down to the millimeter), Planar not only offers the enhanced aesthetics of a thinner door, but also the improved functionality of perfect closure, as the streamlined profile brings the door to the same plane as the surrounding trim.

About the Manufacturer: TRE-Più creates designer doors known industry-wide for their seamless functionality and cutting-edge aesthetics. TRE-Più routinely partners with some of the most iconic designers in the business, such as Antonio Citterio and Cini Boeri. The company’s line includes traditional hinged doors in addition to sliding door systems and wing doors. Recent standouts include Citterio’s Pavilion Minimal System and Boeri’s Rever.

When I was younger, my brother often got me involved in his hobbies in some half-hearted attempt to befriend me—though I fear it was mostly to torture me. One of his ill-fated pastimes one summer was knotting. This began with his love of boating. When tying the standard docking knot became dull, he insisted we try putting together more complex knots, including such doozies as the reef knot and double diamond. Czech design company Kumeko may also have a young knot-maker in its creative midst, given the labyrinthine loops that make up their Knotty floor cushion and Mini Knotty floor cushion.

Knotty floor cushion. Manufactured by Kumeko.

Braided Cushion Created From Old Jersey

Try to follow any of the lines in Kumeko’s cushion at your own peril, for you will surely lose the thread (if not your mind). The knots in Knotty are specially developed by the brains at Kumeko: they look like the lovely whorls of certain braided breads or the sinuous lines of intermingled snakes. These knots blend old-world weaving with new-world ingredients. Constructed of soft upcycled jersey tubes, Knotty and Mini Knotty floor cushions transform an everyday material into a beautiful object.

The Knotty pieces get stuffed with a resilient foam that still allows for spring. This is important, as the cushion will mold to your body, so you can admire the intricacies of Knotty without getting all knotted up yourself!

Via Inhabitat.

About the Manufacturer: Kumeko is a design studio based in Prague, Czech Republic. Their products combine tradition and innovation: “Our designs are inspired by the handcraft techniques of our grandparents, lovingly re-imagined for the modern world.” All Kumeko designs are handmade.