BoutiqueDesign.com - Boutique Blog

Drool-Worthy Product of the Week

Posted by Boutique Media Group7/11/2008 1:31:22 PM

A contemporary bench has never looked so traditional. A piece in the Delano Contemporary Collection, by Samuelson Furniture, this bench plays coy with two contrary yet distinctive styles. Its straight, clean lines come across the eye as the very essence of modern, but it’s hard to ignore the color combination that would have even the belles in the south proclaiming, “Why, I do declare!” Of course, the bench also boasts a few other color combinations, but when this one so perfectly blends two opposites together, why bother?

What I Do: Luciano Lorenzatti

Posted by Boutique Media Group7/11/2008 1:58:51 PM

Luciano Lorenzatti developed his interest for design at a young age. By 2005 he had joined the Umbra design team and has since provided his fresh and distinct style to Umbra’s collections. His work displays refined, thoughtful design driven by classic influences. The inspiration from architecture and furniture can be readily seen through the use of clean, elegant forms and fluid lines. This week, DREAMbook got an inside look at Lorenzatti.

What do you do?
I design house wares, from kitchen to drapery to bath. Also, I contribute to UMBRA’s U+ studio collection.

What makes this job so rewarding?
I approach design tasks/challenges in a very functional and simplistic way. It’s part of a methodology that I have filtered through a screen of experiences. For me, the reward in all of this is to have a product that captures beauty and seamlessly blends into the routine of the end-user.

What was the first thing that you designed?
The trapeze clock. Under the success of UMBRA’s trapeze collection, I extended the trapeze family with a clock. It’s a modern floating glass structure encasing a very clean cut mechanism with minute and hour hands.

What was the last thing that you designed?
The roadkill wall art. The furry specimens encased in acrylic cases are “squished” in a playful way to reflect the “end of the road” for abandoned stuffed animals. In an effort toward sustainability, I have taken discarded toys collected from Goodwill stores and given new life to “old joy.” This limited edition wall art collection is in many ways intended to capture a wide audience. Fun has no age.

Who do you look up to?
Pedro Ubelarte. He built an exact ¼ scale replica of a steam power locomotive, harvester and bagger as a side project that took over 60 years to complete. In many ways, this is an example of technical knowledge, consistency, determination, persistence, and love and passion for the generation in which he thrived.

What would you like to do that is unrelated to your current profession?
Archeology.

Where do you go for inspiration?
Antique shops and museums. I find that technology is becoming mind numbing, although it’s impressive in its own way. I like to look for simplicity for my inspiration.

What is your favorite thing?
Time with family and friends.

Getting to Know: Shelly Starr

Posted by Boutique Media Group7/11/2008 2:59:03 PM

Shelly Starr is a young and innovative entrepreneur and the brain behind the Moura Starr brand. Moura Starr is an international furniture and manufacturing company that has the unique distinction of being completely green. With environmental soundness such as that, it’s no surprise that the brand attracts celebrity fans like Jennifer Aniston and Queen Latifah. Shelly’s company is a testament to her quality of work and here we’ve got the inside scoop of the woman heading this successful, international company of her own.

What do you do?
I run five companies. I am the creative director and head of product development for Moura Starr and I oversee all aspects of the company.

What was the first thing that you designed?
It was a chaise lounge.

Who are your idols?
They always have been and never can read enough about:
Jackie Kennedy Onassis
Coco Chanel
Grace Kelly
Audrey Hepburn

If you could do anything else other than design, what would it be?
I would love to open a small restaurant and be head chef. If I could sit and cook for people all day that would be my dream.

Where do you go for inspiration?
I go home with my family and go for drives with my husband and wherever we are, I pull my inspiration from the talks we have. It’s really internal and about what is going on inside of us.

What do you love about your life?
I am a mother of a 3-year-old and love to spend every extra moment with her. I love how hard she can make me laugh. I love being a mother.

Drool-Worthy Product of the WeekMalleable Entertainment

Posted by Tracey Wallace7/3/2008 12:21:26 PM

It might take a moment to wrap your head around, but that’s exactly the point of the design of Anemone. Created by Heath Nash of Artecnica to capture the natural movement and flow of underwater anemones, this lamp invites its user to manipulate, move and play with its shape. Its unexpected mobile fluidity comes from the creative relationship between flatness and three-dimensionality. When packaged, the lamp is flat, but when opened it is transformed into a flexible, three-dimensional structure that will surely make onlookers yearn for a quick touch. The malleable design of this lamp, which can be hung or set on a table, is sure to keep guests occupied for hours.

Getting to Know: Luigi Billiani

Posted by Tracey Wallace7/3/2008 12:21:35 PM

Born in 1956 Luigi Billiani studied architecture in Venice, pursuing his dream of taking over the family business, Billiani SRL, one of the most important chair manufactures in Italy for the contract business. Billiani’s passion for Italian style and design and his will to amplify his market allowed him to bring the company to its soon to be 100th birthday. Even after a century of tradition, Billiani still remembers and lives up to his forefathers’ insightful instructions.

What do you do? Why?
I offer the best features of an Italian seating product in terms of design and materials. I produce quality ergonomic seating and solutions for all commercial furnishing needs. I love design, it is my family’s best trait, and I grew up knowing that Biliani SRL would become an established brand in the seating world. This is my goal, and I am passionate of my job also knowing that it’s my family’s heritage.

What was the first thig that you designed?
The first chair I designed was the Spinn which introduced to the market the technology of the double panels back rest, which allowed the Spinn to arrive in the top 10 of the “Fiera della Sedia di Udine.”

What was the last thing that you designed?
My last creation was the LUIGI B XV Collection. A side chair and an arm chair that revise the thrones of the 17th century with a contemporary look.

Who are your idols?
My grandfather Luigi, who started the Billiani Company back in 1911. A pioneer for his time and a great worker who proved that difficult times, like World War I, can’t stop a man with a dream.

What would you like to do that is unrelated to your current profession?
My love and enthusiasm for architecture and design are so profound that I would love to design yachts and docks, and (why not?) maybe hotels.

Where do you go for inspiration?
I am inspired by every detail that surrounds me, my mind doesn’t find limits, and I love to travel so every time I go somewhere I bring back new ideas and then combine them with my environment.

What is your favorite thing?
Discovering new places when I travel around the world and creating a connection with the place I am in.

In their Words: Denise Delong

Posted by Tracey Wallace7/3/2008 1:20:15 PM

It was after graduate school that Denise Delong decided to make a living out of her passion. At 29 years old, she created her own ceramic line that captured the everyday elements of typical New York and of the people who call it home.

“I have always been impressed with the infrastructure of New York,” said Delong, designer and founder. “And how its energy goes on every single day, how people live and thrive every day.”

Delong looks with marvel at the structures that serve so many purposes for the citizens of the bustling city, but also notices the ability of the landmarks to capture the eye.

“New York is where big ideas materialized, few expenses were spared,” said Delong. “We are so lucky to have spectacular structures as the Brooklyn Bridge, New York Public Library and Grand Central Terminal.”

Though the buildings and structures are a part of it, Delong takes her real inspiration from the combination of architectural beauty and the people who use it. She hopes that her company, once only a dream and a pile of tiles, will serve as a memorandum of special moments in the city.

“I enjoy combining these treasures with the traffic and people of everyday New York,” said Delong. “I love the feedback I get from people at market.”

For more information on where to purchase the Anemone please visit http://www.whotelsthestore.com.

Nuhouse Design Joins the Bacarrat Hotels BrandNew luxery hotel to be designed by Nuhouse

Posted by Tracey Wallace6/24/2008 2:55:04 PMNuhouse Design Associates, a Florida-based interior design firm, has been selected to create the look of the first hotel of the new Bacarrat Hotels and Resorts brand. The new hotel is set to be an exclusive, ultra-luxury brand. Flag Luxury Properties, a New York-based developer of luxury resort and residential properties, engaged Baccarat Hotels and Residences, a subsidiary of Starwood Capital Group, to operate its exclusive ultra-luxury hotel and residences.

“The Bacarrat project is an exciting challenge because there is no previous footprint for the aesthetic of the Bacarrat Hotels and Resorts brand,” said Nuhouse Design Associates principal Zeke Fernandez. “We are in effect setting the standard for the look, which is an honor and a thrill.”

Inspired by the legendary quality of Bacarrat crystal, the overall design concept for the brand centers around the reflection and refraction of light. Fire, earth, water, and sand – all of the elements needed to create and cool crystal -- will come into play to create a property that conveys perfection, clarity and beauty.

The Guest rooms will have deep wood accents with a contemporary feel while the public spaces will have a more modern and clean theme with traditional Bacarrat crystal chandeliers.

DREAMbook Newsletter Answers

Posted by Boutique Media Group6/20/2008 11:26:50 AMHow did you do?

1. D
2. A
3. C
4. E
5. B

Drool-Worthy Product of the WeekFrom the Ground Up

Posted by Boutique Media Group6/13/2008 4:42:35 PM

Moore and Giles celebrates their 75th anniversary this year, but the road there hasn’t been so smooth. Beginning as a leather shoe company specializing not only in leather, but in everything associated with creating the footwear, the company saw a major shift in their industry. China and Brazil were rising competition and as the years progressed, the leather shoe industry found itself in international hands. Such a transition was yet to stop the growing Moore and Giles team. They changed their expertise from footwear to upholstery. Though even from here, the road was still rocky.

The hospitality industry had, at the time, no interest for the company’s natural leather and was instead booking with the competition. Moore and Giles kept their idea that good leather need not be about the processes it went through, but rather about the look…about the feel.

“You don’t have to know anything about leather to feel it and love it,” said VP of Hospitality, BJ Kavnaugh, Jr.

Through thick and thin, Moore and Giles has stood its ground on what it believes good leather should be. Their take on the hospitality industry is the same they have for the residential.

“Beautiful things go across all boundaries,” said Kavnaugh. “Why not have a beautiful piece in a hotel and in your guest room?”

So drool on readers, this company is working in your favor to bring you leather that not only looks fabulous, but makes you fall in love with that first touch. No need for decorative or glitzy items, Moore and Giles presents you with natural leathers that span over three-quarters of a century. Using their heads to transform what they know and love from the bottom up. Literally.

Drool Worth Product of the WeekFrom the Ground Up

Posted by Boutique Media Group6/13/2008 1:48:39 PM

Moore and Giles celebrates their 75th anniversary this year, but the road there hasn’t been so smooth. Beginning as a leather shoe company specializing not only in leather, but in everything associated with creating the footwear, the company saw a major shift in their industry. China and Brazil were rising competition and as the years progressed, the leather shoe industry found itself in international hands. Such a transition was yet to stop the growing Moore and Giles team. They changed their expertise from footwear to upholstery. Though even from here, the road was still rocky.

The hospitality industry had, at the time, no interest for the company’s natural leather and was instead booking with the competition. Moore and Giles kept their idea that good leather need not be about the processes it went through, but rather about the look…about the feel.

“You don’t have to know anything about leather to feel it and love it,” said VP of Hospitality, BJ Kavnaugh, Jr.

Through thick and thin, Moore and Giles has stood its ground on what it believes good leather should be. Their take on the hospitality industry is the same they have for the residential.

“Beautiful things go across all boundaries,” said Kavnaugh. “Why not have a beautiful piece in a hotel and in your guest room?”

So drool on readers, this company is working in your favor to bring you leather that not only looks fabulous, but makes you fall in love with that first touch. No need for decorative or glitzy items, Moore and Giles presents you with natural leathers that span over three-quarters of a century. Using their heads to transform what they know and love from the bottom up. Literally.