Bored with your room…
…specifically your bedroom? Consider replacing your bedside table lamps with pendant lights for a more modern look.
Vastu’s 10 tips to better design: #10
#10: Don’t go for second best
Turn to personalization when your unique furniture needs differ from what you see in catalogs or chain stores. After you assess your space issues, create custom sofas and chairs in fabrics that best suit your style and space requirements. Customizing your furniture is quick and easy, and doesn’t have to cost you more. All it takes is a few moments to create comfortable, modern furniture that is truly your own design.
The sofas, chairs, ottomans, beds, and benches at Vastu can be customized in many different ways: style, dimensions, fabric, cushion detail and leg type. Case goods at Vastu, such as tables, shelving, sideboards and cabinets can be customized with wood types and stains, metal finishes and dimensions.
Create something just for you!
#1: Simple solutions, #2: Fabric first, #3: Mixed greens, #4: Art matters, #5: Crack a window, #6: Lighten up, #7: Location, #8: When more is more, #9: Design services
Designer spotlight: George Nelson
George Nelson, 1908-1986
Birthplace: Hartford, CT
Herman Miller Products: Nelson Marshmallow sofa, Coconut chair, Swag Leg chair, Swag Leg desk, end table, bench
An early zap came in the 1930s, when George Nelson was an architectural student in Rome. Before returning home, an idea struck him: He would travel Europe and interview leading modern architects, hoping to get the articles published in the U.S. He succeeded, and in the process introduced the U.S. design community to the European avant-garde. This set in motion a sequence of what he called “lucky” career breaks that were really the inevitable outcomes of his brilliance as a designer, teacher, and author. The first break was being named an editor of Architectural Forum magazine. Working on a story there in 1942, he was looking at aerial photos of blighted cities when–zap!–he developed the concept of the downtown pedestrian mall, which was unveiled in the Saturday Evening Post. Soon after, another zap led to the Storagewall, the first modular storage system and a forerunner of systems furniture. The Storagewall was showcased in a 1945 Life magazine article, causing a sensation in the furniture industry. Herman Miller founder D.J. DePree saw the article and was so impressed that he paid a visit to Nelson in New York and convinced him to be his director of design, which spurred Nelson to found his design firm, George Nelson & Associates. The warm personal and professional relationship between Nelson and DePree yielded a stunning range of products, from the playful Marshmallow Sofa to the first L-shaped desk, a precursor of today’s workstation. Nelson once wrote that Herman Miller “is not playing follow-the-leader.” That’s one reason why George Nelson & Associates worked with Herman Miller for over 25 years as they shepherded design into the modern era. During this same period, George Nelson & Associates also created many landmark designs of products, showrooms, and exhibitions for a variety of companies and organizations. Nelson said that for a designer to deal creatively with human needs, “he must first make a radical, conscious break with all values he identifies as antihuman.” Designers also must constantly be aware of the consequences of their actions on people and society. In fact, he declared that “total design is nothing more or less than a process of relating everything to everything.” So he said that rather than specializing, designers must cultivate a broad base of knowledge and understanding. Nelson did so as few are able, and, with the help of well-timed zaps, he helped define modern, humane design.
(image and bio via hermanmiller.com)
Vastu’s 10 tips to better design: #9
#9: Design Services: Know when to say when
Some things are just better left to the experts. Turn to design professionals who can help you get the most for your money, time and space. An interior designer can take your ideas and flesh them out into real solutions, maximizing your space. They have their finger on the pulse of styles, new products and unique vendors. They can also provide piece of mind, taking the worry out of space design.
A valuable design services expert will listen to your needs and create a space that is not only unique to you, but fits your lifestyle.
#1: Simple solutions, #2: Fabric first, #3: Mixed greens, #4: Art matters, #5: Crack a window, #6: Lighten up, #7: Location, #8: When more is more
ROYGBIV
Vastu’s 10 tips to better design: #8
#8: When more is more
Size matters in interior design and when size is an issue, creating multiple uses for items is the best way to get more out of less. Items that serve more than one purpose can save space and time, but also make good sense. A side table that also serves as storage and is strong enough to be used as seating when necessary is a great way to maximize your design dollar. By designing smaller pull-up chairs in the living space that are also compatible with your dining chairs in size and fabric, you’ll save space and money. Beds with storage underneath are a great way to maximize space, regardless of your budget. In many urban spaces, rooms are open and free-flowing; you need to choose each piece carefully to create a harmonious space where furniture can easily work in different areas. If you need help, just ask!
#1: Simple solutions, #2: Fabric first, #3: Mixed greens, #4: Art matters, #5: Crack a window, #6: Lighten up, #7: Location
Vastu’s 10 tips to better design: #7
#7: Location, location, location!
Most of the elements of good design are all about placement. The right thing can seem like the wrong thing when it’s not placed in the best location. Creating a new space or making major changes to an existing space always works much easier when your initial planning considers usage, location and interaction of the people and the things in the room. Think about who will use the space and how they’ll use it; think about movement throughout a space and where you want the focus of your attention to fall. A simple way to get a feel for the spatial relationship of your furnishings is two-dimensional taping or laying out newspapers. This will help you judge your real space. Remember to take into account an item’s movement, e.g. the distance that dining chairs need to slide out from the table.
Think creatively when arranging your furniture. Dining spaces don’t always have to be next to kitchens and master bedrooms don’t always have to be the largest bedroom. Set furniture away from the wall, create smaller vignettes in large rooms and create small conversation areas in creative locations to maximize your floor space. In small spaces, angling the furniture and floor coverings can dramatically open up the room. For something unexpected and fresh, place a large area rug on the diagonal under some of the legs of furniture, letting it spill into the rest of the room, or just a small round rug on the side of a bed.
#1: Simple solutions, #2: Fabric first, #3: Mixed greens, #4: Art matters, #5: Crack a window, #6: Lighten up
Designer spotlight: Pepe Cortes
Pepe Cortès, (1945- )
Birthplace: Barcelona, Spain
Knoll Products: Jamaica barstool
A native of Barcelona, Pepe Cortès established the design group Grupo Abierto de Diseno, designed stores and offices, furnished restaurants with Oscar Tusquets, collaborated with Javier Mariscal to design furniture and took part in countless other collaborations. From 1984 to 1988 he was part of the committee for the FAD Awards, or Fomento de las Artes Decorativas, and won the first prize FAD public opinion award from 1983 to 1990.
(image and bio via knoll.com)
Vastu’s 10 tips to better design: #6
#6: Lighten Up
Proper lighting can make or break any space. To create the proper lighting for different spaces, you have to consider how the space is used, e.g. reading vs. entertaining, but also who is going to be using the space, the time of day or night, the focus of the light on art or furniture and yes, whether or not it’s flattering. Dimmers are a must for any overhead lighting in order to change the wattage when you change the activity, and lighting set on timers makes adding drama and effect simple and easy. Adding lower-level ambient lighting softens a space at night, creating intimacy and drawing attention to seating areas. Accent lights and can lights behind floor plants add dramatic shadows and contrast for bargain rates. Softly tinted ambient lighting creates mood and flatters skin, flattering hosts and guests alike!
Hint: Our winter holidays are visually defined by lights, but creating holiday themes can be expensive and time consuming. Candles are the simplest, easiest and most cost effective way to honor a season and create a warm mood to counteract the dark days of winter. Scented candles personalize a space and are easily matched to a season.
#1: Simple solutions, #2: Fabric first, #3: Mixed greens, #4: Art matters, #5: Crack a window
Knoll Classics Sale: March 1 – 6
It’s that time of year! Enjoy 15% off Knoll Classics March 1st through March 6th. A “Knoll Classic” is any Knoll piece designed by Harry Bertoia, Marcel Breuer, Florence Knoll, Warren Platner, Jens Risom, Ludwig Mies ven der Rohe, or Eero Saarinen. Iconic pieces like the Barcelona chair, Womb chair and ottoman, and Florence Knoll coffee table will be marked down. Here’s a look some of the other items that will be one sale…
The Platner coffee table with a clear glass top and polished nickel base, originally $1,268, will be $1,077.80.
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