Puff Up That Comfy Style

Now that the Milan show is over, the new focus is on New York's ICFF show in Mid May. Curious minds want to know whether the new "comfy style" that was prominent in Milan, would cross the atlantic and make it to New York city. We are not talking about Bean Bags, we are more talking about cushion, pads, comfort ... everywhere, especially in sofas and sectionals. Living rooms are more like kid play rooms, for the adults. Sit, lounge, channel surf, nap, even sleep - Couches look more like sofa beds with great pillow tops.

The Peanut Collection from Designer Bonaldo looks more like a grown up kids room with plenty of style.

The Nuvola collection, also from Bonaldo, mixes modern design and old style comfort. Great padding everywhere and kind of a "laissez aller" - put your hair in a scrunchy look.

The abbracio collection from Cierre is no exception- The leader of living in leather is more like "relax in leather".

.. .and finally the Nick collection from Cierre lays out that cushiony feeling too.

It looks like Italian designers are sending us a message to chill and relax. Would New York listen? I guess we will wait and see at ICFF. In the meantime, you can enjoy these lines and many more at Chez Moi in San Francisco.

Mother of Pearl on Mother's Day

When it comes to mother's day gifts, it is hard not to think about Mother of Pearl products. The Capiz shell, which is mother of pearl, is now used to create great tableware and bathware in addition to great accessories. Chez Moi has a great collection of Capiz accessories designed by a Seattle-based artist and manufactured in the Philippines.

Great Tableware

A blend of style and nature. The Capiz line of tableware comes in a variety of styles and colors. From white and silver, to Gold, to a collection of spring colors ideal for outdoor parties. Come and see for yourself.

Great Bathware

Put great styles in your bathrooms. A Great collection of bathware and in many colors: white, silver, gold and sea-blue. A complete gem.

Designers with emotions, tables with atttitude

When you throw designers with emotions at a problem, you get more than pieces of furniture. You get an experience. Check these tables out and judge by yourself.

Glam_Glam glass - design by Gino Carollo

Glam is available in pouf or coffee table version. The structure is in wood, with polyurethane padding. Glam can be covered in shiny technical fabric or in leather. In the small table version, Glam glass has a glass top.

Folio design James Brönte

Small glass tables, square and rectangular. Various finishes are available.

Exell design Gino Carollo

Small table with etched, chequered-pattern glass top, available in various finishes

Miami design Gino Carollo

Small table. Top in transparent plate glass. Base with gloss lacquered finish.

Amble design Mauro Lipparini

Small table. Chromed frame. Top in smoked plate glass

Lux Design Gino Carollo

Small tables with chrome-plated steel base. Top in extra-light mirror glass with etched chequered-pattern.



Oscar design Dondoli and Pocci

Rectangular leaf table with central extension. Frame in steel. Legs in die-cast aluminium. Top in plate glass.

H2O Design Massimo Iosa Ghini

Round fixed top table. Frame in chromed steel. Top in transparent plate glass.

Jamesdesign Peter Ross

Extending table with side extensions. Wooden structure and glass top available in various finishes.

Jamesdesign Peter Ross

Extending table with side extensions. Wooden structure and glass top available in various finishes.

Jamesdesign Peter Ross

Extending table with side extensions. Wooden structure and glass top available in various finishes.

Twice design Mauro Lipparini

Fix or leaf table with side extension. Frame in steel. Veneered wooden or lacquered legs. Top in plate glass or veneered wood.


Twice design Mauro Lipparini

Fix or leaf table with side extension. Frame in steel. Veneered wooden or lacquered legs. Top in plate glass or veneered wood



Tomdesign Peter Ross

Extending table with side extensions. Gloss stainless steel structure and glass top.

Lingotto design Gino Carollo

Lingotto is an extending table with etched, chequered-pattern glass top, available in various finishes. The structure is in steel

Lingotto design Gino Carollo

Lingotto is an extending table with etched, chequered-pattern glass top, available in various finishes. The structure is in steel

Laud

Rectangular or round fixed top table. Veneered wood, gloss lacquered or gloss stainless steel legs. Top in plate glass

Dry design Donodoli Pocci

Leaf table with side extensions. Frame in steel. Top in plate glass

Vision design Gino Carollo

Swivel TV stand for plasma or LCD television sets. Base in chromed steel. Frame lacquered. Size of plasma or LCD TV: 70x51 cm minimum, 102x60 cm maximum. Maximum capacity 50 kg.

Some of these tables are displayed at ChezMoi in San Francisco

Design with Emotions

When you combine experimentation, unique design and emotions you get more than contemporary furniture- You get Bonaldo.

The Lingotto Table- A recent introduction

Since 1936 Bonaldo has produced creative, elegant, quality furniture that convey a profound sense of the experience that they fully embody. The company has always been involved in experimentation. Sixty years ago it began with its range of tubular metal applications and today it conducts wide-ranging research into plastics, the use of different alloys and the use of materials such as pressure cast aluminium, flexiblec old-pressed polyurethane and propylene. The company has a high-tech focus, however it entrusts fundamental planning and production stages to human skill.

The Nuvola Sectional- A game of comfort and Style

The result: a great line of furniture that totally reflects Italian tastes and lifestyle, something unique to Italy that cannot be reproduced elsewhere, but which interacts with various international trends in contemporary design. The company has partnered with great designers such as Ron Arad and Karim Rashid, Mauro Lipparini, Toshiyuki Kita and Denis Santachiara, D’Urbino and Lomazzi and Giuseppe Viganò- to create lines of furniture than span the globe and time.

Glass, wood, chrome, leather and more all blend artistically well under the Bonaldo umbrella. The company continues to receive international design awards.

The Fluff Bed- Elegance and a great night sleep

Bonaldo is now shown at Chez Moi in San Francisco. Come and experience it.


Tables, sofas, side chairs, dining chairs and TV stands. A great line up of designers, a great collection of designs and so many awards. That is Bonaldo.

A Guide to a Cocoon Lifestyle

Top 5 tips to make your home a place you never want to leave

The uncertain economy, the rise of natural disasters and persistent war conflicts have resulted in the further insulation of people within their home cocoons. This cocoon lifestyle has given a boom to home decoration since more and more people turn to home entertainment and dinner parties instead of “going out.”

But as people tend to stay in it is important that they connect with their homes and not treat them like a lifelong hotel. Here are five tips that are necessary to create a balanced home.

Reflect your personality on your home

Take a deep breath and think of what makes you safe and happy and design your home around it. If you are happy being at a club surrounded by loud people and techno music- then think loft with minimalistic furniture and big chandeliers.If you feel comfortable and happy in nature, think of natural elements such as wood casegoods and stone and wood tables. You get the point.

Trendy-looking home- For Party affecionados.

Let Nature In

Remember that nature is the best designer. All the colors of the universe simply blend well. Nature tells you what color schemes to use. I am not talking about putting tree trunks in your house or simply plants. I am talking about taking a few natural elements and pick color schemes from it. For example, if you take a tree trunk, look at the color scheme in it: mainly shades of brown- dark brown surface, light brown inner circles and dark brown again in the core. I would say, choose a light brown sofa and sprinkle dark brown pillows around it.

Small elements of nature- Tables from Tree Trunks

Control Lighting

Lighting is life and again, adjust the amount of light your house gets according to your personality. If you are an extrovert increase the light, use very thin shades for the day, if any, and spot lights for the night. Introverts usually need less light and more of a safe zone that reduces exposure.

Give yourself space

No matter what personality you are, you always need space. The cluttered rooms lead to severe claustrophobia. As a rule of thumb, furniture should only occupy 20 to 25% of the space of the room. The rest has to be empty space. When looking at accessories, they also should only occupy 20 to 25% of the surface they are accessorizing. For example, if you have a cocktail table, and you put a big vase in the middle that takes more than 50% of the table, then you have cluttered it and created a scene you need to escape from. People need space, the eye needs a horizon to look at.

Plenty of space

Let History In

Time is an essential element for people. You can’t make your home a moment frozen in time. What I mean by that is that your furniture should blend modern and antique, old and new to create a feeling than spans the length of time. Usually, I would use predominantly contemporary furniture and one or two antique pieces to break the modern streak.

All in all, the home is the eternal sanctuary and the place where we can balance ourselves. So let us balance!

Glass Blowing... East to West

Over two thousand years, a lightning hit the sandy coast of small town Sarafand on the east coast of the Mediterranean sea. The lightning created a small urn in glass that locals used to hold wine in. Little did these people know that witness the creation of an industry that will last two thousand years. Since that moment and for the past two thousand years, millions of glass blowing artists have surfaced around the earth and created works of art. From candelabras from Lebanon, to Chandeliers from Murano in Italy, to carafes in Mexico and Vases in New York City, it feels like glass blowing has become the lingua franca of art- something that unites people across continents, time and culture.

The above candelabra from Soufle-Dorient is a simple reflection of the mystical nature of the near east. The glasscandelabras and glass accessories are made using a 2,000 year technique. They have preserved the culture, warmth and charm of the Mediterranean sea.

The imposing nature of the above Murano chandelier simply speaks for itself. Each piece is blown individually and the whole structure is put together using the highest craftsmenship. It is a great chandelier for lofts, victorians and edwardian homes.

From Murano also come these gorgeous hanging lights that are winning award after award. They are modern with a timeless twist. You can think of them as neo-murano work. Something that fits modern homes but completely preserves the authenticity and craftsmen ship of Venice.

Last but not least, glass blowing hit New York City, with Brazilian artist Regina Medeiros. Her glass work, sheeted or blown is simply amazing. It represents great elements from nature like plants, clams, shells, etc and preserves them in glass. Colors, styles and lights are blended together in her pieces.

You are welcome to travel to Italy, Lebanon, Brazil and New York city to see all this great art, or you can simply visit Chez Moi in San Francisco and see all this on display. You will be blown away with glass (or class!)

Freezing a moment in time

Pictures and videos have done a great job capturing moments of our lives. But can you think of capturing a moment in time and storing it in a chair? Sofa? Table? Lamp? This what Josh Urso- an emerging designer from New York is doing.

Josh Urso’s furniture and lighting designs are moments frozen in time that invite us to stop, observe and wonder. “Confuse, amaze and entertain your guests” is the pitch on Urso’s website for his aptly named Specter chairs.

To make them he takes fabric, infuses it with resin, then hand-molds it into the form of a seat casually draped with a sheet or blanket. Frameless, hollow, lightweight, the result is indeed ghostly (especially when done in see-through, openwork mesh) and deceptive in more ways than one. At once soft and solid, animated and inert, ethereal and sturdy, it’s a trompe-l’oeil sculpture you can sit on. Each Specter is oddly anthropomorphic, with a distinct personality depending on fabric and color: there’s the pristine white modern one, the earthy-brown embroidered one, the retro hipster with the Eames pattern.

Josh approaches furniture making from a scientific point of view. Focusing on the interaction of materials with the laws of nature, Urso creates pieces of furniture that exhibit scientific principles and properties: resin that changes from solid to liquid in an exothermic reaction or rope that has a tensile strength that is strong enough to lift a car. There is a connection between the kind of wonder people experience with natural phenomenon and the reaction of people to Josh Urso's work. By utilizing the unique properties of materials, Urso creates an unforgettable experience in reason and tactility.

“What we do is kind of a combination of design, furniture and art,” says Urso.

Josh Urso's products are featured at Chez Moi in San Francisco. Come and see how you can freeze moments and keep them in your home.