How are Yoo?

When we spoke about the "Boutique Home Experience" a few blogs back , we didn't know that we uncovered a trend started by no one other than Philippe Starck. Under the Yoo Residential Company banner, Mr. Starck is bringing his boutique hotel experience into appartment buildings and homes, throughout the world.

The picture above is from the lobby appartment building close to Wall Street. It simply looks like an Ian Schrager/Starck creation. Funky styles, minimalistic and yet very functional. It is a really creative concept. If you liked the boutique hotel experience, why not live it every day. Needless to say that these residential buildings are also entertainment centers as well, with trendy resident bars and spas.

... and for those who love to bring the baroque style to modern times, Yoo created an appartment building in Argentina, shown below.

The picture is no different in Panama City, in this high rise. A lovely Murano chandelier imposes itself over a funky dining table and a modern leather sofas. A lot of empty space, a lot of modern-meet old, antique gone young, styles.

The picture is almost a post card from the Gramercy Park hotel in New York city. Baroque styles meet modern living.

This was and remains our style at ChezMoi. Blend modern with old, antique with new, a sleek leather sofa from Italy with a 400 year old credenza from India, you get the point, because Yoo gets it.

Mirror, mirror not on walls...

... who has the best lights of all?

If you attended the ICFF design show in New York last week, you probably noticed the introduction of several lines of cluster ball lighting. For those of you who haven't, what we are talking about is a new design in lighting fixtures made from hanging or loosely spread balls (blown glass, polycarbonate, etc.) with lighting fixtures in them.

Very interesting designs- full of depth and reflection at the same time.

Tom Dixon's Mirror Ball pendant shown below adds brightness to rooms and give them a great amount of space. It is hard not to stare at them for a bit, but they are pieces that eventually melt in rooms and become an extension of it. It is hard to imagine a hanging ball mirror giving "space" to a room, but you just have to experience it and see for yourself.

Copper balls were also popular at the show. Several designers displayed them. At first look, they remind you of old copper pans hanging from an old french provincial kitchen. But a closer look reveals a trendier flare- great with contemporary furniture. It is hard to imagine "copper" being trendy, but I guess it is that modern antiquish look that is intended, especially when the light balls are made from highly transparent polycarbonate with a copper film inside.

For those who venture in bright colors, fire balls were also big at the show. An extra set of orange eyeballs with bright pupils were also displayed by Tom Dixon designs.

All in all, a light in a ball ... that is what I got out of ICFF.

What's behind that door?

"Doors speak a story and convey a feeling, a presence. They are the Eyes to the Soul of those who lived behind them, representing the history and experiences they have witnessed. Some doors are proud; others are tired or worn, but tenacious. Some are welcoming and beckon entry and exploration, whilst others tease and tempt with mystery, encouraging the visitor to take the journey through. "

These are the words of Amy Karam, a local San Francisco artist. Amy has traveled to over 30 countries and has been passionate about capturing her experience through photos. In particular, she has consistently been drawn to taking photographs of Doors for the last 12 years. Her art is very expressive and adds a lot of open space to any room.

Her "Doors" collection includes shots from Tunisia, Morocco, China and many more countries.

Amy's work is on display at Chez Moi in San Francisco. Come and open one of these doors!

Design Between Tweets

When I joined this industry, I was surprised how low-tech it was. It felt like the interior design industry was still stuck in the brick and mortar, pen and paper world. It felt like HighPoint, North Carolina was still the center of gravity of the world of design.

That was two years ago... I have to admit that I have seen a major shift in the industry.


The designers are coming out and in full force in social networks. It is happening, on facebook, on decorati and on Twitter. Designers are watching each others- sharing quick trends, getting minute by minute updates from trade shows and more importantly building a great community that they always lacked. Everyday, my Twitter following is increasing.

• Retailers are there pushing latest products.
• Design Magazines are there waiting for the latest headlines on design
• Designers are there sharing design ideas
• and clients are there, selecting their clients.

But is Twitter the holy grail of interior designer marketing? the jury is still out.

Is Twitter a good way to network with designers? Yes.

Is Twitter a good way to get new trends in design? Yes

Is Twitter a good way to reach out to the press and coordinate design events? Yes

Is Twitter the way to reach customers? That is where I believe it falls short! I haven't or heard of anyone that has bought or sold something on Twitter- Not a product and not a service. So I have to say no.

Can Twitter give a fake sign of fame? You might be tweeting, but who is listening?

Does Twitter have the potential to waste time? Sure it does. After all, it is a fad and it might simply be absorbed into something else.

In the meantime, here are a few tricks to not to fall into the wasteland on Twitter:

Select your followings and followers carefully. Make sure they are either designers, trade rags, customers or retailers

• Don't post useless tweets: forget the "great burger", "heading to lunch", blah blah tweets. Focus on what will make the industry better: A new line, a new trend, a new fabric combination- Project a highly professional image of yourself
• Maintain a consistent presence: Tweet at the pace of the industry (example: if designers are tweeting once a day, then tweet once, if they are tweeting 10 times a day, then do the same- Bottom Line- Don't be the quiet one, nor be the babble mouth in the crowd
• Make your Tweets an event followers wait for. Tweet an article, a blog or any piece of content that you are an expert in. That is what people are looking for
• Last but not list: Maitain your brand. Make sure you let people know who you are, what you know and what you want to know. After all, this is what a community is all about.

Don't miss out on any trends, follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChezMoi_Design or at Chez Moi and design between tweets... or should it be Tweet Between Designs ?

Out of the catalogue and into a... social network

These days there social networks for almost every community, from Dog lovers to whale watchers. It seemed like the design community is missing out on these trends and using mass market networks like Facebook and Twitter and doing a poor job at it. No more. The interior design industry is finally catching up and several social networks focused solely on passionate interior designers are emerging. Last night, I had the chance to meet a new one, homeanatomy.com.

They are about to launch later this month, and they are focused on building a community around interior design. Designers will join, discuss trends, shop for products that are not mass market and share design ideas. Home anatomy is all about design and in their words :

"At HomeAnatomy we believe that a home is more than just the objects that fill its interior; it is about comfort, personality, lifestyle, and family. We hope to help our readers achieve these qualities in their homes by facilitating creativity though a vibrant and social networking community. Our design network will connect modern interior design enthusiasts with all the resources they need to make their house a home. "

This is exactly what Chez Moi stands for. A place that turns a house into a home, a place where your style, your personality and not that a production line somewhere in China, is reflected.

Homeanatomy.com is not the only one, already decorati.com has launched and features over 300 design only companies and many passionate interior designers.

The more the merrier. Let the era of catalogue living end and the era of personalized living begin!

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.