For someone known for personally designing using handmade means, John Derian uses only a handful of people to unleash the oversized and dramatic designed sofas that are suitable for dividing a large space. Based on 17th century classic pieces, the sofas which range between $1,950 to $5,100 are certainly a costly but worthy investment for people who want a trendy and classy home that has limitations of space to boot.

The first collection from Derian includes the Cove sofa, the Geranium sofa, the Dromedary loveseat, the Fritillaria chair and the Field bench. The styling is based on 17th century French pieces and mid-century designs. Retail prices range from $1,950 to $5,100.

The line will be offered in upholstered or slipcovered, except for the tufted bench, which only comes upholstered. Only two colors - oyster, a soft white, and flax, an ecru - are offered in a linen made by a Belgian company that has been making linen since the 1850s.

(Source) Furniture Today bench, century designs, Couch, flax, furniture, handful, john derian, linen, oyster, sofa, Sofa Bed, sofas, sofas and futons bench, century designs, Couch, flax, furniture, handful, john derian, linen, oyster, sofa, Sofa Bed, sofas, sofas and futons

A home may not always be complete without the traditional sofa and depending on the design preference, it could be costly. But a good alternative is to perhaps contract good designers and furniture makers to create a copycat image to which you may have to pay less.

There are a lot of upholstery makers and designers out there who can get the job done and among them include the likes of Ameer Radwan who manages Couch, a shop located in Fremont. With more than 200 custom made models in their wing, you are bound to find a sofa that may be familiar but costs less. If not, you can perhaps ask them to make you one based on the couch or sofa that you are aching to have but unfortunately cannot afford.

Radwan is proud to be able to provide eco-friendly couches as well. He tells me that to be considered eco-friendly, a couch must be made with Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood, organic latex instead of standard polyurethane foam, and water-based glues and stains on any exposed wood, as well as sustainable, non-chemically treated fabrics. An eco-friendly sofa from Couch will run you about $2,000, much less than the $5,000 $7,000 his competitors ask.

(Source) NWSource

When we hear biodegradable attached to certain items such as furniture and bed ensembles, the immediate notion is they can waste easily. But depending on how you understand it, there is more towards them that meets the eye. For one, biodegradable does not immediately pertain to the finished product such as sofas or chairs but rather, it may point towards materials used that has a recycled or organic light bulb towards it but not necessarily the entire product concept.

For products like this biodegradable Montauk Sofa, it has that biodegradable tag but as far as raw materials is concerned. But while people are being encouraged to be more environmental friendly, perhaps treating new concepts and designs that have that biodegradable feature should be looked upon a whole lot closely.

“I see a new generation of marketers who are looking at biodegradability as a panacea to solid waste,” said Steve Mojo, executive director of the Biodegradable Products Institute, remembering the “biodegradable” diapers and trash bags of decades past. Mojo continued, “There is no data that I’ve seen to support manufacturers’ claims that any plastics will completely biodegrade under landfill conditions.” Tightly packed, covered and relatively dry, landfills are not exactly designed for biodegradation, he said.

(Source) Projo

If there is one thing economical that you can do as far as furniture preference and buying is concerned, it is making do with old furniture and refurbishing or even re-upholster them to give back that old look and comfort. These days there are a lot of people who specialize in this practice and you may be surprised at the savings you can get from it in the process.

“We collect furniture from people’s homes or workplace and strip it back to the basic frame. We re-upholster, repair, re-polish and completely transform furniture to sometimes better than the original.

“We can also modify furniture and will make bespoke new soft furnishings and sofas to order.”

So if you still have that old furniture lying around, have someone look at it. Outside that of sentimental value, it may be something better than buying new and costly furniture in the market today.

(Source) Get Reading

When it comes to leather, unless you are able to carefully maintain and take care of them, chances are they will wear out easily. We have seen most leather made furniture such as chairs, sofas and the usual couch at home and if we fail to address the proper way to clean them or care for them, they will soon loose their aura.

But thanks to innovations similar to seat covers, Cover my furniture now offers a great way to bring back the luster and add some ideas to present home furnishings as well. Leather covers can cover up the worn out home pieces and project a better image. Better yet, if you have the traditional cloth covers, you can also turn to these leather covers to change the style that they normally had.

Not a bad way to brighten up your home especially if you are thinking modern these days.

(Source) PR Web

There are a lot of furniture designs we can see out there and apparently we can either look them up on the web or drop by nearest furniture fairs such as this one being hosted by the Midvalley Home and Furnishing Fair. Ranging from catchy living room to bedroom furniture, any home owner should not miss checking out what furniture solutions are present from various companies during such events.

For the Midvalley Home and Furnishing Fair whose theme is “Fairytales do come true”, various furniture considerations ranging from lazyboy chairs to sofas can be seen here. If you are looking for something to spice up your home, furniture fair events are something you should not miss!

Any living room needs the perfect accessories and tenants like Khazanah, Kohimaran Oriental & Lifestyle Gallery, E-Tree Home and Home Treasures provide shoppers with colourful items at the North and South courts.

(Source) The Star Online

Turning to visual aids to help educate a child is one thing you will notice in any nursery. While we look at posters that make use of animals or objects that are easily associated to a certain letter, here is something that associates the alphabet with furniture images.

Ideally this may sound like a different way to teach children associating their ABC’s with the standard characters we know of today. But if it works, it can help a child easily distinguish the various furniture designs and images that they normally see in their homes from beds to sofas.

As you are well aware, we spend a lot of time looking for great nursery decor, especially when it comes to alphabet posters. I think that this one by Italian graphic designer Francesco Dondina makes an interesting addition. A father of two, Dondina is also a professor of visual communication at the Design Faculty of the Politecnico in Milan. At $13, this gem is quite a steal.

(Source) Baby Gadget

China is in the news once again! No, its not about the Olympics but another issue regarding one of their products. The Argos Bari Sofa has been identified as a furniture that can give owners potential health hazards such as allergic reactins that lead to skin diseases by simply sitting on these sofas.

Apparently all these were traced to the manufacturing state of these sofas.

Hospitals across northern Europe have treated thousands of patients with symptoms which appeared to range from skin cancer and chemical burns to severe eczema.

A study in Sweden has concluded that the skin conditions were a reaction to the gas created during the sublimation of a chemical called dimethyl fumarate. Sublimation is the conversion of a solid to a gas without passing through a liquid state.

Source

So just when everything was getting pretty quiet for the Chinese, they are once again in the news for some product manufacturing offering.

The next time you sit on your sofa, check out the brand and its point of origin. Don’t wait for something like this to happen!

Interior designing is perhaps a hobby that any creative mind would love to get into. The difference will be on concept however. There are people who have made it from a hobby into a business and each of them have had their share of followers. In fact, Mydeco has had a lot of success in enticing the creative mind of individuals today towards emphasizing various home interior designs today and apparently have become famous for it.

But as far as Mydeco is concerned, a lot of concern has been placed on whether they are dictating a new fad and niche that allows them to differentiate and charge for their expertise.

But that was then. While playing cards on the Internet recently, Ast stumbled onto the Web site of mydeco, a new London company that showcases furniture from major retailers and helps users design their own interiors. In little over a month, Ast has created more than 60 virtual rooms using 3D models of products such as sofas, lamps, wallpaper, and vases. Although the mydeco site is still in beta testing, Ast’s rooms have been viewed 6,500 times, helping her achieve the status of a “design oracle” on the site and reap encouraging compliments from viewers around the world. “Maybe I should see if I could get a job somewhere as a designer,” she says.

Ast’s experience is an example of how mydeco, which is expected to launch commercially this autumn, is hoping to “democratize design,” giving budding interior designers tools to experiment with different arrangements of furniture, lighting, wall colors, and floor coverings—all on the screens of their PCs. And as it has for Sylvia Ast, mydeco also gives its customers the chance to show off their work and gain renown.

(Source) Businessweek