Freshome.com - Interior Design & Architecture Inspiration Newsletter

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• 15 Elegant and Creative Ways to Maximize Space Under Your Stairs
• Carbon Fiber Display for the Best Wine in Your Collection
• Intriguing Geometric Home with a Forest Panorama
• 10 Ways to Organically Decorate your Thanksgiving Home
• Interview: Design Seen By Andrea Fino and Samanta Snidaro from Sand&Birch
• “2 Stools”, Original and Practical Seating Item from Nir Meiri

15 Elegant and Creative Ways to Maximize Space Under Your Stairs Posted: 10 Nov 2010 04:06 AM PST We’ve seen a lot of indoor arrangements where the space under the stairs is completely neglected. This usually happens because the owners fear not to overcrowd the living room or hallway. In this post we would like to present 15 creative and elegant ways on how to effectively use the space under your stairs without “damaging” your home’s appearance. In fact, we think the ideas below will help improve the overall design of the rooms where they are put to practice. If you are living in a small crib and feel the need for more space, you might consider improvising a bookcase, a home office or an entertaining area. We particularly like the cozy extendable bed in the first photo, which could turn out to be a good solution when receiving guests. The aquarium and fireplace are two other original methods of making the most out of the area beneath the stairs. Check out the photos for more inspiration and if you guys have any more ideas, we would love to read them. Ready for more amazing design ideas? Check below ! Beautiful and Practical Under Stair Drawer System Disappearing “Wall Stairs” How to Beautifully Maximize the Extra Space in Your Attic 3D Stairs Rug Use Stairs to Store Something 10 Ways to Maximize Space in a Small Bedroom Click here to connect with Freshome on or on

Carbon Fiber Display for the Best Wine in Your Collection Posted: 10 Nov 2010 02:50 AM PST Today we would like to present an idea for the elite wine collectors. This high-class wine bottle holder made from carbon fiber was especially designed to display that special item in the collection that the “connoisseur” is most proud of. Here is a short description from the designers : “Carbon fiber is a high-end material that is very strong and lightweight, commonly used in aerospace and exotic cars such as Lamborghini and Ferrari. This unique design has an full carbon fiber exterior with a clearcoat finish for a glossy look.  There is a hole in which the bottle neck goes into, and the bottom of the crest is flattened out so that it stays up.  The result is the perception of a floating bottle, an epic display.” Even though this product was especially created to house rare, vintage wine bottles, according to the designers it can also hold a champagne bottle that has already been opened. In case you are interested in purchasing this product, you should know it is priced at $249.95 and can be ordered online here. Ready for more amazing design ideas? Check below ! Stylish Wine Tray Stylish Rack For All of You Wine Lovers Undulating with Light: The Carbon 451 Lamp Someone that Holds Your Glass Wine Indoor Spiral Wine Cellar Lighthouse by Potton: First Net-Zero Carbon Self-Built Home Click here to connect with Freshome on or on

Intriguing Geometric Home with a Forest Panorama Posted: 10 Nov 2010 01:16 AM PST Grosfeld Van der Velde Architects wanted to bring the beautiful nature inside this house near the southern parts of the Netherlands, near a town called Breda. Named House KvD, this modern building rests between the trees of Teteringen forest. Its square shape allows you to enjoy the wonderful surrounding environment through the large windows as you move along the corridors. An interior courtyard is formed between the ground floor and the elevated part of the square. The kitchen is located on ground, the living area is located in the tallest part of the building, while the bedrooms are lifted by the pylons for a better view of the forest. The entrance in the house is made from the interior courtyard. Beautiful large windows create an artistic look – the framed windows offer a cut-out of the forest panorama. The facade is made from vertically placed black stained wood cladding, which gives it a majestic feel observed first by looking at the house`s massive size. Tall ceilings in the living are amplify the majestic feeling and offer incredible framed views of the forest. A beautiful detail, the small patio in front of the kitchen enlarges the living space during sunny days. When the large sliding doors are open, the sunshine and fresh, frisk air of the forest can rush right in. Ready for more amazing design ideas? Check below ! Re-cycled and Low-impact Architecture : Preparatory School in UK Mushroom Forest Table Prefab Luxury Residences, a Practical Architecture Trend Cook Outdoors without Smoke with Bonfire Levitating Modern House Deep in the Forest Exceptional Green Home in the Forest Click here to connect with Freshome on or on

10 Ways to Organically Decorate your Thanksgiving Home Posted: 09 Nov 2010 11:54 PM PST Thanksgiving is a perfect holiday to bring autumn décor and eco-friendly organic touches into your home. From your dining room table to your front door, this time of year has the tradition of using resources that enliven the spirit and make your home feel welcome. The centerpiece on your table doesn't HAVE to be a turkey, and a bowl of gourds and white pumpkins can look just as festive.  For 10 ways to organically decorate your Thanksgiving home, read on. 1.) Welcome guests at your front door: Instead of buying a wreath, how about using elements found in your backyard? From hay, raffia leaves, and pine cones, your front door can use organic products that mean more because they are one of a kind to your home. Shape them into a wreath, or recycle one from last year and add on natural elements. 2.) Decorate your front porch: Whether you like pumpkins and gourds, or prefer a hay bale, your front porch can welcome Thanksgiving with a earth friendly resources. Potted plants with orange, brown and rust foliage can add beautiful color next to your front door! 3.) Use fruits & vegetables for your centerpiece: Colored corn in the husk, squashes and acorns, coupled with candles and votives make a beautiful centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table. Use a basket or cornucopia and fill with fruits and vegetables that are edible and organic. 4.) Use leaves in your home: Leaves can be used for décor mixed with berries, ribbon, and wire. Use tougher leaves like Magnolia and Oak leaves for coasters for your drink. Let kids use them for crafts and decorate them with glitter, beads, and markers. Even make early Christmas ornaments with them! 5.) Garland ideas: Use grapevine or wiry tree branches to make garland. Garland looks great around your front door, arch ways, and stair railings throughout your home.  Browse your favorite home décor magazines for inspiration.  Depending on the height of your doorways, garland can be a simple décor addition. 6.) Tree branches: If you live near mature trees, use branches and limbs on your fireplace mantle to bring festive rich color to the fireplace. Nestle in miniature pumpkins, leaves, cranberries and straw to make the branches come alive. Natural outdoor touches brought inside pulls in nature and holiday themes without being overbearing. 7.) Lighting: Candles, soft lights and outdoor luminaries make beautiful additions to your home at the holidays. To make luminaries, take small paper bags filled with enough sand to cover the bottom of the bag. Use votive tea candles to put in the bottom and light when it gets dark. Luminaries are used in many cultures to signify the holiday season. 8.) Kid's crafts: There are dozens of natural holiday craft ideas kids can make for holiday decor. From making crafts with nature inspired, leafs, rocks and pine needles to going on a nature hike to find their craft items. How much fun they will have decorating your home! 9.) Place cards: To decorate each place setting use a natural product for each person's plate: Make hand written place cards and attach them to acorns, nuts, on each plate for an original dinner plate. For a more formal dinner, write up the menu and the courses of the dinner along each table setting. 10.) Fresh flowers: Regardless of the season, fresh flowers are a treat in themselves. Use rich reds, oranges, and yellows to bring a holiday Thanksgiving tone to your arrangement. Use apples, pumpkins, and other festive fruit to make it an original arrangement that your guests will love! Your Thanksgiving home can bring nature and the holiday's together wonderfully. Take a walk around your home, visit your grocery store. Believe it or not, your decorations are already around you. It's up to you and your imagination to bring them alive. Freshome readers tell us how you decorate your home for Thanksgiving! Share with us, we always enjoy hearing from you! Ready for more amazing design ideas? Check below ! Thanksgiving Table Decorations : Freshome Facebook Photo Contest Interior Design Advice for a Freshome.com Fan Grizzly Bear Table 10 Ways to Decorate your View with Window Film Freeing Up Space: How to Get Rid of Clutter 10 Simple Ways to Bring the Outdoors Inside Click here to connect with Freshome on or on

Interview: Design Seen By Andrea Fino and Samanta Snidaro from Sand&Birch Posted: 09 Nov 2010 11:51 AM PST For today’s interview we gathered some impressive answers from Andrea Fino and Samanta Snidaro, founders of Italy based design studio Sand&Birch. Permanently looking to “re-interpret the concept of furnishing and to bring other meanings, other senses and other lives to Objects”, our two interview “guests” have a rich experience to share and know how to give meaningful advice. Have a great read ! Freshome: What determined your passion for design? Tell us about the moment when you decided this is the way to go. Andrea Fino & Samanta Snidaro: It’s a passion we had since we were very young, when we still didn’t even know that the things we made were called “design”. We have simply published our first works on our website and since the beginning we’ve got positive and encouraging feedbacks, and this has given us the right boost to go on. Smile Freshome: Can you remember your first design project? Describe it a bit, whether it is a gizmo you worked at as a little kid or something that was sold at a large scale. Andrea Fino & Samanta Snidaro: As children, we both liked to “design and realize” a lot of things… For example, Andrea built a toy-robot with a friend. Samanta’s  first creation, instead, was more related to architecture: a log and thatched hut, with a little man sitting right there and fishing. Freshome: What field of design are you most interested in? Do your works have anything to do with it ? (We are asking this because not many designers do what they actually want) Andrea Fino & Samanta Snidaro: We’re globally interested in every aspect of design, because this word may concerns all the steps in the creation of every object we use, from chairs to houses, to make an example. When you are designing something you are planning, studying, researching, making tests, trying to express feelings, values, ideas…Having a own brand allows to us to explore all these aspects and take care of them. So we can say that our work has a lot to do with the fields we’re interested in, because we are able to dedicate ourselves to our own productions with the brand “Sand & Birch”, and we have also the chance to deal with branches we’d never known thanks to our customers’ wishes and demands. They’re both very stimulating fields, even if they’re very different and imply different approaches. LU Freshome: Chronologically describe what you are going through (feeling and thoughts) on your way to work. Andrea Fino & Samanta Snidaro: We usually bring children to school while going to work, so we try to enjoy this little time to spend together, and we talk about things having nothing to do with our work, if there’s nothing of particularly urgent and pressing. If we are going to have a hard day, we do the same (after a brief morning “brainstorming” to plan all the things we are going to do)! Freshome: What is your favourite book/magazine on design? How about your favourite site? Andrea Fino & Samanta Snidaro: We don’t have a favourite one, they’re so many…We like some of them because they’re very professional, so they can give us informations about the commercial and technical aspects of designing; but we also like the ones that mostly care for the semiotics themes of communicating through design and the ones trying to recognize the value of ideas that often can’t have an own space on traditional media and public. Phantom Freshome: What inspires you? Andrea Fino & Samanta Snidaro: We’ve got a great number of source of inspirations. For example, in some of our works we took inspiration from the human body: It’s the case of Soft Pipe chaise longue, representing a female silhouette, or Roxanne, our latest armchair, a red mouth. In other cases, inspirations has came from nature and animals: Loraine, another chaise-longue, reminds you of a wave; Lullaby, a chair, has a spider shape… Other objects, instead, are conceived as a sort of “studies” on more abstract and de-structured shapes. Glossy Lipstick Sofa Freshome: What is the most frustrating aspect of your job as a designer? And the most rewarding one? Andrea Fino & Samanta Snidaro: Since we follow every step of production, we think there are a lot of frustrating aspects in our work. We find very stressful the time elapsing between the act of designing and the moment you are able to see prototypes. And also the lack of precision and clarity of the contracts regulating the relationship between designers and manufacturers. We could talk about the fact that designers have no opportunity to control what happens with royalties. Another sore point is the difficulty to propose ideas and objects that don’t answer to marketing laws, latest trends and so on. Freshome: From your point of view, is design an art or a science? Andrea Fino & Samanta Snidaro: As we said, design means a lot of things. Design could be defined near to art because involves emotions, states of mind, is able to suggest and promote new habits, and needs a great creativity. But it also requests a technical know-how, because design is “art for the use”; so you have to deal with technological materials or rediscover ancient production techniques. And as science and art, design is subject to a continue redefinition, due to society, history and power relationship. We think that is very hard to give an all-inclusive definition, and it could even be misleading…(maybe is design a form of art that cannot do without science?). Freshome: Tell us something unusual that happened in your carrier. Andrea Fino & Samanta Snidaro: During our career, we met a great number of strange, weird and funny people and many times we found ourselves involved in a lot of almost surreal (and sometimes even nerve-racking) situations. But maybe this is not the right place to report them…we’ve got few time and we’d have too much to say. Loraine Freshome: Let’s say you entered a contest. You have to come up with a design for the first house on the Moon built for extra-terrestrial living. How would your project look like? Andrea Fino & Samanta Snidaro: We hope to continue living on earth as long as possible, in order to try to find some remedy to all the wastes humanity has brought on this planet, if possible. If we should design a house on the Moon, we’d try to satisfy the basic need of humans to live in a such different ambient. So, maybe, a great part of the project would be dedicated to new manners to conceive implants and solutions for the house. Freshome: If design were a product, what would it be and how would you design it? Andrea Fino & Samanta Snidaro: It would be an object taking account of the protean nature and meanings of design. It would be multimedia, pliant,  able to grant continuous needs and requests. Material should be omni-functional. In effects, it will take a magician more than a designer, to put into concrete form an evanescent and always open to redefinition thing like design! Diamond Sofa Freshome: If you had no limits (money, resources), what would you create? Andrea Fino & Samanta Snidaro: First of all, we’d like to smash all the cement monsters, educate to a rational and responsible relationship with territories, and only this and through this, we’d like to rebuilt everything following new development models using only new materials respectful of the biodiversity. Freshome: Share something you would like the world to know about you or your ideas. Andrea Fino & Samanta Snidaro: We’re at the endless and restless search for the maximum of sobriety, both in design and everyday life. Velvet Freshome: What do you think of our site? Andrea Fino & Samanta Snidaro: We think that Freshome pays a great attention to pictures and presentation of products. We also like the graphic organization of your site Freshome: What advice do you have for young designers or architects reading this interview? Andrea Fino & Samanta Snidaro: Be sober, serious, professional and creative. Don’t try to pursue only personal and economic success and satisfaction, but just think that these will be only the outcome of a series of things that are infinitely more important. Ready for more amazing design ideas? Check below ! Velvet the Spiral Shaped Sofa Limited Edition by Sand & Birch : Glossy Lipstick Sofa Ideal for a Party – James Plate Zanotta 884 Evolution By Ora Ito Modern Fireplace from Chimney Anthrax Upholstered Lamp Inspired by the Chesterfield Sofa Click here to connect with Freshome on or on

“2 Stools”, Original and Practical Seating Item from Nir Meiri Posted: 09 Nov 2010 08:28 AM PST Nir Meiri is a young designer from Israel, interested in practical objects created in unusual ways. “2 Stools” is his latest project and consists of an original mix of wood and leather. The entire set features an interesting looking wooden bench and two separate small stools. These three items can be used separately or combined. When all the elements come together, a modern seating area is created. “2 Stools” is currently being showcased at Paradigma Gallery in Tel-Aviv. It is also available for purchasing, even though it only comes in a limited edition of seven items. But this does not mean that the item will not be launched on the market soon. We think this type of furniture would go great in the kids’ room or in a kindergarten. For more information about this product, you can contact the designer here. Ready for more amazing design ideas? Check below ! The Flip Table Playdate table with Stools a Smart and Simple Design Stools can be Sexy To Practical Wooden Home Desk with Extra Storage for Files Furniture Inspired by Puzzle : Jigsaw Puzzle Stool Over sized versions of actual crubber as furniture Click here to connect with Freshome on or on

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