Adding soft-closing for furniture doors: Do-It-Yourself with Hettich

Close your furniture doors quietly and softly with this screw-on soft closing system.

Creative Furniture Idea: Home Design Tips

Lacking furniture in your living room? Complete it with assistance from Phyllis Harbinger, a designer and interior decorator.

Creative Furniture Art, Save space

Brilliant pieces of art! Watch this designer demonstrate some amazing space saving furniture design ideas.

Classic Living 2012

Details are as follows:

• Date: 21 Jul – 29 Jul 2012
• Time: 12pm to 10pm
• Venue: Singapore EXPO, Hall 6
• Address: 1 Expo Drive Singapore 486150
• Entrance: Free Admission

Hot Summer Color Combo: Lemon and Raspberry Sorbet

Ever thinking of having this combination in your house? Read on and you will soon fall in love with bright colors!

Article taken off houzz.com

Hot Summer Color Combo: Lemon and Raspberry Sorbet

Dripping with good taste and a lively attitude, rooms swathed in sorbet yellow and raspberry are delicious looking in summer

I've gone through quite a few pints of sorbet over the past few weeks, alternating lemon and raspberry. OK, I'm lying. They weren't pints; they were plastic tubs, and when I saw the two stacked one on top of the other it made me head straight over to Houzz to see if the yummy composition in my freezer could be turned into a room. Turns out it could, and each room I found was markedly different from the rest, not only in style but in the way the designers had made the color combination work. See if a sorbet-inspired color palette is for you.


Use the combo in a surprising space. It's not often you see candy-colored furniture in an industrial space, which makes interior designer Tineke Triggs' office all the more fun. She pulled the furniture colors straight from the suzani pattern on the chairs.


Pull your paint from artwork. It seems this designer has pulled a Bubbalicious-pink right from the painting and applied it to the door.


Experiment with different shades. A deep and darker shade of raspberry is more subdued yet still has power.


Add neutrals to the mix. If high contrast isn't for you, tone down one of the two colors and add more neutrals. Matched with a more subtle, buttery yellow, raspberry is rich and elegant.


Go crazy with color. Forget trends, forget resale and go as crazy with these colors as your heart desires. I imagine this homeowner whipping up lots of fun confections in this bright kitchen.


Honor a historic style but go wild with color. This San Francisco living room is downright delicious; the designer has honored the art deco touches but updated the overall look with bright color and fun prints, like the ones on the Donut pillow fabric and the zebra rug.


Use lots of white space. If you are using amped-up hues, a sure way to make them work is to know the importance of white space. This cheerful bedroom is about 75 percent white but makes a very colorful impression.


Go all out. If you truly love a color combination, applying it generously can either be a great success or a spectacular disaster.

To increase your chances of achieving a great success, mix in a few neutrals with your favorite pair, as you see here with the tan floors, light wood table and natural stone wall. In addition, other bright pops of color, like the ceramic tiles and vent hood, draw the eye and keep the bold yellows and pinks from overwhelming the room.

Home Design & Decor 2012

Details are as follows:

• Date: 30 Jun – 08 Jul 2012
• Time: 12pm to 10pm
• Venue: Singapore EXPO, Hall 6
• Address: 1 Expo Drive Singapore 486150
• Entrance: Free Admission

Modern Home 2012

Make your home extraordinary...

Details are as follows:

• Date: 02 Jun – 10 Jun 2012
• Time: 12pm to 10pm
• Venue: Singapore EXPO, Hall 6A
• Address: 1 Expo Drive Singapore 486150
• Entrance: Free Admission

Spring Fever! Steal These Stylish Home Decor Ideas

what are your perception of a stylish home?

Article taken off ivillage.com

Spring Fever! Steal These Stylish Home Decor Ideas

We got the scoop on the season's hottest home trends (think gilded poufs and gracious bar carts) from our favorite interior designers and bloggers

Moroccan Poufs

Scroll through any design blog and you’re sure to spot plenty of poufs. As interior designer and blogger Kirsten Krason explains, “Poufs are popular because they fill up floor space beautifully without being too bulky.” You can use them to incorporate an unusual color into a room (they’re available in everything from soft pastels to Bollywood brights), or be more daring with a metallic one. Sarah Swanson, a Canadian interior designer and blogger, likes to use poufs in the living room as footstools, extra seating or purely for decoration -- and they’re even popping up in playrooms and bathrooms. Most poufs don’t come cheap, costing $200 and up. But Sarah has a favorite source, Bohemia, where they run less than $120 and come in a gorgeous range of colors and materials, including kilims and rawhide. Kirsten opts for buying unstuffed poufs on eBay. “My client just stuffed a few of them with old clothes. They look great and the price was really affordable!” she says.

Get it now: Moroccan pouf, $110.70 at bohemiadesign.co.uk; Unstuffed pouf, $89.99 at ebay.com; Nate Berkus Metallic Pouf, $119.95 at hsn.com

Precious Metals

To add glam to a space, nothing beats a well-chosen metallic. Even in small doses, silver, brass and especially gold can make a big impact. Kirsten Krason recommends pairing metallics with white and neutral colors to make them pop even more. For one client, she displayed mostly white accessories on a shelf and added a few metallic elements for dimension and shine.

HGTV Design Star winner and star of Secrets from Stylist Emily Henderson currently has a collection of gold metallic pieces on Open Sky, a shopping site featuring curated products endorsed by industry experts. As Emily explains on Open Sky, “Gold is my new neutral. It adds warmth and glamour in a really modern way, and when combined with masculine tones like blue and gray, gold keeps your palette from looking garish.” The gold-bottom dish from her Gold Rush Collection works beautifully on a nightstand, a bookshelf, or even in the entryway as a luxurious key holder.

Get it now: Gold bottom dish, $40 at opensky.com

Tangerine Tango

Amber Lewis, an LA-based interior designer and blogger, believes spring décor is all about fresh, bright colors. So what does she think of “Tangerine Tango,” Pantone’s color of the year for 2012? “The reddish-orange hue has the most impact when used in moderation, in a throw pillow or decorative textile, for example," Lewis says. Her go-to stores to find pieces like this are Furbish and her own just-opened online store, Shoppe. When shopping for décor-brightening accents, Lewis recommends choosing colors that will blend well with the pieces you already have. “It’s smart to go bold with accessories and stay neutral on the large furniture pieces. Remember that pillows can be switched out if you tire of them,” she says. In her opinion, a good rule of thumb is 80/20: 80% colors you feel comfortable with and 20% colors that might be a bit risky but you want to try in your home. For her own bedroom, Lewis mixed hints of tangerine with violet, reds, pinks and blues for a colorful look that’s unexpected, uplifting and fun.

Get it now: Vintage orange flower suzani pillow, $185 at shoppe.amberinteriordesign.com

Green Walls

Pantone might have named tangerine its color of the year, but Jane Lilly Warren, creative director of Matchbook Magazine, couldn’t be happier that green is having its moment in the sun. To instantly transform a space, she recommends ‘Paradise’ by Sherwin-Williams, a paint color she recently used for an accent wall in her office. “Bright greens provide an enchanting dash of playfulness to any space -- and we all know the workplace can use it!” she explains. Jane thinks boxwoods, butterfly taxidermy and other nature-inspired products look fantastic paired with green walls in a small space, such as a foyer. Even House Beautiful is all about green, calling it “the neutral that goes with everything” in their March 2012 issue and showcasing it in every spread.

Get it now: ‘Paradise’ by Sherwin-Williams at sherwin-williams.com

Flea Market Finds

Learn how to scour flea markets and you’ll be rewarded with inexpensive treasures that make your home unique. San Francisco blogger Caitlin Flemming started sourcing at flea markets as a young girl with her mom. When she moved to San Francisco, she started shopping at the Alameda Fair because it was the only affordable way to furnish her first apartment. “My friends couldn't believe I was going to an antiques market and buying old things,” she explains. “I told them the items I found had way more character -- everything has a story behind it.” Today, well more than half her furniture and home accessories were found at the Alameda market -- everything from vases to imported dining chairs.

Caitlin recommends arriving bright and early to snag the best gems. If you’re intimidated by these often massive markets and don’t know where to begin, start at the front row and checkout each vendor. On your first visit, you’ll quickly figure out what you like and don’t like, so on your second and third visits you’ll be able to focus right away! While she never scores every item on her wish list, Caitlin often finds something she can’t live without. Jane Lilly Warren agrees that flea market finds are by far the most fun and inexpensive way to decorate. From thrift finds to heirlooms, she loves playing with new ways to re-purpose old things. For her wedding, she and her husband collected milk glass vases from flea markets. These days, they’re on display in her kitchen.

Get it Now: Antique Oak Dining Kitchen Chairs, $150 for four at etsy.com

Fun Fabrics

Nothing can freshen up a space like a colorful fabric, whether on an oversized throw pillow or a newly upholstered chair. Design blogger and Etsy shop owner Arianna Vargas reveals that Schumacher’s ‘Adras’ ikat is one of her favorite new fabrics. “It's so colorful and even in small doses, like a pillow, it makes a big impact in a space,” she explains. Since it's a multicolored print, Arianna recommends using it as a starting point for a color palette. Pairing it with pieces that tie in with the yellow, red, blue, and pink (such as a gold mirror, a bright pink lamp and yellow lacquer vases) will instantly turn a boring neutral room into an uplifting and colorful space.

Get it now: ‘Adras’ pillow cover, $95 at etsy.com; mirror, $338 at bellacor.com; Robert Abbey Delta Schiaparelli high table lamp, $150 at lampsplus.com; Ikea throw, $135 at shopfurbish.com; laquer red tray, $225 at jonathanadler.com; lemon laquer vases, $29.95 at zgallerie.com

Parsons Perfect

Parsons desks have been popular for a while now, and with their clean lines and glossy, lacquered look, they’re likely here to stay. As Alaina Kaczmarski, cofounder of The Everygirl, explains, “Though it's a rather contemporary look, the simple shape can be mixed into almost any style of interior, whether it's rustic, traditional or Hollywood glam.” In her own home, she has a white Parsons desk propped against a black wall. Since the art above her desk is busy and colorful, the clean white desktop offers an uncluttered respite. Home Decorators Collection carries a glossy version like Alaina’s in six spring hues including blue, orange and green.

Get it now: Parsons desk, $179 at homedecorators.com

Back to the Bar Cart

Maybe it’s Mad Men’s cocktail culture, or the warmer weather that’s just around the corner, but bar carts are all the rage right now. Put one in your home and don’t be surprised if you start counting the minutes ‘til happy hour! Roxy Owens, founder/owner of Society Social, designed her colorful, cult-favorite bar carts with haute hostesses in mind. Made from faux bamboo, the ‘Sedgewick’ cart is vintage-inspired, but has a modern, metallic finish (your choice of gold or silver.) It also comes with a removable tray top and wine and stemware racks to make entertaining effortless. If you like the look of a bar cart, but highballs aren’t your thing, why not use one for a different purpose? Danielle Moss, editor of The Everygirl found a gold one for $75 at Chicago’s Randolph Street Market. Thanks to its elegant shape, it makes the perfect bedside table.

Get it now: ‘The Sedgewick’ bar cart, $439 at shopsocietysocial.com

Lucite Love

From coffee tables to dining chairs, Lucite furniture is a go-to for many interior designers who love the stylish edge it adds to any room. Nicole Cohen, an NYC artist and blogger explains: “It’s heavy, but doesn’t take up visual space,” making it a great type of furniture to try out in small spaces or when you want to use something other than wood. Nicole chose Lucite dining chairs in her Manhattan apartment and says she loves how the material (a form of acrylic glass) has a retro vibe but doesn’t feel dated. Her favorite sources for Lucite are Plexi-Craft, cb2 and vintage shops. “Depending on how you spin the room, lucite can read as sexy, sophisticated or fun,” she explains. To try the look at home, cb2’s clear nesting tables, which can be kept together or scattered from room to room, are a great place to start.

Get it now: ‘Peekaboo’ nesting tables, $199 for a set of three at cb2.com

Affordable Art

Thanks to the internet, great art is easy to find these days -- in all price ranges. Sarah Swanson thinks Etsy is an incredible resource for art, including prints, paintings, posters and even gorgeous paper that you can frame. “I especially love using prints I find on Etsy for children’s rooms,” she says. “You can get them customized with names, initials or custom color schemes. When you start looking around, be prepared to get lost for hours!” Sarah also likes Art River for prints and posters; Cozamia, a site where you can customize the size, poster, frames and canvas based on your style and budget; and Made by Girl, a great source for large graphic posters that work well with inexpensive Ikea frames. She even has her own Etsy shop, Gallery Wall, where she sells dreamy watercolor paintings for around $10.

Get it now: Watercolor in blue, $10 at etsy.com

The Mercedes-Benz furniture collection

Admire it now and buy it later...!

Article taken off homedit.com

The Mercedes-Benz furniture collection

After presenting you the Mustang pool table and the Jaguar bookcase, it’s time for something similar. This is the Mercedes-Benz furniture collection. It seems that furniture designs inspired by and even made from actual cars are a new trend. This new collection will be launched during Milan’s design week this year and everyone will be able to admire it.



The same as the cars the company creates, this furniture collection offers the ultimate in terms of class, style and comfort. I’m sure Mercedes owners often wish they would feel as comfortable in their sofas as they feel in the car. It’s now possible and it’s a concept that this collection exploits along with the idea of originality. The pieces from this collection feature minimalist designs inspired by the brand’s history. They feature a combination of metal, wood and high-quality fabric.



The Mercedes-Benz collection and any piece that’s part of it would definitely make any living room unique. It will completely change the atmosphere and it will add not only quality but also style to the decor. For those who want to have a taste of these fine furniture pieces, you can admire them starting with the 16th of April up until 21st April 2012 at Mercedes-Benz Milano S.p.A., Via Daimler, 1 – 20151 Milano. While you’re there you’ll also have the opportunity to take a look at rival creations such as the collection created by Aston Martin.{found on EyesIn}

19 Amazing Furniture Designs To Make The Most Out Of Tiny Apartment Space

I like the Obelisk Chairs! How about you?

Article taken off homeinteriorszone.com

19 Amazing Furniture Designs To Make The Most Out Of Tiny Apartment Space

Many people have to live in small spaces, especially in the big cities like New York. But living in a small space does not necessarily mean that you cannot make use of great designer furniture that will save huge amounts of that precious space, making a far more usable and viable living area out of a small apartment.

1. Modular Kitchen:

The modular kitchen by Fevzi Karaman is perfect for anyone who has ever tried to live in a loft efficiency unit. The bright tasty apple green cube is so sleek that you may at first think it is an IMac product, until you slide out the table top to reveal a kitchen sink, small stove top, dish rack, and trash can.

For those who need space in a one room loft, the modular kitchen is the perfect condenser. It will even make living in mum and pop’s basement a snap as you become self-sufficient in seconds.

2. Fix It on the wall furniture:

Want to add your own personal touch to a cramped apartment? Try Fix It on the Wall. When hung, the items can be placed into molds to create a contemporary piece of art that can beautifully adorn your wall with your own stylish touch.

You can even choose the color, print, and texture of the tiny removable plug in pieces. Once guests arrive you can amaze them when you take the wall fixture down and remove the pieces to form a coffee table complete with four cushions tea style. [Decorating Walls]

3. Matroshka Living Concept:

The thought of fitting your belongings into a tight city loft may daunt you, but if the designers of the Matroshka Living Concept are successful you will have no need to fear a move that involves a downgrade in space.

The Concept room is able to practically give you a minimalistic but sleek apartment in just over 43 square foot. While you may be thinking this is not much space, when available room is utilized according to the concept plan you can fit in seats for 12, office workspace, double bed, dining table, sofa, and a wardrobe all in one area. With sleek color accents it almost looks more sophisticated than a small living space solution.

4. Fusion pool & dining table:

Many people cannot justify spending a large amount of money on a billiard table that they only use for gaming. The pool manufacturers used to address this problem, by making pool tables convertible into ping pong tables as well, but with the economy diving, even the ping pong table cannot justify the expense.

Enter the fusion pool and space saving dining table: a table that you can eat off of while you are not playing. As an added benefit, when transformed into a dining room table you can hardly even tell that the Aramith pool table hides a full sized billiard table underneath.

5. Roel Verhagen-Kaptein Three in One:

Not sure how many people are going to show up at your house for the pre-party tonight? Or do you like the idea of a love seat for your loft, but need a sofa for when it is you plus one?

Sounds like you may need the new Roel Verhagen-Kaptein Three in One. This comfortable space saving furniture piece can be modeled into a chair, lounger, or a love seat, and the best part, instead of being a hard metal or plastic you get all the comforts of sinking into your furniture!

6. Foldable Swiss Furniture:


For those who relocate frequently hiring a moving service or dissembling furniture can get old quick.

However, with the Foldable Swiss Furniture moving becomes ten times easier as bookcases can be literally pushed into a foldable package of only 24cm that weighs 31kg. [Creative Book Shelves]

When fully extended again the distance between shelves can be individually arranged to measure anywhere from 33cm to 28cm.

7. Bedup:

For those in a one bedroom loft lack of privacy is always an issue as no one wants their bed to be the first object of notice when guests walk into the room.

Behold: The Bedup, much like it’s counterpart from the eighties that folded into the wall, retracts back into the ceiling and its bottom can even be made into a lighting installation making your room brighter and classier in one easy go [Bedroom Lighting Techniques].

This way you can have a double bed and space without worrying about an Inspector Clouseau moment when you become trapped between the wall and bed.

8. Studio Dror folding chairs:


Usually when you buy folding chairs to use in your home the only choice you have while not using them is to stack them in the corner or hide them in the closet.

The simple fact of life is that folding chairs are obtrusive non-flexible items that usually take up space more than they ever help create seating solutions.

Or, at least this was true before the stylish flexible wooden Studio Dror folding chairs. These elegant Chinese wooden delights, used as space saving furniture, can be unfolded instead of folded, perhaps denoting a new name choice, and hung on the wall for simple tasteful decoration that looks as if it was there as part of an home interior design accent instead of a chair!

9. Kenchikukagu:

Most people have heard of minimalistic design, but the Kenchikukagu apartment set takes it to an entirely new level. For about $7500 a piece you can purchase three cabinets that each fold out into a bedroom set, office space, and kitchen area.

Thus, you can choose to unfold each cabinet as you need it and fold them all up when you want to maximize the amount of space in your home. Even better, the cabinets have wheels so you could essentially put your kitchen away in the coat closet if you want to clear space for guests!

10. One Shot Stool:

Need a folding chair that you can really tuck away when you are not using it? Sounds like you may need the Belgian creation the one shot stool.

Unlike its hard unyielding counterpart that takes up space and advertises its bulky presence while not in use, the one shot stool neatly spirals up into a small parcel that is perpendicular and can be placed in an umbrella rack for safe keeping until you need it again.

As well as a great piece of space saving furniture, the one shot stool may easily become your favorite new toy or trick to pull out at parties.

11. Obelisk Chairs:

One of the reasons that most people avoid purchasing folding chairs when they are short on space is because they hate the visual look of folding chairs.

Not to mention that while being space conscious, the metal items are also pretty uncomfortable for any extended period of time where you have to remain seated. This is why designer Janus et Cie came up with the Obelisk chairs.

Visually appealing and comfortable, when not in use the chairs and table can be stacked into a missile like shape and stored in the corner. It may look odd, but it certainly looks like a purposeful abstract oddity which is of course half the charm.

12. Foldout couch:

There are mattresses that fold out of couches to provide you with a place to rest your head if you are short on space in your loft, and then there are literally beds that fold out of couches such as the Flou fold out which is impressive from the first site.

This elegant bed gives the appearance of a modern bed as the mattress is extended from a pile that makes up the sofa seat to look so much like a bed your house guests will never notice that you have a fold out bed!

13. Creative wedge:

Technically when you go on break your time is yours to spend how you like, so why not buy a piece of office furniture that also allows you to use it as you like.

The Creative Wedge is made up of sturdy yet supportive and comfortable foam pieces that can be rearranged around the color coded wedge to allow you to change positions from sitting to lying, to lying with your feet down or up, to lounging with your head down or whatever else you can think of.

Wonder if the designers at Brightside Design had to count their testing time as a break time?

14. Electric chair:


No, this clever design is not straight out of a jail cell, but rather is a design in which a comfortable plush chair can be rotated onto its back much like a porch swing to reveal a stove and kitchen counter.

Perfect for lofts that lack kitchen accommodations and for those who want to be truly comfortable in the kitchen! Careful though, because what you drop into the corners of the cushion may impair cleanliness of your kitchen!

15. Casulo:

Similar to the idea of the Modular Kitchen, the Casulo is a large bright yellow square that unfolds to reveal all the elements you could need to create an entire bedroom. The box measures in at the small dimensions of 80cm x 120cm that fits a desk, three stools, a bed, six shelf bookcase, and an armoire.

By the way, the mattress for the bed also fits inside. It is estimated by designers Marcel Kings & Sebastian Muhlhauser that the bedroom in a box set can be built and disassembled in ten minutes with no tools required.

With the Casulo and the Kitchen Modular in compact form in the corner you could easily transform your apartment into a nightclub complete with a bar and dance floor if you like!

16. Computer Desk Bed:

If you like the feeling that you leave the office when you leave work, the computer desk bed may not be for you.

However, for those who are trying to maximize their space or for college students who only have dorm room space to work with the computer desk bed could be ideal.

In desk form, the stylish wood desk sits firmly against a wall, but at nighttime the desk folds down to allow a hidden twin sized bed to pop out.

However, a word of caution, this desk may be only for lighthearted people, seriously, as the metal joints may not be enough to support heavier people.

17. The Biombo Chair:

Need some temporary chairs in your apartment that will not take up space when your guests are not around? Try the Biombo Chair by Daniel Milchtein Peltsverger.

The chair seat is built over hinges so that when you pick it up and unlatch it the seat folds down and forms the perfect folding screen also known as a Biombo.

You can even etch your own personalized design into it, if you want people to believe the Biombo screen was really intended to be a chair and not just something you use to block the windows due to the lack of curtains.

18. Transformable Table & Chair:

The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of furniture, the transformable table and chair set is actually two metal chairs that can be bent into a shape with a table like surface and interlocked to give you a surprisingly wide table space to work off.

Thus, you can use the chairs for extra guests or as a buffet table if you need more room for your serving options! The choice of course is always up to you, and an extra perk, the chairs can be stacked on each other while not in use to minimize the space they occupy when you do not need a table or chairs.

19. Lunablocks Lego Furniture:


With a plan of glass or a nice pillow you can easily create furniture that is straight out of Legoland, and the best part is if you need the space you can just stack the furniture in the corner, literally.

Luxury Living 2012

Start Date: 4 February 2012
End Date: 12 February 2012
Venue: Singapore Expo, Hall 6
Address: 1 Expo Drive Singapore 486150
Time: 12.00pm - 10.00pm
Admission: Admission is free

Modern Kids Room Furniture from Dielle

Need help to your kid's bedroom... Read on...

Article taken off home-designing.com

Modern Kids Room Furniture from Dielle

To fill a child’s world in one room is a tough job! Creating room for the toys, books, sports equipments, shoes, clothes, computers, tables and all their imagination can become daunting, but thanks to Dielle, this task is now much simpler.

Manufacturing minimalistic furniture that is accommodating and takes little room for itself, the company executes bright ideas that save space. The cupboards, drawers, beds and other pieces of furniture provided by them are not only simple and pleasant to look at, they are also conveniently fitted together to maximize space.

These rooms play host to creativity. With eye-grabbing color schemes that are soothing as well as exciting, they help in stimulating the cells that lie dormant. Pink rooms for girls and blue rooms for boys are a thing of the past; take a look at the images here to see what we mean.