Punk Rock ECO Chair

I love this chair by Richard Liddle from Cohda Design. Called the RD Legs (RD stands for Roughly Drawn), it is made from 100% molten plastic waste and it's really a piece of art. It really does give the impression that someone just sketched the chair with a giant pencil and it came to life. These chairs are all hand made and there are only 25 chairs per color (which I guess explains their cost). Developed by Richard, the design uses no glues or additional fixings in its production.

Cohda Design Ltd is a British company founded in 2006 as an urban design brand with a mission: “to design, manufacture and supply innovative contemporary products that break down the pre-conceptions of what sustainable, innovative designs should be".

When you look at products from Codha, they don't scream "I'm eco-friendly". Clever and thought-provoking, their designs engage the user in a story, allowing the products to be recognized for both their innovation and Eco credentials.

Limited editions of these chairs are available in Canada through galerie CO in Montreal for $1850. The video below shows how they are made.



Photos : Cohda Design | galerie CO

Happy Holidays

Red for the holidays

PS SÅGA Chair, BÄRBAR Tray, LYCKHEM Dining table (IKEA), Ornament Napkin Ring-Placecard Holders (CB2), Small Fibre Optic Tree LED Light (Mark and Spencer), LJUVLIG plates and bowls items, FLORERA Decorative sand (IKEA), Dalia Tealight (Zara Home)

Lighted Ornaments, Red Ornament Trees (Pier 1), Olalla Candle (Zara Home), 7' WHITE GLACIER Tree (Target), Felt and Wood Cut Out Christmas Reindeer, Felt snow flake decoration (authentic charms), White Christmas Tree Bauble (Zara Home), Red Ornament Wreath (Pier 1)


source: IKEA | CB2 | Mark and Spenser | Zara Home | Pier 1 | Target | Authentic Charms

Purple for the holidays

NILS Chair (IKEA), silverado rectangular dining table (Crate & Barrel), FLORERA FIN Candle in glass (IKEA), STOCKHOLM Tray (IKEA), Plum Paradise flower arrangement (Teleflora), Silver Ornament Wreath (Pier 1), GROGGY & BÄRBAR Trays (IKEA), FLORERA FIN Scented block candle (IKEA), Abeto Place Card Holder (Zara Home), 40" Purple Feather Boas (Party Mart)

7-Foot Purple Paradise Tinsel Medium Pre-Lit Christmas Tree (Christmas Trees Galore), KOTTE 60-piece decoration set (IKEA), Lágrima Christmas Tree Pendant (Zara Home), Espejo Christmas Tree Pendant (Zara Home), SKIMMER Block candle holder (IKEA), Purple organza rose hair band (Debenhams), 2 Foot Pre-Lit Purple Wreath (The Purple Store), Miniature Plush Purple Christmas Stocking (The Purple Store), Pre-Lit LED Bead Garland (The Purple Store)

source: Party Mart | Crate & Barrel | IKEA | Pier 1 | Teleflora | Zara Home | Christmas Tree Galore | Debenhams | The Purple Store

Cyan for the holidays

Panton Chair (Vitra), NORDEN Dining table (IKEA) , FLORERA FIN Candle in glass (IKEA), ANNO INEZ Panel curtain (IKEA), Nobuho Miya Collectibles (DWR), Glitter Deer Ornament (Target), FÄRGRIK TROLSK Bowl (IKEA), Granit Salt and Pepper Shakers (DWR), 365+ Bowl & Plate (IKEA), SMYCKA Artificial flower (IKEA), SALONG Vase (IKEA)

Ornaments (Bouclair), Silhouette Tree (DWR), Pre-Lit Potted Tinsel Topiary (Target), Large Pillar Candle Holder (Vivre), Cashmere Bubble Tree Blue (Target)


source: Vitra | IKEA | DWR | Bouclair | Target | Vivre |

Green for the holidays

NILS Chair with armrests (IKEA), BJURSTA Dining table (IKEA), Henrik Slipcover for IKEA Henrik Chair - Light Olive Green (Bemz), Gold Trees (Crate and Barrel), Tree Placecard Holder-Ornament (Crate and Barrel), Antiqued Glass Candleholders (Crate and Barrel), Long Needle Pine Garland (Crate and Barrel), BLANDA MATT Serving bowl (IKEA), Jubilee Green Runner (Crate and Barrel), Pinecone Candles (Crate and Barrel)

Rattan Reindeer (Pier1), Rattan Star (Pier1), Green Wire Trees (Pier1), Piña Christmas Tree Bauble (Zara Home), Pine Scatter (Crate and Barrel), BORRBY Lantern for block candle (IKEA), KNASTER Decorative stones (IKEA), DORIT - Decorative Wood Candle Holders (Jeanpelle from Etsy)

source: Pier1 | Zara Home | Crate and Barrel| IKEA | Jeanpelle at Etsy | Bemz

Beautiful space saving table by IvyDesign

One of the disadvantages of living in a tiny condo or apartment is that it's difficult to organize a dinner for a large group of people. Sure you can get an extendable table, if you have the space for it but in some cases there's just not enough space. IvyDesign came up with a beautiful solution. Called the Picture table, it's a table that folds into a large picture frame when not it use. There's also an option or replacing the picture by a mirror.




Photos : IvyDesign

Yellow for the holidays

HERMAN Chairs (IKEA), PS KVARNSTEN Table (IKEA), Forsythia Silk Wreath (Darby Creek Trading), 365+ Serving platter (IKEA), FANTASTISK Napkin (IKEA), GODIS MIX Glass (IKEA), SEKIN Serving bowl (IKEA), Oversize Holiday Garland - Gold (Target)

Various yellow and white ornaments (CB2), Yellow flower arrangement (Teleflora), felt trees (CB2), glass snow man (CB2), fuzzy snow balls (CB2), SMYCKA Artificial flowers (IKEA), cylinder vases (CB2), pre-lit fantacy champagne trees (target)

source: IKEA | Darby Creek Trading | Target | Teleflora |

Orange for the holidays

DOCKSTA dining table (IKEA), URBAN chairs (IKEA), Orange Alessi Lilliput Salt & Pepper (Hive), Zombie Tumblers glasses (CB2), spoon coffee mugs (CB2), BLOMSTER Candlestick (IKEA).

Various orange ornaments (CB2), white Christmas tree (Taget), PS Tealight holder (IKEA), flower arrangement (Tele Flora), FENOMEN Block candle (IKEA), VÄGHULT Candle (IKEA), Dog bed (Fat boy)

source: IKEA | CB2 | Hive | Target | Tele flora | fatboy |

Colors for the holidays

The holidays are a great occasion to make use of your creativity by decorating your home or place of business for the occasion, whether it be for Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa or just an occasion to spend quality time with friends and family. There's so many color palettes and styles to choose from. Here are some examples.

I'm still experimenting with the decoration for our place but I'm leaning towards a green and tan color palette with silver accents and a lot of sparkles.

Nicole from Making It Lovely is all in pink.

Sherry and John from Young House Love have a nice green, silver and white palette for their mantle.



Flickr member boopsie.daisy went for a cheerful red and white color palette.



Flickr member generic_girly_name went for a nightmare before Christmas inspired black tree.

Kelly at Color Sizzle created a cute purple tree.

If you're looking for some inspiration for your holiday decorations, I'll be putting together more mood boards based on each of the primary and secondary colors of the color wheel (orange, yellow, green, cyan, purple and red).



Photos : M2JL STUDIO | Making It Lovely | Young House Love | boopsie.daisy | generic_girly_name | Color Sizzle

Heatwave by Joris Laarman

ORIGINAL POST DATE : 2008-01-25

If I told you that the baroque inspired “sculptures” on the walls in the following pictures actually have a function in each of the spaces, could you guess what that function could be?

They’re radiators used to heat rooms, and they actually look good! Finally someone came up with something that is more pleasing to the eye and adds to the look of a room instead of deterring from it. They are the work of designer Joris Laarman. They come in various sizes and are modular, so you can pretty much make them as small or as big as you like.

Photos: Jaga

Great Christmas Gift Idea : Design Gift Certificate

If you're looking for an original and thoughtful gift, you might like this new offer from M2JL STUDIO, a 2-hour in-house consultation package. This is the kind of gift that will help transform an environment to make them happier. For more information, check out the Gift Certificate link or contact me directly (designer@m2jlstudio.com)

modern candle holders

Ever seen these ultra modern candle holders by Morin Choinière? Made out of marble art glass and brushed aluminum, they come in various colors. Each are unique, just like a piece of art. I saw them for the first time at a design show in Montreal a while back and think it's a great way to incorporate a modern "fireplace" in your space without the need of a chimney. They are very easy to install as well. All you need are two frame hooks and a couple of tealight candles. I think they would look really nice in any room in your home and even a restaurant!

Morin Choinière was founded in 1989 by Richard Morin and Claude Choinière. They are based in Montreal, QC and carry other beautiful contemporary pieces, like their Wall Single Flower Vases and their Wall Bulletin Board . Check out their website for more.



photos : Morin Choinière

Revamp your cubicle for the holidays (Part IV)

The Sweet theme from the 2009 Christmas Decorating Trends is very colorful and light hearted. It reminds me a lot of Spring colors with the bright pinks and greens. For a cubicle, mini trees made out of felt would be interesting. So would small colorful trees like the ones from Urban outfitter with many colorful ornaments. The wallflowers would fit very well in this theme as well. They were created by an Ottawa native. I like the ornament topiary idea. Aligning a few along a wall would create a nice visual effect.

01. Slight Office Chair, Sit Down New York
02. Felt trees, CB2
03. Wallflowers, UMBRA
04. Tuquoise Christmas Tree, Urban Outfitter
05. Starburst ornament, CB2
06. Glass-Ornament Christmas Topiary, Better Homes and Garderns

Luminous fiber optic decorations by LumiGram

ORIGINAL POST DATE : 2008-03-05

I remember as a kid, how fascinated I was with our revolving fiber optic lamp in the living room. My mom would light it up on special occasions and I would find my self gazing at it for long periods of times as it was changing colors on its own. Then I grew up and it sort of went out of fashion, but I guess "what's old is new again" because fiber optic lights are back with a twist.

I was recently shown this new product from Lumigram, a company from France who specializes in marrying fiber optic technology with fabric. The result is interesting and looks best at night or in a dark room. They currently have some products that can be used to decorate various spaces, such as pillows, table cloths, chair covers and vases, but I’m sure as their popularity increases designers will come up with new and creative ways to use them.

2009-12-02 UPDATE : This product could be fun to use at a Christmas party on a table as shown or as curtain. It could look quite dramatic in the right setting.

Another publication

I'm happy to report that another one of my projects is featured in Je Décore magazine. In this case it was for the makeover of a teenager's bedroom also featured on a TV show.

Revamp your cubicle for the holidays (Part III)

Here's a little inspiration based on the Obsession theme from the 2009 Christmas Decoration Trends. This theme is all about opulence and extravagance. It can be done in a relatively simple manner. For example, covering wall panels with a rich purple fabric would give the impression of being upholstered. It's a easy way to completely change the mood of the space. The Bougie table lamp also gives it an instant boost and would create a very nice contrast against the upholstered purple walls. The wingback chair from James Design UK would work nicely as well. It's a great combination of the old and the new.

01.Gold Glass Bird by Gisela Graham ornament, Heals
02.Gold Cone Bauble ornament, Heals
03. 18" Black Christmas Tree, Urban Outfitter
04. Purple Damasc fabric , C&M Textile
05. Satin Ball ornament, CB2
06. Gold Bourgie table lamp, DWR
07. Purple light strand, Urban Outfitter
08. Gem ornament, CB2
09. Hourglass, DWR
10.Wingback chair, James Design UK

Restaurant design concept

I was going through some old files of mine and stumbled across an old project that I figured I'd share with you. The goal was to create a concept for a restaurant located in a trendy area of the city. I came up with a minimalist concept using simple natural materials (wood, glass, concrete). Above is the bar located in the back. The bottles were to be placed behind the glass wall and lit from the back to be the focal point of the restaurant. The bar top made out of glass could also be lit. You would be able to see it from the street at night. I was quite happy the round booth echoing the shape of the bar and the custom table to go with it.

I was really into cantilevered chairs and designed stools to match. The wall behind the booth along both wall were "bare" using zebra wood veneer. I was more interested in texture than doing anything graphic. I thought it was a nice back drop to the beautiful kou chandeliers.

Revamp your cubicle for the holidays (Part II)

For Part 2 of the cubicle revamp based on the 2009 Christmas decorations trends, here are some items that would suit the Airy office space. This style goes very well with the minimalist space like the one above by M.MAS A Architect. Of course, not everyone is lucky enough to work in such space, but with simple adjustments, it's possible to get a similar feel with a holiday twist.


01. Bottle brush trees, CB2
02. Anno Inez panel curtain, IKEA
03. Felt trees, CB2
04. Fasette candle holders, EQ3
05. Snow filled ornaments, CB2
06. Barcode flocked ornament, CB2
07. Mobile ornament, CB2
08. Disco ball ornament, CB2
09. Acrylic desk chair, Ruby Beets

I also found some great modern Christmas trees.

The Aaron Thomas Christmas Tree takes very little visual space. It's a bit large for a cubicle but would look great in a common area of an office.

Modern acrylic Christmas Tree by The Modern Christmas Tree in nice and compact. It's perfect for a desk with very little distraction. The ornaments are already built in too.

I love this modern tree by Flickr member Two Little Pumpkins. I might try this one a home. A small version of this one with LED lights would fit nicely in a cubicle.

The Pop Tree from Tongue and Groove is a neat eco friendly tree made out of water cut recycled plastic that resembles felt.

The tea tree light from blomus is very neat too. Perhaps the office is not the place to light candles but LED tea light candles would work.