Displaying posts labeled "Sponsored"

It’s that time again. Time to get your entries in for the prestigious A’ Design Award and Competition. We are excited to share with you not only some of the previous winners but also how you can enter your own designs. With over 100 categories the A’ Design Award and Competition is the world’s largest design competition. But it is not just an award. It is an indicator of quality and perfection in design, recognized worldwide, your design front and centre before design companies and professionals. Entries will be judged by an international jury panel of scholars, professionals and media members (you can check out the methodology here) and the benefits to the winners are inspiring. The trophy, of course, a comprehensive and extensive winners’ kit which includes everything you could potentially need to celebrate the success of winning the A’ Design Award, an invitation to the gala night, a certificate of quality, inclusion in the prestigious A’ Design Award and Competition exhibition and the yearly ResultBook but even more importantly press, PR, introduction to industry professionals and companies and international exposure. As well as free sales listing at SaloneDelDesigner, inclusion in BuySellDesign Network, free listing at DesignMegaStore and many more perks.

From the Good Industrial Design Award, to the Good Architecture Design Award. The  Good Product Design Award to the  Good Communication Design Award. The  Good Service Design Award to the Good Fashion Design Award and so many more (further categories here). Are you inspired? Excited? Believe you’ve got what it takes to take on the best of the best design from around the world? The deadline for early submission is September 30 and results will be announced to public on May 1. Of course we will be bringing you the results as well. Find out exactly what A’ Design Award and Competition is here and register here. Here is a glimpse at some past winners…

House On Pipes Weekend Getaway by Nagendra R and Raghunandan G

The Peach Garden Hostel Homestay by Chao Zhou

Panorama Villa Residence by Potiropoulos and Partners

Garden House by Christos Pavlou

Qi Leisure Chair Comfortable To Use by Wei Jingye and Cui Yueming

Light Shadow Bamboo Weave Communal Space Chair by Cao Yang studio

Lacexotic Home Decor by ChungSheng Chen and BoWei Jiang

Mix and Match Seat by Joao Faria

Ring Chair Novelty and Comfortable by Wei Jingye and Sun Kezhao

H Chair Chair by Xiaoyan Wei

Acorn Leisure Chair Multipurpose by Wei Jingye, Chen Yufan and Wang Ruilin

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This post is in collaboration with A’ Design Award & Competition

It’s that time again. Time to get your entries in for the prestigious A’ Design Award and Competition. We are excited to share with you not only some of the previous winners but also how you can enter your own designs. With over 100 categories the A’ Design Award and Competition is the world’s largest design competition. But it is not just an award. It is an indicator of quality and perfection in design, recognized worldwide, your design front and centre before design companies and professionals. Entries will be judged by an international jury panel of scholars, professionals and media members (you can check out the methodology here) and the benefits to the winners are inspiring. The trophy, of course, an invitation to the gala night, a certificate of quality, inclusion in the prestigious A’ Design Award and Competition exhibition and the yearly ResultBook but even more importantly press, PR, introduction to industry professionals and companies and international exposure.

From the Good Industrial Design Award, to the Good Architecture Design Award. The  Good Product Design Award to the  Good Communication Design Award. The  Good Service Design Award to the Good Fashion Design Award and so many more. Are you inspired? Excited? Believe you’ve got what it takes to take on the best of the best design from around the world? The deadline for early submission is June 30 and results will be announced to public on May 1 next year. Of course we will be bringing you the results as well. You can register for A’ Design Award and Competition here.

And now some of the fabulous 2020 winners …

Plover Multi Purpose Chair by Eric Tong and a Group of THEi Students

Phuket VIP Mercury Studio Office by Songhuan Wu

Perception Cafe by Haejun Jung – Feelament

Sfumato Shelving System Shelving System by Nedim Mutevelic – FILTER

Z Line House Private Residential by Revano Satria

Poise Adjustable Table Lamp by Dabi Robert

House On Pipes Weekend Getaway by Nagendra R and Raghunandan G

Sissis Wonderland Reading Space by Leo Sun

Talento Unlimited Cabinet by Edoardo Colzani

Feiliyundi Sales Center by Weimo Feng

Pluto Task Lamp by Heitor Lobo Campos

Rotass Haute Joallerie Chongqing Store by Xiaobing Yao

Fineland Heshan Community Center Recreation by Fineland Architecture and Studio Revo

Polyot Restaurant by Julien Albertini and Alina Pimkina

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This post is in collaboration with A’ Design Award & Competition

The decision to go into the restaurant business is not one that you should be making lightly. Yes, successful and popular eateries do make major profits, however, what you need to understand is that it is a cutthroat industry and the competition drives businesses to close every other week. There are a lot of restaurants and this rise in demand for restaurants has led to a surplus of restaurants opening overtime. This availability of so many different kinds of restaurants has made the industry pretty saturated, so it takes a lot of creativity, effort, and good food to set up a new restaurant and have it generate enough profit to remain to stand and successful.

The food scene some 50 or more years ago was very different compared to now. Restaurants used to operate during certain hours because people were used to having their meals at fixed times during the day. However, with time, the concept of casual dining was introduced and people started having their meals at different times, which is why it is not weird to go to a restaurant at 5 pm and see people eating lunch and so on. So casual dining has created a space where people can come and eat during odd hours as well.

If you are still determined to open a restaurant of your own, then you need to remember that the period before your restaurant opens is just as important as the time when you officially open for business. The amount of preparation you do right now will play a major role in how your restaurant will turn out later. You need to make sure that you sort out all of your relevant details like the location of the restaurant, the size of the restaurant which also includes the seating capacity, the theme of your restaurant, restaurant furniture, the menu, the kind of service you want, and so on. Each of these is equally important to ensure that your restaurant turns out successful. Now, you can choose to consult experts in the industry, or you can design everything yourself ranging from your choice of restaurant chairs to your restaurant’s sign and logo, and so on.

The first thing you want to do is decide the kind of vibe you want your restaurant to give and the customers you mainly want to attract. Determining this beforehand will help map out everything else that you will need to get and set up for the restaurant. For example, if you want a diner-style restaurant that targets a younger audience, you will want a retro setup that encapsulates the feel of a 1950s diner. Similarly, if you want a pretty restaurant to attract friend groups or people that appreciate aesthetics, then you can opt for bright or pastel colors, natural lighting and have a quirkier setup, and so on. By determining your target visitors you can get a complimentary setup going, so this decision always needs to be made beforehand. If you are unsure about your target customers, you can look up information on different age demographics at restaurants, which ones visit more frequently, and which option is more profitable and so on. Doing this will help you have a clear plan that you can map out so that things look and remain consistent at the end of the day.

When we talk about restaurant furniture, we are mostly referring to tables and chairs. Now, there are no hard and fast rules about what kind of furniture your restaurant should have, but they should be sturdy, made of good-quality materials, and consistent with your restaurant’s theme. Of course, having an underlying theme and concept will help considerably narrow down your options. When it comes to chairs, you can choose between stools, sofas, booths, chairs, and so on. The theme of your restaurant can determine the type of chair you have, for example, booths work and sofas work better with family-style restaurants whilst chairs and stools work better with bistros and casual-dining places. You can choose to mix and match as well, having different kinds of seating options, and take it a step further and have mismatching furniture and colors going as well. You can also keep things simple and have the same design of chairs and tables for the entire restaurant. This ultimately comes down to your personal preference and what you feel will work better for your restaurant.

Yes, it seems very tedious to have to go over so many minor details and stress over them, but at the end of the day, if you want a good restaurant that has a consistent theme where everything compliments each other, then you will have to continue agonizing over them. At the end of the day, you want a restaurant that people serves good food, looks good and makes people leave with a smile on their face.

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This post was contributed by a guest writer.

With 100 categories the A’ Design Award and Competition is the worlds’ largest design competition. But it is not just an award. It is an indicator of quality and perfection in design, recognized worldwide, bringing your design front and centre before design companies and professionals. Categories such as Interior Space and Exhibition Design; Architecture, Building and Structure Design; Furniture, Decorative Items and Homeware Design; Lighting Products and Lighting Projects Design; Arts, Crafts and Ready-Made Design; Landscape Planning and Garden Design and soooo many more. (You can find all the design categories here.)

The A’ Design Award & Competition has ended for another year and the winners have been announced. Here are some of my favourite winners of 2020 from the following categories: Furniture, Decorative Items and Homeware Design; Architecture, Building and Structure Design; Lighting Products and Projects.

Haleiwa Chair by Melissa Mae Tan – i love the shape! boho cool!

Loover Sofa by Christos Yordamlis – the slat sides are such a unique feature!

Duoo Desk by Andriy Mohyla – sleek while keeping you organized!

Sushi Chair by Linda Martins – love the sushi roll back 🙂

Cecilia Armchair by Linda Martins – such fun texture!

Bloom Succulent Dedicated Grow Box by Mert Ali Bukulmez – if this keeps succulents alive I’m in!

Rainforest Vase by Sini Majuri – those colours are stunning!

Tamsa Money Bank by Jose Roca – sexiest money bank I’ve ever seen!

Khayyam Lounge Chair by Fater Saadat Niaki – for an ethnic vibe with a modern touch

Aks sconcentrico Dining Table by Ascanio Zocchi – a table to keep you entertained 🙂

The Peach Garden Hostel Homestay by Chao Zhou – all of those windows!

Casa Lupita Residential House by Binomio Taller – indoor/outdoor living at its finest

H2O House House by Niroop Kumar Reddy Nallari – love that circle cut-out!

Panorama Villa Residence by Potiropoulos and Partners – love the juxtaposition between the stone and the steel

Skipping-Girl Vinegar-Vats House and Architecture Studio by Adrian Light – industrial cool!

Santos House by Fernando Abelleyro – such a unique shape!

Zen Mood House by Francisco Eduardo Sa and Felipe Savassi – how about this for a weekend getaway/cottage?!

Aggregate Collection Lamp by CoCo Ree – love the texture and organic form!

Capsule Lighting by Natalia Komarova – how unique!

Mobius Pendant Lamp Pendant Lamp by Nhi Ton – it’s reconfigurable!

Spike Lamp by Sini Majuri – if you thought your interior needed a bit of an edge 🙂

A’ Design Award and Competitions are organized and awarded annually and internationally in a wide range of categories. Every year, projects that focus on innovation, technology, design and creativity are awarded with the A’ Award. While realized projects find opportunities to get published, reach new markets and meet a wide range of buyers for their existing products, the organization also helps the creative minds and startups to meet with the business people to realize their product ideas. If you’d like to register for next year’s competition you can do so here.

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This post is brought to you in collaboration with A’ Design Award and Competition

Over the past few months I’ve gotten my hands on some gifted books that I wanted to share with you. This first one was special and I had to share because I was honoured to be a part of this book in a unique way.

Interiors journalist Kate Watson-Smyth recently launched her third book – Mad About The House: 101 Interior Design Answers and in it is a photo based on one of the photos I had posted on Instagram of my foyer looking into my dining room. It is such a beautiful drawing and I was so stoked with how it turned out and to be a part of this best-selling book. Thank you Kate!

I was sent a book that is one of the best sources of eye candy I have seen in a while and I am dying to devour it a 3rd and 4th time. It is THAT GOOD. I have been a fan of New Orleans interior designer and antiques dealer Tara Shaw for several years and her ability to mix styles and create really unique and elegant spaces is  really incredible.

Soul of the Home: Designing with Antiques showcases several of Tara’s projects as well and helps readers understand how to select the best antiques, including details about Tara’s favourite antique-hunting spots and negotiating tips, and how to use them to create dynamic and unexpected spaces. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

Tuttle Publishing kindly sent over a few of their new gardening titles and given the season they have got me wanting to get some new plants and get my yard landscaping going. The first book I’ll share had me soooo excited because I have an odd obsession with moss. Moss Ball Bonsai by Satoshi Sunamori is all about creating kokedama – koke (moss) dama (ball).

I really didn’t know much about this but WOW they can be so beautiful!!! This book shows you how to grow moss, how to make moss balls, where to find moss and 100 different moss ball creations you can make yourself. I am in love!

Next up is The Ultimate Bonsai Handbook by Yukio Hirose. I have always been intrigued by bonsai plants and this book is a perfect guide for beginners.

It has over 1000 photos and features 70 (!!!) different types of bonsai, and for each type it takes you through basic management tips, transplanting, pruning, arranging and wiring and sprout plucking.

And last but not least, for all you succulent lovers out there (like me but OMG I can’t keep them alive!!!) is The Gardener’s Guide to Succulents by Misa Matsuyama.

A handbook identifying over 125 plants from 40 different genera of succulent and cacti, this book is a great reference to have on hand. It goes through basic information on what each genus needs and where it thrives, descriptions and ratings on ease of growth and maintenance, ideas on plantings, and lots of photos.