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, 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 April 15. Of course we will be bringing you the results as well. You can register for A’ Design Award and Competition here.

Manshausen Hospitality, Sport, Hotel, Wellness/Spa by Snorre Stinessen

Tre Modular Concrete Tile Series by Levi Fignar – Next Ship

Blanco Ikon Kitchen Sink by Tim Maicher & Brigitte Ziemann

Let’s Play! Blue Paradise Retail VM by TIST

A Chairs Multi functional chair by Yi-An Hung – Yestudio

Binhi Multifunctional Bench by Ito Kish

Shadowbrook 3D Printed Metal Faucet by American Standard

Banco Kitchen table by LA AGENCIA

Spiral Stool Stool by Daisuke Nagatomo and Minnie Jan

One Main Office by dECOi Mark Goulthorpe, Raphael Crespin

Everyone has their own view on what they would consider a stylish home. From incorporating modern interior decor to opting for a warm color theme or sticking to vintage styling, there are different ways to make your home stylish. Despite the many options available, it all narrows down to a home with personalized design features that not only offer a great aesthetic appeal but also superior functionality.

If you’re looking for stylish design elements to incorporate into your home, here are five options to give your space a personalized and appealing edge.

Cable Railings
Safety should always be a priority when choosing your home décor elements. Since areas like the balcony, stairwells and even the poolside typically come bundled with the danger of accidental falls, which can be fatal, most people tend to use wood in these areas to prevent such accidents from happening. However, this ends up blocking their view from the statement pieces of their home, such as the pool or the garden that they can see from the balcony.

Cable railings can be used as a more stylish element in your home. They can serve the purpose of preventing accidental falls while allowing you to enjoy your aesthetically appealing indoor or outdoor spaces. The fact that they can fit into both the modern and traditional décor themes also makes them great for home styling. Furthermore, cable railings are versatile in terms of where you can incorporate them in your home, according to Inline Design.

Quartz Tiles
Your choice of home flooring has a significant impact on the overall appeal of your décor choices. In addition to requiring minimum maintenance, quartz tiles tend to come in a variety of textures, colors and patterns from which you can accentuate other home design elements. This tile choice is also excellent for an environment that has kids, as it is quite stain resistant and can withstand extended exposure to foot traffic without getting destroyed, making it an excellent choice as a future-proof design element. To preserve the stylish appeal that they offer, be sure to avoid using oil based soaps, silver polish and paint removers on them.

Motorized Roller Shades and Blinds
Window treatments have a considerable role to play when it comes to promoting privacy as well as regulating the amount of light that gets into the home. In fact, according to Inhabitat, some treatments allow you to control the temperature of your home. If you are searching for a window treatment option that will provide the above perks and bring some sophistication into your home, then motorized shades or roller blinds can be a great option.

Unlike ordinary roller shades and blinds, the motorized version is convenient in that you can pull your window treatment up or down with the press of a single button, instead of having to do it physically. Some even allow the homeowners to save on their energy bills as they have sun sensors. This allows the window treatments to be set to close automatically when the sun is at its peak, which can further help in reducing the damage of your upholstery by the sun rays.

LED Lights
Your choice of lighting solutions doesn’t necessarily have to consume too much energy in order to ensure a stylish home appeal at night. While consuming less power than ordinary bulbs, LED lights produce less heat and are durable as well. The fact that they don’t contain mercury like other conventional lighting solutions makes them safe for the environment.

You can also use them as a lighting solution for rooms that have pieces of art and other items that are sensitive to exposure to UV rays. This is because they produce a low amount of infrared rays and no UV rays. Other than just producing cool light, these bulbs can also produce light in different shades of white which can further add to your home’s appeal.

Spa Bathrooms
Your bathroom is your sanctuary. Well, no bathroom can outdo the level of comfort that a spa has to offer. Luckily, you can have one in your home too, as long as you make the right bathroom design choices. Start by creating ambiance in your bathroom by either using natural light from your window or appealing, modern lighting solutions such as LED lights. Add some texture to the walls of the bathroom by using mosaic tiles. As for the bathtub, choosing one that is quite easy to relax in will make it great for relieving stress after a hectic day.

Conclusion
Choosing the right design elements for your home will not only offer you something to be proud of, but it will also improve your home’s appeal and increase the resale value of your home.

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This post was contributed by a guest writer

It was time for a change. Don’t get me wrong. I loved my old bedroom. One of the very first things I wanted to do when we moved into our new old house 7 years ago was to paint at least one room black and it was my bedroom that turned to the dark side. Unfortunately impending renovations mean that my spacious bedroom is about to be chopped in half to make way for an upstairs bathroom. Yay! Much smaller bedroom. Boo! What to do? Why move across the landing and convert my office into my new bedroom. Quite a change as the new room is white. What to do? Where to start? Well I started with a rug.

It was as if the design gods were smiling the day the Unique Rug Store came into my life via email a few weeks ago with an offer to review their extensive range of handmade rugs. Think Turkish and Persian rugs, kilims, vintage, distressed, over dyed and patchwork. They are a small local producer trying to keep a traditional craft alive. Their rugs are fashioned from original handmade and organically dyed wool and cotton blend vintage Turkish rugs. The edges are hand sewn and they are responsible for the shaving, bleaching, colorization, over dying and drying of the reworked carpets. The exciting news for me here in Australia is that they ship worldwide. Yes everywhere. Think of it … thousands of rugs and worldwide shipping. I was in heaven but how was I to choose? Luckily the website was easy to navigate and soon I had narrowed it down to a handful of rugs. This is the beauty that was the genesis of my new bedroom design.

It’s a beige over dyed vintage rug. The Unique Rug Store takes Turkish carpets at least 40-50 years of age which then undergo a unique process of colour neutralisation before being over-dyed in an exciting new colour. The result is a mix of traditional Turkish carpet design fused with a contemporary vintage style with each rug unique in size and colour.

I wanted a bright neutral colour scheme, white walls, natural wood floors, caramel leathers. The room faces east and morning sun streams in. After years of sleeping in a black as night bedroom I was ready to celebrate the light. With my new rug laid before the fireplace (ooh can’t wait to light a fire when the weather cools) it was time to shop my house for what I needed to furnish the room. I did mention we have major kitchen and bathroom renovations in the pipeline didn’t I? Money is painfully tight. With my new vintage rug as the hero of the room I pulled together what I could, bought a few pieces I didn’t have like sheers for the windows and some new sheets (that’s all I had to buy believe me) and slapped some paint on old boards to create large art pieces for the walls. And yes I’m an art dilettante. I create paintings to match my colour scheme.

Luckily I am blessed with a large room with two huge windows and french doors onto a verandah. With my Unique Rug Store rug looking so good on the floor I thought it would be a shame to cover it up with furniture. I dragged in an 80’s glass and marble coffee table I had used in the sitting area of my old bedroom and paired it with two Robert Dunlop Tanderra chairs from the mid 70s.  The glass top and the wide open legs of the chairs allow the carpet to shine through. I love it. The depression era chair in the corner I found in a secondhand store covered in layer after layer of homemade upholstery. I stripped it back to its bare bones and love its primitive honesty. An Eero Aarnio Parabel side table, found on eBay years ago and more than likely a reproduction despite the seller’s protestations that it wasn’t, sits beside. On the mantel is a piece I painted in a hurry for the spot. Something abstract to contrast with the 150 year old fireplace. On the other side is an old homemade workshop cupboard topped with various retro pieces and a mirror I picked up in the 90s at a local artisan market. I stole the bead chandelier from my dining room. Which reminds me I have to find something for there now. Bugger!

At the other end of the room is our bed, simply dressed in white. Above is a painting of mine that started off as another abstract but somehow evolved into a floral. Weird. I’m not that sort of girl. It still needs a frame but considering I pulled together this room in a week I think you can cut me some slack on an unframed artwork. The screen is a student piece from my design school days. Not my design unfortunately.

So there you have it. My transformation from dark to light, from old bedroom to new and the rug that set the scene for it all. A big thank you to Unique Rug Store for my fabulous new vintage over dyed rug. I love it.

P.S. The hemp over dyed kilim runner at the foot of my bed is also from the Unique Rug Store. It’s actually for my new bathroom whenever it is built. But you’ll get to see more of it when I reveal the new bathroom in all its black glory. What? You didn’t expect me to leave the dark side completely did you?

P.P.S. Want to see what my old bedroom looked like? And this room before the transformation? Here are couple of pictures for you.

… and a little later

The office before it became the bedroom …

Over the last month or so I have received some really awesome things that I wanted to share. Nothing excites me more than packages on my front porch! I’ll start with some encaustic pieces – a medium I was really not familiar with.

Tracey-Mae Chambers of TMC Design Collection is an Indigenous Canadian encaustic sculptor who lives in Southern Ontario. She uses melted beeswax mixed with Damar resin to strengthen the wax and this liquid is then formed into her beautiful collection of vessels. They are then treated with clear gloss lacquer to make them more durable. I had a really tough time deciding which pieces to get but thought this stunning copper flower bowl and black vase would work really well in my home. Thanks Tracey-Mae!!

I had seen some fabulous pillows popping up on some of my favourite U.K. based Instagram accounts lately and was super excited when Karen Sedgwick of Wild Rice Designs (based in Nottingham, U.K.) got in touch about these infamous pillows of hers. Again, I had a really hard time picking my favourite pillow (the runners up were this one and this one).

In the end I went with the vintage floral velvet because I fell in love with the pattern.

It is soooo beautifully made and I could not be happier with it (I’m a bit picky about pillow quality – the feather fill and cotton linen backing with that adorable pom-pom trim totally sold me). Here’s her Instagram, website, and Etsy shop. Thank you Karen!!

I also received another little gem of a book from Tuttle Publishing called Miniature Terrariums. So cute!

What I love about this book is not only does it give lots of instructions for being able to execute these terrariums, but it shows you the beauty of repurposing glass containers such as a lab flask, wine glass, mason jar, or an inexpensive glass box or hanging bulb. It gives some examples of using moss and fern, air plants, succulents and other types of plants. I REALLY want to try some of these this summer. Find this book on Amazon here.

Living well starts with good choices, and living in Dubai’s golf communities where fabulous fairways and clubhouse amenities are at your doorstep is the redefinition of luxury living. Setting a new standard for luxury golf course living, Dubai’s golf communities features first-class golf villas that come either furnished or semi-furnished with modern, high-standard finishes and well-designed layouts.

Each villa offers owners the luxury of space, peace and privacy, all under one roof.

The emirate of Dubai is the home to many world-class golf communities that offers upscale villas offering luxury living, opulent amenities, and strategic location. If you are looking to own a golf villa in Dubai, then we advise you to check this article for it provides you with simple guidelines to owning your own golf villa in Dubai.

1- Find the right location

When you look for villas for sale in Dubai, you can find plenty of upscale residential developments that offer luxurious and elegant golf villas such as Emirates Hills, Arabian Ranches, The Lakes, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Victory Heights, Emirates Golf Club Villas, Mohammed Bin Rashid City and Dubai Hills.

The green fairways, luxurious clubhouses, and an enviable lifestyle are some of the finest aspects of living in one of these stunning villas surrounded by golf courses. These developments feature 4 bedroom villas, 5 bedroom villas, 6 bedroom villas and up to 10 bedroom villas to suit all families. Head for one of these projects and book your villa now.

2- Set your budget 

Golf villas prices vary according to size, location among other criteria as well that every developer will inform you. To make any sort of real estate investment, sorting out your finances is the first step.

A 3 bedroom villa for instance in Dubai Hills that extends over an area of 3,100 square feet is for sale for 3,563,8888 AED, while a 7 bedroom villas in Emirates Hills is for sale for 69,999,000 AED. Small-scale investors are on a tighter budget than others, hence, it is wise to do a proper market research to know if your budget will fit what’s on the market or not. 

3- Get the help of a good property agent

Whether you decided to head straight to the developer or a brokerage company, make sure that you are working with a recognized name in the market. This is a huge investment, so you better make sure you are investing in the right place and with the right people.

Look for agents that have plenty of experience in the UAE real estate market such as Better Homes, Hamptons International among others. When making a purchase that huge, you need to have a reliable partner by your side.

4- Property Inspection

Dubai has many renowned property inspection companies that offer services such as analyzing and reporting on the physical condition of the property and making professional recommendations for repairs, replacements, upgrades, etc. Property investment comes with huge gains and losses, that is why resorting to such establishments will help you identify the real value of the property by carefully checking the property and making sure it adheres to codes and quality. Many online listings fail to show the inside space of a properties or miss to show them all; that is why you need to inspect the property well before sealing the deal.

5- Freehold areas

Foreigner investors living in the UAE and interested to invest in its real estate market are allowed to own properties in Dubai Freehold areas. In May 2002, the crown prince of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, issued a decree allowing foreigners to buy property on freehold ownership. If you aren’t sure about which areas you are allowed to own a golf villa in Dubai, consult with your agent and they will guide you to the areas you are allowed to buy a property in.

6- Get familiar with the legal steps

Whether you want to purchase off-plan, i.e., under-construction property from a developer, or opt for the secondary market or resale from an owner and/or an agent, you need to get familiar with all the legal steps needed to complete the purchase. For off-plan purchases, the buyer will submit an application form to the developer, which outlines the terms and conditions of the agreement and if the property isn’t completed yet, then make sure the sales agreement includes the completion date. As for the secondary sale, the sale contract between the buyer and seller is registered with the DLD, outlining the terms and conditions of the agreement. 

7- Title Deed Transfer

For off-plan property direct from the developer, title deeds are usually issued at the developer’s office, whereas the resale of the off-plan property, the seller applies for a NOC from the developer. As for the secondary sale, if the buyer and seller are GCC nationals, The DLD conducts the transfers, others are done by a Real Estate Registration Trustee. All transfers are either held at the office of a Real Estate Registration Trustee or at the developer’s office. Upon obtaining the title deed, the buyer will get the property’s keys and access cards to the new property.

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Jamie Moulton is a senior content curator at JustProperty.com, a leading real estate portal in the MENA region, headquartered in Dubai, UAE.