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NEWS FLASH! The World Design Rankings have been announced for 2023. Who do you think topped the list? Where did your country come? What are World Design Rankings? WDR ranks all the countries based on the number of designers that have been granted an A’ Design Award. This year China beat the United States to the top spot among the 114 represented countries, followed by Japan, Italy, Hong Kong, Great Britain, Taiwan, Turkey, Germany and Portugal rounding out the top 10. (Australia made it in at 11 and Canada is at 18.) You can check out the complete list here and when you’re there you can even zoom into a country level, click on the country name in the rankings table and you will be able to see top designers from that country. The best designers in that country will be displayed first.

The ultimate aim of the World Design Rankings is to contribute to global design culture by advocating and highlighting good design. The rankings provide a snapshot of the state-of-the-art and design potentials of countries worldwide by highlighting their creative strengths, design weaknesses and available opportunities. The “Design Business Insights” section ranks countries based on their success in diverse design fields and creative categories. Using the “Design Business Insights” section, media members and design lovers could discover leading countries for specific design sectors and get answers to their questions such as “Which country is best in industrial design”, “Which country is best in interior design?”,  “Which country is the best in fashion design?” etc.

With the best of the best showcased in hundreds of design fields and categories the Design Classifications allow you to choose the top-ranking designers, artists and architects for your next project be it in architecture, interior design, furniture design, fashion design, graphics design and packaging design and more.

For several years Desire to Inspire has partnered with the A’ Design Award & Competition, the world’s largest annual juried design competition that honors the best designers, architects, and design-oriented companies worldwide to provide them publicity, fame and recognition. Such an exciting competition. Such a prestigious award. Here are some of my favourite winners from 2022-2023.

Longfor Origin Sales Center by Cindy Jin

Kunming Zhonghaihui Delhi Garden Sales Department by Du Wenbiao

Shenzhen Zhongshuge Bookstore by Xiang Li

Double Barn House by Katarzyna Starzyk

Poly City Gather Sales Center by Melody Lau

Amblem Home Furnishing Exhibition Hall by Wei Zhou

Leisurely Hauz Vacation Home by Lim Swee Chong and Fuka Team

Light Art House Residential Space by Haochen Su

Shanan Hotel by Eason Zhu

The Nude Flat Residential House by Maggie Mo and Jay Leung

Espaco Com Viver Residencial House by Studio Arquitetonico

Stodolove Residential Architecture by Anna Maria Sokolowska

Mountain Cabin Architectural Design by Lino Liao

Fontana Haus Residential House by Dom Tee Zwu Shyan

Believe you’ve got what it takes to take on the best of the best design from around the world? You can register for the 2023-2024 A’ Design Award and Competition here.

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

Holiday gifting got you stumped? Keter Group is here to help with suggestions sure to please the most discerning names on your list.

The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes the merry challenge of finding the perfect gifts. But fear not, because Keter Group, a pioneer in crafting durable resin-based lifestyle solutions for over 75 years, has recently unveiled a treasure trove of wonders to enchant every yard lover, host extraordinaire, green thumb guru, and that one person who seems to have it all. With an extensive range of products designed to elevate spaces and experiences, let’s unwrap the magic and discover what Keter’s holiday gift guide has in store for each unique personality on your list.

For the Host With the Most: Cozy Comfort and Entertainment Galore

If your giftee loves to host vibrant gatherings, Keter’s offerings bring the party to life. Picture this: the Modern Cool Bar, a sophisticated cooler that effortlessly transforms into a cocktail table. It’s the ultimate yard party centerpiece for the socialite who relishes alfresco entertaining. Pair it with a portable speaker to elevate the ambiance and the Unity XL Outdoor Kitchen Cart, expanding their hosting domain while doubling as a grilling companion. Thirsty guests? The Patio Cooler and Beverage Cart ensures style and functionality, boasting sturdy shelves, a built-in bottle opener, and an efficient drainage system.

For the Homebody: Transforming Spaces Into Havens

For the ones who relish their home comforts, Keter’s gift guide has a repertoire to snugly fit their lifestyle. Start with a DoorDash gift card for convenient, cozy dinners. Add a touch of luxury with a Barefoot Dreams Blanket, and complement it with the Keter Montauk Adirondack Chair for porch lounging par excellence. Hydration in style? The Stanley Quencher water bottle is a perfect fit. And for those inclined toward exploration without leaving their comfort zone, a Kindle or telescope might just be the ticket to a universe of delight.

The Green Thumb Guru: Nurturing Nature’s Bounty

Gardeners, often tough to impress, will adore practical yet thoughtful gifts like gardening gloves and a wide-brimmed sun hat, combining protection and style. Does one of your loved ones have a green thumb? Get them Keter’s Urban Bloomer or the Easy Grow Raised Garden Bed to help them get the most out of their gardening experience. These ergonomic, easy-to-assemble raised beds help reduce the back, hip, or knee strain that’s typically associated with leaning over to tend to plants in the ground, providing ultimate comfort for your favorite green-thumbed guru. These gardening solutions are customizable, have full watering systems, and are made of all-weather-resistant material. These are gifts that will spark enthusiasm for more greenery come spring.

The One Who Has Everything: Space-Saving Elegance

For that person who seemingly has it all, Keter’s gift guide comes to the rescue with storage solutions that add value, save space, and stand out. Enter the Keter storage shed with its easy assembly and durability, which promises a clutter-free haven. Alternatively, one of the brand’s sleek deck boxes, such as the Capri Box 80G Brown or the Novel 90G Deck Box, present space-efficient practicality without compromising style. Even in limited spaces like a deck or balcony, these storage options bring organization and elegance.

No matter the recipient, Keter’s range of outdoor seating, entertainment pieces, and storage and gardening solutions are not just gifts, but gateways to transforming spaces into extraordinary realms. Better yet, these resin-based marvels are high quality, low maintenance, durable, sustainable, and bear the sleek, modern look synonymous with Keter’s craftsmanship. These products are designed to be 100% recyclable. With every Keter purchase, you contribute to a world where innovation meets responsibility. It’s not just a gift — it’s a pledge toward better living.

Better With Keter: Innovating for a Better Tomorrow, Today

Keter’s vision resonates with evolving consumer preferences. Consumers, more than ever, prioritize sustainability. They demand eco-friendly packaging and support brands advocating for environmental responsibility. Keter’s approach aligns seamlessly with these values, echoing the sentiment that products should enhance lives without compromising the planet’s well-being.

Operating from five production facilities across North America, with a workforce dedicated to crafting lifestyle solutions from durable resin-based materials, Keter takes pride in its role as an industry leader.

From gracing the screens of popular shows like The Today Show, HGTV’s Property Brothers and Celebrity IOU, and Melissa McCarthy’s The Great Giveback, to intertwining eco-friendly practices into the core of its operations, Keter Group seamlessly integrates a vision where innovation converges with sustainability. The brand’s dedication to environmental stewardship isn’t merely a trendy initiative; it’s a foundational philosophy propelling Keter’s path toward a greener, more sustainable future.

Sustainability Pillars: Better Products, Better Planet, Better Business

These aren’t just slogans; they’re guiding principles that propel every aspect of Keter’s operations. Each pillar encapsulates the brand’s commitment to the environmental responsibility ingrained in its DNA and a mission to minimize raw material consumption and waste, Keter stands as a beacon for creating products that enhance lives while honoring the planet. The company has reduced greenhouse gas emissions, embraced a circular economy, and achieved zero waste in several manufacturing plants. Keter’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% and eliminate waste to landfills by 2025 are bold — yet achievable — steps toward a more sustainable future.

In an age where planet-friendly practices are paramount, Keter Group leads by example. In its pursuit of a circular economy, Keter creates products boasting recycled content of up to 100%, a testament to the brand’s commitment to minimizing waste. With a mission to increase recycled content in all of its products from 40% in 2020 to an ambitious 55% by 2025, Keter is actively shaping a more eco-conscious landscape. In 2022 alone, it increased recycled content in production to 41.8%. Keter’s commitment to the planet is evident in its operational ethos, striving for a better planet through innovation and responsible business practices.

With Keter’s holiday gift guide, the art of gifting becomes an act of enhancing spaces, cherishing moments, and nurturing a sustainable tomorrow. So as you navigate the labyrinth of gifting options, consider the lasting value of a Keter product. Whether transforming a garden, elevating a hosting space, or fostering comfort at home, Keter delivers excellence that transcends seasonal trends. It’s beyond a gift; it’s an investment in quality, innovation, and sustainability. This holiday season, make it better with Keter.

Are you willing to spend whatever price it takes to live in a wealthy city? It’s worth looking at a penthouse. With a well-defined penthouse design, you can escape the crowds and bustle while enjoying the best views in the city. A penthouse not only increases the owner’s prestige but also offers comfort. The demand for penthouses has increased in tandem with growing wages. When you need jewelry for a luxurious look you can choose, Moissanite jewels to provide you with an elegant look. You might prepare for a giant or modest penthouse design, depending on your budget. The finest of both worlds is yours when you own a penthouse.

What is the Penthouse?

A penthouse is an apartment on the highest, usually highest, floor of a hotel or apartment complex. It can be distinguished from other flats by its extravagance and amenities. Serving as a service room on rooftops, penthouses have been repurposed as creative living spaces.

The layout and security of an apartment are combined with the room sizes and architectural elements of a private home to get the best of both worlds.

A penthouse’s location is one of its vital characteristics. If you need to attract potential purchasers to your penthouse, it must be close to all commercial, institutional, medical, social, and transportation resources. A penthouse is an ultra-luxurious residence.

Consequently, meticulous attention to detail and well-designed interiors are necessary for a luxurious lifestyle.

The Top Designs for Penthouses:

Penthouse design is a complex topic with a lot of moving parts. These factors are crucial when discussing penthouse design concepts. The massive obstacle for any homeowner looking to expand their awareness of penthouse design ideas is knowing where to start.

The penthouse is a luxurious residence made with the best materials and constructed to the highest standards. Usually perched atop a structure, it offers breathtaking views. It has all the necessities and even more. These are a few inspirations to help you construct a stylish penthouse for your ideal property.

Luxurious:

Images of elegance and sophistication come to mind when you mention the penthouse. A penthouse’s location is even rather unique. These living areas are often more roomy, opulent, magnificent, and attractive than typical flats, and the massive penthouses feature an upper and a lower floor. The complex’s amenities and services are also easily accessible to residents. To show your appearance in a more enhanced way, you can go for Moissanite jewelry.

Private Outdoor Terrace Area:

You could use the same idea, but in a different way, to your modern penthouse design! Rather than projecting cantilevered balconies, the penthouses could include setbacks that serve as private patio spaces.

It could be designed with a permanent or retractable cantilevered roof to be used as a balcony, decorated with a swing, a few planter beds, and lovely lighting, or it could be an open-air terrace area for a garden, complete with wrought iron furniture, potted plants, and turf for the floor. One of these spaces may be divided into many flats, while one apartment could take up a whole level.

Vintage Furniture:

Using old furniture in your penthouse design is a terrific way to create an artistic mood! The design will complement any interior decor and set your place distinct from other residences in the neighborhood.

Finding complementary parts is all needed, after which they may get decorated appropriately. It will give the impression that your entire home was snatched from a different period!

Ever-Longing Closets:

Before they move into a home with a small closet, many individuals may not know how vital closets are for managing their clothes and accessories. Make sure you have enough closet space with an efficient bedroom wardrobe design accessible to fit everything if you utilize your penthouse to store your clothing and accessories!

Features Offered in a Penthouse

Penthouses are designed with upscale features that contribute to the comfort of its occupants. Penthouse apartments are expensive because of their prestige symbol and standard amenities.

A penthouse often has a few standard features, such as

Superb architecture:
The architectural design of an apartment reflects the individual’s individuality. The striking architecture of a penthouse will contribute to the apartment’s high-end aesthetics. The bathrooms, floors, and other features are designed to add the perfect touch of luxury to a penthouse design. 

Elegant venue:
The penthouse’s premium facilities are created in part by its location, which makes it especially essential. Appropriate transportation to the airport, train station, your residence, etc., would be part of a sophisticated setting. There will be upscale neighborhoods mixed with retail centers and educational institutions.

Additional resources:
The features that distinguish penthouses apart from other high-end residences are the services and amenities offered. Thus, the clubhouses, swimming pools, gyms, high-tech security, valet parking, etc.

I wanted to share another batch of books that landed in my mailbox lately. All of which are great Christmas gift ideas. Can’t go wrong with a book filled with pretty pictures!
First up is Laura Gonzalez: Interiors, published by Rizzoli (with text by Cédric Saint André Perrin). Known for her chic mix-and-match style, one of Paris’s most in-demand interior designers presents her most standout projects in a highly anticipated debut monograph. A designer and architect renowned for her inventive use of rich patterns, textures, and joyful details, Laura Gonzalez’s interiors exude a vibrant boldness tempered by elegant romanticism. She draws inspiration from a classical world imbued with contemporary sophistication, as well as diverse cultural influences from Chinese and Indian to French and Spanish. Gonzalez’s eye for pairing palettes and her hallmark whimsical touches have transformed her into one of the French capital’s most popular designers, with luxury brands and the trendiest hotels calling upon her know-how.
I was not very familiar with Laura’s work but was pleasantly surprised when I first dug into this book. Her use of colour and pattern and some of the really elegant spaces she has designed makes this a wonderful book full of inspiration. Also, the cover is the prettiest pattern and is cloth so it is the perfect book to put on your coffee table.

Next up is another beautiful book, inside and out. This is another glorious cloth cover and so pretty sitting out on a shelf. James Boyd Niven: Interior Design by James and Diego A. Flores, published by RIzzoli.

The first book from British-Argentinian interior designer and creative director James Boyd Niven, merging South American cultural and historical references to produce youthful, vibrant design. With five chapters divided by theme and geographical location (Urban/Buenos Aires, Rural/Campo, Austral/Patagonia, Hospitality/Montevideo, and Beach–Horseback riding/José Ignacio, Uruguay), the book features multiple homes illustrating each style through a coherent and amicable aesthetic. The aromas and flavors of these regions are compounded in this book to illustrate the varied South American lifestyles and cultures. A section highlights table settings designed to complement the projects and to tell a story through the five senses.
I was also not familiar with James’ work and found lots of eye candy in this book, though found it a bit disappointing towards the end, feeling like much of the content was just there as “filler”.

And last but not least, Palm Beach Style: The Architecture and Advocacy of John and Jane Volk. Authored by Jane S. Day, with Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, published by Rizzoli. This wasn’t really my cup of tea as it was more of a “history book” but would be a great gift for someone who lives or vacations in this spectacular area.

Palm Beach style is the expression of elegance and romance everywhere evident in this paradise and epitomized in the lives and work of architect John Volk and artist-preservationist Jane Volk. Together they conjured up much of the magic that now makes the place. The book explores this unique chemistry and the dazzling homes that are the result. John Volk was one of the “big five” architects of Palm Beach. It was here, during his sixty years of practice, that he was commissioned to design over 2,000 projects, among them the Royal Poinciana Plaza as well as additions and renovations to the Everglades Club. This book is about the Volks, and the part they played in conjuring the spell with which Palm Beach continues to enchant.

The sky’s the limit when it comes to building your own home – but that’s a blessing and a curse, as professional McCarthy home builders explain in this article.

Having unlimited options means it’s often hard to sort out exactly what you’d like to do. It gets even trickier when you start calculating the cost of your custom home.

There are hundreds of little details that need your attention when designing a new build. And the work you do selecting appliances, fittings, flooring, lighting and colours will make a huge difference to the final product.

But, before you dive into the fine details, it’s important to get the broad strokes right. Your home’s size, shape and layout have a major impact on how you use the space every day. A good design can support your family’s lifestyle, while a poor design can limit privacy and waste precious space on your block of land.

One of the biggest decisions you’ll need to make is choosing between a single-storey and two-storey design. You can make a good case for either type of home. It all comes down to your family and lifestyle needs. In this article we’ll explore the major factors you need to consider when choosing between a one and two-storey design, and how they affect your overall build.

Making the Most of Your Budget

Let’s start with the major issue: budget.

Building a new home is an expensive undertaking. It’s easy to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more) on designing a home that does everything you need.

In most cases, two-storey homes cost more than a single storey. One building company reports that it’s about 30% more expensive to add a second storey. That sounds like a lot of money, but it isn’t the whole story.

While double storey houses tend to cost more, they can help you save money in other areas. For instance, two-storey homes have a significantly smaller footprint than single storey houses for the same amount of internal space.

Reducing the footprint of the home means you can build a larger house on a smaller block, saving money on the purchase of your property. This could even help you break into desirable inner suburbs where block sizes are smaller and prices are higher.

The flipside is that the money you save on a single-storey build could be put towards your project. If you want to buy a larger block of land, upgrade internal features or simply keep your budget under control, a single-storey design may be the better option.

Consider Your Lifestyle Needs

One and two-storey homes both have plenty of room for the whole family. But having an extra storey can change the way you use your space or provide much-needed separation and privacy.

There’s no right answer here! Modern architectural designs are intended to be as functional as the available space allows. Architects are very aware of how the average family uses their home, and floor plans are designed accordingly. All you need to do is decide which layout makes more sense for your family.

For instance, single-storey homes create a sense of connectedness that young families enjoy. Being able to keep an eye on your kids from anywhere in the house is a great feature, but you might be trading yard space for the privilege.

On the other hand, most two-storey homes are designed with the living spaces on the ground floor and bedrooms on the upper. This provides excellent separation for growing families where teenagers and parents need their private spaces.

Energy Efficiency

Heating and cooling makes up about 40% of household energy use. There are lots of ways you can control that expense, but the overall layout of your home plays a big role in energy efficiency.

In general, two-storey homes are less energy efficient than single-storey homes. This is because hot air rises – meaning upper storeys tend to be hotter and require more cooling in summer. Additionally, two-storey homes have larger exterior wall areas that collect and store heat from the sun during the day.

Single-storey homes consistently perform better for energy efficiency. This isn’t always the case though. In coastal areas, building upwards often allows homeowners to catch sea breezes, which are excellent for keeping your home cool without the need for powered climate control.

Making the Most of Your Block

Building a new home gives you almost unlimited freedom to decide where you want to live. That can make it difficult to choose a suburb that’s close to work, friends, family and all the amenities your family needs.

To add a layer of complexity, the block you select will impact the design and layout of your new home. When choosing your property, spare a thought for:

• The footprint of the house

This is often the deciding factor between one and two-storey homes. If you’re looking for inner-suburb locations, chances are you’ll have to make do with a smaller block. That means you’ll need to build upwards if you want a larger home that doesn’t break the bank.

• House location and facing

Larger blocks offer the freedom to choose where and how your house sits on the property. This can have an impact on noise from major roads, natural light inside the house, passive cooling capabilities, and things such as landscaping requirements.

• Neighbouring buildings

If you’re surrounded by two-storey homes, building upwards may give you more privacy than a single-storey option. On the other hand, if your area is filled with single-storey homes, building a two-storey house may cause your home to loom over the others, which can be uncomfortable for everyone involved.

Choosing Your Favourite Design Elements

Finally, we need to think about how we want the house to look. Up until now we’ve been worried about how our new home functions, but the design is also a huge factor.

In many cases, two-storey designs allow more freedom for standout design features. Do you want a grand balcony? Full-height voids over your foyer? A colonnaded porch? All of these things are possible with a two-storey design!

That’s not to say that single-storey homes are lacking on the design front. It’s still possible to build a home that looks incredible, but you won’t be able to take advantage of features like ultra-high ceilings or grand entryways.