February 29th, 2012
Our Autumnal coloured rug, from our new and very exclusive rug designs, is really at one with nature. Shown in both from both top down and in one of our gorgeous conservatory designs this rug is really special!
It works beautifully in with one of our most recent mood boards that also had a autumnal theme.
It goes so well with all the parts of this scheme and pulls together the colours perfectly.
I love the way these fabrics are going to pick up the silk leaves.
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Tags: autumn colours, autumnal rugs, brown rug, eco rug, ethical rug, leaves rug, luxury, luxury products, luxury rugs, modern rug, modern rugs, natural, nature, nature rug, rug, rugs
Posted in Design Inspiration, Interior Design, Our Service | 1 Comment »
February 28th, 2012
I absolutely adore this chair designed by Sofie Brunner, I love the soft colour tones set against the harsh angles of the chair. I think the juxtaposition works perfectly to create a very interesting piece of furniture.
Described as “Working from the concept of haptic design (design that stimulate the sense of touch), BLUSH has a contrasting and playful appearance that invites the user to explore the materials, construction and comfortability.
Sofie wanted to use contrasts to stimulate and provoke the viewers’ expectations to the chair.“
If you want to see this chair in the flesh it will been shown by the
Brunner Studio at the group exhibition Temporary/Contemporary at Pakhus 48 in Copenhagen between the 23rd February and 9th March!
www.sofiebrunner.com.
Tags: amazing product, amazing products, blush, blush chair, chair, Design Inspiration, gray, grey, grey & pink, grey and pink, modern chair, pink, pink chair, pink design, pink inspiration, sofie brunner, uniquie chair
Posted in Awesome Items! | No Comments »
February 27th, 2012
February is not the most pleasant month in the British calendar (and this one has outdone itself!) but in other parts of the world it is more palatable! This resort in Bali is so beautifully designed – I love this ‘moat’ around the hotel, inspired design in my opinion!
One look at these pictures and you know that you would rather be there but it is the small touches that always interest me when it comes to design. Small touches can often seem to cost a disproportionate amount to implement but they can make all the difference. In the picture below, for example, the tree appears to be coming neatly out of the decking: this combination of nature and design illustrates the fact that the architect is very aware of the surroundings and is keen to have the hotel to be a part of nature, as opposed to ‘on top of’ nature.
Credit: Freshome
Tags: Bali, hotels
Posted in Amazing Architecture | 2 Comments »
February 23rd, 2012
For some reason I find it quite hard to get really excited by shelving units. I guess a lot of the time I see shelving as functional: an item that ensures that there is a general lack of clutter. This is indeed a noble function for any piece of of furniture as it allows the pieces of furniture that surround it to breath without being bogged down by items that should be stored away.
However, this piece of furniture is not just an excellent functional piece, it is also stunning in its own right:
I personally love the ladder – it adds a rustic charm that a lot of more modern products would not have. I like the way that this unit has a lot of open storage but also has very useful draws and shelves. A lot of the time people are put off open storage because it can look messy but that is one of the advantages of using a unit such as this: because it is already rustic by design it does not need to look sleek and can therefore accommodate a number of unsightly objects quite comfortably. Overall, a piece like this is an asset to any room (assuming it is used in conjunction with the right pieces) as it is built to house clutter and looks timelessly and effortlessly good in doing it.
Check out similar products here!
Tags: chic, functional furniture, library, restoration hardware, rustic, rustic charm, shelving, shelving with ladder, storage
Posted in Awesome Items! | No Comments »
February 22nd, 2012
With a few slightly warmer days recently I have really been in the mood for spring – plus I really am not a cold person, I like things hot! This bedroom was created for clients in Highbury (you can basically see Emirates stadium from those gorgeous yellow chairs!). The clients decided they needs a fresh start from this room and the first step was making the most of that amazing vaulted ceiling, so we built out the small platform that was their previously and built in some amazingly deep drawers so we not only had more space up there but also a huge amount of extra storage.
Out next problem was with those gorgeous full height windows – full height windows are not usually a big problem however in this case they are for 2 reasons 1. this is the side the sun hits very early on a summers morning and 2. Emirates stadium seems to never turn it’s lights off so it is always too bright to get a good nights sleep. So we needed some way of easily covering the windows in a very modern way without taking up too much light. Our fantastic solution was of course sliding panel blinds! They can be done in any of the millions of fabrics we love and take up a very s,all amount of space when both open and closed. They are also extremely easy to open and close as they simply glide along the track attached to the ceiling.
Our third dilemma with this beautiful room was the back wall, as you can see we have clad it in a gorgeous medium oak finish (it actually has a 1cm gap in each panel that has a beautiful yellow backing behind it!). This back wall actually hides all sorts of fantastic storage behind some of those panels – making it not only very gorgeous but also extremely useful!
So, hope you have enjoyed that little insight in to one of our projects, if you have a project that you think Kia Designs would be perfect for feel free to give us an email!
Tags: bespoke furniture, built in furniture, colourful bedroom, green, loft, loft bedroom, oak panelling, panelling, platform bed, spring roo, underbed storage, vaulted ceiling, walnut, wood panelling
Posted in Design Inspiration, Interior Design, Our Service | No Comments »
February 21st, 2012
Every now and then we come across a product that I am simply blow away by, this my friends is one of those pieces. Designed by Clay Designs this table is not only beautiful during the day but is also the most amazing feature piece at night. Called the sqill table it can be created to your own bespoke size and comes in a variety of wood finishes.
I personally love the walnut finish which starts at around £2,800
Tags: coffee table, innovative design, innovative lighting, lighting, table, unexpected furniture
Posted in Interior Design | No Comments »
February 20th, 2012
In this day and age property in London is at a premium (and that is to completely understate the situation!). As a result it is rare to see a genuine double height ceiling that has not been converted into 2 floors. With that in mind feast your eyes on this monster of a London room:
Okay, so what is the biggest thing that can go wrong when you are dealing with a room of this size? Small pieces of furniture WILL get lost in the shuffle … the Designer of this room clearly recognized this and responded by inserting a coffee table the size of an ice-rink! This is necessary as without such huge pieces the room will feel cold and un-lived in. However, when using huge pieces of furniture you must ensure that they will fit into the building – a dining table that won’t fit into a home may not look quite so good in the garden …
I really like the way that the Designer has used a giant rug in order to section off a section of the room. The above picture illustrates this point perfectly: after dinner everyone can sit in the ‘living area’ (designated by the rug) and feel disconnected from the dining area even though they are technically in the same room. Finally, when you have a double height room make sure that the ceiling lights take advantage of it; in this case the pendants above the dining table maximize the natural beauty of the room. Overall, having a double height ceiling is such a privilege and, as long as you avoid some of the pitfalls, there is no excuse for the finished result not being stunning!
Credit: Freshome
Tags: architecture, double height ceilings, London homes
Posted in Amazing Architecture, Wonderful Homes | No Comments »
February 17th, 2012
Occasional chairs are a fantastic way to add not only colour but texture in to a room – this is extremely important with a modern design scheme. This week we have been searching high and low for some chairs that will fit in to a modern home we are currently designing.
This Italian chair has a beautiful line, I love the chrome base - this would look fantastic in a bright fabric.
I love the simple design of this rocking chair. It would look at home in a modern baby’s room as it would in an open plan lounge.
Any more suggestions for a modern occasional chair with a difference?
Tags: chair, chairs, modern, occasional chair
Posted in Awesome Items!, Find it Friday, On the search for... | No Comments »
February 16th, 2012
One of the most frequent questions that I get asked in a casual forum is ‘how can I liven up a room using just one item?’. Of course, there is no right or wrong answer to such a question as it largely depends on the dimensions of the room and the furniture that currently inhabits it. However , all things being equal, I always feel that a mirror can add more to a room than almost any other single piece of furniture. Aside from ‘opening up’ a room and making it appear larger, a mirror is also hung at a level that is directly in one’s eye-line upon entering a room and that, coupled with people’s desire to admire themselves, means that it will not go unnoticed! Looking through our vast collection of mirrors that we consider for our clients I found myself rather drawn to this one this morning:
I absolutely love the gothic nature of this mirror and also appreciate the way in which it has been displayed here by the retailer. Unless you have a very modern room this is the type of piece that would fit well in a number of schemes in a post-modern way: if any of you have similar mirrors we would love to see them!
To see more mirrors like that click here!
Tags: mirror, mirrors, ornate, ornate mirror, rectangular mirror
Posted in Awesome Items!, Design Inspiration, Interior Design | 2 Comments »
February 14th, 2012
Happy Valentine’s day all. I have to admit I am not really one for big Valentine’s celebrations, I prefer my outlandish showings of love to be more of a year round thing than on one socially acceptable day. However, I am in the mood for a bit of red so here is a little inspiration.
1.Wall display boxes 2. Desk 3. Mirror 4. Wolf chair 5. Swing
Tags: clayton gray, colour scheme, creating the look, desk, inspriation, mirror, nature, reb swing, red, red chair, red colour scheme, red desk, red mirror, red wolf chair, swing, valentine, valentines, west elm, wolf chair
Posted in Colour Concepts, Design Inspiration, Interior Design, Our Service | 1 Comment »
February 13th, 2012
There is something about new homes that get’s us all a little excited, don’t get me wrong we all love working on conversions and refurbishing gorgeous period homes and bringing them back to their former glory (with a little more heat insulation!). However, seeing gorgeous newly built homes like this one by Lebanese architects Karim and Rames Najjar of Najjar-Najjar Architects does get my heart pumping a little harder. Wow, I am really going crazy over architecture this fine Monday morning, and I haven’t even had caffeine!
There you go, now I think you understand why I am so amazingly perky this morning. I just love that pool, I think the external cladding is a beautiful but subtle texture that really works well with the extended cantilever roof structure (gorgeous!)
via: Lebanese Architects Najjar-Najjar Design A Residence In Austria | Architecture | Un Peu De كل شي.
Tags: architect, architects, architecture, austria, beautiful design, beautiful spaces, cantilever roof, cladding, deck, homes, modern, open plan, pool, white
Posted in Amazing Architecture, Wonderful Homes | No Comments »
February 10th, 2012
A few months ago we showed you some exclusive pictures of a luxury interior design we were doing for one of our clients in North London. We have now moved on to the final finishing touches and are looking for some amazing cupboard handles to help finish off the scheme, just to remind you below is the mood board!
So here are our options since the ones shown above have unfortunately been discontinued.
1.Light Blue 2.Dark Blue 3. Chrome
So do we go a little more conservative, or do we add more colour in to this amazing room?
Tags: chrome, cupboard handles, cupboard knobs, finishing touches, glass handles, handles, knobs, turquoise
Posted in Awesome Items!, Find it Friday, On the search for... | No Comments »
February 9th, 2012
Interior Design is not always necessarily about the pieces of furniture that are always on show. Of course, items such as sofas, coffee tables and sideboards make or break a room but it is the smaller touches that can really take a Design to the next level. Imagine the following scenario: you have had an old friend around to admire your new home and, after dinner, you are ready to uncork an old scotch or bourbon. In the midst of this distinguished guest lavishing praise upon your new abode they stop in their tracks as they watch you pour the whiskey into a couple of tin camping mugs. As you can imagine, their overall feeling for your living space has been somewhat dampened
In order to avoid such a scenario why not consider offering up your spirit of choice in a container that matches the brilliance of your home – perhaps something like this -
The thing about Design is that it must be effortless and, if it is effortless, there will be a natural continuity within your home. This does not just relate to furniture but also to the items that lurk within your furniture. A product like this will serve to enhance the table that it sits on and will inevitably draw attention from all who view it:
Find them here!
Tags: bourbon, finishing touches, glasses, mugs, scotch, tumblers
Posted in Awesome Items!, Interior Design, That's Clever! | No Comments »
February 8th, 2012
I was stumbling through the mass of the internet when this picture instantly captured my imagination for a room design, here are a few of my picks to create this feeling in the home.
50e8f523e8e30e0fda3bcb7baaeb668c_l.jpg (JPEG Image, 1024 × 682 pixels).
The chandelier is described by the makers as “A revolution in crystal chandelier design, the Geometrix collection from Schonbek offers glamour, radiance and color second to none. This chandelier is comprised of lily-cut Strass crystal crafted in Austria by Swarovski. Each highly refractive crystal is cut and polished to perfect optical clarity. Paired with six halogen fixtures, this showpiece offers incomparable shimmer.“ It certainly does have a fantastic radiance and the refracted light would be ery similar to the light coming through the arch – basically it’s perfect.
The sofa is classic and has the softness that the picture has, you feel like you want to curl up in to it and the colour works beautifully to set off the bright purples and lilacs – not every piece has to jump off the page at you (but the cushions on it will add some vibrancy) The sofa will also work perfect opposite these stunning chairs! These side tables certainly do jump off the page at you, there colour is bright and the pattern has nature spread all over it named the ‘Celestial Cloud stool’ is is actually inspired by Asian ink paintings. The coffee table is made from Bone Veneer, it adds another gorgeous texture that is subtle but also works as a gorgeous centre piece. The main pattern is added through the beautiful wallpaper that perfectly picks up not only the subtle changes of colours in our inspiration but also the type of flower (that was a real masterstroke!) and the mirror brings in the structure that is beautifully holding the arch in place from our inspiration – that bit of rustic against some of the other smooth textures will make this really shine. One of my favourite pairings in this scheme however is the side tables with the lamps – so many textures and quite different styles but they will work in perfect harmony.
1.Chandelier 2. Sofa 3. Stools 4. Coffee table 5.Wallpaper 6. Mirror 7.Lamps 8. Cushion 9. Side table 10. Chair
Tags: beautiful gardens, color, color inspiration, colour, colour inspiration, garden tunnel, green, lavender, purple, room color schemes, room colors schemes, white
Posted in Colour Concepts, Design Inspiration, Interior Design, Our Service | 1 Comment »
February 7th, 2012
I am always impressed with daring Design and this certainly fits the bill! Yes, it is incredibly tongue-in-cheek but it is so ‘out there’ that it defies criticism! Obviously a piece like this requires a high ceiling, but placed above a kitchen table (certainly not a formal dining table!) this would be a feature piece that would divide opinion but certainly raise a few smiles!
Credit: Freshome
Tags: chandelier, daring design
Posted in Awesome Items! | No Comments »
February 6th, 2012
As a luxury interior designer we are often asked to design more than your standard living room, this is very close to my heart because in my opinion, every room in the home is important – no room should be denied a beautiful design from the down stairs cloak room to the boot room! Every room should be designed to make the most of the space and to draw all the rooms together. Below are some of the most beautiful libraries we have come across, a public library for me has never been a place that I have thought of as particularly well designed – these however have changed all that and long may it continue!
Selexyz Dominicanen |In Maastricht
DTAC Headquarters Library | Hassell Architects
Livraria Da Villa | Isay Weinfield
The Free University of Berlin Library | Norman Foster Partners
via Weekly Roundup: Libraries |.
Tags: architecture, beautiful spaces, Design Inspiration, In Maastricht, inspirational spaces, internal architecture, Isay Weinfield, libraries, library, Livraria Da Villa, Norman Foster Partners, Selexyz Dominicanen, The Free University of Berlin Library
Posted in Design Inspiration, Interior Design | No Comments »
February 3rd, 2012
We are currently working on a project that has the most amazing colour scheme, it is bright and bold and was actually inspired by the clients favourite eye-shadows!
We are now looking for the perfect mirror to sit above a very traditional Victorian fireplace, here are a few of our options.
For me I think the bottom one is perfect, is almost exactly matches one of the fabrics that we are using on the storage ottoman!
Tags: color, colour, colour scheme, kia designs, luxury homes, luxury interior design, luxury products, mirrors, round mirrors, turquoise, turquoise colour scheme
Posted in Find it Friday, On the search for... | No Comments »
February 2nd, 2012
Just in case some of our readers have some spare cash that is burning a hole in their pocket I have a suggestion … In all seriousness though this piece of modern art, I believe, symbolises the fact any item around the home can potentially inspire and become a feature piece. A home should create talking points and, although I do not necessarily suggest creating your own version of this broom, it is worth considering that anything can inspire and that artistic endeavour requires one to think outside of the box!
Credit: Freshome
Tags: luxury
Posted in Awesome Items! | No Comments »
February 1st, 2012
First of February already, wow how the time flies when you have lots of different projects to work on! January was a great month for us, it has seen us finishing off some great projects and starting some new ones. One of my favourite projects from last year has had a few sneak peaks, first we had a look at some of the items to create a traditional and modern design (bit of an oxymoron but it works) and then we were searching for a bench to finish off the hallway (we don’t usually do after thoughts like this but it worked out really well). So now here are a few of the best detail shots from the gorgeous open plan lounge.
It was really important with this project to keep the detailing very traditional whilst going for more modern fabrics, the cushions have all been piped and the detailing on the arm of the chair below is very traditional and works perfectly in a soft brushed cotton.
For me these poufs are simply amazing, the pop of colour is fantastic and it works to bring out the gorgeous pops of blue in the bespoke carpet that was made especially for these clients – It really is the centre piece of the room that draws everything together!
Also the newly finished floor simply shines in this area of the room!
Tags: bespoke carpet, blue, bright blue, chair, colour, cushions, deatils, handmade, handmade carpet, modern, pop of colour, romo fabrics, traditional, traditional carpet
Posted in Interior Design, Our Service | No Comments »
