Lunada's Favorites: Paola Letni Furniture

Most of the time, the content posted on this blog is regurgitated from some of my favorite design blogs and I offer my opinions and general praise.  Every once in a while, a random google search with inspire me, as it did today.  I found a great re purposed planter made of precast manholes minus the manhole covers.  By stacking the donut shaped concrete, a super modern and very good looking planter is created.

 

And so my landscape inspiration google search started and what did I find?  Paola Letni.  An Italian designer who specializes in modern furniture, textural rugs all in fun and playful color palettes.  Despite it's uber modern design aesthetic, the scale and colors of all of her pieces feel casual, inviting, and very very comfortable.  The pieces also give off the intent of being used as a set or by multiple users, social furniture, furniture for friends and loved ones. Great style, great find.  Good one, Leslie.

Lunada's Favorites: Anne Kyyro Quinn Textiles!!

Recently I have recognized a shift in textiles; I've noticed the incorporation of textures amongst the bold patterns and graphics we have become accustomed to. Textures are being incorporated into not only pillows and bedding, but drapery, furniture and acoustical applications.  Anne Kyyro Quinn, a UK based company and owner's namesake, is a fantastic company specializing in custom textiles and has their finger on the pulse of this design trend.  Visit their website to see some really inspiring installations: http://www.annekyyroquinn.com/

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Curtain installation by Anne Kyyro Quinn

 Dimensional pillows available through Grandin Road, an affordable home furnishings catalog

Lunada's Favorites!

Lunada has recently installed El Dorado Stone Veneer at a job site and couldn't be happier with the results.  It's lighter, thinner and cheaper than real stone and can be installed in any location.  There is also much less waste than natural stone, contributes to the thermal mass of walls (green!), contains recycled content (green!) and comes in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes which helps with achieving a natural and varied look. You will not believe your eyes when you see and feel this stone veneer.!

Installation at a job to be completed 12/10!!

Concept for a new client's shower wall, instead small openings for candles, create larger and longer niches for bath products! So versatile!

For more product information visit their website: http://www.eldoradostone.com/flashsite/

Lunada's Favorites!

Trough sinks!  Old concept, modern application.  Are you having flashbacks to the sinks in your grade school classroom?  Don't worry, the designs have evolved beyond the huge white porcelain monstrosities;  undermount, flush or vessel, these sinks add nostalgia with a sleek and sexy twist to any bathroom whether it's traditional, transitional or modern.  The design is elevated when you install 2 faucets, but if large scale is what you desire, 1 faucet per trough sink is very dramatic!  Lunada might have finally found the perfect client to install one, so let's keep our fingers crossed!  Here are some images to inspire...

I had a "trough" time (sorry, that was horrible) during my initial research of the product, but my plumbing rep pointed me in the direction of Lacava and Duravit as great products at good price points.  But I have to say, the sinks from a company called Wet Style are so beautiful, by far my favorite.  Made is Canada, eh.

Lunada's Favorites!

When you think of a fireplace screen, what do you think of?  3 panels, metal (brass-yikes!), mesh? There aren't really that many options out there for unique and functional fireplace screens.  See, this is one of the things that, as a designer, I appreciate.  Everyday, designers are faced with the challenges of needing or wanting something that doesn't exist (don't even get me started on tile lines that don't offer trim pieces, ah!).  For L.A. based designer Philip Nimmo, he decided to take action by designing a line of screens that has since evolved into furniture and lighting lines.  Every piece is hand-made and offered in a variety of finishes, materials and sizes, hence the steep price, but beautiful none the less. And when paired with the perfect client in the perfect room, these fireplace screens can really stand alone as works of art! 

For more information visit the website: www.philipnimmoironworks.com

Lunada's Favorites

I just found my new favorite Green design blog! The Daily Green is a website dedicated to the latest green news, products and trends that I just spent the last hour on and could have stayed on for another!  I just read this great article about Natural Swimming Pools, here is an excerpt from their article:

"Chlorine's damaging effects on hair are well known, but few people realize that a number of studies have linked inhalation of the chemical by swimmers to increased asthma rates (in fact a new Irish study published this April reported a significant link between the number of years a boy had been swimming and the likelihood of the child being wheezy in the past year.) A Norwegian study also documented an increased risk of wheezing among children who swim in pools before 6 months of age. Further, in an unpleasant reaction, pee and sweat in water can react with chlorine to form toxic breakdown products known as chloramines.

For health, environmental and aesthetic reasons, a lot of people have expressed interest in alternatives to chlorine pools, and luckily there are more and more options to get wet without smelling like cleaning products. A company called TechnoPure offers alternative pool systems that treat water by pumping it through a chamber containing coated titanium plates and copper and zinc ions. The units cost a relatively affordable $5,500. DEL Ozone makes ozone injectors that can reduce the need for chlorine up to 90% -- there's been one installed at the White House for years! Some systems rely on a combination of ozone and copper and silver ions, while others are saline, though saltwater pools result in the formation of chlorine in the water.

Managed properly, natural swimming pools have crystal clear water and require no chemicals to maintain, as they are self-cleaning mini-ecosystems. "You can drink the water if you want to, and you don't necessarily have to take a shower," says Morgan Brown of Idaho-based Whole Water Systems, LLC. The natural pools designer says the systems also have lower maintenance costs than conventional pools, and their installation costs are not much more than standard designs.

Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/natural-swimming-pools-460908#ixzz0w9AU9oXz

I'm a total city girl and yes, these look just like huge ponds but I would jump into any of them in a heartbeat. Look at these photos!! Beautiful!

For more ideas on green alternatives in your home, schedule a consultation with Lunada or call our offices 310.544.1895!

Lunada's Favorites!

LED lighting has come a long way over the past few years.  What people first recognized as a solution for commercial signage has been slowly finding its way into people's homes as energy efficient alternative to fluorescent and incandescent lighting.  LED lighting is great for coves, under cabinet lighting, accent and display lighting, even as decorative task lighting in the home.  Looking to the future, lighting companies recognized the need for low profile lighting to suite the needs of homeowners and designers. Many companies have now created LED light tape.  It is exactly what it sounds like, LED lighting as thin as tape and applied just so.  This new product can effortlessly hug the curves of any design and stay completely out of sight.  It can easily be cut and attached with industrial strength tape that will keep the lights in place without bulky brackets increasing the light's depth.

Recently Lunada installed the Jesco DL-Flex light tape as under cabinet lighting for a client of ours.  The tape is just 1/8" thin, 3/8" wide, has a very clean and smooth light distribution and the perfect solution for an area that needs ample light without compromising aesthetics with bulky products. 

For ideas on integrating LED lighting into your home, schedule a consultation with Lunada or give us a call 310.544.1895.

Lunada's Favorites

This time around, Lunada's favorite pick is David Goldberg Wall coverings!!!  The wall coverings are products of mixed media treatments utilizing glass, plaster, sand, metal, perforated, etched, and tinted frescoes.  These beautiful products can be used in a variety of design aesthetics from the traditional to eclectic to modern.  This isn't your Grandmother's wallpaper.

Wallpaper doesn't have to be scary.  Lunada thinks that it has gotten a bad reputation over the years, but now it can be an affordable way to transform any space without the mess of paint and the commitment of custom wall treatments.  For more ideas on transforming your space, visit our website to set up a consultation: www.lunadaconsulting.com

Lunada's Favorites

Lunada's favorite pick this time around are Terra Cotta Tiles. They are beautifully rustic without being over the top.  Tile manufacturers are also playing with glazes, stains and etchings to update the earthy feeling that is synonymous with terra cotta.  I'm actually working right now to find the perfect terra cotta tiles for a backs splash in a Lunada project.  Here are some inspirational images of these great tiles that are making a big comeback.

Ann Sacks Cotto Antiqua Line

 Here is a Lunada project that utilized terra cotta tiles on the floor and back splash.  The back splash was actually a custom design that took a smaller tile design and blew it up to make a mosaic design comprised of 4 tiles.

Have design questions or interested in starting a project with Lunada?  Visit our website www.lunadaconsulting.com to schedule a consultation or call 310.544.1895