Studded Headboards

Headboards have always been an essential element in any bedroom, they are a great way to tie together pieces of furniture, patterns and colors in a variety of styles. Upholstered headboards aren't for formal bedrooms anymore; today's consumers are looking to these furniture pieces to contrast or enhance any bedroom's decor. One trend that I have really been noticing is the use of nail heads or studs to accent the headboard's shape or add contrast and texture. Nail heads can add rigidity to baroque shapes and subtle embellishment to the contemporary and clean. Here are some examples of affordable headboards that are easily found on websites such as Resoration Hardware and Pottery Barn. But if you aren't looking for something mass produced this style can easily be achieved at home after a quick trip to the fabric or hardware store [but please keep your Bedazzlers up in the attic].







Lunada custom designed this headboard for one of our clients upholstered in linen that resembled burlap with antiqued brass nail heads.

Be sure to check out our website: lunadaconsulting.com

Lunada's Favorites

This week, Lunada's Favorite Pick is the Phila Chair by Kaleo Kala, a furniture designer who was born in Hawaii, educated in Tasmania, established in New York and now based in D.C. The chair was inspired by the designer's stay in the historically rich and eclectic city of Philadelphia. The design was meant to reflect the city through the mix of the old and new, warehouses and townhouses, business districts and open spaces.Every custom piece created by Kala Studios is sustainable and thus limited in production. The company utilizes reclaimed woods recognized by the Forestry Stewardship Council [FSC] , bamboo plywood and sustainable glues and finishes.

The shots of the chair alone reflect the juxtaposition of it's concept by using graffiti art and warehouse spaces as backdrops. When something is so beautiful, it is hard to write when all you want to do is admire.

Green Textiles

[Before I knew what was good for me.....] When I thought about sustainable/green textiles the first thing that would pop into my head was stiff and not comfortable. Now that technology and green development has come leaps and bounds in the area of textiles and now you can easily find attractive, soft and comforting organic and green textiles. Check out these websites and others to see for yourself:
Amenity Home
Inhabit
Kush Tush

Here are just some examples of the products offered by those 3 websites


The real test is when you go out and try these products yourself. You may be surprised!

Leather Wrapped Hardware

Turnstyle Designs is a hardware company based out of the UK that offers a great line of leather wrapped cabinet pulls, door/window hardware and accessories. The clean lines of the contemporary hardware pieces are wrapped in genuine leather in a variety of colors with stitching, I find the juxtaposition of the two materials interesting and it lends itself to be used in a variety of design styles: ranch, contemporary, transitional, etc. These products are of very high quality and come at a generally higher price than traditional hardware and must be ordered through a Rep., which is slightly more complicated considering it is a smaller company based overseas. A more cost effective alternative with a similar style is offered by Atlas Homewares. The Atlas line is comparable to the Turnstyle in look but cost less and can be ordered directly from their website.

Turnstyle Hardware:


Atlas Homewares:


Turnstyle Hardware used in Lunada's Projects:


Be sure to check out Lunada's website: www.lunadaconsulting.com

New Developments

When I think of New Year's destinations two places pop into my mind: Times Square in New York and the Las Vegas Strip. I spent this past New Years holiday in Las Vegas for the first time and was blow away by the festivities and energy. A huge part of that energy was emitted by the the strips newest addition, the City Center. The City Center is located between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo Hotel/Casino and is comprised of 7 structures. I am not sure what to call this new center because within it is 4 hotels: Mandarin Oriental, Vdara, The Harmon and Aria, 2 residential towers called Voor, and high end shopping center Crystals. All of these elements are connected to one another through beautifully landscaped common spaces and plazas.

The new towers not only stand out due to their young age (opened 12/16/09) but the fact that they do not follow the traditional Las Vegas style of architecture. While all of the hotels and casinos that dot the strip have theme that beats you over the head, The City Center, like the Wynn, look like they could belong in any major metropolitan city. The first thing that came to my mind when viewing the new development was how much Crystals seemed to channel Gehry's Disney Music Hall in L.A. and Guggenheim in Bilbao. The skyscrapers tower above the strip with their clean glass facades of blue tones that make you realize that Las Vegas really HAS changed. People have been saying that for years now, Las Vegas has changed. The old Las Vegas, when I think of it, is lines of tour buses filled with geriatrics in their sequined hats sitting at slot machines collecting their nickels and then waiting in lines for disgusting buffets and cheesy shows. They have all been apparently shuttled over to watch the Fremont Experience, because what I saw during this past trip was the exact opposite. Young people, young people with money, and not just money to spend but lots of money to gamble with. Las Vegas must not have gotten the memo that we are in a recession, because all I saw during my trip were advertisements for spa treatments, the talk of more development to come, more club openings and the ever so lovely bottle service tables or private booths filled to capacity.

Las Vegas truly has changed and when I looked down the strip I wondered how long the older hotels had left. With new developments like The City Center, I am excited to see what is to become. I think that over the recent years, Las Vegas architects have discovered that people who visit the city regularly don't want to cheese but they want luxury and that is what the new Las Vegas is about, the luxury.
www.citycenter.com

Lunada's Favorites

This week, Lunada's Pick is: Ambient Lighting.
Folded by hand from the pages of antique books by Margarita Navarro and Ludwig Slezak, these pendants and table lights are one of a kind and available for a limited time only through MN*LS. Absolutely GORGEOUS!

Off The Wall

What became very trendy a few years ago has seemed to stick within the design community, 3D wall treatments. The trend has trickled down from the extremely high end and commercial design into the residential design realm and frankly, people are eating it up. Now the first thing that may pop into your mind would be woven walls; we've seen it with 3Form and other various resins, wood veneers and metals. 3D wall treatments may come in the form of extremely expensive custom formed tiles to the very affordable MIO or Inhabit wall tiles. People are using decals, abstract forms, found objects, anything and hanging it on their walls. I think one of the most exciting mediums that continually surprises me is ceramic tile. Companies like Ann Sacks and Artistic Tile I think have beautiful products that are appealing to residential clients across the design spectrum; from retro to modern to traditional there is a product out there for every client.

3form & MIO


Inhabit & Wallter


Artistic Tile & Ann Sacks


Lunada loves Ann Sacks! Here a just a few examples of 3D Ann Sacks Tile in Lunada Projects:

Tres Feltman-Curved & Angela Adams-Forms

Check out more projects on our company's website: www.lunadaconsulting.com

Antique Swan Console

Lunada is able to obtain authentic European antiques through the help of our sister company, Interior Choices. This past Spring, Jane & Shari traveled over to Europe to purchase a number of antiques to be placed in client homes. Discovered in Antwerp, this mirrored console table has carvings of swans, urns and Corinthian columns in a haunting blue tint. It is antiques like this that add intrigue and history to any space. In a world of mass production, it is unique and exciting pieces like this that will make any space stand alone.









Be sure to check out Lunada's Website: www.lunadaconsulting.com

Lubna Tiles

I was initially shown these tiles by my boss, Jane, nearly 2 years ago with the intention of using them in her own home. Unfortunately over time, the literature was lost and different tiles were spec ed out for Jane's home. Then over this past summer, while searching for hand-painted hardware, I stumbled across a seemingly familiar website. Having the crazy memory that I do, I realized that these were the same tiles that I was shown over a 18 months earlier AND they would be the PERFECT for the client that I was already working on.

We paired the Target Tiles in Blue/Green with Apple Martini Caesarstone, white cabinets and brushed nickel hardware and appliances. The overall goal was to create a space that the owners could use as a service area during catered events, and utilize the garage during those weekend projects.

Speaking to the creator of the tiles, Lubna Chowdhary, I have never had a better experience doing a spec and purchase of a product. She catered to our VERY TIGHT deadline, did expedited shipments of our samples and purchase order all the way from the UK, and always responded immediately to any questions we had.

The pictures don't do the tiles justice, there is so much depth and variety of color and texture it is unbelievable when you see them in person. Check out her website to see all of her work, they will inspire you to create projects just to use them in!







Be sure to check out Lunada's Website: www.lunadaconsulting.com

Mesquite Hearth

There has been a lot of curiosity about the image on our website's home page. Mesquite is considered a domestic wood that is very stable and dense and is considered a renewable resource. It was made from 4 pieces of wood and when it was complete, you had to search for the seams; and if you weren't looking for them, you probably just thought it was the inherent nature of the wood. This hearth was personally fabricated by our G.C. and obviously was a labor of love. Good craftsmanship is hard to come by these days, and I think it speaks for itself.

 







Be sure to check out Lunada's Website: www.lunadaconsulting.com