Welcome to this week’s room rescue!

The room pictured below was sent in by Lisa Turner, who wants to redecorate the lounge in her Warwickshire home. Her ideal design is a “Swedish style with a dash of Designers Guild.  I’d like to be very modern, with wall lights and no television please!  The brick fireplace takes up three-quarters of the left wall so the problem is arranging seating around this focal point.”

Image credit: The Telegraph

After viewing the many designs offered by our mydeco community members, Lisa selected the one below, created using the mydeco 3D tool by community member Turquoiseshell

Lisa said: “This design has a very modern Scandinavian theme, and looks bright, making good use of the space. The global lighting over the fireplace is very different and something I would definitely like to use. The sleigh benches look a little uncomfortable  though.”

Quite right Lisa, we love the originality of this design, although perhaps it’s a little more Eastern than Scandinavian in style? The sleigh benches could be comfortable given the right cushions, and let’s not forget there’s plenty of room to snuggle up on that fantastic sofa! Good choice, Turquoiseshell.

Unfortunately, mydeco design board member Kelly Hoppen was not quite as enthusiastic:

Image credit: The Telegraph

“I really do not like this design. Why would you use turquoise when you are working with the brick work?! I would have added a dark wood floor and darkened the beams to match. If the fireplace is to be made a feature of then a roaring fire would be a must. Palette wise a rich cream, terracotta and complimentary natural tones would look beautiful. The furniture looks wrong in the room. It looks like the designer has tried to recreate a Majorcan villa in an English country house! No, no, no.”

Well Kelly might be the expert, but I’m sure most of you will agree that style is a matter of personal taste, and Turquoiseshell has been very considerate of Lisa’s specifications when creating this room.

Coming in a very close second was the design offered by 3rd floor (pictured below).

Lisa said: “The reason I chose 3rd floor as second was the use of 3 table lights around the sofas as it really draws your eye around the room, and i like the bench in front of the fire-place which I will definitely copy.”

Well it sounds like Lisa has found plenty of inspiration to redecorate her living room, and we wish her the best of luck!

Turquoiseshell’s winning design will be featured in the Telegraph tomorrow.

Think you can do better? Put your design skills to the test and redesign next week’s room. Or to enter a room in your house for a redesign, email a high resolution photograph to roomrescue@mydeco.com.

Another year of Children in Need, another charity single. As a northern lass, I usually look forward to each of Peter Kay’s new endeavours, but the thought of a second ‘Amarillo’ plaguing the charts fills me with dread.  Nevertheless, mydeco wishes the best of luck to those of you who are raising money, at home, school or in the office today. If you have a spare minute between the face painting and sponsored waxing, make sure you take a look at our selection of Friday’s best design news.

mydeco’s pick of the top three news stories:

1. dornob: Colourful  ceiling shower concept seeks extra long curtain

Image credit: dornob

Sans curtain, this minimalist shower is probably only suitable for the exhibitionists amongst you. Created by innovative Italian company Antonio Lupi, the design utilises chromotherapy (that’s different coloured lighting to you and me), shifting from hues of red, green, purple and blue for the ultimate relaxing shower experience.

2. dornob: Rustic modern plus rural retro

Image credit: dornob

If you go down to the woods today…you’ll find a contemporary, eco-friendly home, built with materials which compliment the natural surroundings. This luxurious pad may be aesthetically rustic, but there’s nothing old-fashioned about the design. The award-winning home by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architecture has separate wings for master and guest, who can enjoy the scenic hillside views out of their floor-to-ceiling windows. The icing on the cake?  A ‘infinity pool’ that continues out of the house, forming a cascading forest waterfall. Is this the perfect home? Well it’s located in Utah, so no.

3. Inhabitat: Recycled toy sculptures will scare the kids

Image credit: Inhabitat

Remember how devastated you were when you’re mum decided to give all your toys to charity because you were too old for them? Well, imagine how you’d feel if she had donated them to this art project, which turns recycled toys (along with other materials) into terrifying gothic sculptures. According to the artist Kris Kuksi, this project is about ‘a new wilderness, refined and elevated, visualized as a cultivation emerging from the corrupt and demoralized fall of modern-day society.‘ Hear that kids? Still, Barbie will fit in well.

The best of the rest:

Inhabitat: Mons lavabo sink helps kids save water when washing hands

Cool Hunting: Frédérique Morrel at Le Printemps

Design Week: Green awards fail to pick packaging winner

The Telegraph: Property: Therapy for the City Weary

The Telegraph: Interiors: Bambi Sloan’s Apartment is a frenzy of colour

The Times: Tired of country life, downsizers are moving back to the city

The Times: Salisbury: an über town that has bucked the recession

Daily Mail: Interiors: Baby it’s gold inside

Ahh Friday, j’taime. However, the advent of the weekend does mean that you will have to survive without your daily fix of design news for two whole days. Don’t worry though, we’ll be back on Monday with all the design updates. See you then folks!

Image credit: Ian Monk

When we think about design in the 1950s, we often think of austere architecture, pared-down Bauhaus-inspired furniture, and an industrial flourish of homewares mass produced.  But the 1950s also brought us the poster-woman of the domestic goddess: the bright and cheerful lady in our lives who prided herself on making that form-follows-function house a home. In turn, our interiors exploded with bright colour, cheeky pulp imagery, and the one-of-a-kind fruits of many a homemade handicraft.

In celebration of this time, this week we’ve found no one better to bring back that beachy peachy feeling than our very own design boutique retailer Cosima Sempill.  The Kitty & Dude ceramist draws inspiration from her Edinburgh home to create her super-cute collection of dainty ceramics.  And with an abode as retro-cool as this, we can tell there’s no lack of imagination in her household!

Image credit: Ian Monk

”It’s the confident, new and shiny, post-war optimism in 1950s design that really thrills me’ muses Cosima. ‘It’s very important to me to be surrounded by beautiful things, fabulous colour, and interesting patterns. It keeps my creativity flowing.’

With an unabashed mix of kitsch, vintage and homemade accessories surrounded by dainty dresses and shoes of the same bygone era, Cosima creates an ultrafeminine living space that oozes her vivid personality. Her space is so inviting that we Ladies Who Lunch would love to stop by for a knitting party!

Image credit: Ian Monk

While some may call this look cluttered – an organised chaos – we stress that ordered is the magic word here.  Attempting such an eclectic magpie feat can easily backfire, but by providing a great sense of order to each space, Cosima proves that this look can not only really work, but give a space a completely individual vibe free from the current high street trends.

The trick? By keeping the overall theme of her home uniform (1950s optimism), Cosima ensures that every cushion, curtain, picture frame – anything – added relates to the other pieces in each room.  And she makes careful and clever use of her shelving and storage units to follow the everything in its place mantra of the domestic goddess.

Image credit: Ian Monk

Cosima’s delicate ceramics are really something to be proud of.  In her home, they’re the sugary icing on the layer cake of accessories, bits and bobs.  We’re craving those cup cakes for our countertop! And who says you need to keep your shoes in the closet?  We’ll be taking a hint from Cosima and displaying our finest heels centre stage.

Image credit: Ian Monk

The artist-cum-stylist’s choice of white and pastel pink and green in the kitchen gives this room a cleaner, but still lighthearted, feeling.  The framed portraits and heirlooms which line the space lend a sense of tradition and history – the perfect space to host guests for high tea.  Even the natural beams get a bit of Cosima’s personal design with vintage-inspired stenciling.

Image credits: Ian Monk

While one bedroom remains sugary sweet, making the most of the pool of natural light that floods the space, another gets the cosy, chocolate touch.  Velvet cushions and muted nutmeg toile prints in the wallpaper and curtains make this room a rich, warm space to snuggle into on those wintry Edinburgh nights.

Image credit: Ian Monk

If, for the domestic goddess, the home is where the heart is, we’d all love our home to be as original as Cosima’s.  While the 1950s theme may not appeal to everyone, we love the ceramist’s reflection of optimism in her space and in her craft.  And that, we think you’ll agree, is something we can all get inspired by.

Love Cosima’s look? We’ve found key pieces from her style for you to steal.  Click on the moodboard to view selected products.

Moodboard: Bethany Wrede Peterson

View our 3D room of Cosima’s living area by clicking on the room below.  You can even copy it, redecorate, or add new furniture!

3D room: Jennifer Cooper

Read more about Cosima’s wonderland in Home Plus Scotland magazine’s article here.

Tell us what you think. We’d love to hear your thoughts on Cosima’s style and our new Through the Keyhole feature.  Just add your comments below.

Think your home has the panache to be spotted through the keyhole? Send us the dish on your digs along with your best home snaps to editors@mydeco.com and your pride-and-joy may be spied next!

No journey is complete without my iPod, which was firmly plugged in on my tube ride from Notting Hill Gate to Tower Hill yesterday. I thought that we had Jonathan Ive (head of design at Apple) to thank for this sleek, simple but utterly brilliant modern wonder, but a visit to London’s Design Museum, where Less and More: The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams has just opened, soon proved me wrong. Turns out that Dieter Rams is the ‘designer’s designer’: a man that the likes of Jonathan Ive take ideas from, and the creator, if you like, of the first ‘iPod’.

Oh yes. Back in 1959, Rams designed the first portable record player with a detachable radio – you could plug in some earphones and walk with it. He was also the man that made German electronics manufacturer, Braun, a household name in the 50s, designing audio equipment, calculators and shavers – as well as furniture designs for Vitsœ – that are as modern and relevant today as they were 50 years ago. His design ethos was based around a refusal to pander to the whims of fashion (“I hate everything that is driven by fashion,” he said), and the timeless notion that less is always better. His designs for Braun reflected this, and were marked by simplicity, a paucity of colour and materials, and a loyalty to function and durability of product.

Rivals in the 50s might have sneered at these principles – his clean, white, minimalist Braun SK4 of 1956 (the world’s first proper hi-fi) was dubbed ‘Snow White’s Coffin’ – but it is those same principles, set out as a list of ten ‘design commandments’ by Rams himself in the 80s, that are so prized and closely adhered to by Jonathan Ive for Apple and countless other modern designers today.

Dieter Rams’ Ten Principles of Design

Good design is innovative.
Good design makes a product useful.
Good design is aesthetic.
Good design helps us to understand a product.
Good design is unobtrusive.
Good design is honest.
Good design is durable.
Good design is consequent to the last detail.
Good design is concerned with the environment.
Good design is as little as possible.

Less and More: The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams is open at London’s Design Museum until 7th March 2010.

It is unusually peaceful in the mydeco office this morning. Perhaps it is the calm before the inevitable Christmas storm. Perhaps we’re all nursing mid-week hangovers. Either way, our quiet graft has all been worth it, because we’ve found some brilliant design stories for your enjoyment today. Anything for our faithful flock…

mydeco’s pick of the top three stories:

1. dornob: Travelling transformer : Convertible couch and suitcase set

Image credit: dornob

I usually do my utmost to avoid exercise of any kind. This includes walking, standing – even lifting my arms unless absolutely necessary. Shifting from leg-to-leg  in an hour-long queue at the airport, therefore, is my idea of hell. Luckily, young designers Nieuweheren have developed a system that will soon be essential for lazy people everywhere: luggage that transforms, power-ranger style, into a sofa. Follow the link to see how it works.

2. Design milk: Get out! Forget lawns, go for creative grass

Image credit: Design Milk

Gardening is usually regarded as an activity reserved for the ‘old’ by the ipod generation. Indeed, the most interaction under 40s get with flora is the odd potted plant. This is not always due to a lack of enthusiasm – many young professionals living within large cities cannot afford the higher rent on those rare apartment blocks that have gardens.  However, this article proves that there is a way to bring a touch of the outdoors into your interior, without sacrificing the coveted ‘cool’ factor. From low maintenence faux-grass furniture to the ‘moss house’ seen above, the design possibilities are endless. The future’s green people….

3. The Independent: The end of the bachelor pad

Image credit: The Independent

The decision of ultimate bachelor Russell Brand (when did he take over George Clooney?) to sell his man-pad in London is one of many indicators that the testosterised apartment is soon to be no more. The high numbers of men made redundant due to the recession means that financially, the  typical lone-occupied home is no longer an option. So if your current partner, previously resolute in his desire to live alone suddenly decides that it’s time to move in together, chances are he is looking for a flatmate more than a fiancé. If you fit into this category, my advice would be forget men – this is the perfect opportunity for the rise of the bachelorette pad. Just think, hundreds of expensive Victorian flats decorated from top to bottom in Cath Kidston. Chintz heaven.

The best of the rest:

Guardian: How to make your own Christmas baubles

dornob: 3 innovative alternatives to traditional manhole covers

The Telegraph: The house that Griff Rhys Jones built

The Independent: B&B: turn your home into a goldmine

The Independent: Interiors: Let the colours work their own magic

Moco Loco: The return of the spinning wheel

Moco Loco: Twiggy by Burt Stern

That’s all for today I’m afraid, but make sure you stop by and see us tomorrow for this week’s final instalment of design news.

Need a gift idea for this year’s office secret santa? According to the Metro paper this morning, ‘Roadkill’ calendars are predicted to be popular this Christmas. No, that’s not a play on words, these calendars actually feature pictures of a different animal carcass on the road for each month of the year. According to creator Kevin Beresford, the images are meant to be ‘artistic’. DO YOU SEE WHAT YOU’VE DONE DAMIEN HIRST?  Luckily the mydeco team are on hand to alert you of more pleasant endeavors, with today’s selection of design news.

mydeco’s pick of the top three news stories:

1. Inhabitat: Chrome Hotel’s Swiss cheese facade saves energy

Image credit: Inhabitat

There is something aquatic about the design of this hotel in Kolkata, India. Perhaps it the porthole style windows or the blue backlighting…of course it could always be the giant ‘fins’ on the side of the building. Apparently these concrete structures protect guest’s privacy whilst blocking out heat and therefore cutting down on air-con. I have examined it from all the available photographic angles and still can’t see how it works, but maybe the design buffs amongst you can. Nevertheless, hats off to Sanjay Puri Architects for doing their bit for the polar bears whilst maintaining a sleek aesthetic.

2. Design Milk: Cube Birdhouse

Image credit: Design Milk

Apparently it’s not just humans that enjoy modern living. This cubic bird house, ‘designed by humans with birds in mind’, is available in a variety of colours – perfect for attracting only birds with the best taste. The company who masterminded the product claim it is built for longevity. Good job really, as it will probably take at least 5 more years of evolution for birds to realise what it is.

3. Design Observer: Five ways to change the world

image Credit: Design Observer

In this online essay, Professor Jonathan Massey examines how activism through architecture can change the world. It’s not exactly light bedtime reading, but the author offers some interesting perspectives on how buildings have shaped our past and will continue to transform society in the future. I should warn you that his views are extremely partial and not always pc, but if you’re interested in architecture this is definitely worth a look.

The best of the rest:

Design Milk : Twitter’s New Headquarters

Design Milk: Cloud Seating Collection

dornob : Open and hidden

Daily mail: How Trisha Goddard found sanctuary it the wilds of Maine

Daily Mail: Bobby Davro: My houses are not just bricks and mortar… they are the foundations of my new life

Daily Mail: Ruby Wax is selling in Capetown

Daily Mail: Why I live where I live: Hove gives me something, says James Morrison

Cool hunting: Equinox Fitness Clubs: Design matters

That’s all folks, but we’ll be back on the morrow with more design news to keep you entertained. Oh, and if you really are struggling with secret santa worries, make sure you check out our gift guides – I promise dead animals do not feature anywhere.

Yesterday Obama criticised the ‘Great Firewall of China’ that prevents the country’s web-users from viewing ‘inappropriate content’. Quite right Mr. President – can you imagine what the British press would be like if such a policy of censorship were applied? Gordon Brown would be our national hero, Katie Price wouldn’t feature at all…hmm, maybe there would be some benefits. Still, without internet freedom, we wouldn’t be able to show you the most interesting and wacky design stories. Now that would be tragic…

mydeco’s pick of the top three news stories:

1. Design Week: Cracking Glazes

Image credit: Design Week

As Kirstie Allsopp informed us in the first instalment of her mydeco blog, ceramics are due for a revival. It could come at no better time, as some of Britain’s oldest potteries in Stoke-on-Trent  have been forced to close in the face of competition from abroad. Luckily, several of Britain’s young designers are helping to save this traditional craft with contemporary crockery patterns that couldn’t be further from your granny’s china. Follow the link to see more examples.

2. Wallpaper: Pick of the pop-ups

Image credit: Wallpaper

I should explain that a ‘pop-up’ refers to a temporary cafe, hotel, boutique or restaurant which draws in customers with unusual location or design choices, along with the inevitable charm of transience. The latest venture to jump on the fleeting bandwagon is London’s lavish members club House Home, with a pop-up ’snug’ in its private courtyard gardens. A positive improvement on the usual patio heater and plastic chair combination in smoking areas, ‘Le Fumoir’ is designed in the style of a 19th century smoking lounge, complete with leather armchairs and antique wall hangings. The snug is only around until Spring, so unless you have the ability to scale walls, I would advise becoming a House Home member to enjoy the benefits.

3. Cool  Hunting: Sale of the Century

Image credit: Cool Hunting

As reported in the daily news blog last week, the final selection of fashion legend Yves Saint Laurent’s personal belongings are to be auctioned at Christies today. The first event, which auctioned off Laurent’s various artistic masterpieces raised €342.5 million, so the selected furniture and knick-knacks on sale tomorrow will be bargains by comparison. If you fancy picking up something like the very understated table pictured above, why not do your bit for charity and head down to Christies? (The auction is in France by the way – you might want to factor this into your expenses.)

The best of the rest:

The Telegraph: Priced-out Londoners turn to empty homes

The Telegraph: Give us a swirl

The Telegraph: Number of £1 million plus homes rises 15 fold

The Times: You too can be a Playboy like Victor Lownes

The Independent: North-south divide returns to haunt the British property market

Daily Mail: Sizzling Sardina: Brits are catching on

Daily Mail: Mortgage arrears of couple who rode the buy-to-let boom estimated at £350,000

Daily Mail: Interiors: A New Flame

Hope you enjoyed our selection today, we’ll be back again tomorrow with more design news – make sure you don’t miss it!

Flooding. A miserable performance in the friendly against Brazil. The tyrannical masses continue voting for Jedward. This weekend has left us with little to celebrate, so why not alleviate your grief with a little light entertainment in the form of today’s design stories?

mydeco’s pick of the top three news stories:

1. dornob: Tiny homes trend: Semi-mobile small space living

Image credit: dornob

I can only imagine the profanities that would emerge from Jeremy Clarkson should he see one of these mobile homes on the motorway. Still, despite bearing a striking resemblance to a Wendy house, these miniature dwellings offer the portability of a caravan without the visual headache. Should you fancy dragging one of these to Skegness this summer, you can find similar designs at Tumbleweed.

2. Financial Times: The lap of luxury

Image credit: The Financial Times

A Hermes handbag will set you back about £4,200, so it’s only fitting that a yacht designed by the brand director Pierre-Alexis Dumas should represent the ultimate consumer indulgence. According to Dumas, speed is rather last season, so this imposing hulk of metal is more of a floating island than a boat, with an optimum cruising speed of just 12 knots. Aesthetically I think this is the oceanic equivalent of a high-rise hotel, but if the villa design appeals to you this yacht can be yours for the bargain price of $100m.

3. Creative Review: Complete Hero

Image credit: Creative Review

‘Hero’ is a rather loaded term these days, usually because it accompanies news of another fallen soldier in Afghanistan. In a projection-based artwork exhibited recently in London, Martin Firrell presented modern thoughts on the subject of heroism using text and moving image. Provocative not least because of its location on the walls of the Guard’s Chapel, the term is examined within contexts ranging from popular culture to science. The installation was shown for only two days, but more images of the featured text and videos are available via the link if you didn’t get a chance to see the real thing.

The best of the rest:

The Times: Please Lord, no new developments in New Market

The Telegraph: Boomers downsize to live it up

The Telegraph: The eco pioneers

Daily Mail: Plaque appeal: famous names enhance the value of your home

Daily Mail: Ten golden rules for a new home by Christmas

Daily Mail: House sales set to crash to lowest level since WWII

Daily Mail: Ten rules for a new home by Christmas

The Guardian: Black Light

The Guardian: My Space: Dan Cruickshank, historian

That’s all for today boys and girls, but do come and see us again tomorrow for another helping of design news.

Hi, I’m Kirstie Allsopp from the mydeco design board and this is my first blog for mydeco.

I’ve been on the design board for a two years, along with Sir Terence and Philippe, and I love to keep up to date on what’s going on here.  Last week, I popped in for a meeting and was thrilled when they asked me to join the blog.  I’m obsessed with Twitter as it’s so easy to fire off quick messages and keep checking all day for replies and answers, so hopefully this blog will be an extension of my twitter obsession.  I love mydeco because it combines two of my absolute passions: beautiful interiors and property.  I was invited to join the mydeco design board two years ago and am excited to be part of the website.

Image credit: mydeco

In my latest TV venture Kirstie’s Homemade Homes, I transform a derelict house in Devon using homemade furniture and accessories, along with bargains from auctions, charity shops and even skips! I want to prove that you can create something unique and wonderful using amazing artisans from the West Country and around the UK rather than going down the same old mass-produced route. Take a look at the transformed kitchen if you don’t believe me…

Image credit: Moving sense

One of the best things about making the show was meeting British craftspeople, so it is great to hear about the Cockpit Arts Maker Difference campaign. I seem to be the last to learn about the Cockpit Studios in London, but they have some great designer-makers, such as Liz Emtage. Her ceramics impressed me so much when I stopped in to have a look that I ended up coming out with a lamp!

Image credit: Cockpit arts

We must treasure crafts like quilting, and basket making, and pottery, and encourage them. When you come across something that is really pretty and special, the knowledge that it has been made locally and that you could even see it being created, gives you confidence that the UK is producing and will continue to produce wonderful work. The media would have people believe that we no longer create excellent products in the UK. Just because the focus is not on fridges and cars, it doesn’t mean that there are not hundreds of creative people working away, in studios like this,designing and making beautiful work, which is a complete joy to have.

I’m heading in to a second series of Homemade Homes as well as the Christmas Special which will be on soon! I will be updating my blog with information about British crafts regularly, so make sure you keep checking mydeco!

It’s that time of the week again! What better way to start the weekend than by sharing with you some of our favourite products here at mydeco’s design boutique. For those of you unfamiliar with our fab boutique, this is our area for trendy, unique products by some of the UK’s best designers. You’re guaranteed to find somthing super special here!

These cute tea cups by Welovekaoru are our favourites this week.  Great for curling up with a cup of tea on a cold winter’s night or even better to share at a tea party! My personal favourite is the Pretty Ugly Tea Cup & Saucer, bringing a rebelious streak to the classic British tea cup. Check out the rest of Welovekaoru’s collection here.

Black Rose Tea Cup & Saucer

Pretty Ugly Tea Cup & Saucer

Nautical Tea Cup & Saucer

Image credits: welovekaoru