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Tuesday’s News: Mouth-watering art, the new hot seat and Will Young’s student digs 10 November, 2009

Posted by katiehodgkiss in Daily news.
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Britain is currently enthralled in various heated debates: be it about Gordon Brown’s spelling or Jedward’s presence on the X Factor, people are talking. Our design news might not provoke controversy (though today’s first story might get a few pulses racing), but this doesn’t mean we don’t want to hear your views, so please give us your comments on any stories that you love, hate, or simply want to know more about. mydeco is here for you…

mydeco’s pick of the top three news stories:

1. Moco Loco: Orange Crush by Marilyn Miller

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Image Credit: Moco Loco

In a new exhibition (which also features portraits of a freckled and vulnerable-looking Pamela Anderson), Marilyn Miller brings us up close and personal to the lips and tongue. Fetishistic to say the least, the images are actually created using the mouth – the subjects lick, push or splatter various food and drink-like substances against the glass. Whilst I am impressed with Miller’s creative moxie, I am a little repulsed by this image. But then that’s probably because it provokes horrific flashbacks of going in for my first kiss as a teenager.

2. Design Milk: Radiator Chair by Jeroen Wesselink

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Image credit: Design Milk

This chair doesn’t exactly scream comfort, but as someone who spends most of her winter hugging the radiator, being able to sit down AND keep warm would be a considerable improvement! Follow the link to see a video of the designer at work.

3. The Telegraph: Time and Place; Will Young

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Image credit: The Telegraph

Student abodes are renowned for three things: a distinctive smell, empty alcohol bottles and a lack of cleaning. With such pungent memories, its easy to forget that student homes are often integral to the experiences that shaped the person you became after university. Will Young’s brief but extremely relatable account of his student dwellings is a pleasant reminder that a house is not just about the decor (although obviously after you’ve graduated there’s no excuse, so be thankful that mydeco is here to help you).

The best of the rest:

The Financial Times: Where the fall faltered

The Financial Times: ‘I love the house for its clean lines’

The Financial Times: An era of excellence?

The Daily Mail: ‘We dig our old house, but need to head south’

The Daily Mail: Why Clinton’s Classmate is leading his followers to a new life in the Andes

The Daily Mail: Robert Lindsay: Why I live where I live

dornob: Fantastic floor-to-ceiling, whole-wall bookcases and shelves

dornob: Ultimate underground home: converted nuclear missile silo

Hope you enjoyed our selection today folks, make sure you come back tomorrow to catch up on Wednesday’s latest design juice!

Friday’s news: Breathing furniture, poignant photography and the property market hits a new low 6 November, 2009

Posted by katiehodgkiss in Daily news.
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Friday’s child is loving and giving, and so are the team here at mydeco! There were some great design stories to choose from today, but we’ve handpicked our favourites to keep you going until you flee the office at five. Enjoy!

mydeco’s pick of the top three news stories:

1. Design Milk: Breathing Chair Made Out of Foam

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Image credit: Design Milk

Who says that comfort automatically means a sacrifice in style? Well this chair doesn’t exactly do much to disprove the theory. Created bu Taiwanese designer Yu-Ying Wu, who wanted a seat that would help ease the problems she has with her knees, the square block turns into an armchair when you sit on it. Do the ergonomic benefits override the fact that it looks like a giant block of swiss cheese? You decide.

2. Cool Hunting: Kelly Gorham: The Stones Have Memories

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Image credit: Cool Hunting

Berlin still bears much of the architectural scarring that resulted from WWII, and Kelly Gorham captures this perfectly in her latest photographic exhibition, The Stones Have Memories. Monday will mark the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, but many structural symbols of the society it created still exist. The resonant emotion in such architecture is allowed to speak for itself in Gorham’s photos – they really are worth a look.

3, Daily Mail: Unveiled: The luxurious £2m underground mansion designed to keep away prying eyes

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Image Credit: Daily Mail

Although this underground nirvana is still only in the planning stages, several footballers are already believed to be engaging in estate warfare to get their hands on the property. Personally, I hope Wayne Rooney gets it. No offence Coleen, but I don’t want to see any tabloid pictures of Wayne in his undies.

The best of the rest:

Daily Mail: Can you dig it? If you want more space, it’s time to go underground

The Telegraph: Trevor Eve and Sharon Maughan’s Belgravia restoration

The Telegraph: Is the property market recovering?

The Telegraph: Design notebook by David Nicholls

Design Week: Wallpaper designs by Damien Hirst

Design Week: Bark Design is creating an installation in the London College of Communication’s Atrium Gallery

Dexigner: 2010 Ceramic Tiles of Italy Design Competition

Interior Design: New product: Hammered Bowls

That’s your lot for today everyone, so it’s goodbye until Monday from the daily news blog, I hope you don’t miss us too much!

Monday’s News: An aMUSEing Eco-house, a Seamless Spa, and Sexy Socks! 19 October, 2009

Posted by Bethany Wrede Peterson in Daily news.
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Welcome to the work week, everyone!  In the latest news, PM Gordon Brown has warned of UK climate catastrophe; Royal Mail is slinking away for strike meetings; and Scotland’s pride, Rikki, got the boot on the X-Factor (sigh!).  All is not lost, however, folks.  We here at mydeco have some (really important) news that will alleviate your case of the Mondays!

Here, for your cloudy-day pleasure, are our top 3 picks:

1.  The Telegraph: MUSE’s Devon Eco House Up for Grabs

If you’ve ever wanted to live like a rock star, (and let’s face it, who here hasn’t?) here’s your chance!  Whether you’re a fan of MUSE or not, this eco-home is now back on the market.  Can’t afford it?  That’s okay – the really good news is that eco-chic just became much hipper.

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Image Credit: The Telegraph

2.  Design Milk:  Furama Hotel Spa by Formwerkz

All this depressing news makes me want to head straight to the spa…in Singapore!  Well, I may not be able to actually go, but we can all get some awesome bathroom inspiration from this super-cool seamless getaway.

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Image Credit: Design Milk

3.  The Independent: The Joy of Socks!

And speaking of seamless, you’ll be blissed out to find that you’ll be able to keep those summer skirts out of storage afterall!  Seems that socks are a hit this season – especially those with a little bling.  If splurging on Miu Miu’s embellished pair will break the bank, dust off that Bedazzler, and DIY.  You may have to hand wash, but hanging these up will make your laundry room and closet a little bit brighter.

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Image Credit: The Independent

And here’s the best of the rest:

The Times:  Let Them Eat Cake! Agent Provocateur’s Serena Rees’ Bakery of Decadence

The Times:  Renovating on the Cheap: Worth Every Penny

The Guardian:  Yay!  A Sunday Roast Revival For Those Hibernating Months

The Guardian:  Is This a Good Time to Splash Out on Solar Energy?

The Independent:  French Twist: how one couple brought a touch of the avant garde to the Languedoc

dornob: The Ultimate DIY! Modular Office Furniture: Wood Box Stroage, Desk and Chair

MoCo Loco:  Retail Therapy: L’Eclaireur Paris by Arne Quinze

The Cool Hunter: The Lego Kitchen!

If rock stars with an eco-conscience, seamless spas, and sequined socks aren’t enough to lift your Monday spirits, perhaps these other stories on Agent Provocateur’s bakery, penny-saving reno secrets and the Lego kitchen (!!!) have done the job.   If nothing else, don’t fret – we’ll be back at it tomorrow.

Friday’s news: A hanging chair, upcycling and understated footballers?! 16 October, 2009

Posted by katykimbell in Daily news.
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This morning’s breaking news story was all about the balloon boy. Falcon Heene, a six-year-old boy from Colorado was feared lost after a hot air balloon apparently carried him away. But after a frantic search, police revealed the boy had actually been hiding in his garage all along. What a ridiculous story to wake up to on a Friday morning! For a saner and more refined version of the news, check out mydeco’s very own news blog!

mydeco’s pick of the top three stories:

1. dornob: Cheap Wood Folding Chair Doubles as a Double-Use Hanger

In this day and age we all have to master the art of multi-tasking. So why should we do all the work and not let our furnishings help us out a bit? Take a look at this ultra convenient chair - it may look pretty conventional – but it also serves as a coat hanger. Functional and fun, I love it!

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Image credit: dornob

2. The Daily Mail: WASTE NOT WANT NOT Customising recycled furniture is a beautiful way to help the environment

You may recycle but the question is: do you upcycle? Interior designers are not only re-using plates, glasses, furniture and other accessories in the home but adding to them creatively to give them a whole new lease of life. Zoe Murphy who designed the room below made all the striking pieces from recycled furniture and fabrics. Get customising!

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Image credit: The Daily Mail

3. The Daily Mail: Less is more as footballers cut the bling to make style their goal

I would never have said that footballers and their wags would opt for understated style, but a report from The Daily Mail suggests that the popularity of mock Tudor mansions is dwindling! ‘In the boom times, footballers competed for the biggest, best and brightest homes,’ says Rebecca Williams, of Knight Frank. ‘Now buying is more calculated.’ Read on for some more shocking revelations…

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Image credit: The Daily Mail

The best of the rest:

Design Week: mydeco’s board member Philippe Starck has designed a range of hard drives for technology hardware company Lacie.

The Times: How can I give my home a green makeover?

The Times: An extraordinary design collection-When an art dealer and a curator bring their work home, there isn’t a corner of the house that doesn’t have a breathtaking design in it

The Telegraph: Self-build awards – 15 houses are shortlisted

The Telegraph: Tim Henman: My overseas homes

The Guardian: Putting the fun in conceptual art … John Baldessari’s Brain/Cloud artwork on display at Tate Modern

The Independent: Clear the way – Don’t let that overgrown garden get the better of you

We have had quite a week for news, we’ve seen: keep-fit furniture, a giant treehouse and chocolate benches! Let’s hope that next week will give us such a varied cocktail of design stories. This weekend be sure to check out The Frieze Art Fair before it closes on Sunday.

Have fun and see you Monday!

Wednesday’s news: Giant knitted furniture, a suitcase that converts into a chair and Dyson’s latest product 14 October, 2009

Posted by katykimbell in Daily news.
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Today marks the first day of London’s Frieze Art Fair. The annual event has quickly become a magnet for the art world’s most important players, lured in by a series of glamorous parties, exhibitions and high-profile auctions. But reports from Reuters reveal that the fair is feeling the chill of recession this year. Could this be the decline of the once booming contemporary art sector? So whilst we ponder on the vulnerable  future of the art market, let’s turn our heads from art to design – for today’s daily news round-up.

mydeco’s pick of the top three stories:

dornob: Super sized knitted furniture

We’ve known it for a while, but knitting is officially cool. No longer the past-time of a Granny, groovy young designers such as Donna Wilson are proving that knitting is the height of chic. Take a look at the latest contribution from the knitting world with the super sized Knit furniture by Bauke Knottnerus.The pieces may look strange and out of scale, but these soft furnishings made of super-sized thread still look extremely comfortable.

knitted furniutre

Image credit: dornob

dornob: Small suitcase converts into a folding travel chair

Picture this: You are at the airport, the queue is winding halfway through the terminal and it doesn’t look like you are about to move any time soon.  What’s the solution? Well, I think dornob may have the answer. Cast your eyes below at the suitcase that converts into a folding chair. Practical, chic and oh so cool – you’d be the envy of every holiday maker with this snazzy travel accessory.

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Image credit: dornob

Design Week: Dyson launches bladeless fan

Some people love him, some people hate him, but no one can deny the prolific innovation of James Dyson. Not content with revolutionising the hoover, or indeed the hand dryer, Dyson has now turned his talents to keeping his customers cool. Today he launches the Dyson Air Multiplier Fan, which does away with traditional fan blades. Intrigued? Read on for more…

dyson fan

Image credit: Design Week

The best of the rest:

The Guardian: How to Make a Modern Chandelier

The Times: A hotel for every stage of a relationship

The Independent:  Trendwatch – How a slow economic recovery will effect what you buy this Christmas

The Independent: Ikea: Flat pack and fabulous

The Independent: French twist: How one couple brought a touch of the avant-garde to the Languedoc

Design Week: A brand new 50p coin is unveiled- and it was designed by a nine year old!

Cool Hunting: Three Apples: An Exhibition Celebrating 35 Years of Hello Kitty

Design Milk: Introducing new lifestyle brand – Afrochic

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but the mydeco editorial team has decided to revamp our daily news blog. Do you like the new layout? We’d love to hear from you. In the meantime, have a good day!

Talent at Tent London 28 September, 2009

Posted by katykimbell in Editors' blog.
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After the corporate finesse of 100% Design, Tent London marked a welcome contrast. The event had a distinct East London vibe – shabby chic in location, but innovative and cool in content.

Earlier in the year mydeco and Tent London launched a competition to give three lucky design graduates the chance to pitch their final projects to Sir Terence Conran and Philippe Starck. And it was at Tent London that we got to see the ten short-listed contenders exhibiting their wares at the ‘Talent Zone.’

Although my opinion may be somewhat biased, I think that the ten graduates provided some of the most interesting and conceptual products of the whole event.

I first chatted to Omri Barzeev, who’s responsible for designing the Zaza chair. The felt chair has real character, almost a comical personality, with its conical shape and sturdy legs. Its design plays upon the relationship between soft and hard materials and the physical boundaries of these materials. The tactile chair was extremely comfortable and surprisingly flexible; it was made all the more charming by its modest creator.

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Image credit: Omri Barzeev

I was then drawn to speak to Nicole Mueller about her maison sauvage range. Mueller used video footage of people interacting at a table as the basis of her designs. She traced the movements and connections made between the people in her video, and worked with the individual shapes and lines that they created.  The neon lines that are distinctive in Mueller’s work were inspired by her regular use of highlighter pens. Mueller’s products are aimed to reflect the nature of the ‘present day patchwork family.’ They can work together, but also separately as independent pieces.

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Image credit: maison sauvage

The Korean designer Jaebeom Jeong is a promising talent who adheres to the ‘form follows function’ concept.  For his grid chair, Jeong used a scaffolding structure to draw attention to the internal mechanics and formation of a chair. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most effective.

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Image credit: Jaebeom Jeong

The last designer to really catch my eye was Hannes Grebin. The affable German, wanted to distort the classic idea of furniture by using abstract and asymmetrical shapes. After looking at his ‘old and ugly couch’ Grebin wanted to see if he could reshape its geometry and turn it into something better and modern. From this start-point, Grebin has experimented with other types of homeware; his restructured objcets really push the boundaries of what we can acceptably call ‘furniture.’

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Image credit: Hannes Grebin

It was great to talk with these original and motivated designers, and I look forward to seeing if the designers I picked out make it to the final three.

Trendy yet cheap – it’s our Deal of the day 9 September, 2009

Posted by eleanorjoslin in Deal of the day.
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Our very own Jenny from the mydeco block is one stylish fashionista. So when she says that the hot styles and trends for this week in the world of interiors is eco-function, then we know it’s exactly that.

With her invaluable eco-function advice in mind, I scoured all your fave homestores for the most on-trend product reduced by an impressive 50 %. Who says seasonable style has to come at a price?

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Combine the silk cushion with a wooden chair for comfy eco-functional seating.

Image credit: Biome Lifestyle and A White Room

Reduced by half the price, the handmade raw silk cushion from Biome Lifestyle is now only £10 which is extremely eco for your purse and for society. It was made in a weaving co-operative in South India and the gorgeous motif was painted by hand. The function aspect is obvious and snuggling up to this beautiful cushion is bound to soften the cooler, dark evenings that lie before us.

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This week’s top trend is eco-function

Image credit: GAP Interiors/Inside – B.MIEBACH DESIGNER: CHRIS LEHRECKE

This week’s eco-function look is an organic home office that combines function and style. It’s all about natural materials so pop this raw silk cushion on your arper catifa wooden chair (£346) above, from A White Room (recommended to create the look, and you’ve got a comfy bum during your mydeco visits.

Remember, these deals are so good they don’t last for long. Check out our hot deals for the latest great proucts that are available with a 50% discount at the very least. mydeco outlet has more penny-saving suggestions for every room of your house and for every taste and style too.

Argos gets stylish 22 July, 2009

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Image Credit: Argos A/W 2009

Yes, you read that correctly, these images really are Argos. Their latest A/W 09 collection is packed full of surprisingly stylish and super affordable buys. I love this flock chair £399.99 and am really impressed by the slick minimalist look of this Oak finished desk, £69.99.  These products should be available in a few weeks’ time when the new catalogue hits the shelves. So get in line.

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Image Credit: Argos A/W 2009

Maggie Thatcher home from hospital 30 June, 2009

Posted by Doug in Editors' blog.
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Poor Maggie Thatcher. The one-time Iron Maiden is more Doddering Cronie after her recent fall which resulted in a nasty broken arm two weeks ago. But you’ve got to hand it to her, at 83 and with dementia decreasing her awareness and memory, she still attends ceremonial functions and even had the grace to wave and smile at the press when she returned to her home from hospital yesterday – a very rare display for any politician to perform.

Maggie was the first woman to lead a political party in the UK and the first female Prime Minister, with her tenure lasting for an unprecedented three terms, from 1979 until she resigned in 1990. Certainly more impressive than ol’ Gordon Brown, agreed? So let’s pay tribute to her heyday with a few comeback classics from the ’80’s:

A set of three lavender bags (£17.60), available in neon aqua, pink and chocolate from Clarissa Hulse.

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This Kartell Pop armchair (£851.91) from Nest is upholstered in faded denim and features transparent plastic sides – very eighties fashion!

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As is this Denim Jeans cushion (£29) from Eco Emporia.

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A trip to the Tate Modern 23 June, 2009

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Being a relative London virgin I thought I’d don my Union Jack flip flops, gather a billion tube maps and tourist guides, grab my camera and trek all over London last weekend! I didn’t do everything (it’s a big place!) but I did manage to squeeze in the Tate Modern in between Greenwich Market and Covent Garden. With my recently acquired mydeco-eye on alert, I spotted an uber modern installation by Jeff Hoons called New Hoover Convertibles, Green, Red, Brown, New Shelton Wet/Dry 10 Gallon Displaced Doubledecker. It’s a mouthful but the three vacuum cleaners within a plexiglass box looked retro, harking back to Hoovers when they were new-borns. I very nearly walked past an installation by Richard Artschwager, called Table and Chair, and only noticed it when I shot an evil glare across to an American woman who was chatting loudly on her mobile next to it! Hardly the best accolade Artschwager has had, but the beige table and chair really was, well, beige.

You can't escape the huge Union Jack trend this summer so embrace it with this chair from Jimmie Martin

Embrace the huge Union Jack trend this summer with this chair from Jimmie Martin

Stand out more with a creative and highly fashionable gold and black Union Jack chair (£1,400) or a leopard print armchair (£1,800), both from Jimmie Martin.

Jimmie Martin's leopard print chair is creative and unique

Jimmie Martin's leopard print chair is creative and unique

The British flag and animal print design are all over the place in both retail and interior fashion this year. Look at our top ten list of animal inspired designs and our top ten Union Jack trend to check out what all the fuss is about!