Luxury Interior Design Journal » Lighting

Perspective Lyrique – Architecture Light show

Laura Bielecki — Mon, 02 May 2011 22:24:42 +0000

At the Lyon Festival of Lights in 2010 on the Theatre of Celestins, 1024 Architecture pulled off an incredible display with a system of visual distortions on voice command.

At first glance its an average historical building, but its about to undergo a 21st century overhaul of sound and light using 3D mapping. Perspective Lyrique interprets public participation and turns it into large scale projected images.

The truly creative studio kept a blog through the process to show the making of.

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Swarovski Elements Wallpaper at Euroluce 2011

Laura Bielecki — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 03:59:50 +0000

Swarovski booth - Euroluce 2011

Beauty is timeless and for me anything shiny is forever!
I was super excited to see the Swarovski booth at Milan Design Week. Swarovski always goes over and above at shows to exhibit top notch products that will have you dreaming. Walking through the booth for me was like daydreaming in a candy shop. Each fixture was unique and stunning with the sole purpose of catching the light off each and every individual crystal. What makes the best backdrop to a Swarovski Chandelier? most certainly a jewel studded wallcovering like the new Swarovski Elements wallpaper. This is luxury design….

Swarovski Elements Euroluce 2011

The new collection was directed by the vision of company founder Daniel Swarovski who wished to create beauty and enrich the world of fashion through crystal. Be it jewelry, accessories, architecture or haute couture this company has taken sparkle from cinema to catwalk. Renowned wallpaper designer Karen Beauchamp has created this line rich in feathers, stripes, crackle, velvet, diamonds and more. Eleven creations were designed using rich colors like royal blue, eggplant and burgundy intertwined with classic designs like damask, paisley and stripes, all topped off with a dash of Swarovski Elements.

CREATE A SPACE WITH THE BEAUTY OF CRYSTAL

Here are a few of my favorite pieces from the new collection:

Swarovski Elements Wallcovering - Diamond Trellis

The harlequin argyle patterned paper is a patchwork of crystals, metallic effects and a modern expression of sophistication through prosaic geometry of diamonds. Classy, long lasting and gender neutral.

Swarovski Elements Wallcovering - Plume

Plume is a whimsical display of history, romance, nobility and wisdom. It is delicate and bold to make an expressive statement in a space.

Swarovski Elements Wallcovering - Ruffle Silk Jaspe

Ruffle Silk Jaspe is a pure pattern with expressionist luster and surprising elements of crystal.

Swarovski Elements Wallcovering - Versailles

Versailles is my favorite of the collection. A simple and strong pattern ideal for hotels, living rooms, powder rooms and boutiques. It is an opulent pattern in the verre eglomise style of baroque glass art adorned in crystal rocks.

BEAUTY IS LIKE AN EMPTY CHAMBER: ONCE DISCOVERED, IT IS TO THE ARTIST BOTH INSPIRATION AND CANVAS

So many amazing options! Let me know what you think.

Las Vegas Interior Design – Lighting

Laura Bielecki — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 07:53:56 +0000

Vintage Las Vegas Sign

Vegas is a lot of things to a lot of different people…. parties, drinking, gambling, nightlife, shows and on and on and on…. To Interior Designers Vegas is ceilings and lighting (on top of everything else of course…)

Aria Hotel main floor corridor lighting photo: Laura Bielecki

These black linear fixtures are stunning. I love the form and the matte black finish of these custom ceiling elements.

Unknown restaurant - Las Vegas photo: Laura Bielecki

My last trip to sin city was in November 2010 and it consisted of 3 solid days of walking the strip with my camera in hand pointed up at the ceiling. I explored every Las Vegas Hotel, Las Vegas Restaurant, Las Vegas Bar, Las Vegas Buffet and Las Vegas wedding chapel I could step foot in to get the best insiders look at the details and concepts that have been realized. Like walking into a candy box of Interior Design excellence most of the spaces are filled with my favorite furniture, fixtures and finishes…. I could point out who manufactured each wall covering or fabric or who’s furniture or lighting pieces were used. All of the luxury items thrown together like a true sample board come to life. The theatrical nature of each space was typically well considered and thought out… no walls were left bare and no detail spared. I guess this is what it looks like when a project isn’t ”value engineered”… That being said however there are plenty of design catastrophe’s in Las Vegas Nevada… overly reflective spaces far past out of date, worn down furniture and beaten up “used” hotel rooms. I had to turn a blind eye so as to only focus on the real design that I was their to catch first hand.

Mandarin Oriental sky lobby designed by Tihany Design photo:Laura Bielecki

In love with ALL Mandarin Oriental Hotels… what a fabulous chain for design excellence!

: Bocci 14 pendant in the Twist Restaurant Mandarin Oriental by Tihany Design photo: Laura Bielecki

I was very impressed by the overall design of the Mandarin Oriental. The use of materials was phenomenal and the custom lighting was very well crafted. I was a little disappointed however that i was only given a tour of the sky lobby, lounge, twist restaurant and spa. I really wish I could have taken a peak into the suites… hopefully they will allow me next time.

light and water feature detail at the entry to the Sensi restaurant in the Bellagio photo: Laura Bielecki

Great eye catching signage into the Sensi restaurant at the Bellagio. I was impressed with the smaller details like a lit sign behind the water feature which makes the logo stand out far more than stainless steel lettering.

Caesars Palace Lobby photo: Laura Bielecki

Caesars Palace Hotel… while over done was incredibly well detailed with ever element considered. The space is magnificent to stand in and the lighting designer deserves a bonus for setting the right mood to the interiors.

Custom venetian chandelier photo: Laura Bielecki

Casino unkown: Custom blue drum shade photo: Laura Bielecki

Plate and cutlery ceiling detail Restaurant unkown photo: Laura Bielecki

Now this totally blows my mind. Why even use a chandelier if you can draw peoples attention to the ceiling with a beautifully ornate ceiling crafted in plates and flatware?! Unfortunately I do not recall the name of the restaurant since I was all over the place over the 3 days. if I figure it out I will definitely repost.

Floor to Ceiling chandeliers casino unkown photo: Laura Bielecki

Chic interior of a Las Vegas Night club photo: Laura Bielecki

Custom jellyfish chandelier photo: Laura Bielecki

Zia Priven style Las Vegas custom lighting photo: Laura Bielecki

Wynn Hotel Las Vegas oriental lamps photo: Laura Bielecki

Wynn Las Vegas oriental paper lanterns

The Wynn had my favorite light fixtures of all time. These theatrical and fun oriental lamps were such a surprise to see and fit perfectly over the grand staircase overlooking the water.

Italian Flower Arrangements and Luxury Lighting

Laura Bielecki — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 01:46:19 +0000

VG NEWTREND Lighting

I am still head over heels for the stunning artistry of Vincenzo and Marllena of VG NEW TREND. Their products are so refined and sophisticated. Unlike most Italian companies I find these products are very well presented with rich photography and backdrops, and from what I have seen of images of their stores every last detail of presentation has been considered. The VG of VG NEWTREND stands for Vanin Giancarlo Spa, an Italian company with years of experience and discernment in interior decor. The company is well known in national and international markets for the attention it pays to detail. The VG NEWTREND collection includes furnishing, luxury accessories, lighting and objects made of fine metals, resins, glasses, ceramics and exotic woods. VGNEWTRENDS’ aim is to create visually striking environments which incorporate influences and hints of different worlds and cultures.

I would love to see these light fixtures and chandeliers in luxury hotels, retail stores and restaurants… the mood and quality they exude would perfectly showcase a high end brand. I can imagine a hallway with the hanging wall sconces as the only lighting with rich materials and textures. the amoebic forms of these sea creature like floor lamps would be stunning in a lobby or even under a grand staircase.

Art direction for the company has come from Vincenzo Antonuccio and Marllena Calbini who started up the Scuola d’Arte Floreal Laboratorio Idee a school that teaches the art of flower arranging.

Here are some amazing examples of their floral arrangements that I could imagine in high profile spaces, luxury getaways and dramatic weddings. I love the way they present each flower and use the vase or base as a creative element that goes with the flowers rather than being a separate element. The photography of their products is truly gorgeous!

This image is of one of their shops- high end finishing, dramatic lighting and creative displays showing off all of their home decor, floral and illumination objects.

Restoration Hardware Edmonton

Laura Bielecki — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 06:28:03 +0000

Its Time… Restoration Hardware is finally coming to Edmonton!!!

Restoration Hardware Gallery Store

Just in time for the Christmas shopping season the store will open its 9,100sq.ft. store this Saturday in its brand new Southgate Mall location. This is the second Restoration Hardware store in Alberta. The first one opened 2008 at Southcenter mall in Calgary with great success. This location will feature their new “gallery” store design with a warm loft look and feel. This Gallery concept showcases higher end products for a designer clientele. These new store pieces all worthy of both the hospitality and residential market.

Restoration Hardware Holiday Dining Room

Restoration Hardware was founded 30 years ago in California and has since become a leading purveyor of fine furnishings for home, hospitality, baby and child. With more than 100 retail and outlet locations across Canada and the United States they offer a broad range of products from bed and bath linens to sink into deep sofas, hardware and rustic to chic lighting.

If you appreciate quality, craftsmanship, design and sustainability and have a decent budget Restoration Hardware will turn your House into a dazzling masterpiece of a home. Their pieces have a Ralph Lauren type quality to them with rich smoky masculine leathers, button tufting and linen which is right in line with my design style!

Restoration Hardware Living Room

The Resto staff are all warm, bubbly and super excited about the company, its values and the great product lines they carry. When you pop in be sure to speak to my great friend Stefannie and the Store Leader Dawn, tell them I sent you!

Restoration Hardware Furniture and Accessories

Happy Christmas Shopping!!

Edmonton Furniture Stores

Laura Bielecki — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 03:45:23 +0000

I have really started to fall in love and appreciate Edmonton for all it is and the great potential it has. Watching the beautiful river valley turn a thousand shades of gold and auburn over the last few weeks has been a beautiful way to wake up everyday from my downtown apartment. The city is growing with new revitalized community’s, the downtown market on 104th, the international city center airport re-development competition, the quarters development, and future downtown arena. I am really looking forward to watching this tight knit and artistic Albertan city turn into a vibrant metropolis on the world map.

I haven’t blogged much about Edmonton or the events around the city and I think its time that I beam in on all it has to offer for design. I have visited numerous furniture stores around the city and am impressed with the traditional to contemporary diversity of product. Below I will share a brief glimpse of some of my Edmonton furniture store faves! If I missed anything else thats fantastic in the #YEG furniture world please make sure to let me know!

In the blooming new corner of Jasper and 124th street lies an array of furniture and clothing stores, art gallerys and my favorite Mousy Browns Salon. Henry’s furniture on Jasper is a little design oasis that feels like home the moment you step in. I was greeted with welcoming staff and the cutest of pooches. They carry many warm, woodsy and designerly lines for the home including Steven & Chris’s line from Decor-rest, Enigma and Van Gogh Designs (which is also carried by the Urban Barn). I love that they carry Sunbrella fabrics, Crown wallcoverings and Planika fires!

Henry's Fine Things

Just around the corner from Henry’s is the grandiose McElheran’s Fine Furniture which boasts a girl next door store with a bright red door that holds all of their sales items. Make sure to check it out for beautiful ready to take home couches (I drool on them each time I walk in!). McElheran’s carries everything from the purely upper-crust old school Americana to trump mattresses to elegant contemporary pieces. These items are all heirloom worthy and can stand the test of time in the right environment. They carry: Sherrill Furniture, Theodore Alexander, Hickory White, Althorp, Sligh, Precedent, Century Furniture, Drexel Heritage, Durham, Hancock & Moore, Thayer Coggin and Maitland Smith to name a few!

McElheran's Fine Furniture

On the more contemporary side Dwell Modern has an excellent collection of Europes finest lines from Jesse Italia to Moooi and Moroso.

Dwell Modern Furniture

29 Armstrong is modern and edgy with thought provoking avant-garde furniture, lighting, wallpaper and accessories from around the globe. Most of their items have an Eco friendly touch and all of their items have attitude. Located right downtown on the 104th street market they are easily accessible and great to throw at cocktail party at. My first experience with this little showroom was for an IDA (Interior Designers of Alberta) meet and greet cocktail party.

29 Armstrong

Le Belle Arti is a high end furniture and lighting store with a contact division to aid Interior Designers. They carry a vast array of brands, my favorite being: B&B Italia, Ligne Roset, Herman Miller, Knoll, Ingo Maurer, Artemide, Snaidero Kitchens, Ecosmart Fire, Agape and Kos.

Le Belle Arti

Posh at Home is a cute little store right downtown on Jasper Ave that has contemporary furniture, lighting, accessories and bedding. They also offer custom services for Hunter Douglas Blinds. Great to check out if you are doing a stroll down Jasper on a beautiful fall afternoon!

Posh At Home Edmonton

Cottswood is a furniture paradise on Mayfield road. Stop by for a long stroll through their residential haven for transitional to contemporary furniture and accessory lines. They carry a large selection of all your residential basics and can make your home warm and at peace. For you bargain finders they also have a clearance center!

Cottswood Furniture

Last but certainly not least is Inspired Home Interiors Edmonton’s only Knoll Studio dealer. They carry Colexion Perez and G Romano from Montreal, Bombast from Vancouver, and Gus Modern from Toronto. They also have the ever delightful Kartell and Tema Home which I am hoping to see this year in Milan for the 50th anniversary of Salone Internazionale del Mobile! Congratulations to owner Alana for her 10th year in business!! Stop in and have a look at their great showroom and be sure to say hi to Alana and Karley for me.

Inspired Home Interiors

Custom Contemporary Lighting from Yellow Goat Design

Laura Bielecki — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:00:23 +0000

Yellow Goat Design Halo Vert LED fixture

I have been in love with Yellow Goat Design for quite some time and often used their produc timages in visioning sessions with clients as there designs really push the envelope and complement different design concepts. The design team at Yellow Goat works one on one with design firms to come up with original and sculptural pieces. The company has been around for over 10 years and is known internationally for their work with hotels, casinos, clubs, resorts, shopping centers and residences. I see them being a complete hit in the UAE.

Here are some of my favorite inspiration pieces from their site. Enjoy!

Yellow Goat Design Wings chandelier

I love this piece for its scale and the uplifting and whimsical feel it gives. The reflections of light it gives off throughout the day must be magical!

Yellow Goat Design Alba Chandelier

This is a very sophisticated and elegant piece. I see it in a saks 5th avenue, boutique hotel, shoe store or jewelry store…. exquisite!Yellow Goat Design Celeste Chandelier

Yellow Goat Design Crystal Donut

Yellow Goat Design Dishy Chandelier

These chandeliers compliment this space so well. The contemporary shape but classic feel is effortlessly done and despite the visual weight they seem quite regal and bright.

Yellow Goat Design Drum Fixture with Recessed Diffuser

Yellow Goat Design Amoeba

Yellow Goat Design The Girls

Can you imagine these pendants over a sushi bar! This fixture belongs in Tao Restaurant New York.

Best of NeoCon 2010: Products

Laura Bielecki — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 23:00:36 +0000

Best Of NeoCon Products

The Merchandise Mart is so large in Chicago that it is hard to put my finger on my favorite products from the trip but I managed to pull something together! NeoCon focuses mainly on Commercial interior design with a heavy focus on contract furniture and floor coverings. Most of the Showrooms are year round spaces but some of them were temporary booths.

18×36 Commercial Carpet Tile by Shaw Contract Group. In 4 great patterns: Fade, Overlay, Blur, and Laser Cut. The great selection is produced in eco-friendly Eco-Solution Q nylon on EcoWorx tile backing. This company has truly dominated the market for environmental story and aesthetics. Few others match them for the richness of their colors, quality, customer service (Thanks Celeste!) and the timelessness of their designs. I’m glad that they were the first to bring out the rectangular carpet tile and cant wait for samples to come out in the fall.
Joel Berman’s Heat lamp won Gold for decorative lighting at NeoCon. Heat is a light sculpture for designed interiors. Fashioned from a solitary 2 ¼ in. thick volume of acrylic resin, the luminaire is cast in Berman’s signature Arrigado texture, accented with brushed stainless steel hardware, and equipped with a high intensity LED light source.
Davis has created a great line of residential feeling contract furniture that is fully powered in delightful ways. I was also particularily struck by their bench seating- great form and quite conmfortable! Locally in Alberta you can find Davis through Solutions Workplace Furnishings, have a chat with Todd or Shannon and they can bring back some style to your outdated office space.
Kvadrat Maharam came out with this great vintage feeling nordic pattern in great colors called A Band Apart.
I can’t say enough how much I love Tai Ping Carpets. Their exploration of color and texture in wool and silk has been incredible to watch. Here is just one fine example of hand carving, color and play on textures. I can imagine anyone taking off their socks and shoes to run their toes through this piece. This company also suprised me this year by launching a luxury line of carpet tile called Innuendo.
Halcon came out of nowhere. I had never even heard of the company. Turns out they make high end Commercial and residential office furniture. As you can see by this image Simon was rather excited to see the clothes hanging space within the unit. Each and every element was customizable and teh drawers were all felt lined. The Proximus line was impecably detailed with the sliding workwall, eye height open filing, soft cloding drawers, ball bearing slider. The veratility and efficiency of this piece are well displayed and can benifit both the office piler and filer!
DIRTT (aka. Doing It Right This Time) certainly has blown me away. I had never seen an install until NeoCon and am shocked by how advanced their research and product line is. The clean lines and simple details of their project surely put it ahead of all other modular walls companies. These are truly living adaptable systems with infitite capabilities. I am not a health care designer nor have much interest to go that route but their healthcare display gave me infinite respect for how much work it must be to pull of an aesthetically pleasing, ergonomically correct compact hospital room that feels welcoming and clean. Congratulations DIRTT for opening my eyes!
Designed by Scott Wilson the SW_1 conference table for Coalesse is a great modern adaptation to the way we live and work. The casual work setting begs for comfort and flexibility as well as connectivity. This table allows a person to pull their table pad closer to them to make for a better posture and comfort when working with a laptop.
Jofco presented this piece in all white with a few pale blue accents but when I re-looked at it online in wood and black I was completely drawn. This piece is gorgeous and shoudl be a stand alone in any law firm or partners office. Its simple and uncluttered meant to show off stature and how critical the only desk accessory (the laptop) really is.
I was unfamiliar with Carvart until NeoCon 2010. nearly completely customizable the laminated glass can showcase images, materials, textures, graphics etc. in a sophisticated and elegant way. This large peice shown was of two faces with metallic sheer fabric in between giving the image a subtle and reflective quality to it that cannot be captured in photographs. Their website has some great closeups of what they can do. Turns out that they did Andres Escobars 11 Fulton as well as the Park Plaza in New York.
Poggenpohl makes luxury contemporary kitchens. I have been admiring the Porsche kitchen for a few years but it wasnt until visiting the Merchandise Mart in Chicago that I finally got to explore the design and truly appreciate it. The linearity of the design and integration of lighting as well as the assisted opening drawers and cabinets make you feel the qaulity and craftsmanship of the piece. Cabinets and drawers are divided by 5mm thick dark oak. Th eproporation of cabinet heights and depths is truly unique and ergonomic.
Poliform has a great collection of furniture, wardrobe and kitchen designs all in the same style but different proporations and aesthetics. I have used them in the past on a few projects overseas and am in love with particularily the Matrix collection (as shown in photo). There Grey-Dyed Oak is the most beautiful wood and finish I have seen and would love to have it for both my kitchen and wardrobe.

Contemporary Table Lamps

Laura Bielecki — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:28:12 +0000

I have a lot of favorite companies for lighting and I am captured by the diversity of lighting design on the market. Below are some of my favorite items from some of my favorite online table lamp boutiques. I hope they provide you with some great inspiration. Let me know if you know of any other amazing table lamp companies!

www.Horchow.com

www.Cassoni.com

www.InsideAvenue.com

www.modiss.com

www.lorinmarsh.com

Teal Interior Decor

Laura Bielecki — Sat, 15 May 2010 01:54:15 +0000

Every woman wants a beautiful home that captures their spirit and personality. In a teal and white scheme like this you can picture a well poised young woman who irons her sheets, bakes cupcakes and whistles while she vacuums. She has a bounce in her step and loves all the flowers of spring. I like to call this Interior Design for her!

In this graceful color scheme:

A beautiful Manhattan front door. Add your favorite color to your front door in high gloss so that your guests always get a very personal first impression.
muranohouse.com Murano House watch drain. This is such a beautiful jewel for any home. Count the minutes to wash your teeth or ensure you stay fashionably late for the evening with this watch drain.
zgallerie.com Wall decor panel in “french blue”
downtown20.net custom upholstered bench with elegant lines
instyle-decor.com drum stool $495.00
insideavenue.com the sleek and graceful guard dog
zgallerie.com Oh so pretty and elegant dinnerware
zgallerie.com Puccini silver glassware
mosaicopiu.it Italian glass tile
instyle-decor.com geometric pillow $265.00
bobbyberkehome.com fun and ornate pillow
kushcarpets.com gorgeous lush residential area rug
Teal bedroom design. A room like this is successful because of how clean the details and lines are and yet their are still many details and intricate patterns keeping interest in the vignette. Mixing solid color with dense pattern and and accent of white texture is a great way to play with depth and tactile qualities. Bedrooms should be soft and soothing so blue and teal colors are the perfect choice to feel refreshed when you wake in the morning.
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