DESIGN CRAZE: TOP 7 UNUSUAL RESTAURANTS

When we go out to eat, we usually anticipate being comfortably seated in a warmly designed space filled with booths, chairs, and tables, while being served a meal we wouldn’t otherwise have the time or patience to cook for ourselves at home. It is not very often that going out to eat is a deeply memorable experience, but we can guarantee you that if you had your Filet Mignon at one of these restaurants, you would never forget it!

Design Craze: Top 7 Unusual Restaurants

1. W’Duck Toilet Restuarant, Portugal. Who needs conventional chairs and napkins, when you can dine on a toilet and wipe your face with toilet paper? This little restaurant located in a small port town in Portugal, is a tourist attraction, to say the least. With a Mediterranean inspired menu, the food has received surprisingly good reviews!

Image Source: Ifitshipitshere, Online.

2. O’Noir Restaurant. Montreal, Canada. Hence it’s name, what you see in this establishment is, well, black. Their theme is about dining in complete darkness so to enjoy the flavors of the food. This is the perfect place to have a blind date!

Image Source: Travel Spotcoolstuff, Online.

3. Mountain Bahenec Wellness Hotel, Czech Republic. It is definitely best to consider who you are going to attend this outing with. Hanging out in close proximity to your fellow diners in tubs full of beer-infused bath water, while enjoying a top-of-the-line beer should be a relaxing time, indeed! Did we mention you have your own tap?

Image Source: The Wonderous, Online.

4. Disaster Cafe.  Lloret de Mar, Spain. Though one of our greatest fears is an earthquake, the diners at this restaurant actually pay to experience one while they enjoy their meal. And not just a small one, either. Every diner experiences a (simulated) 7.8 level quake at some point while dining on a variety of different culinary cuisine. A word of advice: don’t wear your nicest attire; it is said that many drinks are spilled here.

Image Source: Republica Blog, Online.

5. Kayabukiya Tavern. Utsunomiya, Japan. The owners of this restaurant were sick of the turnover that comes with service staff in the restaurant industry. So, they trained monkeys instead. In between delivering your food, their monkeys jump around, sit on your head, and twirl in circles playfully. Live entertainment at its best! Watch the video:

Video Source: Youtube, Online.

6. Hajime Restaurant. Bangkok, Thailand. The menu of this restaurant specializing in Japanese delicacies, has a twist. Your meal will be brought to you by robots. That’s right, robots! The owner, Lapassarad Thanaphant invested over a million dollars making her dream a reality. As if being served by robots wasn’t enough, they dance for your entertainment as well!

Image Source: Koolgrub, Online.

7. ‘S Baggers. Nurnberg, Germany. This restaurant is definitely innovative, to say the least. Diners are instructed to order their meals on touch screen computers provided at their table. Once prepared, they are send down a roller-coaster type device from the kitchen above to your table top!

INNOVATIVE ARCHITECTURE: SHIPPING CONTAINER BUILDINGS

I’ll never forget a former design client I was working with who was determined to place some shipping containers on his tenth floor penthouse roof to make extra rooms for himself. I remember thinking he must be crazy! Why on earth would he want this? Well, in doing my research, I came across an entire shipping container culture. Many people are building homes and commercial properties with these simple, rectangular boxes. So today, I am going to share some of my favorite shipping container architecture!

Here are my top five picks of shipping container buildings across the world:

1. Shipping Container Guest House. San Antonio, Texas. How cool would it be to spend a weekend with these folks? Your very own shipping container guest house? You could check that one off your bucket list. This little gem has its own bathroom, tons of windows, and a sleek, contemporary design.

2. Shipping Container City. Cholula, Mexico. This shipping container shopping center features restaurants and bars, galleries, residences, and stores! It is painted colorfully, and has an eclectic spunk to it. There are lounge areas with ping-pong tables and places to relax. On weekends there are live bands that showcase in the common areas as well!

3. Shipping Container Holiday House. New Zealand. This vacation home was designed to close into a perfectly sealed box. When in use, the walls come down, and there are pull-out beds, a patio, and windows in tact!

4. Oceanscope Scenic Observatory, Songdo New City, Incheon, South Korea. These containers were placed at fixed angles, providing different views of one of the most popular harbors in the city. This architectural delight attracts tourists from all over the world.

 5. Multi-Container House, Redondo Beach, California.This beachfront property is built with eight fabricated shipping containers. One of the coolest attributes to this home, is that one of the containers was converted into a swimming pool!

Shut the Front Door: ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY GRAFFITI!

Unless it is done by a talented artist, graffiti can be an eyesore. When you think of graffiti, you probably picture a spray painted cluster of words, symbols, and drawings that have been placed where they shouldn’t be. But, in doing my research, I found a little DIY graffiti gem that I am excited to try!

Moss-Art Graffiti. Did you know that moss contains spores that grow easily, can spread, and withstand harsh conditions? Well, I didn’t until now. Green Graffiti, made with moss, has taken the nation by storm, and I feel like I’ve been living under a rock for not knowing about it.

So, how do you make this concoction? With just moss, sugar, buttermilk, and gardening gel. Blend it together, and you’ve got yourself hours of entertainment! Here is a tutoral on how:

 Here are my three favorite green graffiti masterpieces:

1. Represent Your Family Name. How cool would this be to have on the side of your house? Many of these artists use stencils to get a clean, streamlined look.

2. Geometric Pattern to Dress Up An Otherwise Uninteresting Wall. By taping off the pattern, then applying the solution, this landscape architect created a gorgeous design masterpiece!

3. Bring A Dead Car Back to Life. Moss artist, Edina Tokodi took moss graffiti to a whole new level. By adding grass seed to the moss spores, this sad little Beetle got a rebirth.

WOAH! 3 AWESOMELY UNIQUE HOUSES

We all aspire to live the dream.  We go about our daily lives, keeping up with the Jones’, in a constant state of redundancy.  We live in our commonplace homes, with right angles and two-by-fours.  We desire constancy, and prefer predictability.  Or do we?  There are a handful of people who have decided against the norm.  At least when it comes to their living quarters, that is. They prefer to live in spaces that are uniquely theirs.  Here are my favorite three awesomely unique houses:

1. House NA, Japan.

The House NA, designed by architect, Suo Fujimoto, is made almost entirely of glass.  His whole idea behind this concept was to experiment with what defines a house.  He is known for his designs with letting in light, and took his niche to a whole new level!

2. Bubble House. Tourrettes-sur-Loup, France.

This crazy looking house is still a work in progress, even after 35 years! It has become a historic monument, designed by Hungarian architect, Antti Lovag.  He built this house full of windows facing the volcanic Côte d’Azur landscape and the beautiful Mediterranean.

3. Space House. Signal Mountain, Tennessee.

This space-age style home is tucked away in the hills of Tennessee.  Built by architect, Curtis King and his sons in the 1970′s, inspired by the science fiction movement of its time.  It is currently up for sale, with the owner stating that the price is, “whatever the public is willing to pay.”

INTERIOR DESIGN: Coastal Love

There is something so beautiful about beach inspired decor. While I have not ever personally indulged in this style, I have a true love for it. Maybe in my next place! Here are my top seven beachy inspired spaces!

1. Pelican Focal Point.

2. Fresh and Bright.

3. Coastal Kitchen.

4. Bathroom Bliss.

5. Sunny Chic.

6. Beach Smart.

7. Coastal Nursery.

INTERIOR DESIGN: LIVING/FAMILY ROOM DESIGN CONCEPTS to LOVE

Our living room is one of the busiest parts of our home. It is an area used for entertaining, watching our favorite movies, and chatting about the day’s events. This room typically has the most seating, from sofas, to armchairs, to ottomans. We like our living room to be welcoming, warm, and most importantly, comfortable.

One of the biggest design dilemmas that we face when choosing how to decorate our living room is figuring out a plan. It is difficult to decide on paint color, furniture, and accessories, while maintaining function and aesthetics. We thought it would be helpful to give you some tips on how to make these choices, and show you some of our living room inspirations, as well.

Choosing Paint Color

Choosing a paint color for your living room can be difficult. It is overwhelming- the amount of paint colors that are out there, nowadays. So, here are some rules of thumb when it comes to choosing paint color:

1. Size of your room. If you are trying to make your room appear larger, stick to lighter, brighter colors. If you are trying to make a large room feel more cozy, darker colors are the answer.

2. Natural light. If your living area is in direct sunlight, you are best off painting it with more saturated colors. The natural brightness of the sun can have a dulling affect on paint visually; bold colors can withstand this, and make their statement. However, a simple, clean white paint can really emphasize the sunniness of the room, if that is what you are going for.

If your living room area is away from natural light, you will want to stick with neutral, light colors. This will make the room feel brighter. Dark colors typically are placed as accent walls, or in rooms where a cozy feel is desired.

3. Warm vs. Cool tones. Do you like your living room to feel warm and cozy? Or, perhaps you like a clean, fresh feeling living room. This is where color choice can play a large role, as well. Warm toned colors, such as red and orange will give your room a well, warm feeling. Cool tones, such as blues and greens, tend to give your room a fresh, cool feeling.

Choosing Furniture

When it comes to choosing the furnishings you will put in your living room, there are two very important factors to consider:

1. Size of the Room. How large or small your living room is, can play a large role in choosing your furnishings. It is important to consider scale. If you are furnishing a room with 20′ ceilings and an open floor plan, you may want to consider larger scale furnishings to fill the space, while emphasizing the grandiosity of the architecture. If your living room area is smaller, closed off (more traditional layout), you will want to choose furnishings that fit the space, while maintaining flow.

2. Function of Your Room. Do you like to entertain? Do you have family movie night in your living room? How many household members are there? Do you have small children who keep their toys in this room? It is the function of your living room space that is an important factor to consider when choosing furniture. A large comfy sofa with a chaise would work for a family with children. A modern, sleek sofa would be ideal for a single professional.

3. Storage. Do you need storage? It is important to consider storage when purchasing living room furniture as well. Would a coffee table that doubles as a storage trunk be ideal for your space, or a simple, lightweight ottoman instead?

Choosing Decor

Once you have figured out the paint and furnishings, it is time to consider the best part: the decor. People are always amazed at the impact the little things can make on a room. From throw pillows to accessories, it is the decor that can pull all of the other factors together.

Here are some key things to consider when choosing your decorative items:

1. Color Palette. A very common misconception people have when decorating their homes, is that everything must match perfectly. Actually, there is some truth in this; but not fully. It is often key to integrate the colors of your paint and furnishings into your throw pillows and rugs. But, did you know that you can integrate those colors in different saturation, lightness and darkness, even hue, and still have it look gorgeous?

Complementary colors (colors opposite from each other on the color wheel) work best when choosing a color palette. If your walls have a blue tint for example, some orange-toned items in your room would flow nicely.

2. Pattern. It used to be trendy to match your sofa to your drapes, to your pillows, and so on. This is no longer the case (thank goodness)! Having a mixture of pattern in your space can allow for many secondary focal points, and bring harmony to the design. When choosing patterns, it is important to consider where you are placing it.

If you have a large scale, repeating pattern, it may look to busy on your sofa, leaving the mind restless. Large scale, and brighter colored patterns work best as throw pillows and rugs (unless you are trying to make that piece of furniture your focal point).

Small scale repeating patterns work well on furniture and window treatments.

Theme. You don’t necessarily need to have a theme to your room, but having a general style is always going to bring some cohesiveness to it. If you prefer very ornate, traditional style furnishings, it is probably safe to stick with that look. If you prefer more of a modern, streamlined look, you can go with that, and have it work together. But, most of us prefer an eclectic mix of both traditional and contemporary. This style is called, “transitional.”

DESIGN YOUR LIFE: Soothing Bedroom Designs

There is nothing more refreshing than waking up in a clean, crisp, beautifully designed room. Here are my top ten favorite soothing rooms- ones that anyone would adore morning and night.

1. Industrial Calm.

2. Blue and White Classic.

3. Glisten and Sparkle.

4. Rustic Cabin.

5. Princess Ballerina.

6. Coastal.

7. Fresh and Colorful.

8. Boho Beauty

9. Shabby Chic

10. Contemporary Classic.

DESIGN TREND: COMPUTER GENERATED FINISHES

We have been seeing photo-print fabrics on the Runway, but they are becoming increasingly popular in Interior Design. There is something so vibrant and interesting about seeing a photograph on a material, able to bend and move while maintaining its stillness. So, how can we apply this trend in our space?

Here Are Our Top 5 Computer Generated Finishes in Interior Design:

1. Wallpaper. There are many new photo-realistic wallpaper patterns on the market now, some which can be used to make a space appear larger or for a focal point. You don’t suppose the Greeks and Romans were onto something when the Trompe d’oeil was the interior fashion trend?

Image Source: Nicedecors, Online.

2. Furniture Upholstery. With today’s technology, you can display your favorite image on your furniture. Talk about making a statement!

Image Source: Fresh Home, Online.

3. Flooring. It has become a popular trend mostly in commercial design to put a Google Earth image on your floor. What an appropriate place for it, pictured here, at an airport!

Image Source: GizMag, Online.

4. Curtains. There really are no limitations as to where you can put digital images, as long as they are placed on something flat, and tangible. More importantly, there are no limits as to what you can have printed!

Image Source: Meat Artists, Online.

5. Pillows. Probably the most common photo-image printed items that are trending right now are throw pillows. You can find almost anything printed now, so the design sky is the limit! Here are some of Pure Home’s picks: