Chic Green Interior Design

I’ve been fortunate enough to get a sneak peek at Lori Dennis’s upcoming book, Green Interior Design. It’s a wealth of information about environmentally friendly materials and building practices. For the lost soul who is navigating this new trend, this easy to use book is truly worth every penny.

green_interior_design Lori explains every aspect of residential interior design—furniture and accessories, window treatments, fabrics, surface materials, appliances and plumbing fixtures, plants, and more—from a green perspective in terms of reducing waste, avoiding pollution, and protecting the occupant’s health.

My favourite “green” tip is, of course, this: “If you really want or need something entirely new, comb through what you have. Sell something that you aren’t using to offset the cost of the new item. Preferably buy the “new” item used.”

Lori’s book is coming out just in time for the holidays and at $16.47 – I think it would be the perfect book for anyone interested in green interior design. Find it here on Amazon. Leave a message in the comments below and we’ll do a draw for the book at the end of November.

UPDATE: Congrats to Michelle who won the copy of Lori’s book. It should be in the mail to you soon!

Category: Books

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By Melanie Carlson

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Long Distance Home Staging?

Last year I sold my place in a tough market – low housing prices AND during the height of the Winter Olympics – I was fighting against the odds to get my place sold on time and make a decent price.

Desperate times called for desperate measures, so I hired a home stager to make my place look its absolute best. I was apprehensive about the $2000 investment, but it was the best thing I could have done. My apartment sold within the month and at for the high end of the market – certainly more than any other apartment in my building that was for sale at the time.

That’s why I was excited to hear about Modern Mecca’s new take on home staging – long distance staging. Smart-as-a-whip Claudia Andrade-Desbiens of Modern Mecca has created a one-of-a-kind niche in the home staging market–a customizable home staging plan that helps people get professional staging design help at a fraction of the cost.

Los Angeles Home Staging-Loft-Modern Mecca Staging & Design-0001

“Long distance staging is perfect for people on a budget, who are trying to sell their mid-century modern home, and who know they need a little help from someone who really understands Mid-Century Modernism.”

Modern Mecca offers coast-to-coast staging services, perfect for the Do-It-Yourself-ers, and those on a budget. For $795 you receive a thorough assessment of your property inside and out, recommendations on what to add, remove from each room, furniture placement, paint colour suggestions, necessary repairs and upgrades, and personalized 24/7 support to get your house looking the way it should for a fast sale.

Mid-century modern interior with noguchi coffee table

Los Angeles Home Staging-Mid Century Modern-Gregory Ain-Park Planned Home-Altadena CA-Heritage Area-1946_Web_0236

For lucky LushPad readers outside of the state of California, Modern Mecca has graciously offered a special one-time only discount of 50% off – making this service a complete steal at $397.

Category: Interiors

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By Melanie Carlson

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The Lost Art of Glass Embossing & Sign Writing

All I’m going to say is, if you have 15 minutes and you love typography you have to watch this short documentary about David A Smith. His name has become synonymous in Sign-Writing and Glass gilding circles with high quality, hand crafted reverse glass signs and decorative silvered and gilded mirrors. This documentary by Danny Cooke reveals behind-the-scenes work, techniques and visions that Dave uses when carrying out his passion as a glass embosser – One of the few remaining traditional UK glass artists. I’m truly inspired, and I hope you will be too.

Category: Art

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By Melanie Carlson

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Mod, Vintage, Retro

Words of the moment to describe fabrics and wall coverings with a decidedly mid-century vibe. With pops of color and space-age cool, your pad can be uber-hip and shagadelic, baby! Here are a few of our favorites.

Amy Lau’s delicious new collection for S. Harris. Shown below: Supergrafil in Earthwork and Waterblocks in Aqua.

Amy Lau Vintage Fabrics

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Category: Interiors, Uncategorized

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By Melanie Carlson

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Lushpad’s Top 10 Designers

During our last Lushpad give-away, asked you who your favourite furniture designers were and here are the results. It wasn’t really a surprise that Ray & Charles Eames won by a landslide (67%), but there are some surprises amongst our Top Ten Designer List! Let us know your thoughts on our line up.

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Category: Mid-Century Modern

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By Melanie Carlson

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New Colors for Eames Molded Plastic Chairs

Herman Miller is introducing five new colors to its range of Eames Molded Plastic Chairs. Now you have 10 colors to pick from in both the side chair and armchair models. The new colours are Aqua sky, java, wafer, greystone, and sparrow. They’re also adding another two bases to the range – the stacking and the 4-legged frame.

“The introduction of these colors and bases is a response to the increasing popularity of these chairs. They serve a variety of residential and commercial applications, and the additional colors and bases will provide a broader range of options for our customers,” says product manager Gregg VanderKooi. “Since Herman Miller is the only licensed manufacturer of these chairs in North America, we believe it’s important to provide authentic choices to protect the integrity of these classic designs.”

The chair shells, once made of fiberglass-infused plastic, are produced in environmentally friendly polypropylene, a decision made by the company almost a decade ago to reinforce its commitment to sustainability. In addition, the chairs now are made in the United States to reduce their manufacturing carbon footprint.

Ray & Charles Eames designed their molded plastic armchair in 1948 for entry in the International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture organized by the New York Museum of Modern Art. Herman Miller introduced the armchair, along with a companion side chair in 1950, and they soon found broad acceptance in residential and institutional markets—becoming the first mass-produced plastic chairs. Herman Miller reintroduced the Eames molded plastic chairs in 2001 and then dramatically increased the offering in 2005 as part of its ‘Get Real’ campaign for authenticity.

Category: Uncategorized

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By Melanie Carlson

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Eames Inspiration

Check out Barneys New York windows on Madison and 61st between May 11th and June 1st for a real treat. A collection of iconic Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chairs, as re-imagined by some of today’s most celebrated street artists will be on display. These one of a kind chairs will be auctioned off online to benefit Operation Design.

Operation Design organizes architects, graphic designers, construction and related professionals to work with schools and inspire students. I don’t know about you, but I think this is an absolutely wonderful cause. The online auction starts May 11th when you can start the bidding at the Operation Design site.

Check out some of the fabulous artist who are participating!

James and Karla Murray

Category: Art

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By Melanie Carlson

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5 Must-Have Mid-Century Modern Books

I’m always being asked which books to buy on mid-century modernism, so I’ve compiled a list of my current top 5 books under $50. Lushpad has a larger list of books over at Amazon if you want to have a look for some more great mid-mod books.

If you’ve got any suggestions to add to the list, let us know in the comments section, we’ll be sure to include them!

Vintage Furniture: Collecting and Living with Modern Design Classics

I love, love, love this book as an all-round primer for anyone interested in mid-century modern furniture. Fay Sweet highlights the most iconic pieces from each international design movement, exploring the key designers, details and materials that define the most influential and collectible furniture created since the turn of the twentieth century. This is definitely my number one book choice.

Our Price: $34.20 (only 3 left on Amazon) Buy it Now!

Modern Retro: Living with Mid-Century Modern Style
Got this book as a Christmas present and think it’s absolutely great! Created by mid-century modern dealer Andrew Weaving and design commentator Neil Bingham, “Modern Retro” shows you how to take the best designs in furniture, glass, ceramics and textiles from the 1920s to the 1970s and use them throughout your home in a relaxed and individual way.

Our Price: $29.99 Buy it Now!

The Complete Case Study Houses Program

If you don’t know about the The Case Study House Program (1945-66) you’re in for a treat. This book showcases the 36 prototype homes designed by such great talents as Richard Neutra, Charles & Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen that re-defined the affordable, modern post-war home. The book contains beautiful photos, detailed floorplans and other documentation of all the homes. (there’s even a Jumbo Coffee Table version worth $229.49 if you’re feeling really flush).
Our Price: $44.09 Buy it Now!

Julius Shulman: Chicago Mid-Century Modernism

I can’t say I own this book yet, but I’ve pre-ordered it and can’t wait to get my hands on it. New and vintage photography of America’s modernist architectural mecca taken by legendary architectural photographer, Julius Shulman. The book features the elegantly modern Minsk House, designed by Keck & Keck in 1955; the 1960 Burton Frank House, a mid-century modern gem; architect Harry Weese’s inspired modernist home and studio of 1957; and many other modern masterpieces.

Our Price: $37.80 Pre-Order it Now!

Living Retro

Great interiors from around the world featuring classic mid-century modern pieces. Andrew Weaving celebrates retro style in all its guises with this multi-faceted book embracing many different decorative styles but always at its heart, a passion for vintage furniture and an understanding of the very best twentieth-century design. The interiors featured are varied in style, ranging from a slick, minimalist loft in London to an eclectic Parisian home full of found objects and a New York apartment that’s a cocktail of color and pattern.

Our Price: $19.77 Buy it Now!

Category: Books

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By Melanie Carlson

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Lush Pad Series: Terrence N

Terrence has done a great job of mixing contemporary and mid-century, and his dog is a cutie! Side tables and coffee table are Lane Acclaim and Terrence refinished them himself. The pair of vintage turquoise blue lamps tie the room together beautifully and are accented by the painting Terrence did himself. We’re looking forward to seeing more!