Plant wall

Plantwall from Green Fortune is a new way of integrating greenery in public spaces. This vertical piece of greenery is not only beautiful, the plants also provides oxygen and humidity to improve the air quality. Some plants even have air cleaning properties. It is almost like being outside. I say this is a perfect alternative to wallpaper for your home! (via Living in Andyland)

Marie Claire Maison

Marie Claire Maison is perhaps one of my favourite sites for home decor. It has been some time since I've looked to it for design inspiration. While I do feel a little handicapped that the site is in French, the gorgeous pictures I always find there often makes up for it. Did you know that they also have a blog? It's in French, though.

Here are some eye candy for feasting. Thanks LauraB, for reminding me to check it out!

Decorating details - floors

When it comes to decorating, it is the little details that could sometimes make all the difference. The fabrics you use for your window, the tiles you use for your floor, the door knobs you choose etc...With so many options to choose from, it is too easy to get overwhelmed by all these tiny details. That is why I find it helpful to catalogue design ideas I like and reference them when I need them at a later time.

I really hope to be able to post more inspiring ideas and tips on decorating in Laissezfaire. If you have a favourite resource (magazines, designers, blogs, shops etc...) to share on decorating, do email me or drop a comment at this post. For now, I would like to share some of my favourite ideas for floor surfaces from Livingetc. If you would like to see more, click here.

(above) White mosaic tiling for bathrooms not only looks great, it make the space feel clean and fresh.
(above) I just love this orange resin floor. Tough and practical, the orange adds a rich glow and really warms up the space. For more information on resin floors, click here.

(above) A dark wood floor gives a room an old fashioned feel. Pair this with simple white furnishings to achieve a classic elegant look that is timeless.

(above) The floorboards at the entrance hallway is painted black to create some drama. Here the recessed doormat is flush with the boards to keep the area neat and tidy.

Window herbs

This is perfect for urbanites who love fresh herbs but don't have space to grow them. These pots of herbs are grown in transparent pots and are provided with suction cups to place on the kitchen window. Imagine a wall of herbs! Would make a lovely kitchen window. By ZO, .

Rapunzel

These wonderfully whimsical silk curtains with printed BLOND hair is designed by the very talented Dutch designer Nicolette Brunklaus. Perfect for adding a touch of fairytale magic to your window. This is the second time this week I have seen something made or inspired by hair!

Each panel measures 55"W X 118"L.

Available, but currently unavailable, here.

Clampleg

Clampleg by Jim Hannon-Tan allows you to make a table out of any surface. (via sub-studio)

Bird feeders

After seeing these bird cages, I am so tempted to get or make one to feed the birdies outside my apartment. Would be really nice to suspend one just outside the window and wake to birds chirping and having their breakfast in the mornings.

(images from J. Schatz and Green & Blue via the nestmaker)

A perfect retreat

I just love the clean crisp feel of this 1920s Cape Cod cottage featured in Elle Decor. The decor looks like the perfect backdrop for a Calvin Klein ad. Not surprising since it was designed by Calvin Klein and Calvin Klein White Label's creative director, Keviv Carrigan and his architect partner Tim Furzer. To view more pictures of the place, click here.

Print your fabric

Want to learn how to print your designs on fabric to personalise your home decor accessories, T shirt, bags etc? Well, this course is for you!

I have been interested in learning more about textiles and printing for the longest time. Was really excited when Imeda told me about this course at NAFA called "Print your fabric". They are starting a new class on Sept 18. The class runs once a week on Tues from 7-9pm. For some reason, this course has already been postponed a few times due to lack of interest. I think it is because people don't know about it.

There are currently 5 people (including me) who have signed up for this course. They need 12 people. So if you know of anyone who might be interested, could you please let them know? Thanks!

Click here for the course outline.

(images above from joom and Patapri)

Lindsey Adams Adelman

I really think these glass chandeliers by lindsey adelman are so amazing! Lindsey had been in the lighting design industry for 10 years, but it was when she became pregnant in 2003 that her personal approach and interest with lighting became clear. Before that, she had felt that she was losing touch with the reason why she came into design: the feeling of making things with her own hands and having the freedom to evolve designs. Today, the majority of her work is made in close collaboration with the client's ideas and desires. This process allows Lindsey to constantly explore and show clients the most recent research and sketch models. It also allows her to be constantly challenged and sustain a fresh interest in her work. Lindsey also creates art with hair. Yes, HAIR! (see below)

(via Hoping for Happy Accidents)

Point Click Home

Point Click Home. com is a wonderful online resource for design and decorating. Here, you can find plans, colour tools, design calculators as well as lots of inspiration and tips from wonderful design magazines such as Metropolitan Home and Elle Decor. Enjoy and be inspired!

ps: Do not miss the secrets of balancing colour and pattern by Kit Kemp, designer of the Haymarket Hotel.

Mountain retreat

This gorgeous mountain retreat is designed by Dutch bag designer Esther Veereschild for her six-year-old son Kiet's bedroom. The amazing wallpaper is from kitschkitchen. Esther chose orange for the decor of this room as she finds it perfect for a boy's room. It's uplifting, funny and very retro. The ski lifts you see in the image above are actually real objects!

The various pieces of furniture in the room are mostly from thrift shops. I love the way she puts the pieces together to create such a magical and imaginative space for her son. For more, visit Esther's shop and flickr page. (via finelittlething)

The return of the cassette tape

While cassette tapes seems to be forgotten by the music industry, two current trends have brought them out for a second play - the 80's nostalgia in the visual world + recycling and sustainability happening just about everywhere.

I just love the hand made wallets by Marcella Foschi below. They were designed especially for the Designboom Mart in Tokyo, November 2006. Marcella dismantles old cassette tapes, removes their innards and then joins the plastic sides back together again with a zip. Brilliant surgical procedure! (via The Designboom Shop)

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Trash Luxe

There will be an exhibition taking place at Liberty in London from 20-30 September 2007 during the London Design Festival called Trash Luxe at Liberty. Curated by dezeen editor Marcus Fairs. This exhibition celebrates over a dozen young designers round the world that create exquisite furniture, lighting and jewellery using cheap or worthless materials. To find out more about the designers whose work will be featured at this exhibition, click here. Below are some of my favourites.

(above) Tide , a chandelier made from hundreds of plastic items found washed up on Dungeness Beach, by Stuart Haygarthand.(above) Paper Mache Arm Chair made of 120 layers of newspaper built up over an inflatable mould by Majid Asif.
(above) TransNeomatic bowls which combine traditional woven wicker techniques with used scooter tyres rescued from landfill sites by the Campana Brothers from Brazil.(above) Jewellery design made from sugar crystals by Greetje van Helmond. The wall of bread she made for her graduation show at the RCA is simply delicious! Sandwich, anyone?

Instant public space kit

A group of students and graduates from the Architectural Association school in London have produced a kit that can help turn unused spaces into public amenities. This bright yellow awning is slung from telegraph poles and buildings using cables and can be erected in just four hours! These kits is being featured at a current exhibition at the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York. Called Design For The Other 90%, the exhibition features designs that improve the lives of the world’s poor. Runs from 4 May to 27 September 2007.

Communist Chic

Check out Ostel, a new budget hotel in Berlin that celebrates Communist retro chic. It must be my penchant for nolstalgic items, coupled with my several visits to my husband's Russian motherland, that started me appreciating this style of decor. The hotel is located in a former East German housing block in the Berlin Mitte district. The rooms are furnished with Communist-era pieces salvaged from private houses and second hand shops. . ohh...I just love the fabrics and wallpaper and the music on their website!