When you envision basking by the ocean on a lounge chair, or enjoying the sea breeze whistle through your open windows at your resort hotel, the St. Tropez lifestyle embodies this feeling. Designer Christophe Pillet has created a line of recycled aluminum chairs, bar stools, and swivel chairs that were inspired by and made for Hotel Sezz in St. Tropez. Aluminum chair manufacturer Emeco, in Pennsylvania, paired with Pillet to produce a chair that isn’t exactly what you would expect at a luxury tropical resort.

Pillet said, “All hotels in the area are the same – fashion hotels. I wanted the opposite. The precious thing for me is the quality of the sun in southern France. I wanted the hotel to feel like the smell of the skin when you are on the beach.”… Mocoloco

The Sezz chair is very simplistic in design with no visible welding connections, which makes the Sezz chair line comfortable and durable. “The look is very subtle, but holds an unbelievable quality; you don’t see the welding, the recycled aluminum, the indestructibleness, they are all real but invisible values, the hidden territory of a luxury product”…Mocoloco

The unique aesthetic about these chairs is the timeless appeal that they have. Unlike chairs found in many trendy hotels in resort areas, these chairs will look great years from now. Pillet designed the chairs for this exact reason. He commented, “The chair is not made to look a certain way, but to make you instantly want to climb up in it and have a nap. The idea is to be timeless and create desires, using the objects in its purest form. When you collect, you choose items you would like to keep for a long time and not throw away, even when these items are not in fashion, you still love them”…Mocoloco

What a great inspiration for all designers to live by; to design for comfort, functionality, and timeless appeal. The Sezz chairs are a furniture inspiration for us all to learn by and enjoy in our own homes.

All photo credits: Emeco via Mocoloco

When is the last time you experienced outdoor furniture that looked stylish but was also made from eco-friendly products? The combination doesn’t always mix. In fact, most often times the result is a stark piece of furniture with very little inspiration. Those thoughts are further from the truth with Husk Outdoor Furniture, by Patricia Urquiola. These modern and sleek pieces of outside goodness look comfortable and are ideal for the Earth.

The durable hard shell is made from Hirek® and the cushions give it a playful ‘ski-jacket’ appeal, that creates the mixture of softness and durability in an outdoor piece.

What makes these chairs fun is the choice of colors for the body and the cushions of the chair. The supports come in white, black, orange, acid green and sky blue, so there is a color to match every decorative style. While the ‘…cushions come in two versions, with larger sizes on the seat or on the backrest, and are covered by technical fabric that is available in five shades: white, beige, orange, acid green, sky blue. The water-passing padding enables water to seep through the cushions without stagnation.”… Muuz

All the components of the Husk outdoor furniture line are recyclable and are made from recycled materials. With complimenting side tables, this outdoor furniture is fun to look at, as well as durable and environmentally friendly. Once spring is officially here, it will be time to think about outdoor living. These outdoor pieces from Patricia Urquiola would be a great addition to anyone’s backyard.

All photo credits: Muuz via Mocoloco

It’s been said that, sometimes, fashion comes before (and often at the expense of) comfort; today’s roundup of ultramodern sofas likely substantiates that line of thinking. They may or may not be incredibly comfortable to lounge around in, but these four candy-colored couches display some eye-popping aesthetic sensibilities and nearly-edible fabric choices. With their sinewy lines and bombastic hues (including just the right tomato-and-lime combination to balance out the stark whiteness of Christian Vivanco’s curvy loveseat, below), to call each one a conversation piece would be a bit of an understatement. In fact, for someone who doesn’t spend much time lounging in front of the television and would rather make a bold proclamation of style with their living space instead of spending long weekends at home, hibernating in cozy but perhaps boring digs, this quartet of seating options might be just what the design doctor ordered.

Photo credits: Herman Miller, Dezeen, Apartment Therapy and Archi Expo.

When it comes to seating in your home, do you look for pieces that you have seen in every furniture store or do you prefer chairs that are different and a bit unusual? The Millipede chair, by Michael Samoriz of Umbra Design, is definitely for those that love funky design with a bit of whimsy. This bar chair looks something like a jellyfish, making the idea refreshing since it doesn’t look like a cookie-cutter piece of furniture.

Samoriz said, “The idea of Millipede is a symbiosis of cyberpunk and bionics. I borrowed the look of “Dron” guardians from The Matrix trilogy. The bionical part of design is related with the look of a jelly fish. That’s why the Millipede chair is something in the middle between a robot and a living being, some sort of futuristic organism.”… Behance Network.

The chair is crafted from a high gloss plastic and is molded to be comfortable for seating with its all-in-one back and arm rests. Its tentacle-like legs appear as though it wouldn’t be able to stand up, but each one is angled in just the right way to give it durability. It has a living organism feeling that is highly unique and innovative. If you’re looking for seating that is comfortable and will be the conversation piece of the party, the Millipede chair belongs in your home.

All photo credits: Behance Network

Your dining room is the one part of the home that needs to be able to accommodate more than just the 4 chairs that came with your dining room set. From special occasion dinners, to inviting friends over, to hosting your relatives at the holidays, creating more seating in your dining room is a challenge many of us face. The most important factor is to be flexible with your dining room and have a plan for those last minute guests. Here are a few ideas to increase your seating area for you and your dining companions.

• Examine your entertaining lifestyle: For every home, there is a personal lifestyle that embodies how each of your rooms will be utilized. Extra seating in a home that has several kids and visiting family members could benefit from a bench or window seat that can easily provide more than just pull up chair seating. If you only have an occasional dinner guest, consider using coordinated seating from an adjacent room to solve the extra seating dilemma.

Photo credit: Houzz

• Eclectic seating can be fashionable: Long gone are the days of dining room chairs and tables that had to match. In fact, a mix of upholstered, wooden, metal, and even family room chairs can bring an eclectic design style to your dining room table. Create more seating in your dining room with vintage and garage sale seating finds, or reuse and re-purpose older chairs and give them a distressed finish or a fresh coat of paint. When using different types of seating, try and keep a unified theme, but don’t be afraid to mix and match! Whether you connect your seating with color, material or patterns, this unification helps your dining room look purposefully eclectic and not haphazard.

Photo credit: Houzz

Your dining room seating dilemma just became easier to solve with the help of these extra seating solutions. The size of your dining room will dictate how much additional seating you can fit into it for guests to still feel comfortable. If you have the space, consider housing 2 dining room tables with seating for extra large gatherings. This will ensure your guests are comfortable and everyone gets an ideal seat.

Photo credit top: Bone Steel Trout Hall

The Helix Chair, designed for Moroso Furniture features soft plush edges with a big round hole at the middle bottom of the chair to give it its snail-like feature. This design is truly a case of going back to nature. The designs use a variety of unique shapes seamlessly merged with each color to create a blend that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and gives the whole room a new uplifting experience.

Born in Sarajevo, Karmelina Martina now lives and works in Udine. She graduated in 2001 with honors in industrial design from Florence University, having studied under internationally renowned designers such as Vanni Pasca, Isao Hosoe, Paolo Deganello and so on. She has worked in Moroso’s product development department since 2006, with a quest to perfect every inch of design that separates technical/manufacturing reasoning from symbolic/emotive motivations. In addition to her product development activities, she also designs jewelry, lamps and private homes.

The Helix Chair is great for those young and trendy urban adults whose just got their new pad and looking for ways to accessorize and decorate it. You’re young, you’re free and you’re fabulous so show it in your interior decoration as well. This chair is great against white washed walls as it adds that splash of color.

The fabric is loose-fitted and the folds give the effect of a sumptuous ball gown. Chantilly is a modular seating system, whereas the components come apart into individual seats, and halved, can create two sofas to go alongside walls.

With its warm and welcoming appeal, the Chantilly sofa makes a great centerpiece in a welcoming reception area, or in modern nightspots and VIP clubs.

The armchair is ones place of comfort and relaxation, so the design to be comfortable as well as stylish on the eye. The sumptuous curves of the Contemporary armchair give the user a relaxed, yet sensible posture. This stylish armchair would be a most welcome addition to a modern black and white living room.

The surface of the chair has a sieve-type effect, with numerous holes punctured, giving the chair a highly industrialized look. It’s modern and minimalist design make it perfect for a number of environments, from contemporary dining chairs to boardrooms within a modern and dynamic company.

Touch-up and clean the Façade

First impressions do matter and your home’s façade is the first thing your guest will see. There is no reason to pull out the paint brushes if you’re in a time crunch; focus on easier to finish tasks that can capture your guest’s attention. Clear cobwebs from beneath or where they have attached to brick walls. Leaves pouring over the edge of gutters are eye-catching in a negative way, so scoop all your gutters clean. Sweep your front steps and walkway free of debris.

Clean the Yard

If you found out about your unexpected guests a few days before their arrival, immediately mow the lawn. About three days after being mown, grass will be at its best state, looking healthy and lush, without being overgrown. The day that guests arrive, rake your yard and trim any overgrown branches from your bushes or trees. If you need to add color to the front of your house, buy a few potted plants and inexpensive planters. This is a great way to improve the look of your house without doing intense landscaping. Place the planters along your front steps or artfully around your door.

Clean the House

A thorough cleaning of your home is a necessity if you want to wow visitors. If it’s in your budget, hiring a cleaning agency is a smart idea. They can scrub your house, while you focus on other things that have to be done. If you would rather do the cleaning yourself, pay special attention to appliances. Shining faucets and stainless still finishes add light to a room and make things appear to be new.

Clear Out Clutter

Extra knickknacks or needless furniture make your house look cluttered. However, most people have them lying around and, typically, those knickknacks have meaning. There’s no need to toss them out or hide them – except for during this visit. If you have unnecessary furniture stuck into the corner of oft-used rooms, move it to the attic or a garage space while your guests are in town. If you never use it, then your guests certainly won’t either. The same goes for the odds and ends lying on shelves. Put them away until your visitors leave. Keeping clutter to a minimum opens up your space.

Utilize Light

Well-lit homes look larger and more welcoming than darker homes. Open all your window coverings before guests arrive. If they are coming at night, the light from inside your home will welcome them there. If it’s daytime, the daylight will brighten your house, giving it an appealing air.

Liz Childers writes about a number of topics, including knives and bird feeders. 

Retro furniture for gaming enthusiasts is proving to be more and more popular. With Super Mario celebrating his 25th birthday this week it just goes to show how long gaming has been one of our favorite pastimes, embedded in our culture, and now spilling over into interior design trends.

Retro designs with a nostalgic and gaming feel will grow in popularity as we age and look back on the things which were prevalant in our childhoods, and therefore incorporate them into our daily environments in the future.

Designed by Matali Crasset, the seats have a minimalist hexagonal design and bold purple colour. As well as offering a modern and stylish seating solution, a lot of fun can be had with Digitspace, by combining the seats in different arrangements.

Originally designed for an exibition in the Billeres Mediatheque, an example of Digitspace is currently on exibition at the Maison Descartes in Amsterdam.