Ray-Lee Mezentsev's Blogs

Remember a while back I wrote about Think Glass, a company that designed some of the most cutting edge glass countertops? Well they are pushing the design envelope again, glass staircases…Awwwwwsome!

Well let me just say Glass Flooring, they do bridges and tiles and platforms and oh my they are taking my breath away, take a look.

I drool

I spent the whole week between Christmas and New Year reading. Yup! I got an e-reader for Christmas. It’s my new toy and I love it! What’s most exciting is that I am able to buys books at a fraction of the cost than I would spend at a book store. A digital book averages around $8.99 some are considerable less. I then crawled the web looking for e-books discounts, I was able to find some for 35% off; that book is now $5.85. What an invention! I can carry around a library of books wherever, whenever. No more treks to goodwill to give away books. No more trying to find space on the bookshelf for yet another book. And oh the trees the trees we will save.

Gasp! A fleeting thought. What will happen to books? I love books, I even love the smell of new books, I first laid eyes on my husband in a bookstore for heaven’s sake. I AM A BOOK WORM. They have now even instituted SMARTboards in classrooms, touch screen technology is coming at us determinedly fast. I see what some of us have grown to love so much fading away in the distant future; a future, where paper books are considered collectibles. I felt my heart sinking when a loud bell in my mind went ding ding ding! Collectibles, yes collectibles.

I predict that with the phasing out of paper books to electronic books, hard bound books will become even more valuable. They will be collectibles. Depending on title, author, publisher and date published some books will fetch more than others. But how do we preserve some of what we already have?

Ta dah…. introducing Juniper Books.

Juniper Books assemble complete book collections for your home library – from dozens to thousands of volumes – fully customized based upon the interests, design preference, and budget …..

……Whether you want to build a collection of leather bound literary classics, a wall of books in a particular color and/or binding style, or just a few shelves with good quality histories and biographies, Juniper Books can design a home library for you. Our knowledge of literature, history and art is broad, our sources for new, out-of-print and antique books are diverse, and our creativity and understanding of the aesthetic possibilities of books are boundless.

I came across this company while thumbing through a magazine and was delighted that they are so accessible. As an interior designer I see great value in their service, not only because a library of bounded books is aesthetically pleasing but also the potential value of investing in preserving some of the books you already own. Here’s my suggestion, give it some thought, start looking at your library a little differently.

I know I will…. by starting with the books no longer in publication.

It’s not enough that they have been seducing our audio senses for decades.  Bang and Olufsen’s is doing it to us again! Their sister company Sea & Touch Marbella has created these really awesome home theater chairs. Check it out

Every now and then I’ll come across a furniture line that makes me smile, not just the “parting of lips” kind of smile, but the “warming of the heart” smile. They just dare to be different and it works! I have been meaning to post a picture of this piece for quite some time now.

It the Lexa Chair and Ottoman by Neoteric Luxury . Shown here in the bleached havana and corn husk (I swear this picture does no justice).  A statement piece, using custom fabric of your choice to make it fab, fab, fab! It’s best feature is its comfort, I literally had to pull myself out of this chair. Neoteric carries some exceptional lines, but the above by far is my fave.

Here are a few more pieces that made my list.

The DoDo (that name should have gotten some serious thought in their marketing department) luxury bassinet by Spain’s Baby Suommo has me tilting my head. I am not sure whether I like it or not. It’s innovative, artistic, cutting edge cool but it seems so cold. Hmmmm…. I get no fuzzy feeling about putting a newborn in it.

Something must be in the air but I am really feeling hot wall covering right now. Not long ago I wrote about some really impressive faux textured wall paper. Not only were they beautiful to look at but a pleasure to touch. Since then I have been paying close attention to all the new products that are on the market for wall coverings. Today I am excited because Settecento has a new line out called “Croco-Tiles” (Cute right?)

I want this and I want it in my home now! I am guilty as the next person of leaving stuff in the sink. I would just love to place my dishes and utensils in the sink and press a button and viola it a wash cycle! It’s called a Dual Eco Automatic Sin designed by Ahha Project for Electrolux. This is the kind of innovation that I am excited about.

Here’s how it works, turn on the faucet, clear the dishes and place them on the racks in the sink.

When the rack is full, simple rotate it out of the way, where it will enter into a wash mode and on the other side is an empty rack ready to be filled. Cool huh?

When it's done you unload.

It‘s smart savvy, creative, and super efficient. What do you think?

I came across Sicis Next Art via Kitchen and Residential Design and my heart literally went “thump thump”.

Designer Carla Tolomeo definitely broke the boundaries between art and function by creating pieces that appear to have been plucked from a garden. Sicis widely known for their mosaic art, unveiled their encrusted mosaic chairs and settees that are so detailed, each piece has that distinct eye catching bejeweled look. They are undoubtedly aesthetically magnificent works of art, and transcend the expected utility of mosaic. Quite exotic and celebrates mosaic in a way that is entirely new without appearing vulgar.

Not your atypical home pieces for sure, but you would more likely find one of these chairs in the lounge of one of the finer boutique hotels around Miami Beach.

My critical eye never ceases to find what could be designed better, but at times I’ll visit a restaurant, hotel or even someone’s home and think “yeah this done!” the colors coordination is cohesive and expresses the right ambiance, the unique pieces placed ever so perfectly, the draperies are the right length, weight and fabric (this is so important, that I’ll have to do a full post on it).

This post is a hat-tip to The Tides Hotel in Miami Beach, which is the tallest and most elegant Art Deco Hotel on Ocean Drive since its original opening in 1936. I had the opportunity to stay here in 2002 and was mildly impressed. Since then the hotel went through an entire renovation and redesign with Kelly Wrestler design firm at the helm. Today it’s funky, chic place to hang out and stay if you are in town.

 

What I love most about the update, is that it’s glamorous and it looks as if the process of design was effortless (which means it wasn’t!). The colors are soothing and transitions through the entire place except for the coral bar which puts you in the mood to “ham” it up a little. Since it’s a little on the pricey side the rooms ranges about $500 to $5,000 per night, the guest are little bit more laid-back and not the flashy crowd that South Beach is known for.

Well I must admit that The Tides continues to be the bright beacon of Ocean Drive.