Our Floorify F029 Coquille Big Vinyl Tilesprovide the perfect kitchen flooring solution if you’re after the look of concrete floors at a fraction of the price. This design creates the ideal match with pink tones for an elegant finish in this contemporary kitchen
There’s an important decision looming for all you romantics out there: How are you planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year? If you’re thinking of preparing a delicious dinner à deux at home, accompanied by a glass or two of something special to drink, it’s time to lavish some love on your kitchen floor first! Family-run, independent online tiles and flooring specialist Hyperion Tiles has plenty of inspiration for kitchen flooring ideas you’ll love for Valentine’s Day and beyond – with highly competitive trade pricing a key feature.
Our director Richard comments: “As open-plan kitchen/dining/living rooms become more common, we’re all spending a lot more time in this space. That’s great news in terms of functionality and flow – and makes Valentine’s Day entertaining much easier. But it does mean increased traffic levels for your floor. And because all areas are on display all of the time, any signs of wear and tear tend to be far more obvious.”
Here’s are Richard’s top three popular kitchen flooring ideas:
1. Show some passion for pattern. The trend for patterned floors shows no sign of slowing down in 2024. They add instant impact and interest to any space. Why not go big, bold and bright to create a modern statement floor? Or choose a neutral palette with an interesting motif.
2. Cement and cement-effect tiles (also known as concrete tiles) are firm favourites among fans of the urban/industrial chic aesthetic. But they can feel cold and hard underfoot. That’s why we offer a wide selection of cement-effect tiles. They deliver the same visual impact, but feel more comfortable – and are a much more cost-effective option.
3. Terracotta tiles have always been a popular choice for kitchens, because they bring both virtual and physical warmth to a space Their distinctive red/brown appearance looks fabulous in traditional settings. But the right shape and shade can really elevate a modern kitchen too.
Our highly skilled team are available to offer expert advice, technical know-how and in-depth product knowledge on tiles, solid and engineered wood flooring, and LVT. We work closely with designers, specifiers, architects and homeowners.
You can peruse and buy comprehensive collections of more than 15,000 types of tiles, flooring and bathroom accessories for residential and commercial projects online or simply visit us at our Ascot showroom. .For more information on different kitchen flooring ideas, why not read our latest blog here?
Would you like to feature large lifestyle or cut-out images or receive more information on any of our products? Our director, Richard Skeoch, is also available for exclusive interviews on tiles trends, new products and more.
If you’re thinking ‘new year, new dining room’, this may be the time to give your space an update.
Here are 3 trending ideas to refresh your space for the new year with the help of our resident Interior Style Advisor Rebecca Snowden at Furniture And Choice.
1. Zone your dining space with fashionable wall panels
MAM Shanghai’s 2024 calendar packed with exhibitions from David Hockney, Marina Abramović, Robyn Ward, and contemporary Chinese artists
In the Chinese calendar, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon. The mythical creature represents strength and good fortune, and MAM Shanghai’s upcoming programme exemplifies these characteristics.
The Modern Art Museum (MAM) Shanghai will embark on one of its most ambitious and groundbreaking years yet, with a diverse calendar designed to inspire and educate.
Featuring globally renowned icons including David Hockney, Marina Abramović and Robyn Ward alongside an array of Chinese artists, MAM Shanghai is set to be a ‘go to’ destination for art lovers the world over
From interactive, participatory sculptures to paintings, immersive installations and contemporary Chinese art, MAM Shanghai’s forthcoming exhibitions are guaranteed to widen our understanding of the modern world and to challenge our views of it, while offering new experiences and perspectives.
The 2024 programme begins in March, when contemporary Irish artist Robyn Ward opens his first exhibition in China with the launch of his immersive solo show, Walking in the Dark. Following on from highly-acclaimed runs in New York and London, the experiential exhibition features abstract paintings and freestanding sculptures inspired by Ward’s own nomadic lifestyle, driven by a need for both escapism and avoidance. Walking in the Dark asks questions such as “Why do people roam?” and “What is the aftermath of perpetual movement?”
Ward’s exhibition runs until May 2024 at MAM Shanghai, and the following month sees the hugely anticipated opening of David Hockney: Paper Trails, the largest ever exhibition of the acclaimed British artist’s prints. Hockney is renowned for his distinctive approach to printmaking, mirroring the vibrancy and diligent indexing seen in his broader body of work. The works in this exhibition – which runs from June to August 2024 – speak to Hockney’s ongoing dedication to capturing and indexing his life through intimate portraiture and snapshots from daily life.
From September 2024 through January 2025, MAM Shanghai will host conceptual and performance art pioneer Marina Abramović’s first Chinese museum exhibition with her Transforming Energy series. The Serbia-born artist has earned widespread acclaim over the past 50 years as a pioneer of performance art, bringing post-war European avant-garde to the mainstream via sheer endurance and dedication to her work. Focusing on interactive, participatory sculptures, Transforming Energy is inspired by one of Abramović’s most iconic performances, her walk across the Great Wall of China with German performance artist Ulay in 1988. Engaging with various materials such as quartz, amethyst, tourmaline, copper, iron and wood, Abramović invites the audience to directly interact with her works, and to receive their energy as a means of transit to a meditative state of consciousness.
“With a global and multidisciplinary approach, MAM contributes to the education, knowledge, and enjoyment of art, its values, and message through the presentation of exhibitions and programming of extraordinary quality in an immersive and engaging experience. In keeping with our mission, the 2024 exhibitions will be intriguing explorations in contemporary art and design,” said Shai Baitel, MAM Shanghai’s Artistic Director.
MAM Shanghai is keen to celebrate talented artists closer to home as well. Beginning in March 2024, Multiply!!!: Power In Numbers in Contemporary Chinese Art will feature 12 modern Chinese artists and their work. Curated by Barbara Pollack, this inspiring exhibition includes watercolours from Wu Jian’an, a series of cyanotypes from Ma Qiusha, oil paintings from Yuan Yuan, and a mural from Wang Qingsong.
This show is a celebration of Warhol’s unique and radical contribution to art history; displaying many of his most iconic pieces from across his career.
Warhol’s rarely seen original Ads paintings, a set of 10 canvases, are on view to the public in the UK for the first time.
Warhol explored the intersection between art and commerce like no other artist in history and this has had profound implications for subsequent generations. This is most clearly expressed in the Ads series, which was created both as a portfolio of prints and as a set of ten paintings on canvas. For this body of artworks, Warhol reimagined famous adverts, marketing Apple computers, Volkswagen cars and Chanel No. 5 amongst others, rendering them with vibrant colours and transforming them into powerful works of art. Both the silkscreen prints and the paintings are now displayed together in the UK for the first time making this show a must-see for Warhol enthusiasts and collectors alike.
Our long-standing commitment to building distinguished art collections; putting on world class, museum scale exhibitions that are freely accessible to the general public; and working closely with prestigious institutions around the globe, has only enhanced our expertise in showcasing and handling his work.’
Kate Brown, Halcyon Gallery’s creative director and curator of the exhibition, said:‘This exhibition is a comprehensive overview of Warhol’s creative life, from his earliest artworks and illustrations to the last works he ever produced. Visitors to the gallery will be given an overarching view of his entire career, including the chance to see many of his iconic portfolios in their entirety.
Warhol’s seismic contribution to the story of art is that he tied his work to a collective consciousness more closely than any other artist had before. His art is a pure reflection of popular culture in his lifetime and the spirit of western capitalism.’
Art historian and museum curator Joachim Pissarro’s accompanying essay to the exhibition explains: ‘Ads is a masterful culmination of Warhol’s career-long interest in the blurred lines between commercialism and fine art, and it resituates these omnipresent themes into a new state-of-the art array consonant with this late era’s zeitgeist.’
‘These ads radiate themes such as cosmopolitanism, technology, movie stardom, political power, elegance and luxury in a visual vocabulary that was at stark odds with the deceptively homespun, quaint but enchanting output of Warhol’s own wildly successful career as a commercial illustrator thirty years prior.’
Other highlights include rarely seen original canvases such as Warhol’s portrait of Pelé. This painting was owned by the football legend who was presented it by Warhol himself. Some of the artist’s monumental late works will be exhibited such as his painting of Mount Vesuvius and a vibrant canvas depicting a watch by Swiss brand Rado, produced in the final months of Warhol’s life.
Halcyon Gallery’s smaller exhibition space, at 29 New Bond Street, celebrates Warhol’s iconic Campbell’s SoupCans, which are accompanied by ephemera that illustrates the extraordinary impact that the artist’s best-known motif has had on culture. Accompanying the soup cans is a Campbell’s Soup Box, a vibrant three-dimensional canvas that was commissioned by Campbell’s to commemorate the launch of a new product in 1986.
An immersive room in 148 New Bond Street features the much-admired Andy Mouse portfolio by Keith Haring portraying Warhol as Mickey Mouse, swimming in dollar bills and dancing in a nightclub. These works are a testament to the remarkable influence of Warhol on artists like Haring and Jean Michel-Basquiat – as well as the changing face of the New York art scene. This immersive space takes inspiration from Haring’s ‘Pop Shop’ to celebrate the convergence of graffiti art and fine art, that took place for the first time in the 80s, and for which Warhol was a crucial driving force.
Writes Pissarro: ‘Andy Warhol’s revolutionary contributions to art history are often measured through his paintings, particularly their power, subject matter, technique and reception: huge canvases, immense personalities, gargantuan sums garnered at auction… What made his paintings so bold and new was, by contrast, the increasingly mechanistic techniques he used to create his compositions.’
‘As his paintings grew increasingly removed from the idea of individuality, he introduced new, cutting-edge elements to his prints. The relationship between the two worlds is a bit like an artistic Turing test: as the two arenas, painting and printmaking developed in tandem, they marched inexorably towards an almost, but not quite, asymptotic singularity. Never the twain would meet, but Warhol would not cease to blur the boundaries as much as he could.’
‘[This] exhibition provides a precious opportunity to look back at the history of Warhol’s printmaking practice and look afresh at several series that illuminate fundamental truths about the famously enigmatic artist’s worldview.
Andy Warhol exhibition opened at Halcyon Gallery, 148 New Bond Street, Mayfair, London on 18th January 2024 with a private viewing for clients on 17th January.
7th February 1980: American painter, film-maker and one of the leaders of the Pop Art movement Andy Warhol (1928 – 1987). (Photo by John Minihan/Evening Standard/Getty Images)
If You Ever Leave Me I’m Coming With You runs until January 7th at Halcyon Gallery in Mayfair
Theme of love, obsession and introspection explored using his signature Penguin Book covers
If You Ever Leave Me I’m Coming With You, the latest solo exhibition from pop artist James McQueen, is attracting pop art aficionados and investors alike to Halcyon Gallery’s flagship site on 148 New Bond Street.
The exhibition, which is open to the public until January 7th, displays a new body of artwork from the anonymous artist, using vintage Penguin Book covers as a starting point for bold and satirical paintings.
McQueen is an enigma in the art world, painting under a pseudonym since 2017. He explains: “Keeping behind the mask enables me to enjoy the creative process without being concerned about praise or recognition. I enjoy what I do and don’t want that to change or to be changed through judgement. I want my art to speak for itself.”
The success of If You Ever Leave Me I’m Coming With You follows on from McQueen’s debut exhibition with Halcyon, last year’s You Don’t Know the Half of It. As in that ground-breaking show, the titles and sentiments on the book covers created by McQueen are evocative, playful and sometimes cynical.
In contrast, the artworks, both in design and technique, convey the authenticity of worn-out, vintage books which have been read over and over again over many years.
‘Everyone who owns it has put their little stamp on it, like a tea mark, pencil scribbles, or folded page corners,’ says McQueen, who puts similar scribbles, doodles and marks on his own work.
McQueen’s initial interest in Penguin books was inspired by his grandfather who had a large collection. “He would often read them to me, but I was more interested in the way they looked,” recalls McQueen.
McQueen’s unique techniques reflect aging and decay as the books are passed down from one owner to another, including fingerprints marks, rings from tea mugs, missing corners and dishevelled spines.
Says McQueen: “I want to create that wear and tear, that authenticity. It’s easy to do something clean. It’s easy to do something with straight lines. It’s much harder to make something look old and tired.”
In creating his art, McQueen applies paint in abundance through numerous layers that, once dried, are sanded down, creating a coarse aesthetic that evokes the wear and tear of vintage books. Often the surfaces are covered with lacquer to add extra richness and vibrancy.
Exploring themes of Pop Art and abstraction, McQueen’s complex application of paint elevates his art beyond the mere imitation of a nostalgic object towards an art that is rich and expressive. He represents the books not as they were when first published, but as they are today: stained and faded with annotations and tattered edges.
These domestic touches are starkly and comically contrasted with the bold and provocative titles that are a feature of his work, such as Too Cool To Give A Fuck, Oh Bollocks, and Give Me Solutions Not Fucking Problems.
“Collectors choose these pieces because the quote resonates with them,” says McQueen. “It’s something they can look at every day, as if it is a book on their shelf.”
In spite of his anonymity, McQueen’s paintings are deeply personal, expressive and revealing. At the heart of McQueen’s work is the classic Penguin Books cover design from 1935. McQueen has adopted this design as the fundamental template in almost all of his work, yielding a huge range of possibilities in spite of its strict parameters. There is also an autobiographical dimension to his work through his trademark monkey design, using this mischievous character as a kind of personal insignia.
As well as with the books from his grandfather’s collection, McQueen is inspired by artistic traditions over the decades including Pop Art and Abstract Expressionism as embodied by the likes of Ed Rusha, Damien Hirst, Banksy, Warhol and Harland Millar. By reimaging elements of other works and combining them with his own images and his unique style, McQueen creates original works of art.
Over the last year, McQueen has produced the most experimental, complex and varied paintings of his entire oeuvre, and this exhibition highlights his new, ground-breaking techniques while breaking new ground in the range of possibilities that can be achieved through the Penguin cover motif. This exhibition is only the latest in the unfolding story of this unique artist.
If You Ever Leave Me I’m Coming with You runs until 7 January 2024 at Halcyon Gallery, 148 New Bond Street, London W1S 2RL.
About James McQueen
Born in 1977, James McQueen is a British artist based between London and New York. Operating under a pseudonym, he has created paintings publicly as James McQueen since 2017.
McQueen’s art is born from his admiration of vintage books, amassing a collection before deciding to develop the cover designs into paintings.
These literary-inspired paintings are rooted in the Pop Art of the mid-1950s and 60s. McQueen’s art appropriates the design and branding of an inexpensive, mass-produced and consumed product to echo Andy Warhol’s appropriated imagery in the Campbell’s Soup paintings. Like Warhol, McQueen celebrates the everyday product by making these book covers monumental and vibrant.
The impact of these works is not only visual but conceptual. McQueen communicates a variety of messages through the titles of his paintings and their carefully selected typography. Frequently their tone is provocative, comic and cynical. While humour is a key feature of his work, McQueen has also used his paintings for social and political comment, responding to what is current and popular on the national and international scene, from climate change and the NHS to football and James Bond.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2023 IF YOU EVER LEAVE ME, I’M COMING WITH YOU, Halcyon Gallery, London, UK 2022 YOU DON’T KNOW THE HALF OF IT, Halcyon Gallery, London, UK
GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2022 Group Exhibition at Halcyon Gallery, Halcyon Gallery, London, UK 2022 High Fidelity, Halcyon Gallery, London, UK
Leading the way in the design industry in Greece, Gianna Barkaba Interior Design was established in 2008 by interior designer Gianna Barkaba to help people to create the beautiful spaces of their dreams. As the company’s principal designer, she is highly qualified, having studied in Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece, and also in Florence, where she achieved a Master di Architecture di Interior Design at Instituto per L’Arte e il Restauro Palazzo Spinetti. In 2006 she worked in Florence at Studio Progettart as Ian interior designer and has been working as a freelance furniture designer since 2008. She founded the company with the belief that it is essential for everyone’s well-being to create inspiring spaces that bring happiness to her clients’ lives.
The company has studios based in Athens and Igoumenitsa, Greece. It prides itself on taking on any project using its unique approach and ideas combined with over a decade of experience. They undertake interior design and architectures while also specializing in custom-made furniture, construction design, and art curation. Services include the presentation of 2D plans, plumbing and electrical plans, 3D designs, and custom exterior design for garden and outside areas.
Gianna Barkaba Interior Design prides itself in taking a holistic approach that results in balanced design, careful choice of suitable materials, and a style that fits its client’s needs. Starting with personalized consultation, the firm is committed to offering every customer a unique and stress-free experience while creating a space that reflects their tastes, style, and desires.
This dedication is clearly demonstrated by Villa Oneiro in Paxos, Greece, and is why the panel of experts at Luxury Lifestyle Awards has chosen Gianna Barkaba Interior Design as the winner of an award in the category of Best Luxury Residential Interior Renovation 2022 for Villa Oneira in Greece. The villa is on the beautiful island of Paxos, which sits in the Ionian Sea just south of Corfu. Set in a beautiful garden with abundant olive trees and a sparkling pool, the traditional Paxos house has undergone a total renovation and interior decoration, bringing it up to date while retaining its rustic style.
The neutral color palette blends perfectly with the whitewashed exposed brick walls, whitewashed beams, and stone floor tiles. The kitchen and bathroom have strong custom-made elements with a handpainted wash basin and toilet and a 120-year-old marble sink that complements the feel of the old Paxian house. There’s also a beautiful garden with a large pool and plenty of comfortable seating areas for alfresco living. A worthy award-winning project with an interior that offers the best stylish, relaxed living in the Greek countryside.
Find out more about Gianna Barkaba Interior Design and its wide range of services, by visiting www.giannabarkaba.com.
About Luxury Lifestyle Awards
Luxury Lifestyle Awards is a global award selecting, recognizing, celebrating and promoting the best luxury goods and services all over the world. The goal of the company is to connect people with the best of luxury. LLA has evaluated more than 10 000 various goods and services in 400 categories from 60 countries and analyzed the results to give you a TOP list of the best of the best in the world. Such world-renowned brands as Chanel, Dom Perignon, and Ferrari were proudly named winners. The victory brings companies status and recognition, global promotion and exposure to an entirely new market of customers.
The Eav’s Group is a promising real estate developer and designer. The Group was founded in 2018 by Jonathan Eav, executive director, and a passionate designer with an incredible flair for combining balanced blends of classic elegance with that of contemporary sophistication. His works of art are shrouded in his impeccable craftsmanship and attention to detail. With all this being said, it is no wonder that the group’s residential debut project, 107 Queen’s Gate in London, is deserving of a Luxury Lifestyle Awards for Best Luxury Apartment Interior Design, 2022.
Jonathan Eav is a graduate of London Guildhall University, where he received a Master of Arts degree in art, design, and visual culture. He has worked in a number of architectural companies based in London. In 2006 he returned to Hong Kong to join his family’s business known as Asia Commercial Holdings Limited.
Jonathan’s burning passion for real estate investment and design led him to establish The Eav’s Group in 2018, under the portfolio of the family business. Since then, Jonathan has been a key contributor to the ever-growing expansion of his firm’s reach into various key world markets, such as China, Hong Kong, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Jonathan is not only known for his creativity. His finely attuned business-savvy judgment and ability to think quickly put The Eav’s Group at a huge advantage in the selection of their properties. The goal for Jonathan, when selecting a property to invest in, is what he likes to call a rare find. This means looking specifically for features that are prominent and bold, which he can work with. This knowledge and ability to select the perfect projects, not only creates investments that will continue to add to the ongoing success of The Eav’s Group, but also instills a confidence within their buyers of their exclusive properties.
The same passion also led to the establishment of Jonathan Eav Atelier, a division that offers its clients a bespoke interior design service for both commercial and residential properties. Every detail is personally tailored to suit every possible need and want of the client, all while maintaining the timeless class of Jonathan Eav’s design.
This philosophy is very apparent in Jonathan’s exceptional debut residential project at 107 Queen’s Gate in London. This exclusive and luxurious apartment, in the sought-after area of South Kensington, is fully renovated with lavish magnificence, avant-garde features, and meticulous attention to detail. This exquisitely showcased residence served to create an extravagant, custom-tailored interior intended only for the discerning few, who appreciate the grand design of living.
The spectacular, heritage residence, dating back to 1874, has a prestigious and desirable address. Conveniently located in the heart of London, affording the new owner the opportunity of stately living, a mere stone’s throw from appetizing eateries, internationally recognized museums, art galleries, theatres, world heritage sights, and luxury retail.
The impressive palatial, and contemporary, two-bedroom, two-bathroom, south-east facing corner apartment boasts charming views of the private manicured Onslow Gardens, which can be enjoyed from French doors opening onto the balustraded balconies. The rooms are generous and oversized, each with double doors and high ceilings of almost 4 meters, as opposed to the standard height of 2.4 meters. The result? An abundance of natural lighting throughout the apartment, adding to the grand design, and sense of space.
Throughout the renovation, the integrity and heritage of this Victorian building have been considered. The original architrave has been retained and restored while the old cornicing was completely removed and updated with carefully chosen cornices, as a nod to the building’s legacy. The precision-cut chevron flooring ingenuously combined with artistic, custom-designed mosaic makes a bold statement of old meets new as well as timeless style and luxury.
The unusually large bathrooms are light and airy and are intended to offer a sanctuary and Spa-like experience. The design layout enables residents to feel pampered, with the finish including clean-living amenities that reflect progressive modern hygiene standards, including a urinal.
The property also features bespoke handmade joinery and furniture that introduces bold touches, from the handcrafted bar and wine storage counter that utilizes Verde San Denise marble to the striking full-height brass bookcase that has an unusual and eye-catching matt gold coloring. Fittings and fixtures throughout the apartment are state-of-the-art, as are the Gaggenau appliances for the kitchen. This extraordinary extravagance is further combined with commissioned artworks, gym membership, and concierge service of the highest standard.
All in all, a serene space of timeless elegance where charm and nostalgia are blended aesthetically, with contemporary comforts. This superb and stylish home is a premium property, walk-in ready, intended for the connoisseur, accustomed to the finer things in life and seamless living, or for the serious buyer looking to add to their investment portfolio.
“I would like to thank the professionals at Luxury Lifestyle Awards for choosing our debut project, 107 Queens Gate in London for this award. This distinguished award affirms the value and impact of our work.”, Says Jonathan Eav.
See examples of their projects and find out more by visiting The Eav’s Group website at http://www.theeavsgroup.com/
City Road, London sub penthouse bachelor apartment design by Cigal Kaplan
My favourite type of property to design is a bachelor pad, so we were absolutely delighted when we appointed to this project.
The brief was to create a contemporary space, with an emphasis on functionality. The client has a mixture of eclectic tastes and interests, and we were keen to show this off within his home. This made our design totally unique and presented us with an additional challenge which we always love, as it’s so important to push your creativity as a designer. At the same time, we all agreed the property’s main selling point is its gorgeous view, overlooking the entirety of central London, so we really wanted the space to be both personal and emphasize the beauty of our client’s surroundings.
We worked within this brief and prioritized each room’s design with its purpose. For example, we knew that the living room would be the ‘relaxation area’ so we created a neutral colour scheme and injected colour using things like the client’s vinyl, artwork and books. These kept things feeling relaxed and personal but still interesting. Keeping the walls white and simple allowed for this, and we used a number of natural and man-made materials to elevate this feeling of ordered intrigue.
One big challenge here was to create a totally custom, huge TV unit spanning a large wall. This is always intimidating because some large pieces like this have to be sourced elsewhere, and here we designed and purchased the whole unit in Greece. Thankfully everything went to plan, and it now serves as a completely functional, yet beautiful addition to the room. All the cabling for the tv, av and speakers are all hidden in carefully designed but hidden pipework. We wanted the large comfortable sofa facing the TV and the view, which is in the opposite direction, so we also created a bespoke sofa which was added to the main L shape sofa so he can enjoy both aspects comfortably and it’s also perfect for cocktail parties and entertaining. This was all sat on a bespoke wool rug with gold leaf detail which tie in with the rest of the open plan sitting and dining spaces.
The client is an avid cyclist and he wanted us to incorporate an indoor cycling space. The challenges with this sort of very ‘practical’ room is that they are often tough to decorate beautifully, however we decided that using wooden slats as a storage unit and decorative piece was an on trend, inexpensive yet modern idea. This added a wonderful amount of texture in the space and highlighted the client’s personality and allowed him easy access to some of his most prized possessions – his bikes!
We wanted to keep the rooms textured yet relaxed, so we went for lots of leather finishes, plush carpets and silk bedding, as well as linen wallcoverings. This creates a feeling of luxury amidst the rest of what is quite a masculine scheme. We still had to think about the practicalities though – so we put in a large bookshelf in each room for the client’s convenience, and to add that attention to detail that we pride ourselves on. Our client is a self-described big reader, and enjoys reading in the morning and before bed, so It’s essential when designing a space to understand how your client lives, and to design around this. There are niches in the sofa and coffee table for additional spaces to hold books and magazines for him.
A balcony is a luxury space in London so to have two is a bonus and can be found in the living room and master bedroom, so it was essential that the scheme here also matched with both rooms. We opted for a deep green side table with natural wood on top to add a cool mix of both contemporary and traditional styles. This pop of colour also allowed us to add a sense of lushness in an outdoor space that is otherwise dry and lacking in natural greenery, and adds a lovely point of interest for anyone lucky enough to be looking at the view albeit 34 stories up!
The adverse effects of climate change and global warming, destruction of habitats, endangered species, and unbalanced ecosystems are all caused by the negative impacts of human activities on the environment. Because of this, different sectors are now innovating ways to be more eco-friendly. The field of architecture’s response to this dilemma is the growth and development of green architecture.
What is “Green Architecture”?
Green architecture is a movement to counteract the environmental impact of humankind. This is a shared philosophy of architects worldwide to be more mindful of nature when working on a project. However, green architecture doesn’t mean humans need to sacrifice their lifestyle for the environment. On the contrary, this type of architecture uses technology to restore the harmonious relationship between humankind and nature without compromising the comfort and convenience that humans enjoy now.
What are the famous green architecture techniques?
There are many ways to apply green architecture, like using renewable and sustainable energy sources, designing calamity-proof buildings, and upgrading old facilities with new technology. Below is a list of the most used techniques in green architecture.
Green roofs and roof gardens
This architectural style utilises the space on the roof of homes and buildings. For example, green roofs use a waterproof membrane so you can plant herbs and flowers directly on the roof, while a roof garden follows the same concept but uses pots and containers. Both techniques can cover a roof fully or partially. You can even put a recreational spot or a rooftop cafe alongside your plants. In addition, green roofs and gardens produce local food and spices, lessen air pollution, and make the buildings more beautiful.
Eco-friendly walls
There are different techniques to make walls eco-friendly. One example is a green wall with soil and water delivery mechanisms inside to cater to vegetation growth. Green walls can reduce urban heat, improve building insulation, absorb stormwater, and give a stunning indoor or outdoor view. Another architectural and engineering technique is the retaining wall system which uses eco-friendly and durable materials. Retaining wall systems are also designed to prevent soil erosion and soil pollution.
Rain gardens
A rain garden is a fantastic rain catcher. It features a water drainage system that collects rainwater and directs it to a garden. The garden will then soak and purify the water. As a result, the clean water will flow to rivers, lakes, ponds, canals, and other bodies of water with fewer pollutants. This technique helps lessen water pollution and decrease urban heat.
Light shelves
A light shelf is placed near windows to reduce flares and allows more natural light to enter the room. It also makes the room warmer, which is energy-efficient for cold places. A light shelf is often partnered with blinds, smart windows, or other control mechanisms for warmer areas.
Final thoughts
The field of green architecture keeps on growing as companies and business owners can see its benefits. The possibilities of a greener and more sustainable future are endless; these green architecture techniques are just a few examples.
The Society of British and International Interior Design (SBID) is back with its industry-acclaimed interior design awards for 2022.
Entries opened for 2022 with Early Bird rates, inviting designers to submit before 14 March to take advantage of exclusive entry pricing.
Set to champion the world’s most skilled and accomplished creative professionals as the UK’s home for interior design excellence, the SBID will celebrate another year of outstanding interior design solutions with the 13th annual edition of the esteemed SBID International Design Awards.
Equipped with an assembly of expert judges, the judging panel features a host of revered industry figures from some of the most exciting companies at the forefront of design, media and business. With Global Digital Director of Architectural Digest, David Kaufman; Executive Editor for ELLE DÉCOR (US), Ingrid Abramovitch; Dean and Professor of Architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design, Sarah Whiting; and CEO of Rigby & Rigby, Iain Johnson (to name a few), entrants have a unique opportunity to showcase their work on the SBID Awards’ global stage and exhibit designs directly to an audience of distinguished professional peers, press and potential clients.
With award categories spanning both the commercial and residential sectors across Interior Design, Product Design and Fit Out, SBID welcomes entries from all corners of the professional design community, who work together to drive industry standards and produce the exceptional interior environments that shape the way we live, work and play.
Entries will close for 2022 at 5pm (BST) on 23 May 2022.
