Valentine's Day GIVEAWAY

Updated on Feb 18, 2011 by Eduardo

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!! So how are you planning to celebrate this lovely day? I'm celebrating it by showing my utmost appreciation and giving you back some of the love with my first-ever giveaway. While looking for something very special to showcase, I came across these lovely and special prints by a Bulgarian artist/designer. Her inspiration comes from her old Bulgarian-English dictionary she brought with her when she moved to the U.S. 20 years ago. These little pieces of art have some history as the canvas for the prints are recycled from this treasured book that has been in her family for three generations. After all these years she has decided to give these pages a new life by “composing, creating and printing every thing she loves and thinks is beautiful” on them.
The giveaway is below the jump.

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Room To Dream

For me one of the most important rooms in a home is the bedroom. It's your true sanctuary where you allow yourself to dream. The bedroom should be a reflection of you as it's the last room you see before falling asleep and the first when you wake up. It's very important to be surrounded by objects dear to your heart that will help you start your day with a sunny disposition. Comfort, softness and warmth are key words to have in mind when decorating your room in order achieve your dream retreat. Whether you like bold colors or muted ones, here are some seductive rooms that can inspire a new look for your boudoir —and make it the perfect haven to enjoy a good night's sleep.

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A New Spin on Feng Shui

Based on the Feng Shui principles of Yin (private and closed) and Yang (public and open), Feng Shui expert Liu Ming was looking for a balance between his personal and professional life in his 1,100 square-foot live/work loft in Oakland, California. Ming was in desperate need of more space for his growing Feng Shui classes. He was often forced to move around his desk, closets and other hefty personal furniture to accommodate over 30 students. That's when he hired architect Toshi Kasai, owner of the architecture and design firm Spaceflavor, to help him. Mr. Kasai solved this dilemma by designing The Cube, a compact mobile dwelling unit that allows Mr. Ming to freely reconfigure the loft so he could teach his popular classes while honoring his personal realm. The structure provides him with the sense of coziness he was in search of and allows him to keep his personal activities of study, sleep, and meditation to a compact, eight-foot cube.

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Give Your Feet a Chance

The weekend is finally here! So wouldn't it be dreamy to kick back and relax wearing a fabulous new pair of comfy Whooga Ugg boots? Well, you might be in luck. You can be the fortunate winner of a gorgeous pair by going to their website and signing up to their newsletter. Yeap, it's that easy. They pick a winner at the end of each month, so don't think twice. But wait, there's more. They're offering our fabulous readers a 10% discount for any purchases made by next week. Just remember to use our exclusive discount code 1479DESIGNER during checkout. Good luck and have a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

Breaking Hearts

Do you think an object can fill your emotional needs? Well, that was the question that sparked the idea of this sentimental and meaningful piece. Corezone is the creation of designers Dorota Skalska and Agniezka Mazur, two product design students who met while attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. The concept behind it is pretty neat: it's a heart-shaped ceramic vessel where you can place your thoughts, feelings and emotions, hence safeguarding something spiritual in a material space. It's a beautiful way of writing your sentiments and keeping them safe (and secret) in a sacred place —for yourself or your loved ones. I guess the only way to release them is by breaking opening up your heart.

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An Eccentric Flair

I applaud those people who follow their passions and are not afraid to make them part of their lives — especially in their homes. It's quite obvious that whoever lives in this pad has a immense love for everything out of the ordinary. Their sense of style is very particular and distinctively personal, and the mix of elements is so unexpected that it makes you look twice. I really love how everything is put together, creating a space where traditional and funky can coexist. The eccentricity of each piece is mind-blowing and I'm sure they had a blast collecting all their kooky treasures.

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A Pod With a View

There's nothing better than travelling and knowing you're also being good to the environment. Swiss-born Sofia de Meyer feels the same way. That's why she had the brillliant idea of creating Whitepod, a unique hotel concept than links man and nature in a very eco-friendly way —of course, without sacrificing comfort and design. Set amid the majestic Swiss Alps with stunning views of Lake Geneva, the 15 dome-like pods are designed to blend in with their surroundings, not only visually but also by having a low impact on the environment (I think it's so cool that in the Winter the domes are covered with white canvas and changed to green in the Summer).

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White Perfection

The dream of the owners of this heavenly duplex was to have a very open and airy home. It came true when they had the chance to buy the apartment right above theirs and unify them into one glorious space. It's not often that interior design gets to be combined with home construction and even then it is usually in the form of new housing. The builder Ryan Homes provides an example of how these two professions normally blend. It can be a difficult balance, but to renovate an existing historical home is an even greater challenge. Located in a 1920's Art Deco building in Alicante, Spain, both apartments were very boxy with many little rooms. In order to open up the space and let natural light flow without interruption, they decided to knock down all the walls —only leaving the structural columns intact to keep some of the integrity of the original construction. La pièce de résistance: the sculptural floating staircase that connects both levels making a strong architectural statement.

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