CHAIRS WITH A CAUSE

Pioneer chef and restauranteur Jamie Oliver has challenged a select group of artists and designers to lend their creativity and customize Arne Jacobsen's classic Ant chair. The one-of-a-kind designer chairs will be auctioned off to raise funds for his The Better Food Foundation which trains unemployed youngsters to become professional chefs. Designer like Paul Smith, Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen and Christopher Bailey for Burberry are among the famed few invited to participate in The Big Chair Project. Each chair, like the ‘Truly Scrumptious’ by Julien McDonald, above, is quite unique in its own right. These are some of that caught my eye for their funkiness and creativity. You can take a peek at the rest of them here.

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A DREAMY RENOVATION

I've always dreamed of having a sizable bathroom—one big enough for twin sinks, a tub, a shower and plenty of space to walk around. But being a New York City dweller, that dream is hardly attainable. That's why I almost fell off my chair when I spotted this spectacular ensuite bedroom/bath renovation by Jonathan King and his partner Michael. They've done a magnificent job, especially at making both rooms work so well together by using an open floor plan which, by the way, I find super sexy. Of course, I'm also mad about their choice of black and white as a palette plus their exquisite use of accessories. Oh, and how cool is that headboard made with a vintage map? Simply superb!! I'm so green with envy.

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CREATIVE MINDS THINK ALIKE

There's nothing that will keep creative minds from creating, especially when talented ones join forces—like German product designers Eva Marguerre and Marcel Besau, who teamed up to create Studio Besau Marguerre. Besides product design, their services range from interiors design to visual communication and branding. I'm glad I came across their site–it's a wonderful source of inspiration and eye candy. Take for instance this DIY project they worked on for Brigitte magazine. It's overly clever how they came up with these beautiful vignettes of chairs that have been refurbished together with the materials used for the transformation. Plus each of the chairs turned out simply gorgeous and give you some unique ideas to try on your own... right? If you have a few minutes and want to enjoy some of the behind-the-scenes happenings of the shoot, click here.

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GEOMETRIC FUN

I think this weekend is calling for an easy DIY project, so I felt this fun and chic lamp by Riikka Kantinkoski at Weekday Carnival would do the trick. Riikka created this striking pendant without any welding involved. She basically used four thin and hollow metallic tubes, tied a twine through them, and started folding them freely to create this interesting geometric shape. Once she had the shape down, she tied the ends of the twine to keep the structure together and placed it on a Nud´s Base lamp. Isn't gorg? I saw it and fell in love with its simplicity and great lines. Great job, Riiika!

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SWEET SUMMER

It seems it was only yesterday when we were clicking our champagne glasses to ring in 2012. I can't believe June is already here and Summer is fast approaching. So if you haven't started getting ready and are in the mood for those lazy Summer days, Sweet Paul has the perfect motivation for you. His much anticipated Summer issue is here full of food, chockablock with crafts, and stuffed with style. “The issue is going to give you a ton of charming, unfussy, and doable projects, ideas, and recipes that are sure to make this summer truly special for one and all,” assures Paul. The digital edition is available now and can be downloaded for free here. But if you rather enjoy browsing through the gorgeous pages of a printed edition, a limited run will be available exclusively at U.S. Anthropologie stores and online here starting June 15, 2012.  So this weekend you can sit back and relax, with laptop or iPad in hand, and enjoy another scrumptious Sweet Paul treat.

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GIVEAWAY: Cutting Edge Stencil

•• Sorry, but entries for this giveaway are no longer accepted •• 

Are you looking to spruce up your home for the Holidays? Wall stencils are an easy, fast and fun way of adding some spark to any room and an emerging hot decorating trend that is getting more and more popular as DIY decorators discover the ease and versatility of stenciling. They're a great alternative to wallpaper especially since you can do it without the hassle and mess of wallpaper installation. Another plus to stenciling is that you can personalize the design by choosing any color combination to match your decor. Cutting Edge Stencils is a wonderful source with an amazing and diverse selection of wall stencils designed by professional faux finishers and decorators. And today, they would like to share their love and expertise with TheDesignerPad readers by sponsoring this giveaway, where a lucky reader will take home one of their gorgeous creations (follow the instructions below to enter). BTW, they also have a helpful step-by-step video that walks you through the simple process of using their stencils. Happy stenciling and good luck to all!

Congratulations to Malka
for being the lulcky winner of this giveaway!

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A Wall is Born

In my line of work, I'm constantly exposed to new and interesting materials and finishes for the home. There are so many out there it's hard to keep track. One that I've been using in some of my projects with excellent results, and have fallen madly in love with, is this modern embossed three-dimensional wall covering by Inhabit. They're lightweight wall tiles that work together through an automatic pattern repeat to create large-scale dimensional walls of any size and shape. I find it to be a great solution to dress up any dull wall in a home. They automatically, and without much effort, add some character and spark to the room. For the longest time, I've been dying to bring this project home and use it on a brick wall which I've wanted to revamp for a while. It was hard to choose from all the patterns they offer, but since I wanted to somehow maintain the feeling of brick, I chose the Seesaw pattern. So I rolled up my sleeves, and with the help of my best friend Luis, we embarked on the perfect weekend project. The result: a slicker and modern brick wall. What do you think? To me, it's the best example of decorating to your heart's content. You can see how it turned out after the jump. 

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Pink Swan

“The Swan chair is a perfect mix of organic modernism and pop art and my goal in this design was to address both of those qualities by making a poppy allusion to the female form,” says Jonathan Adler of the inspiration for his Pink Swan project chair. SUITE New York has invited nineteen world-renowned designers to create a personalized version of Arne Jacobsen's iconic Swan chair for the second installment of the project. The chairs will be auctioned off on October 1-31, 2011 on charitybuzz.com with proceeds benefiting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. What a fun project for such a great cause. Here are some of my faves.

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