Monthly Archives: November 2012
Industrial AV Unit Concept
We are currently working on an AWESOME interior design & décor project here at Design Monarchy. Rose and I have always dreamt of doing a project in the now-trending Industrial Style and were therefore super excited when we finally got the opportunity to do so earlier this year! Whilst the project is ongoing and the house is still in the construction phase, most of the furniture, décor, and finish have already been selected. As you can imagine, Rose and our lovely open-minded client had an absolute ball during the recent furniture sourcing expedition!
We could however not find a fitting AV cabinet, and after stumbling across some beautiful precedent images, we designed a unit that would fit perfectly with the rest of the interior. We thought to share it with you as a little teaser until the rest of the project is completed. What do you think?
{precedent: 1, 2}Li Edelkoort Talks Textiles
“In these almost impossible to live in times,” says Edelkoort with feeling, “we need to be cuddled.” As a trend forecaster, she believes that in the near future we will see the overwhelming revival of textiles in our interiors, and that we will literally crave their tactility, sense of narration and colour. “The only problem, she points out, is that we are closing our mills at a rate of knots, and universities are fast replacing looms with computers. The result? We are slowly forgetting how fabrics are made and where they come from. Yet, the appeal of textiles is universal and timeless,” says Edelkoort, “making them also very sustainable.”
The future, she says, “will see the overwhelming revival of textiles in our interiors, covering floors, walls and furniture in an expansive and personal manner. These textiles will speak loud and clear, and become the fabrics of life, narrating stories, designing patterns, promoting well-being and reviving the act of creative weaving.”
Related articles
- Lidewij Edelkoort on Trend Forecasting (thedesigntabloid.com)
A New Look For Design Monarchy
Most of our loyal blog readers know that when Rose and I are not busy topping up our (and your) inspiration tanks by writing for The Design Tabloid, we are hard at work here at Design Monarchy. We are some of the lucky few who get to daily immerse ourselves in our passion – interior design and décor - and get paid to do so.
This past season marked some exciting developments here at Design Monarchy, including a bout of spring cleaning. Out with the old and in with the new! Our company has undergone quite a bit of growth and evolution the past couple of years and we thought it high time to rethink our branding and website. We asked the lovely Leila Fanner to design a new logo for us, and were ecstatic with the outcome. I think it truly speaks of who we are.
Furthermore – after two years, dozens of options, and a lot of to-and-fro, we have finally decided on the prefect tagline: “Serving Interior Design Excellence“
Even though a small part of us will miss our old logo – it served us well over the years, this new logo and the branding that comes with it, just affirms our continued growth and forward movement. We feel more settled and defined as a company.
{So what do you think? Do you like our new branding?}
Before & After: Vintage Radiogram
By Jess Binns of Hector & Bailey
It’s with great pleasure to take the reigns on today’s post for the lovely Rose and Marica from The Design Tabloid. I’d love to share with you the latest ‘Found & Fixed’ item, hot off the press from the Hector & Bailey studio. And, exclusively for The Design Tabloid, I’m going to take you step by step through the whole upcycled process.
So get comfy and I shall begin…
Let me introduce you to Maxwell. An abandoned radiogram, stripped of it’s function and in general, looking a bit worse for wear.
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First things first, preparation is the key to a successful outcome, that and patience. So to start, remove handle and any other hardware and start sanding. I use a combination of an electric mouse sander and hand sanding. You need to aim to take off all the old varnish in order to reveal the timber is it’s raw form.
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Once this messy job is complete, I washed down the radiogram with a sugar soap solution.
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Due to this once being a functioning radiogram, there were signs of missing shelves where large recesses sat. I filled all of these areas with wood filler and allowed to dry fully. {click on images to enlarge}
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The next step is to mask off all the areas where you don’t want the paint to reach. In this instance, I wanted to retain sections of wood that were just too beautiful to cover up.
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Once complete, I then set to work priming the unit. I only work with water-based paints for all of my wooden items, so I use a wonderful primer from B-Earth, which creates a bond and provides excellent adhesion. Being toxic free, the bond has no smell and dries very quickly, best of both worlds!
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Now on to the main colour. For Maxwell, I went for a shade of ‘Greige’ (a grey/beige mix!) in a water-based emulsion. First I painted all the fiddly areas with a small paintbrush… {click on images to enlarge}
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The large surface areas were painted with a foam roller. I find this leaves a nice, smooth finish, especially if you have time to build the layers up. I mostly average on 3 coats.
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To add a bit of interest, I opted for pale cream painted socks, the contrast from the greige and the rich wood works a treat!
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Putting the main body to one side to allow the paint to set, I then turned my attention to the handle. Looking a little tarnished, I decided to spray them cream to match the feet. First you need to prime, allow to dry, then spray on the top coat.
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For the inside, I wanted to create an impact by using wallpaper. This is a great way to use up any off-cuts you may have. This is where concentration levels have to be at an all time high! Especially if you want to ensure the pattern matches on both sides. Using wallpaper paste, I attached each section with a careful eye. {click on images to enlarge}
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In order to make the most of the radiogram, I decided to utilize the space underneath, so installed a 3mm ply painted base. Before fitting, I staple-gunned fabric to the grill section from behind to provide a splash of colour.
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It’s now time to add a back to Maxwell. For this I used 6mm Marine ply with a section cut out to allow access to the low shelf. This was finished in the same colour and panel pinned on.
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Almost there, I re-attached the opening mechanism and fitted the newly sprayed handles. the last job is waxing the whole unit with furniture beeswax to create a protective barrier. I prefer using wax over varnish as you can build up layers over time, beeswax is eco friendly and varnish always leaves brush marks.
Please meet the finished article……!
{Maxwell and some other Hector & Bailey upcycled treasures will be showcased and up for purchase at the Joburg Food Wine & Design Fair. Be on the look out for the miss+meisie collab – Jess alongside Wendy of SketchBok/dbn.}
