Blog of B/A Stores

Lucente floor lamps were designed for both indoor and outdoor use. The large floor lamps display an interesting design that makes them fascinating and modern. Called UP, the floor lamp collection was made using rotational molding technology. There was only one material used to shape these magnificent oversized floor lamps: polyethylene. The indoor version displays a wool cover in cream or red – this helps diffuse the light to create a pleasant ambiance in the room.

The ivory body of each lamp thrones with its majestic figure and becomes the focal point of any indoor or outdoor space. The embossed pattern showcasing a random spiral going up and around the lamp sets the mood for modern relaxation and entertaining. A dimmable light switch on both the stem and the diffuser of the indoor lamp make it easier to interact with the lighting object. Don’t you just love it?

Lucente takes about light through its collections which express strong ideas and have a special personality. Ideas become matter through collaboration with different personalities from the design world, interpreting the thought of great professionals and coming up with projects that demonstrate how intuition can be transformed into simplicity.

Lucente is a combination of elegance, organic shapes and functionality, a project springing from the conviction that well-designed objects can improve the quality of life thanks to their functional aesthetic appearance. The light is able to change atmospheres and moods, Lucente tries to interpret its many applications in everyday life.

Rose is a mystic flower and is loved by everyone around. Its mesmerizing shape manages to etch an eternal smile on every face. How about keeping the same essence alive in your homes through a piece of furniture? A chair named Tenderly has been designed by Carla Tolomeo, which is a part of SICIS NEXT ART Chapter One collection.

The luxurious creation looks like a rose flower, with petals draping its seat, arms and back. It looks like a delicate piece of art and will wrap your dwellings with unending warmth. Sit in the creation, nestled with a feeling of warm love, and keep all worries at bay. The round armchair, with its sumptuous appearance, manages to make eyes do a somersault in surprise.

Carla Tolomeo Designer created this collection with a design very fantastic, chairs and settees exotic displays its own style, limited-edition chairs and settees Sicis inlaid with mosaics. He interprets nature with a surreal way, change the piece of furniture into abstract butterflies and roses into bloom the mountain of pillows. But this new approach to furniture design does not compromise its integrity. Each section offers the best quality Italian craftsmanship, and attention to detail that can only be in Sicis.

Tenderly is available in a range of colors. The limited edition chair (only 300 pieces) has been intricately crafted by hand and comes draped in silk velvet. You can choose from colors like black/white, blue/light blue, lilac/violet and Bordeaux/brown.

Tenderly chair will make an area glow with its dainty façade. The beautiful creation will make hearts melt and create ripples all around with its curvy shape.

At first glance this looks like a typical bookshelf like you might find in an office or library just about anywhere. But that’s just what they want you to think. In actual fact, the Skitsch bookshelf sideboard is a cleverly concealed storage shelf, perfect for keeping all your secrets safely hidden away.

Skitsch are a new design company who opened their first store in Milan in 2009. They feature a range of unusual and imaginative products, including the bookshelf sideboard. This is a convincing replica of a real-life bookshelf, which will fool most people right up to the moment they go to try take out a book. If you position this item carefully in your home, most people will never see past the illusion, and you can be confident your secrets are secure.

The Skitsch Bookshelf sideboard is has an embossed graphic on its exterior, depicting a range of books. This creates a realistic illusion of actual books with a relief trompe l’oeil, as the embossed nature of the surface gives texture and realism to the covering. You can avail of complete furniture set in this style as Skitsch also make a cupboard and a side-table with similar designs. The same trompe l’oeil is shown, on a different scale, on the bedside table and chest of drawers. Create the illusion of a well-stocked library, while in reality your storage contains items of a completely different kind. The bookcase itself is made from white lacquered MDF, which is both strong and secure. The dimensions of this product are 1045mm x 1250mm x 375mm.

Bespoke furniture can capture the personality of the clients in its shapes, colors and patterns. Custom-made sofas, chairs, armchairs can be the focal point you were searching for and can induce a pleasant feeling of a personalized space. Each piece of furniture displays patterns, colors and shapes chosen by the client and finished in different techniques by a skilled craftsperson.

Personalized furniture can sometimes reach new design heights – especially when those who build it collaborate with the client trying to involve him/her in all the decision-making process concerning the furniture. Transparency is an important step in building bespoke furniture – the client must have access to all steps of the building process so that the furniture turns out exactly how it is supposed to. Bespoke furniture can be the solution to many problems: a custom-designed piece of furniture can enhance a space or it can be moulded according to the space.

Maybe you wouldn’t have room for a store-bought bookcase in your home, but a personalized place to keep your books can be custom-made to fit in and even beautify the space. By having furniture designed around the room, anyone can enjoy their home as it was meant to be enjoyed: as a personalized themed space with an ambiance that describes the interests and lifestyle of the inhabitants. Handmade custom furniture will have a sentimental impact on the home’s atmosphere, creating not only a fascinating interior design made to fit, but also lovely memories. For example, chesterfield sofas can induce a feeling of class and elegance to a rather dull space.

Custom crafted furniture will add character to a home and extend the life of a beloved interior design to the next generation. Are you one of those persons who love their tailored pieces of furniture?

Chairs come in a range of shape, sizes and styles, creating a unique spectrum of seats that can sometimes boggle the mind and this is one of those mind-boggling creations. The Rising Chair was created by Dutch designer Robert Van Embricqs. Its sculptural shape rises from a simple wooden plank to form a unique and versatile chair design. This chair looks nothing like the other chairs designed throughout the years. Stunningly intricate, it looks more like an art piece than a piece of furniture. The idea behind this chair’s conceptual construction was created starting with the flat surface used for sitting. The designer started cutting beam-like strands that would eventually shape the chair as an organic seating unit.

By cutting and raising the chair in the seating position, Robert Van Embricqs discovered how the final product would look like. The cuts are best visible in a resting position and the arches it creates when it rises define the entire design of the chair. By coloring specific beams that make up the chair, the designer can define the Rising Chair’s shape and give it depth. Also, applying colors can underline the contrast between the sides and the top of the chair.

This is what designer is telling about his chair: “As a creator, I felt a special connection to the material I was working with. Molding the chair into its definitive form, it felt like a special, hard to define partnership between myself and the material.”

Before we turn to our main theme, let us briefly remind you what each style discovers and what special accents styles are featuring, what helps us to distinguish one style from another? I think it will be interesting for you to know about it as you often get information about TV furniture such as TV stands, media storage, boom chairs, wall units, and little information to wider your horizons. Thus here you will be acquainted with some interesting kinds of styles. So let’s begin!

Romanesque style. This perspicacious and noble style had affirmed itself in IX century in Europe. Massive elements such as false arches, chairs with high backs, ornamented trunks and chests are usually typical for this style.  The special sign of this style are ornamental patterns as embellishments on windows and doors where these traceries were worked out in leaves and volutes shapes.

Gothic style. This stylish mysterious phenomenon had entered into mankind’s architecture and life in XIII-XV centuries having introduced distinctive mystical element in interior. Gothic marks are windows made in rose shape, stained-glass windows and elegant ornaments.  Marble, stone, metal (iron or bronze) are used in finishing.  Two more important elements of this style are fireplace and elements of ecclesiastical architecture.

Baroque style. It relates to XVI century. Marked with magnificence, grandeur and scale baroques style for the most part was palace style, distinctive features of which were fountains, stone bridges and statues. Baroque style is individualized due to use of such elements as girandoles, candlesticks, mirrors, chic chandeliers, carved furniture and marble items.

Classic style having emerged in XVII century put symmetry and accuracy as main criteria in the forefront. Today it is considered that clear simple lines, moderate use of gold and bronze decorations, stucco moulding and light restrained colors are recognized features of classic style in interior.

Empire style is considered to be French style which had won its reputation after bourgeois revolution in late XVIII century when the government of Napoleon 1-st had been strengthening. This style mostly features antique associations in architecture and interior. The imprescriptible attributes of the style are pillars, consoles, cornices, friezes and many other things reminding us Antique Rome. Tables, sofas, arm chairs according to Empire style are modeled on antique lion’s paws and sphinx etc.

Contemporary style in interior’s design

The ХХ century – the time of tendencies blending in different fields of creative work. It is historically formed that various style areas in design making were not concentrating on one particular style. Styles coexist together, spill over from one to another and enrich adopting specific features one from another, composing doubtlessly in motley and very interesting book. Apparently style in design of modern interior clearly shows all abovementioned even despite we have overstepped the threshold of XXI century. Echo of ХХ century’s modernity is not only very urgent today but it captures minds of many designers. It appears that more clear imagination about contemporary style can be got due to considering the main standard of it and exactly the synthesis and combination of features of different styles. Let us list the following schools among such new interior styles: modern, art-deco, minimalism, high-tech, kitsch etc. Thus in this material the definition “contemporary style” composes of variety combinations of interiors styles peculiar to the present. Main characteristics of contemporary style in interior design are functionality and constructivism which are peculiar to rational type of thinking of contemporary human. Let us stop in detail on how rational type of thinking finds its expression in interior. “Every dog has his day” is very famous proverb is not it? Every person can explain this saying in his own way but the sense still the same. Thus we will try to apply this proverb to current theme – interior. Aspiration to determine places for objects exactly where they are necessary and aspiration to include in living area exactly what is needed – one of the most cardinal features of contemporary style in interior design. If color appearance can abound in colors – from restrained classic tones to bright flashy colors than all what this palette tinctures is in their right places. Contemporary style inherits from classic style the passion for architectural clearness and accurate lines. Thus we can observe some coincidence. May be this is the evidence of profound resemblance in human’s thinking in XVIII and ХХ centuries.

Indispensable quality of contemporary interior is wise well thought-out accentuation. Details are important because they can not be in numerous quantities but where they are presented than their necessity is apparent. Bright colored stains often organize the space like the most interesting details of furniture items and ultra modern accessories like for example sculptures forcing to ask a question – “what is it?” or to say meaningful word “interestingly” having made like you have imbued with creative work of vanguard master.

One more feature of modern design is free combinatorial process of materials: natural wood is combined with metal and mirror surface. Also plastic, vinyl and stone are the integral elements of interior. For example high-tech as a significant postulate suggests admiring technical innovations (the style is consonant to urbanism). At the same time contemporary style in interior does not reject certain details which had come from far a way of our history thus emphasizing multi level of culture of habitation’s owners: chest of drawers from ebony wood, a sofa in Eastern style is reminiscences of Japan etc. It is worth to mention that contemporary style inclines to voluminous, relief and large things in interior rather than expressionless and small things.

Exotica which had stirred up the whole world community during the first worldwide exhibitions in late XIX – in the beginning of ХХ centuries today introduces the aspiration for various materials use as coconut palm, bamboo, natural leather, fur and ivory.  Everything is used what our modern fantasy can create and adapt to house living and does not contradict exclusive harmony of ours.

As it comes from name the retro style has emerged as the style – reminiscence of the past. It is considered that there is a time lag of 20 years which means the thing has spent all its power and it can easily move to the grade of retro, thus it can add to interior some freshness and changes.

Oriental style in interior design

Fascinating magic heroes, enchanting smell of spice and flavoured attar, slowly developing flowery one-voice melody…what more cultural symbols gave us the Orient? How the Orient imagines to us an interior decoration of a house? Oriental style – is the extremely capacious concept for an interior! Thus mentioning Oriental style in interior it is true to say that the discourse can be about general eastern associations or about detailed studied through styles related to cultures of China, India, Morocco, Thailand, Japan and other countries. The design in eastern style is always the excellent decision for a bedroom. Why exactly for a bedroom? It appears that the Oriental style introduce into general interior of a home an element of mysteriousness which in turn should be preserved from stranger’s eyes in a bedroom. The eastern style in interior – is rich bright and deep colors: black, brown, yellow, deep red, and blue. The design in Oriental style can not do without exquisite pictures on shinning textile with gilding. By the way the textile is presented by silk, watered silk (moiré), organza, brocade, velvet and this surely creates in our perception the image of the real East. Exactly with these cloths stores of eastern merchants are made motley. The textile is actively used while design making. If there is not opportunity to upholster the walls chic wallpapers with silk graphics are used.

The furniture in Oriental style interior as it was marked long ago has the peculiarity of harmonically get used to any interior introducing new interesting and colorful notes. That is why some special furniture items here become a special thrill of an interior. As you can imagine traditional eastern furniture is wide bed with canopy, chests of drawers under the name “busabak” meant for small objects keeping and which include a multitude of small drawers, massive tables and wardrobes, low sofas, mysterious trunks etc. However Oriental style in interior is not only a furniture presence it is also the absence of it or at least alternative variants of its substitution. For example if in Thai culture a bad can occupy almost the whole space of a room than in Japanese culture mats are used instead of beds. Tatami – is a mat from straw perfectly combines with a futon. This is a traditional Japanese sleep place which is worthy to be a bed. The design in Japanese style very often uses such Japanese attributes of interior as screens, lacquered low tables and small caskets with sliding drawers etc. Let us mark their main feature – the functionality as it is known there has not been too much excessive place in Japan. Due to this circumstance Japanese as no other nation in the world has learned to efficiently use the space. Fretted furniture from such solid woods as oak, birch and red wood – is the furniture of eastern style to the appearance of which we are obliged to Chine. India has introduced into eastern style of interior rough but extremely durable furniture from bamboo, teak, nut tree, reed, metal and glass.

The interior in Oriental style is the whole complex of constituent parts which are able to create ethno style of interior of almost any country. If today it is very difficult to sustain a particular style in all its attributes than you can take an advantage in special features of design in Oriental style.  The main is to follow the measure and than in your home refine world in Oriental style can emerge. In order to achieve perfect Oriental style in your home such elements as dwarf trees, rice lams, screens painted in eastern style, porcelain, ceramic dishes, fans, eastern carpets, lamps and many other things  can serve as help to you. But the essential moment are pillows as they are liked everywhere in the East. Multi colored embroidered pillows, incense and hookah will create eastern comfort in your home.

In conclusion of our short excursus I would like to add some information Chinese style. It is recognizable owing to its famous feng shui attributes, precise organization of space, bright color gamma, screens and simple wicker furniture.

Looking like it’s hanging in pure air with no intention to come down to earth, the mirror headboard with ornamental cutouts by Lando is one of the latest additions to the Gingerbread Collection by Paola Navone. This wax finished and solid oak sandblasted headboard marries function and form by juxtaposing wood surfaces with mirror and lacquer. Featuring subtle variations in texture and tone, this headboard can enhance and upgrade any bedroom space and draw attention to the hottest spot in the room: your bed. Feel free to get even more curious about it at Lando. Your sweetest dreams will definitely be triggered and guarded by this wonderful artistic creation.

The Lando Gingerbread collection, designed by Paola Navone, rediscovers the fascinating strength of wood and reshapes traditions through the search of unusual combinations of shapes, materials and styles. The design is inspired by imaginative Caribbean architecture, where the “gingerbread” style buildings are formed of towers, balustrades and cornices with a fairy tale air. The chairs, tables and benches recall classic forms that have lost their third dimension, like cardboard furniture in a dolls’ house. Solid oak, sawed and unvarnished, is matched with traditional Bassano pottery, white almost translucent parchment and steel. The effect is modern, unexpected and almost alien.

Paola Navone has a straightforward approach, a visionary style and an eclectic philosophy. Her soul is full of the flavors and colours of the Orient, which she knows, loves and visits, and the taste and forms of the West, rich in traditions, open and on the move. Happy and relaxed she changes roles from architect, designer and art director to interior decorator and exhibition and event organizer for a highly selective customer portfolio, including Lando.

Wardrobes are very important in every person’s house because this is the place where we store our clothes, so we need it. There is no such a thing as the perfect wardrobe, but there is the perfect wardrobe for each person in particular. The perfect wardrobe satisfies that person’s needs and is purchased depending on its possibilities, too.

The person’s life style is very important when looking for a new wardrobe. For example if the owner is a young person who wears only T-shirts and jeans, then the best wardrobe is one with many compartments and lots of drawers for the socks and everything else. But if the person who wants to purchase wardrobes is a businessman or businesswoman they should consider one with a very large compartment for hanging the suits and only a few smaller compartments for sweaters, T-shirts and other clothes that can be folded.

If the wardrobe is meant for the children’s room, make sure it is very solid and not very tall because you want to avoid any kind of accidents like the wardrobe falling on the kids if pushed or pulled. Choose happy colors like yellow, orange and even red for this room, but try to match the rest of the furniture.

Try to find a wardrobe that does not stand directly on the floor, but has at least some small feet because this way you ensure the proper space under it, so necessary for avoiding mold, fungus and moisture. Do not press it against the wall, but leave there, too, a few inches a space for a proper aeration.

There are so many different models and colors that you have the opportunity to choose whatever you want to, but make sure it fits the room and the house. And always measure the wardrobe and the door of the room where you want to put it in order to avoid unpleasant accidents like buying too big a wardrobe for your bedroom and realizing it only when at home, struggling to make it enter a smaller door.

If you have large living room and like to receive many guests there, this modular upholstered seating system will perfect suit you. The FreeFlow was designed by Gordon Guillaumier for Italian manufacturer Moroso. The system includes variety of  curved and linear modules and provides maximum versatility for use. Based on the idea of by road flyovers, the sofa is composed of two padded tiers, one for the seating and the other for the back rest which can be entwined according to wish or use, creating original geometric forms. Depending on how it is used, these strips can criss-cross each other to create an interplaying form, and at the same time, it also allows for back-to-back seating, ideal for central positioning within a room. Carefully thought-out in every detail, the triangular cross-section of the aluminum legs is designed to ‘hide’ the double legs when the modules are positioned together.  So you can combine different modules and colors and create your own design.

Its curvy, linear modules offer maximum versatility for use in waiting, relaxation and dining areas. This unique freeflow seating is suit to your large spaces of living rooms, lobby seating or hall furniture and your modern office space waiting room seat. Standing in the center of a room, it will be loved by your friends and family members.

Gordon Guillaumier set up his own design studio in Milan in 2002, working on product design but also as design consultant. As a consultant and art director, he collaborated with: Driade for the Atlantide e DHouse collections, bathroom accessories for Dornbracht Interiors, kitchens for Rational, furniture for Fiam’s Liv’it collection, outdoor furniture for Roda and handles for Pamar. Gordon has worked for various internationally renowned companies as a product designer.

Modern design isn’t just one kind of style; it’s an attitude toward innovation, fresh ideas, better ideas and doing things that are new, meaningful and helpful. You can apply all these things and more to the Atlanta-based Soorikian Furniture company.

They are producing designs that we’ve never seen yet before — lots of patterned cut outs in wood and interesting materials used. Not just aesthetically nice to look at, we bet this makes the pieces lighter, making it easier to ship and move once in the house. They mention using locally sourced and sustainable woods for their pieces and recycling some of their scraps. Love good design that’s good to the earth, too.

The detail of Soorikian Furniture’s work is absolutely stunning. Although the pieces are strong, sturdy and even stubby at times, an airy feel permeates from its design thanks to simple lines and cut-out surfaces.

Inspired by Greek architecture, the creation of each furniture piece is a result of three independent factors: utility, structure and form. Specializing in tables, cabinets and dividers, the company works exclusively with wood materials.

Soorikian Furniture is a collaboration of husband and wife, Matt and Karen Soorikian.

Matt and Karen are both architects that have maintained a connection to the process of making as a means to producing furniture that is both functional and beautiful. The creation of a Soorikian Furniture piece is a result of three independent factors: utility, structure, and form. Any three may dominate the conception of a particular piece, but the three must achieve a sense of harmony in the end.