Semiramis Hotel Athens - Karim Rashid Design

The Semiramis Hotel has definitely been built with the future in mind.  Karim Rashid has designed a fluid soft style of rounded forms joined with bright and lively colours. every single room consists of the Karim Rashid atmosphere.
Light pinks and greens, oranges and yellows are reproduced in walls, floors, furnishings and fittings for an energetic atmosphere.


I think this is a fabulous design and can see that Karim Rashid had lots of fun Developing his ideas for this hotel. It makes the hotel look more lively and energetic just by the choice of materials and colours its made out of. People would pass this hotel and think why am I not staying there? I certainly would.

however in some peoples opinion they may think that this place has too much colour and "looks hideous" No-one would want to stay in a place as mismashed as this. but I think its aiming towards the younger or more energetic families to try something completely different to what they usually try.

would you like to stay in this hotel?

Karim Rashid - Designer

Karim Rashid is a very profiled american designer with over 300 designs in production and has worked in 40 different countries.

hes worked in product design and lighting design, furniture design and even into interior design which is my main interest. 

Born September 18 1960 

 

i love Karim Rashids designs and i am so glad i stumbled across him researching interior design.  his ideas are so full of fun and excitement, the designs seem to have been designed in Rashids play time. with bright colours and quirky shapes to create chairs and interesting products they really catch my attention and i think other peoples too. 

i think the champagne bottle stand is fab. It would definitely be a conversation starter at a dinner party. I would love to own it.

his work is quite curvy with a futuristic style which i found very interesting with this new modern era starting in the design world.

Karim Rashid has earnt the place as one of my favourite designers. 

Phillip Starck

Phillip Starck is one of the most influential and most well known designers of our time. A total icon of modern design.
he is known for his complete building designs, from the exterior deisgn to the interior.
hi is probably best known for his reworkings of everyday objects including chairs and tables.





(bottom left) shows his lemon squeezer.an absolutely absurd object but very well known. Phillip Starck balances on the edge of form and function as this object looks beautiful but really does it perform to the best ability a lemon squeezer can perform too?
his work is quite futuristic and abstract which relates to the modern designs we have today.
i love how he uses bright colours in blocks or just a plain sterling silver. this keeps the attention to the shape of his objects/furniture for audiences to admire.

i found a video of Phillip Starck talking about his work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Z4PwHD7XKj0
very interesting. must watch!

Toyota - Self Driven Car

Im currently studying 3D design at college and have been researching into all sorts of latest design news and concepts. with product and transport design being some of them. i came across this on the BBC webpage aswell. the Self Driven Car. me being able to drive and from a family that loves cars i was quite interested in this.



Toyota have released the concept idea of a self driven car safe technology ahead of the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas.

The Car was a Lexus and The technology includes on-board radar and video cameras to monitor the road, the surroundings, and the driver.The car can also communicate with other cars!! 

"We're looking at a car that would eliminate crashes," said the spokesman. "Zero-collisions is our ultimate aim."

Audi are also looking into developing a self driven car. So the road to not having to drive is upon us!

Do you think it will eliminate crashes or make them worse. people may lose all sight of concentration which could be dangerous if the car slips up. is this the sign of robots starting to control us? 

Full article at BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20910769 
information found above not my own. 

The fork that tells you off for eating too fast!

"Hapifork" is the first ever smart utensil - a bluetooth enabled fork that could help you lose weight.



this fork monitors your eating schedule and how fast you put your food in your mouth.
if you chomp down your meal to fast it will vibrate saying your eating to fast! forcing you to slow down.

according to research the slower you eat your food the better it is for your digestion and losing you more calories!. Win Win.

What do you think about this? shouldn't we be able to be responsible to eat correctly without a fork telling us we are doing it wrong? or do we need this in our society these days?

information from BBC webpage. not my own.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20932715

How Plants online keep them healthy?

Designed for all those gardeners out there who like some new green technology.

"Parrots flower power system can make plants smart"
i was looking on the BBC technology web page and i came across this interesting device.


This little device goes next to your plant in the soil and monitors sunshine, moisture and other important variants involved in the plants growth. the device notifys the user when the plant needs attention by sending a message to your smartphone.
it also gives reccomendations on treatment based on a database of gardening expertise!

would you get one for your plants or is it just a waste of technology?

Information from the BBC technology webpage not my own.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20931772

Verner Panton - Designer

One Designer i have come across while searching for Interior Designers is Verner Panton and he has become one of my favourites. Born 13th February 1926 - 5th September 1998, he is considered Denmark's most influential 20th century furniture and interior designers and i can see why.
He has created some very innovative funky futuristic designs in plastics and other varieties of materials. he also likes to use vibrant colours together in a mixture which to me creates a very playful fun vibe to his work. his style is very 1960s but his work is still in production today.



One piece of interior he created (bottom right picture) he tried to create a room that put walls, ceiling and the floor together and create places to sit. the first thing that attracts my attention is the colours of the rooms, bright blue with pink, orange and yellow. you wouldn't usually expect to see these colours together, however this makes me want to enter the room even more. it has the wow factor.
the shape is the next thing you notice, how hes created the curves and points in the walls to merge into chairs is fascinating but still very comfortable looking. where did he get this idea from?
with the use of the underfloor lighting and lights dotted around on the ceiling you feel like your in another world. this room is so unique you wouldn't find it anywhere else. this is Verner Pantons work.

all his designs look so bizarre and crazy but i think that's what audiences notice and attract their attention. it certainly does me.