International Design company, Andreu World, is hosting its 8th annual design competition. The challenge is to design a chair or table in which innovative design/style contributions are made. Both students and design professionals can enter the competition and there is no age limit.

First prize is 4,000 Euros (about $6,000). Second prize is 2,000 Euros. The deadline is September 15, 2008. The images here are last year’s winners. For more specific guidelines, visit their site and download the rules.

Maybe you’ve seen dining rooms which use a variety of chairs to create a single look around a dining table. The idea has been around for a while. Here’s a take on the same idea that I love. Use the same chair, but mix it up by using color.

This room is from last month’s Dwell Magazine. The owners of this Amsterdam apartment used furniture from Piet Hein Eek. I love them. And the use of four colors around the large table is the perfect number to create a nice mix. For a smaller table, I’d use either three or make them all different.

Piet’s table and chairs are awesome, but pricey. So I thought I’d take a look at some other options out there. Here’s what I found.

LL Bean has some very nice Cottage-style furniture at good prices. A lot of their things are painted, too. These chairs would be a good choice for a small room, where you need something small in scale.

Maine Cottage has some great styles with more than 20 color choices. Their quality is good and their prices are affordable. This is a good custom look with good value.

Finally, good ‘ole IKEA. This Norvald Chair comes in three colors and the price is great. I also love the contemporary look. The scale is perfect. These are my favorite.

I’m wondering if anyone has tried something like this already. Send me photos! Also, what is your experience with painting furniture. Is it tricky? I usually send mine out to the auto body shop. I get a sprayed-on, showroom fresh finish.

image: Rene Mesman

My favorite find this week is Moroso’s Little Garden café table. The designer is Tokujin Yoshioka. It’s so cute.

It would be easy to create this look yourself, and a great decoration for a garden party. Simply surround your garden table with pots of tall flowers. Don’t forget to water them!

The design team of Hettler-Tüllman is working on some interesting prototypes, which I hope we’ll see in the marketplace sometime in the near future. I saw their work at the Satellite in Milan last Spring and was impressed.

First up is this series of wood veneer pendants lamps. They come in a variety of colors with a painted design on each. They have a very light and airy feel to them - sort of crisp modernism meets down-home design.

I love this plywood pendant mobile. The use of color is fantastic - especially because it’s red. Which, if you don’t know already, is my favorite color. The craftsmanship here is terrific.

This table is designed to be folded and put away. That’s very smart for both shipping and home design aspects. Flat packing means less space taken up in a shipping container and, therefore, less impact on the environment. And, of course, if you live in a space-impaired abode, being able to store a table to make more room is always a great thing.

Katja Hettler is an industrial designer and has worked with Marc Newson and Christian Biecher. Architect Jula Tüllmann, trained in Berlin and New York. She has worked with Maya Lin and urban theorist Michael Sorkin.

You can find some of their accessories, like laptop covers, at their online store, Red Maloo.

Textile designer, Madeline Weinrib, has a new collection of carpets and textiles called Amagansett. I thought I’d stop by and see what else is new.

Her furniture pieces are one-of-a-kind. You can find them at her shop in ABC Carpet & Home.

Madeline began her career as a carpet designer. She’s expanded into textiles, and creates pillows, home accessories and furniture using her fabrics. Fashions are next. I hope wallpapers will follow.

To find shops in your area that carry her line, go here.

De La Espada is holding a two-day auction on discontinued furniture and floor models. The auction started today at 10:00 am, and ends on Thursday, May 29th at 4:00 pm. You can place a bid or take their buy it now option. Prices often start at 50% off the full retail price.

Access the auction here.

Sotheby’s auction house is holding an auction of important 20th Century design. Included are the George Nakashima Mira Chairs, from 1972. They’re expected to fetch between $3,000 - $5,000.

Other represented designers include: Arne Jacobson, Tiffany Studios, and Hans Wegner to name just a few.

The auction is being held in New York on June 14th at 10:00 AM. To order a catalog, or find out more information, contact Sotheby’s.

Arne Jacobsen, Rare Drop Chair, ca. 1958
Piero Fornasetti, Citte di Carte Two-Tier Trolley, ca. 1950
Paul Frankl, Puzzle Desk, ca. 1925

  Photos via Sotheby’s

I’m seeing more and more Indian influences in the wild world of design. It’s a personal favorite of mine - especially when it comes to textiles. The colors are perfect for summer. Here’s a Friday afternoon tour.

This chest, from Wisteria, is inlaid with hand cut bone and retails for $2999.

These accessories are from my new favorite discoveries, Novica and Kaaya. The hand painted box, by artist Shivji Ram Mali, is $115. The hand crafted Mehendi candle comes in a variety of styles and is $98.

Saris make fantastic curtains and pillows. This hand embroidered sari is available on eBay shop Indian Delight for $24.99. The pink pillow cover comes in a set of three - all hand embroidered, for $32.99. The other two (also hand embroidered) are from Kaaya and retail for $62 (blue) and $72 (yellow).

Novica is associated with National Geographic. They sell products from six different world regions.

Powder-coated tables were all the rage in Milan. I like this one, Grand Ecart, from Pallucco. It slides to form a larger table. Kind of a different take on the traditional table leaves.

I was interested to see if the sliding it would scratch the finish, so I tried it out at the exhibit. It slid open easily without scratching the surface.

It’s a simple table and looks sharp. I like the colors.

Lime Studio is an up and coming trio of designers based in the UK. The team is comprised of UK born Matthew Dabbs, half Swiss-half Japanese Oscar Tange, and Cypriot born Panos Vasiliou. I met them at the Satellite Salone show in Milan. They’re very passionate about their work and took a lot of time to the concepts behind their work.

Their Milan collection included a unique, leaning shelving unit that requires no screws or fixings.  They came up with the idea from their own experience living in rental properties, where you aren’t allowed to do much to the walls - like hang shelves. The unit comes with 5 shelves in different colors that slide in and snap into place. I particularly like the fact that the shelves run only half way across the unit so that taller books and objects fit comfortably in place. It was a well thought out concept.

I liked the other projects, mostly tables, that Lime Studio has developed. They’re definitely a team to watch. 

Here’s a chair named after my blog! I wish. It is called Hole, though. It’s made entirely of aluminum and is available lacquered with aerograph in decreasing color tones, so it changes color depending on the angle. 

You can find Hole at The Magazine.

Yesterday I wrote about a particular style of sofa I see all too often. Please understand that this is my personal opinion (professional as it may be), but there is nothing good about this style.

Winner of Design Hole’s prize for ugliest sofa in the world

These are always found at your less-expensive furniture stores, which I’m sure is part of the reason why they’re appealing. However, they’re cheap for a reason - the quality is non-existent. They’re priced to sell, not to live with. As for quality, these are made with staple-guns and glue. The fabrics are thin and not designed to last. Same thing with the foam cushioning. So, you’re saving money in the short run for something that will need replacing in two years.

A classic style allows you to design around it.
Mix it with antiques or contemporary elements.

Worse, these are so large in scale and puffy that it’s very difficult to find anything to pair with it. You’re kind of stuck with the puffy look. This is why they’re almost always sold as a set.

How do you choose a sofa that will stand the test of time and offer a sense of style and proper proportion? And let’s assume the budget is limited. Here are some resources and suggestions.

• Choose a classic style and build around it. A rolled-arm, two or three cushion sofa is a great option. It will never go out of style and is a perfect choice for anyone who wants a basic look they can build around.

Crate & Barrel’s Huntley Sofa

• Choose a solid color fabric. You can give it a punch of style by adding some patterned toss pillows or a throw blanket.
• Pay attention to scale. This is so important. If your room is small, look for a sofa with a smaller scale. Crate and Barrel’s Potomac Collection is designed for apartment living and smaller rooms. An over-stuffed model will look great in a larger room.
• Ask who manufactures the sofa you’re considering. Vanguard and Lee Industries make a lot of sofas for other brands, like Pottery Barn. Vanguard is solid and sells furniture under its own name. Lee does the same and is a more budget-oriented brand.

A style from Vanguard (not such great fabric) in a classic style.

• Ask about how the sofa is constructed. And don’t be afraid to kick the tires. Look underneath. If there are clumps of dried glue, move on. A lot of people talk about 8-way hand tied springs. No doubt those are great. But you won’t find them in a budget model. That’s okay. You can still find a nice sofa without them.

A classic style from Lee

• Finally, you should expect to pay about $1,500 - $2,000 for a sofa that will hold up through the years. If that sounds like a lot of money, consider that it will last longer than the puffy $500 model that’s perpetually on sale.

Do you have a favorite sofa resource? Why not share it with everyone?