Tourquoise

This is one of the most amazing products that I have seen in years.  It is a photo-luminescent tile that glows for hours after being exposed to light for a minimal amount of time.  Think of the advantages that it could have in hotels, spas and even seniors homes. It is beautiful to look at and energy efficient.  It takes on an otherworldly glow that could enhance any room. Powder rooms, pool tiles, sun rooms the possibilities are endless.Lucedentro is th the company that produces this wonderful product. Once again Italian design reigns supreme.

I am fascinated by this colour.  I do not have it anywhere  in

my house but all the same it intrigues me.An ordinary spider web takes  on a whole new dimension with colour.  Think what colour can do for your room. Spectacular, Carnivale in Venice. Colour takes you to places that sometimes only exist in your imagination.This is a simple look that .can be achieved very inexpensively.

These  plates and glasses and they are under $3 at Ikea . It's a great way to jazz up a summer table without breaking the bank.

Italian Design does it again, luminescent tiles glow for hours.
http://website.informer.com/visit?domain=bathroomdesignsidea.com&url=http://bathroomdesignsidea.com

http://deborabydesign.blogspot.com/

http://deborabydesign.blogspot.com/

Body Graffiti

 Okay, this is taking graffiti one step further, or perhaps one step back.

This is body graffiti in a way, air brush as opposed to spray can.

It's beautiful to look at, but everlasting art, it is not .

  This takes hours to do and it all seems a little silly to me, the next shower and it's gone!!!Okay, I've been studying this one for awhile and I still can't figure it out. Which one is the wonky eye?  My goodness, this is fabulous art but in my mind I keep thinking we are only one wash away from oblivion.  Which brings the question to mind, what is art????Could be porno, but she's wearing a bra.  I have many  examples of body painting that are only bodies, no painted over clothing and it defies detection. I'm intrigued by this genre and I must admit that I'm a little confused?????   Why would you expend all of this talent and time into something that will be gone the next day.  It is like chalk artists. They draw their incredible paintings and one rain and POUF

 they are gone!  That's dedication and I must say, an art form that I admire a great deal,  but understand not a bit!okay, you have to admit, this is cool but remember one rain and it's gone.

A Great Alternative to Graffiti

             Now that I work right downtown, graffiti is the wall covering of many of the cities lovely old  buildings in my new hood. I'm not totally against it, in some sections of the city, it is a welcome and uplifting bit of colour in a drab landscape, but on many buildings it is a blight that is expensive to remove and almost impossible to prevent.

a  sepia coloured street scene

Fishing in a long covered over river

 

      On  a recent trip to the other side of the city, I happened upon some fairytale like murals that enhance , surprise and delight the viewer to happens upon them.   The murals are on Dundas West in the village of Islington.  I didn't even know that there was a village of Islington, I must get out more ?  The artist is John Kuna and his nostalgic paintings are a glimpse of what the village used to be. www.etobicokehistorical.com


   I couldn't find out much about this talented artist but you can view his work on several other websites. His own website seems to be under construction right now but keep looking.  He can be reached at jfkunadesign@yahoo.com.

    We are all familiar with the pictures of New York City subway cars, they are colourful but for some reason they always seem a little sinister to me.  Toronto Transit Commissions takes great care to make sure that no graffiti sullies their cars, it's a full-time job removing it . Apparently, graffiti artists have some principles and they will not spray paint over another artists work.  In the long run, painting a mural on a building is a fabulous way to stop the graffiti.  It might initially cost a little more but in the long run, it will save the great expense and bother of cleaning the graffiti off. 

   That's it for today,  I'll  be posting more on graffiti, it fascinates me and I'd like to document more of it in Toronto.  bye for now, Debora

Google SketchUp

http://sketchup.google.com/

    Do you like to draw? 

 I've just started using Google's Sketchup to
try and do some designing and it couldn't be easier.  There are plenty of
tutorials to get you started and the effects are amazing. This program totally appeals to my need for instant gratification.  Anyone can download it and the best part is......it's FREE.  

  You can do floor plans, 3D models and you can look at your creations from all angles.  I think this just might be my favourite tool for design in the future. I think that the pro version just might be in the cards .  Autocad, you have some competition!!!!! 

Contemporary Designs....Old Fashioned Customer Care

Toronto Contemporary Furniture: One Stop Shopping

The Best in town, make it a point to venture off the beaten path on Queen Street West and visit URBAN MODE at 145 Tecumseth (one block west of Bathurst). Owner and Interior Designer Myrlene Sundberg and her staff of designers take customer care to another level. They have an extensive supply of furniture in the store (check out the pod) or easily accessible in their nearby warehouse. The in-store stock is complimented by hundreds of catalogues and custom designs. Worth the half block detour from the Queen Street furniture crawl, Urban Mode is the only store you'll need to visit. The star of the showroom right now is an extra white glass and chrome table from Calligaris. Go in and see the one step expansion capability of this incredible table.It's also available in regular tempered glass, expresso and black , with the option of a matt finish on the legs and hardware. .

Fan lights with function

Have you ever wandered along a street an admired the beautiful fan lights over the front doors? They are often ornate and intricate, but did you know that they are not simply added to admit light, in bygone days they had a valuable function.

In England you will find many beautiful Georgian squares, all looking cookie cutter alike, but with one subtle difference. They all have unique fan lights over the front door. There was a time when house numbers did not grace the front of a home. The only way that a visitor could distinguish the correct address was by checking for the proper fan light window. Wealthy homeowners would have their calling cards printed up with a picture of their fan light. The visitor would then match them up to make sure that they were at the right address. In Georgian and Victorian London, it was common to make calls on a friend or aquaintance as part of the upper echelons daily routine. People had regular receiving hours and if one was not available for a visit, the guest would leave his calling card in a special tray in the front foyer.

Of course now all the houses are numbered, imagine the problems with delivery back then!!! The next time you are passing an older neighbourhood, check out their fan lights, they will usually all be different.