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Disappearing act-media rooms [identity (United Arab Emirates)](identity (United Arab Emirates) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) When IKEA releases a Wi-Fi-ready smart TV you know there's something pretty big on the design horizon. However, it's not the fact the Swedish company is peddling an affordable LED-backlit display, full HD resolution model that is generating buzz, it's the bigger picture. This television is the anchor of a full-fledged media centre, with a built-in Blu-ray/DVD/CD player, a 2.1 surround sound system and extra storage spaces for tucking away cables and movie collections. "The idea is to sell complete TV solutions, where TV, sound and furniture are combined and integrated in a way that is really unique to the market today," says IKEA project leader Marcel Godfroy of the Uppleva system. The past few years have seen niche furniture players driving the fusion between home entertainment systems and home furnishings, cleverly embedding speakers, docking stations and more into furniture that is sleek enough to fool even the most technophobic. Top European manufacturers have been working overtime to adapt their avant-garde wall systems to today's entertainment needs, cloaking not only the expansive flat screens but also many of the unsightly extras that go along with them. The next step for is the infusion of audio-visual components into the offerings, making it even simpler to have an integrated, elegant look. The results offer a future full of promise, with simplicity, integration and aesthetics driving product development not just in wall systems but throughout the home. the biG picture the world of home design there is a dichotomy between technology and the desire of many to escape. Designers have been coping with the contradictions between technology and the virtual world on the one hand, and the desire to reconnect with nature on the other. For many this paradox is solved (or at least mitigated) by completely erasing the latest technologies from view. Hence top ffurnishing and electronics makers are doing their best to camouflage televisions, surround sound systems and everything else required for home media set-ups. "There is more and more pull to have your home as the place where you can breathe deeply and be calmer, away from the high-tech world," says Canadian interior designer Nancy Bendtsen, co-owner of Inform Interiors. Introducing natural elements into the home can help offset the digital onslaught, she says. Designer Carrie McCarthy, from Vancouver's McCarthy Hinder Interior Design, agrees, saying that on one side is a design philosophy surrounding digital technology that it is "cool, hip and modern. Then there's this philosophy that it's really OK not to be available on your phone all the time and it's good for your family to rest, to be in nature and take time off. That translates into the desire for more natural materials to be in their home, such as wood and clay." Hence at many 2013 European furnishings fairs natural, untreated, authentic, honest materials were the stars of the show. "No oak table is exactly like another. Its owner has something exceptional and special that comes with a genuine growth story - and not a synthetic, mass-produced industrial product," say the trend-spotters from IMM Cologne of the "natural" trend driving interiors. "The increasing popularity of natural materials is expressing itself in the form of solid wood furniture, veneered furniture and covering materials like leather, wool felt and animal skins. Glass is replacing plastic as the preferred material for fronts and a rough-cut finish - a very natural and always matt surface - is still a popular choice for solid wood items." This is a preference many trend experts expect to persist throughout the next few seasons. Paris furniture fair Maison & Objet's trend book dubbed the year's motif "Living": "The art of living aspires to better living. Our dematerialised, virtual world is searching for a harmonious lifestyle that is more anchored in reality. A new vitality is perfecting the riches of nature." Renowned French design augur François Bernard explains: "We are feeling the need to reconsider our lifestyles and reconnect to material things. New behaviours are tilling the emerging fields of a state of mind that champions autonomy and emotional satisfaction. The search for beauty is ushering in a new relationship to time, in which everything remains alive. Nothing can be old anymore. Natural materials give life to timeless, simple, luxurious objects. Craftsmanship is reactivating the grace of making things. A biodynamics of creation in harmony with nature and humanity." Designers are beginning to move away from the super-rustic 'reclaimed' everything groove and towards a bit more polish, luxury and sophistication. Lighter stains such as pale, ash and grey-tinted woods still show the natural beauty of the wood's grain and hue but lend a more elegant hand. The mood established by Poliform when presenting its range at the leading home expos was all about simplicity and elegance, with wood, glass and neutral colours playing a leading role in various spaces and settings. Though colour is still a tool in the arsenal of its design, Poliform's day systems, as the company calls its cosmopolitan bookcases and wall units, were often featured in a rich brown spessart oak (either for shelves or for optional sliding doors) paired with matt lacquers and sometimes finished off with glass cupboards and/or doors. In fact the popularity of glass front cabinets is a growing trend, thought it has been tweaked and updated in the latest incarnations. Poliform's integrated Ego Day glass cupboard features a bronze painted frame and a transparent reflecting fume (smoked) glass door. Its interior can be decked out in drawers and shelves of minimal thickness and highlighted by ambient .lighting. Molteni&C is also updating its wall systems, such as Pass, with a blend of natural woods, wood finishes, matte lacquers and glass. Likewise, natural fabrics, such as wool felt, will continue to be popular among European makers. "Nature will have a major influence on design," says Lidewij Edelkoort, the founder of Paris-based trend forecasting company Trend Union. "[A] reaction to the increasingly digital landscape of our lives, a craving for tactility and dimension has led several designers to reconsider textile." Not just any fabrics but those that are tactile. Fabrics and finishes, she predicts, should all be touchable, featuring warmth and depth. There was a growing preference among top European furnishings makers for pleating and tufting. Moroso's Gentry and Bohemia seating collections by Patricia Urquiola quickly come to mind. Gentry is wrapped in a chunky quilted, knitted fabric in a leaf-like pattern, and the quilted and stitched, updated-Chesterfield- like Bohemia was shown off in green leather. Rod, the new sofa from Piero Lissoni for Living Divani, features a distinctive slender back and light, airy shell, lined with inviting cushions. Sitting on 12-millimetre-wide chrome-plated steel feet, it is available as a two or three-cushion sofa and comes in two different depths. However, the range's subtlety lies in the possibility of choosing different coverings for the shell and cushions - enhanced with optional quilted details and bold buttons - mixing finishes with two-tone and two-material effects or leather/fabric combos. Likewise, rugs carry a tangible effect. Nanimarquina's Natural collection is composed of natural fibres that reflect the plurality nature has to offer: nettle, Afghan wool, silk and jute; Gandia Blasco's pure new-wool Sticks felt rug and the colourful, tile-inspired Hidra offer a multi-sensory experience; and Paola Lenti's extensive Felt range continues to push the fabric to the limit. These and other fresh introductions are proving the perfect counterpoint to the technology-infused media room. GREAT IDEAS As fewer see the need for formal living rooms, open arrangements now host a range of activities and are being folded into the larger great room environment comprised of living, dining and cooking areas. If there is space for a standalone media room, author Barbara Ballinger notes they will be less dark and less stark than those of recent years. This newer 'family room' provides a comfortable, casual space for a variety of activities, not just watching television. In the US, the National Association of Homebuilders expects that a typical new home built in 2015 won't have a formal living room at all. It's part of a broader trend of consumers looking for smaller, more energy-efficient, practical spaces. "The living room is just one victim of the revolution," says Rose Quint, assistant vice-president for survey research at the association. "Consumers don't have anything in particular against it, but it's something that will merge into the great room... You get rid of the square footage and increase your energy efficiency. The living room is just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Since many are now merging home media set-ups into their living area, the drive has been towards flexibility and ultra-functionalism of all furnishings. From adjustable sofas or composable ones to wall systems for organising, the living space or TV room is full of a polished utilitarianism, which still leaves room for the personal touch. "Good design enhances life in many ways," says New York-based designer Michelle Elzay. "It can make you neater, it can keep you organised, it can give you visual pleasure, it can keep you relaxed. I may go as far to say that good design can improve your health by reducing stress." In our new flowing interior landscapes, furnishings are required to do so much more. Wall and storage units not only hide clutter and help organise everything from CDs to books, they also house media systems and artwork as well. Perhaps more importantly, they help express the tone and mood of the living area. New wall system designs, like those mentioned above, are leaning towards elegance, blending woods and matte lacquers with the sheen of glass for a more refined, yet lively effect. Yet the central character in the living area and media room is the seating. Supreme comfort, often paired with adjustable backrests or arms, and composable modular designs are becoming de rigueur for living rooms that also play host to family time, guest visits, home theatre equipment and audio systems. The modular sofa Party by Gabriele Rosa for Zanotta interprets the many new and contemporary ways of living. The true value of it lies in its shape, its multifunctionality and its accessories. As Gabriele Rosa, the young designer from Rome who also created the Pablo mirror for Zanotta in 2008, says: "Party combines a 'sprawl mindset' with the concept of traditional seating; the overall style is middle-class but it's easily adapted to eclectic environments where people talk, sleep and work, a bit like the more conformist environment of the traditional drawing room." With two different seating depths and oblique cuts that permit asymmetric combinations, a pouf, loads of cushions and important armrests, the sofa also has a series of accessories that accompany its various functions: a desk and a small bookcase with two shelves. "These elements can be easily fitted in behind the sofa back or utilised elsewhere," Rosa adds. "In fact, I designed this modular sofa for people with quick change capacities. People who, in the arc of a day, go through different situations and different moments all in the same place, dealing with them naturally and with rhythms and hours that are totally fluid. New attitudes and lifestyles correspond to these multifaceted people, and new ways of living follow. "The sofa, representing the focal point of domestic life, becomes a place where many activities take place, each one with specific characteristics and norms - a stage that can be animated by many different factors over time. Party interprets this change, it's not only adaptable to contemporary life but it effectively tells the story of our present day." The sprawl factor has affected many designs. Top-end manufacturers are showcasing their newest works in extra-deep configurations, often including a chaise longue element. Some have even combined modular elements to make a square-shaped sofa-like bed for the ultimate in lounging. Arflex paired a right and left-armed chaise longues in its new Frame modular system, to create a swoon-worthy spot. Likewise, the new aptly-named, "luxuriously proportioned" Hollywood sofa marries Scandinavian sensibilities with plushness and H02 nestles together two- chaise longues for an indulgent affect. The brand's reworked 1972, modular Strips sofa, designed by architect Cini Boeri, which carries a removable stitched cover, is also now available in a host of plush fabrics and leather. The sofas of 2013 must be dynamic and multifunctional - perhaps they can just be moved around a room depending on what's happening, or perhaps it just moves. Rolf Benz's Pronto and Plurba are meant for motion. Pronto features a modern aesthetic infused with innovation - back heights are adjustable and a gliding function allows the backrest to be adjusted for a more laid-back appeal. Likewise, the Plurba range easily adopts to new positions: armrests can unfold, the seat can be swivelled to create a footrest and backrests can be heightened or reclined. Roche Bobois now has two sofas in its collection meant for relaxing and enjoying a show. Digital, a straight sofa upholstered in tendresse leather, features a padded seat cushion on foam core, integrated springs and an adjustable backrest in goose and duck feather on foam core. Cinetique is composed of seat cushions and backrest in 100 per cent goose and duck down on a foam core, with an optional high-tech kick: remote-controlled adjustable seats and backrest. Meanwhile, Pui from Intertime marries clean, simple lines with adjustable arms and backrests. Some are even adding built-in speakers and docking systems to their designs. The Sound Sofa from CSL features built-in iPhone/iPod dock, USB port, Bluetooth connectivity, SD card slot and a sound system. Then there is Natuzzi's Surround sofa, which has an optional audio kit and docking station and features visible stitching on a generous and welcoming seat, and backrest cushions alongside manually adjustable headrests. Even renowned designer Philippe Starck toyed with the concept for a special project with Cassina a few years back. His M.I.S.S. (Music Image Sofa System) integrated two speakers, a subwoofer and video projector compartment (hidden at the back that pops up for use) into a sleek contemporary sofa. WAll in While upholstery makers have been experimenting with more functional pieces, high-end European wall systems makers have not been resting on their laurels. They continue to come up with fresh perspectives that easily hide TVs and their components using sliding doors or by merging them into the design via TV-ready panels. Such is the solution offered by Poliform's Wall System, which is available with its fume (dark smoked) glass sliding door. B&B Italia has Flat.C by Antonio Citterio and PAB by Studio Kairos both updated with new features the expand the compositional possibilities. PAB now includes moving elements and accessorised panels to increase its flexibility, too. Some have taken an even bolder step by incorporating the technology into their products, rather than just offering a means to store, organise and hide. Once niche products, tech-injected furniture is slowly seeing more established design ateliers getting into the game. Germany's Finite Elementes has created a series of discreet docking shelf systems with built-in speakers, such as the reddot winner Hohrizontal 51. Even more discreet is Mirror 62, which conceals a complete music system behind the mirror. From Spectral, also based in Germany, comes a series of introductions that boast built-in audio components and docking stations, such as the Scala and Cantina TV cabinets. This sort of integration is the way of the future, so it comes as no surprise that retailers like IKEA and established furniture makers are exploring the concept. Italian furniture maker Acerbis International just created its SmartWall storage system. Suspended, visually light, with simple horizontal and vertical modularity on three levels (or even more), it is designed to perform all functions of a piece of furniture for the living room: storage, bookcase, entertainment. Yet it features advanced audio-video integration. It is able to hold the latest generation ultra-slim flat screens of up to 65 inches, while a dedicated soundbar can be integrated inside the cabinet to combine sound and design without compromise. Equipped with speakers and integrated amplifier, it can deliver sound from different sources (TV, home theatre, CD or MP3 players) or wirelessly via Bluetooth. A docking station for iPod is connected to the soundbar and elegantly concealed by a rollaway closing system inside the glass front panel. SoundS Good The wireless and streaming phenomenon shows no signs of abating. For some hardcore video and audiophiles, nothing will do but a comprehensive sound system while others are happy with soundbars or single-speaker systems, while another segment needs more freedom and mobility. "People want more and more freedom and flexibility - especially when they listen to music," says Henrik Lindskou-Mouritsen, regional director of Danish audio-maker Libratone. "Before, you had your CDs, but today more people have their music on their mobile devices, computers and iPads. "A few years ago, sound docks were introduced in the market - but today you want to be able to stream songs from iTunes on your Mac or PC, as well as music stored on your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, windows or Android devices. Sound docks are starting to be old fashion. DLNA and AirPlay technology taps right into that principle with the freedom to have full control, without speaker cables, and we believe this is the future of sound." Libratone has created a series of systems that allow users to play and control music wirelessly, anywhere in the home. Libratone Lounge was created to be a Hi-Fi replacement for the living room and combines advanced technology to enhance movie and music experiences wrapping it in a minimalistic Scandinavian design. It features a satin chrome handle, a body of wood, high-end piano finish and Italian handpicked wool, and is available in several colours. It streams from an iPad, iPhone, Mac/computer or smartphone and connects to the television via analogue or digital mini jack, eliminating the need for speaker cables. Five dedicated amplifiers, together with a Digital Signal Processing unit, fill every corner of the room with a 360-degree sound experience from only one speaker. Libratone also offers two more portable systems: its battery-powered super-movable, 1.8-kilogramme Zipp, and Live, a 6.5-kilogramme speaker designed to move around the home. Home automation and entertainment specialist Archimedia is showcasing the Bowers & Wilkins' Wireless Music System A7 while the same company's?Panorama 2 adds a new dimension to home entertainment, bringing immersive high-quality sound via a single, discreet speaker. For those seeking a broader home system, Archimedia is also working with Savant Systems, an Apple-based platform that makes controlling everything in the media or living room even simpler. You can manage lights, A/C systems and audio and visual components from your iPhone or iPad. As audio equipment gets smaller, smarter and better, the television gets slimmer, sleeker and smarter. At the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, many manufacturers showcased even thinner flat-screens with improved ultra-high definition. However, it is the 'smartness' of the TVs and how they are helping viewers access content that is causing most of the excitement. Sharp's Smart Central technology offers all the frills of online TV, including streaming of your favourite content, connectivity to your smartphone, and even split screen viewing. From Philips comes the just-released, reddot award-winner DesignLine Edge. While mirror TVs are not new, with Edge the concept gets larger and even more sophisticated. Available as a 46-inch or 55-inch HDTV, the mirrored front is made out of one piece of glass, with a pearl white, slim and translucent frame. It is designed to lean against the wall and casts an ambient glowing light onto the wall behind the TV that adjusts the colour and brightness of the light to match the TV picture. "The media room is your happy place," says Omar Hikal, the chief operating officer of Archimedia. "It serves as your movie theatre, sports stadium, gaming station, hangout lounge and relaxation centre. Let's be honest, you spend the majority of your time there so it goes without saying that this room needs to be inviting, functional and most importantly comfortable." It seems for most of us technology is something you can't always live with, but don't want to live without. Yet as the range of choices continues to increase, at the very least it is something we can easily forget is in the room. ID Design sources Acerbisinternational.com Archimedia-me.com; tel: (04) 337 0183 Arflex.it Bang-olufsen.com; tel: (04) 342 2344 Bebitalia.it; tel: (04) 340 5795 Busnelli.it Cassina.com; tel: (04) 334 2433 Clei.co.uk Csl-sofas.co.uk Emmebidesign.com Finite-elemente.de Ikea.com; tel: (04) 203 7555 Gandiablasco.com; tel: (04) 297 1777 Libratone.com; tel: (04) 362 7500 Livingdivani.it; te: (04) 334 9943 Mdfitalia.it; tel: (04) 334 9943 Molteni.it; tel: (04) 297 1777 Moroso.it; tel: (04) 425 7888 Nanimarquina.com; tel: (02) 666 5053 Natuzzi.com; tel: (04) 338 0777 Officinanove.it Ozzio.com Philips.com; tel: (04) 345 3633 Poliform.it; tel: (04) 394 8161 Presottoitalia.it Roche-bobois.com; tel: (04) 336 6172 Rolf-benz.com; tel: (04) 399 0425 Sharpmea.com; tel: (04) 881 5311 Sony-mea.com; tel: (04) 339 8503 Stewartfilmscreen.com Zanotta.it; tel: (04) 425 7888 (c) 2013 Motivate Publishing. All rights reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |