Ingo Maurer – Lighting at its best

Modern lighting combines functional and decorative elements. The German industrial designer Ingo Maurer is focusing on extravagant lighting design and remarkable light installations. After he had been working in the States as a graphic designer, he came back to Germany in 1963 and founded his own design company for manufacturing lamps. Nowadays, his company has been internationally awarded many times and some of the famous designs of Ingo Maurer can be found in museums.

Since 1999 the lighting manufacturers' second home is New York City. With an own lighting store and a fascinating showroom Ingo Maurer presents contemporary design in the heart of Big Apple. It is located in the New York neighborhood SoHo and offers about 250 square meters exhibition space on two levels. One of is first design lights, called Bulb (1966) has also been included in the design collection of the famous Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in Midtown Manhattan. In 2007, the Copper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City presented an exhibition that achieved great success. “Provoking Magic: Lighting of Ingo Maurer” has also been one of the latest dedications to Ingo Maurer. Furthermore, the German Vitra Design Museum organized the exhibition "Ingo Maurer – Light – Reaching for the Moon" (2002) which also traveled around Europe and even to Japan.

As he inspires consumers, it is for sure that Ingo Maurer himself is inspired by the variety of lights. Mentioning his latest successes, winning the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2010 and the award Compasso d'Oro for his career in 2011, this blogs' title is self-explanatory. Another interesting point to know is that Ingo Maurer has created several unique lighting installations for well known organizations and brands. Just look for the UNICEF Crystal Snowflake or have a look at Tiffany's light objects in the store at Wall Street.

How to find Ingo Maurer in New York City:

Ingo Maurer LLC

89 Grand Street

New York, NY 10013

USA

Color your room

Interior design is also about colors. Dominated by bright, fresh and clear tones, color trends in 2011 include the combination of elegant and classic furniture with more colorful hangings, such as motif wallpapers or simple white hangings personally designed with geometric shapes in complementary colors.

Add more details to your living room by choosing elegant and eye-catching wallpapers and decorating accessories that will turn the room into a modern oasis of well-being. You might want to have a look at housing magazines that point out design patterns and ideas for decorating homes. Besides that, there is also a big amount of design studies examining trends of interior design.

Flexibility is one of the keys of room styling in 2011. The biggest advantage of choosing subtle and soft color tones, such as light green, blue or purple (pastels) or citrus yellow, is that you can easily change the atmosphere within the room by adding new design accessories or furniture in different colors and styles. Therefore, you might love to stick to a neutral gray or soft beige to color walls. Furthermore, painting keeps an inexpensive way to add some new style to your rooms. It is truly the most versatile element of room decor, being represented by an infinite array of colors.

Those who want to create a cozy atmosphere should not just choose from color tones that are 'trendy', but also reflect personal likes by favorite colors. Especially if it looks like a big challenge to make a final decision, always remember that you will have the chance to change colors again and again.

IDS 12: Contemporary Design Fair in Toronto

Design lovers shouldn't miss next year's Interior Design Show (IDS) in Toronto. It's a well-known contemporary design fair with lots of interesting works and Canada's largest event in that category. Next IDS will take place from January 26^th to 29^th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. It will surely be the meeting point of high class design professionals and is planned to give an overview on contemporary design trends.

The first Interior Design Show in Canada started in 1999. Its success was one of the reasons why IDS is regularly being held in Canada. Next year's IDS will again include a Professional Trade Day, being reserved to professional design traders. In addition to the exhibits of companies and design products, IDS Professional Trade Day (January, 27^th) includes a series of talks where representatives will share their ideas with members of the design trade industry. Consumers are welcome to join IDS 12 on the following days. January 28^th and 29^th are reserved for general admission.

The sale of tickets for IDS 12 is supposed to start in fall 2011. For the latest news and further information on exhibitors, sponsors, venue and schedule please visit the following site: http://www.interiordesignshow.com/

Home Decor & Design Trends 2011

Every home somehow reflects the personality if its owner which is easy by choosing favorite colors, lightings and furniture. Therefore, home decor can be described as following trends by taking personal likes and dislikes into account. The following design trends 2011 might show off some interesting aspects of designing rooms in a personal and stylish way.

Many people prefer spacious and cozy home decoration at the same time. Portraying that, most contemporary homes are decorated with furniture in classic shape combined with colorful wall panels and other adequate decoration items that bring some personal ambiance into the room. Creativity is one of the keys for decorating homes. Once you finish, you can easily start again by making little or even big changes. One might even change the ambiance by setting up different lighting spots.

Be minimalist with a maximum of outcome! That might be the right formula for following current interior design trends. This year's home design is known for bright, but assuasive colors such as pastel blue or green. Furthermore, you can't go wrong by selecting some classy white furniture for your living room. That offers you multiple choices of decorating your home by changing colors or by adding unique accessories.