New Central Police Station, Hong Kong

It's a couple of years late but the edges of the New Central Police Station are finally being unveiled.  

We're excited because it's designed by one of our favourite architects- Herzog and De Meuron.   

Here it is, rising above Arbuthnot Road. 

The original site housed a prison, police station and a Magistrates' Court.  It is now being turned into an Arts and Retail precinct.  We've been contacted about getting retails space there but am a bit wary of it becoming another PMQ.   Ahhh...the vagaries of HK shoppers. 

Then need to get a few big brands in there and then it will probably become successful- but reduce the design intent ...

The old site... 

Choosing tiles and bathroom fittings

One of the most fun parts of any interior design is choosing the bathroom fixtures and fittings.   I love colour, but in my own house I tend to avoid it, fearing that after some time I will get sick of it.

Our house will have a bit a country feel but we are using very contemporary fixtures but with some classic additions.

We're keeping the palette black and white with a touch of grey.

I want to use hand cut tiles, marble, concrete and leather as the material palette.

via

This is one of my inspiration images for the bathroom.  I like the black tapware and the free standing cabinet.   

The first thing I chose was the basin.  

The astrawalker basin

This basin  fits the bill for a few reasons.  You can see that the interior of the bowl has rounded corners which is great for cleaning purposes.   We are also able to powder coat the rail black as we are using black tap fittings.   

We're going to use the CityPlus range of tapware.   It is shown here in a bronze finish but we are going to specify black.  

via

Here is the type of handcut tiles we are using- I love the rough texture of this for a country property.   

We're mixing it with a calacutta marble subway tile... or even a hexagonal marble mosaic

Which will end up looking a bit like this...

We want to use a dark grout- it's very practical for cleaning purposes and the contrast can look stylish....

I like 503 which happens to be mould and fungi resistant as well.  

The finished result will be something like this....

this weeks products in the wild

This week, we're revisiting some of our best sellers- we have always loved the price and practicality of HAY's loop stand range.   The images below are of the less used loop stand trestle table mounts.   So practical and we love the black with the white- lot's of graphic punch.   

via

via

We've almost sold out of HAY tray tables this month. They are well priced and look great in contemporary environments.  We like them situated between 2 chairs, or beside beds  too.  

via

We love the mix of colours in this image from the Design Files.   The orange Dinosaur design plate really looks fabulous against the blue of the wall.

via

Another oldie but a goodie.   We like Northern Lighting's Bender light because it is light but fun.  It is also extremely functional.  

via

Northern lighting's Acorn light looks great above the black tables and chairs from HAY in this office cafeteria in Oslo.   It's not too obvious here but the Acorn lamp is has a beautiful wooden finial at the top of the light.   

via

via

Gosh, Hay products are popular- the About a Lounge is really a  comfy chair and a great price too.   We have lots of samples of fabrics for you to choose from.  

New in- Design Anthology, Arhoj paperweights and dutch deluxes aprons and mitts

Nothing like opening a new mag and checking out the contents.   I can't believe that DA is celebrating its second anniversary.  Congrats Suzie!!! 

This issue focusses on travel with a design perspective, and looks at homes in Japan, NZ, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam to name a few.   As always the quality of production is high- fabulous images spread across lovely thick paper! 

Issue 8 is HKD75

Woah- we love our new Arhoj glass paperweights-  we always have a problem keeping everything in place on our desks and these paperweights are the solution.  Our Arhoj ghosts have nearly sold out but the paperweights are just as cute! In three designs- they make a great gift for the person who has everything.   

Also new in store are leather aprons from Dutch Deluxes.   So many of you are fans of the boards (we also have some new sizes in stock) and the leather aprons are really cute and oh so practical.    

Don't you think that this glove would look amazing wrapped around your Le Creuset?   

Look at the quality of the stitching and the punched leather in this apron.   

In other news, Normann Copenhagen is represented in Designmuseum Denmark’s new exhibition Danish Design Now opening March 11. If you are in Denmark, this is a must see as it gathers together the 21st century’s most innovative, attractive and surprising Danish designs.   

Normann Copenhagen is represented with as many as 11 designs, including several award-winning pieces like the minimalist Geo vacuum jug, the flexible Washing-up bowl, and the popular Form range from 2014. We have examples of most of these designs in store, so pop in and pick up a design classic.   

Form chair on the top shelf

Rolling pin, tea ball and dustpan.  

Mormor ceramics

Boxes of NC tea

The beautiful Design Museum

A display from the exhibition.   

Selected designs: 

Form Series by Simon Legald (2014)

Craft by Simon Legald (2013)

Nabo trays by Simon Legald (2013)

Tea egg by Made By Makers (2012)

Shoehorn by Nis Ølgaard (2012)

Geo vacuum jug by Nicholai Wiig Hansen (2012)

Normann tea graphic by Anne Lehmann (2010)

Mormor range by Gry Fager (2009)

Dustpan and brush by Ole Jensen (2002)

Washing-up bowl by Ole Jensen (2002)

Cognac glass by Rikke Hagen (2002)

Products from our store in the wild

We love perusing blogs and spotting some of our fabulous products in real life situations.  Here's some we love.

via 

The fabulous quality of Tori Murphy's cushions never fails to impress and look good.  These are products lovingly made by hand.  The chevron design is always a classic and adds a stylish twist to  the plainest of sofas.   

via

A cute, fun but practical table, the HAY DLM can look good in the most down to earth or sophisticated interiors.   We love the fact is comes in so many colours.   We are partial to the yellow but it looks good in white as well.   The two sizes means that it looks fun stacked together.   

via

you can see the HAY tray table peeking out beside the sofa.   We're totally sold on how practical this table is.  We particularly like the rectangle version placed between two armchairs.   

via

The understated lines of the GUBI semi pendant is often overlooked but we love its sculptural elements- particularly in a room that is mostly white.  

via

The Armadillo rug pictured here adds an unexpected touch of retro glamour to a dining area.   We love the organic feel and it reminds us so much of the 70s in a very cool way.   Stay tuned for more images of our products in homes around the world every week.   

OMMO

We've just introduced a new up-and-coming brand to the store.  OMMO is a brand that has just launched and we are proud to be one of the first stores in the world to carry these beautifully designed products that are also at an amazing price too.   

The initial range of products have been designed by Shane Schneck who also has designed some of our favourite products for HAY such as the Ru chair and the Bollard light from Menu.   

It's hard to choose a favourite product- but I think I love the Hub utensil holder the best.   I like how its made out of silicone so the jar is super squishy and can be stuck in the dishwasher.   I see this product in low key restaurants- to put cutlery in the centre of the table.   

We love a good cup of tea.  These tea infusers make it simple.   The lid slides up and you can directly scoop the tea into the bowl of the infuser.   The hooks at the end mean no lost infusers.  When you have got the right strength, the silicone holder means no drips.   Of course it can all be popped into the dishwasher once you are done.  

We're definitely bringing some of these home.   Protecting your table surface is very important- and these trivets of silicone can be easily stored, washed in the dishwasher and can withstand temperatures of over 150 degrees.  We love the smarties style packaging as well.   

Want a cool multipurpose hostess gift?   The hoop bowl ticks all the right boxes.    This product is great for those parties to serve dips, sticks and crisps.   The elements can either be separated or stacked together.   

The everyday bowl is meant for salads, breads and anything else that you might want to serve. It has an integrated silicone ring which can grip the table, making mixing and kneading easy.   It includes a set of servers that rest on the edge of the bowl, and makes scooping a joy!

Last but not least, the 3 tier cake stand in the most gorgeous macaroon colours, makes presentation of yummy cakes a breeze!It can be used as either a 3 tier or can be separated to make a 2 tier stand.   You can also use the top as a caddy for smaller items.   You can totally see this in a chic coffee shop.  I think this would be great on a dressing table!

The OMMO products are instore now.   Come and check them out!!!

Tumblr

I know, I know- you think I have a lot of sites...between my wordpress site, this one, facebook, tumblr etc I am trying to cover all my bases.  The Tumblr site will be much more inspirational images for my brands  and I will link more to this for info about what is new instore.

Here's a sneak peek.... don't forget to take a look

eclecticcool-interiors.tumblr.com