Dream & Fly. Mini Hotel Pods For The Weary Traveler.

Barcelona based company Dream & Fly has invented luxury low cost accommodations for busy people in transit who haven't the time to find a hotel nearby. By creating individual prefabricated micro-hotels (modular pods), complete with a bathroom, a weary traveler can nap or rest in a clean, comfortable, private and even wired space.



The Dream & Fly "bubbles" are modular accommodations intended to be installed within busy airports, sea ports, train stations or other areas in which large concentrations of people are constantly traveling and need a small comfortable private place to sleep or rest.



The modern luxury pods come with a complete bathroom and can be rented by hour. Inspired by the nature of a womb, the pods are meant to shield you from the frenetic pace of places like airports and seaports.



There are three sizes; the Simple Bubble measures 5 meters square, the Single Bubble measures 7 meters square and the Family Bubble is 10 meters square.

Exterior:

Interior:


A passenger can sleep for a few hours in a comfortable bed which can be either single or double, lie down on the pillows of the reclining headrest and work on a fold-out table with access to the internet. He or she can consult the boarding details of their flight on an LCD monitor on the wall and rest all of their newspapers on a shelf next to the bed, which is totally equipped with stations for mobile phones and mp3 players, with ambient sound and electric sockets.



The passenger can take a shower, in the privacy of their own space, where they can find a sink, toilet and modern shower made of stainless steel, reminiscent of airplane bathrooms.

For the family, the larger pod consists of a space with a sofa that transforms into a bed for a body and a half, a cradle or nappy changing facility for babies, and other comforts which demand more space.


above: the Micro-hotel pods as seen at a trade show



Visit Dream & Fly to learn more.

Design Your Own Throw Pillows At Inmod

This is a truly great idea for those who like to have some say and personal control when it comes to the design of their home decor. Or for those looking for reasonably priced contemporary throw pillows as gifts or for themselves.

The Inmod online design studio allows you to design your own throw pillows, in one of two sizes and with numerous image, color and fabric options. Whether you want a 2 color pillow or a 6 color pillow, a cotton one or a silk shantung one, a funny one or a beautiful one... you can design them all yourself.

They have featured designs that include everything from modern chair silhouettes, wild animals, dogs, Bruce Lee, Marilyn Monroe and other fun icons. Also available are patterns ranging from florals and fish to mod 60s abstract styles.



All are easy to design and preview, then just click to order. Prices vary depending upon size and fabric choice.

Here's a few quick examples to inspire you:












The 4 Simple Steps:


STEP 1 - PATTERN
To start designing your pillow, select a pattern. Choose a theme from the drop down menu, and then pick a pattern. Once you've selected a pattern, it will appear in the window.



STEP 2 - FABRIC
Now that you've selected your pattern, choose the fabric for your pillow. You can pick 215 thread count cotton, cotton casement, linen/cotton blend or silk dupioni.

STEP 3 - SIZE
Next, select the size you want your pillow to be. Choose from 18 x 18 or 26 x 26.

STEP 4 - FABRIC COLORS


Choose one base color and then an embroidery color for each detail of your pattern. Select one detail at a time by clicking the circle to the left of each numbered detail, and then select the color you want that element of the design to be. Repeat until all of the details have been selected.

Prices for the cotton pillows in the smaller size (18" x 18") start at about $40 and silk shantung starts at about $60.



Start designing yours here.

World's Most Expensive Barbie Unveiled: Over Half Million Dollar Canturi Barbie

The Worlds Most Expensive Barbie

To coincide with the launch of the Barbie® Basics™ Collection in Australia, Mattel has engaged internationally celebrated jewelry designer Stefano Canturi to create a world first, the rarest and most expensive Barbie ever made. Price? $545,000. USD



Valued at over $AUD600,000 and featuring a rare Australian pink diamonds, Stefano has created the ultimate accessories for Barbie in his signature Cubism style.

Barbie is decorated with a stunning Canturi neckpiece made up of 3.00 carats of white diamonds surrounding a collectible 1.00ct square emerald (cut) pink diamond:



A diamond Cubism ring sparkling on her right hand completes the jewelry set:


The pink diamond was especially hand-picked for & inspired by Barbie and is a registered tendered stone from the Australian Argyle mine. The 1.00ct square emerald (cut) diamond, notable for its distinctive purplish pink hue, is a rare and unique collector’s item, and it is substantially more valuable than its white diamond equivalent. A style icon such as Barbie commands a rare, unique pink diamond such as this one.


above: Stefano Canturi with his special Barbie

Having personally created history making jewels for Academy Award winning films and many of the worlds most influential women, its only natural that Canturi should apply his meticulous attention to detail to creating a piece that marries Barbie’s confidence and feminine style, and his timeless Cubism jewelry.




Stefano states… "Barbie is iconic and so I didn't just want to cover her with diamonds, I wanted the jewelry design to pay homage to her modern yet timeless style, this is why I applied my Cubism design concept to her look; it is perfect for her.”



above: Jewellery designer Stefano Canturi and Mattel Principle designer Robert Best pose with the world's most expensive Barbie doll at the Barbie Basics Collection Launch during Rosemount Australian Fashion Week Spring in Sydney, Australia. ( Photo by Robert Gray/Getty Images AsiaPac)

“With the launch of the Barbie Basics collection here in Australia we wanted to give the launch a unique Australian perspective, so we engaged Stefano Canturi to design the ultimate accessories for Barbie, an Australian pink diamond jewelry suite. Stefano’s signature style fits perfectly with the Barbie brand… modern, yet timeless…" Kate Carroll, Brand Manager — Barbie, Mattel Australia.

all images courtesy of Stefano Canturi and Mattel®

Be sure to check out this post that shows each of the barbie Basics glammed up by famous fashion designers

Disney Hips Up Their Plushies & Classic Characters Become Cool.

UPDATE 2013: Apparently these were too hip for Disney customers. I'm sad to say the line has been discontinued.

Original post: Disney has been really good about expanding their brand to include things that would appeal to hipsters of all ages. For the last decade or more everything from their films to their toys, their couture jewelry and collectibles have included modern artsy versions in addition to the classic ones.

The latest are their new soft plush toys that were inspired by the urban vinyl toy culture. The modern looking 12" tall toys called Pook-A-Looz (okay, so the name sucks) were designed to capture the personalities of iconic Disney characters in an edgy, offbeat way.



Sassy and fun, the new line of plush features more than 30 wide-ranging characters from Buzz Lightyear and Cheshire Cat to Muppets and Jack Skellington. Shown below are a few of them for you (keep in mind, there are more than just those shown below.. such as Eeyore, Dumbo and other beloved childhood favorites).

Mickey and Minnie:

Woody and Buzz Lightyear:

Snow White, Dopey and Grump:

Peter Pan and Tinkerbell:

Winnie The Pooh, Tigger and Piglet:
:
Alice, Cheshire Cat, The Mad Hatter & the Queen Of Hearts:

Goofy, Donald and Pluto:


“We focused on capturing one key element, gesture or trait of each character during the design process. We wanted the look to be very unique, quirky and cool,” said Jose Zamora, lead designer for the DCP products. “When you think of the Queen of Hearts, you think of her mouth, so we brought that out in the design. With the Cheshire Cat, you think of the teeth. So we focused on that famous grin.”

To help promote the new plushies, there will be a series of “Pook-a-Sodes”, videos on the Disney Living YouTube channel. The first one, with Pook-A-Looz Mickey as a ‘Gentleman Caller’ is shown below:

The Disney Living Facebook fan page and @disneyliving Twitter feed will also offer additional content and forums for fans to win prizes, share content and connect. The 12" Pook-A-Looz cost between $7.99 and $12.99 and can be purchased at Disney Parks, The Disney Store and Toys R Us.