Latest news with #design
Irish Times
an hour ago
- General
- Irish Times
From layout to lighting: an interior designer's non-negotiables
There's an overwhelming amount of design advice out there, from influencers and endless online tips to ever-changing trends. It can be hard to know what to trust. But when it comes to renovating a home, not all advice is created equal. To help cut through the noise, I'm sharing a few of my non-negotiables: simple, often-overlooked design principles I rely on in every project. These details consistently make the biggest difference to how a home looks, feels and functions. Avoid corner units Linear kitchen design by Optimise Design Avoid corner units wherever possible when planning cabinetry or built-in joinery. Whether it's in a kitchen, walk-in wardrobe or utility room, corners are rarely your friend. They tend to be awkward to access, inefficient to use and often end up as dead space. In kitchens especially, L-shaped and U-shaped layouts are common, often because people feel they need to use every available millimetre. But in reality, trying to fill every corner can lead to a layout that's harder to use and more frustrating day to day. A simple linear kitchen run is often far more effective. It may sound counterintuitive, but removing the corners can actually increase the amount of usable storage and workspace. With everything laid out in a clean, straight line, access is easier, the flow is smoother and the design looks more polished. READ MORE When planning a linear layout, think in zones. Place the fridge and larder at one end to group food storage. Locate the wet zone, sink and dishwasher at the opposite end. Position the hob in the middle of the run or, if space allows, on an island or peninsula to keep the main run uninterrupted. This kind of layout doesn't just look sleek, it's intuitive to use, easier to keep tidy and allows for clear movement through the space. So don't be afraid to leave the corners out. You'll gain more than you lose. Pay attention to 'door swings' Bedroom by Optimise Design It might seem like a small detail, but the direction a door opens can have a big impact on how a room feels and functions. Ideally, internal doors should open against a wall, meaning when you push the door open, it swings toward the wall beside you, not out into the middle of the room. This allows you to enter naturally, without having to walk around the door or lose usable space. In many period homes, the opposite is true, where the doors swing into the room, often interrupting the flow and usability of the space. Historically, this was intentional. In grand homes, doors were designed this way to offer privacy from household staff. But unless you're keen on preserving traditions of the past, there's no need to hang on to that quirk. Keep heights consistent One of the most effective, yet often overlooked ways to bring cohesion to a space is by aligning the heights of doors, windows and built-in joinery. When these elements line up, they create strong horizontal sightlines that naturally guide the eye and give a room a sense of order and balance. Conversely, when heights are mismatched, it creates visual clutter and a sense that something's not quite right, even if you can't pinpoint why. For example, if you're designing a living space with built-in joinery, aligning the cabinet tops with the height of the internal doors gives the space a clean, cohesive look. Similarly, in a room with a mix of doors and windows, matching the head heights will visually tie the elements together and make the space feel considered and intentional. It's particularly important in renovations, where old and new elements often meet. And if you can't do it everywhere, focus on the high-impact view lines: what you see as you enter a room, or along a hallway. Match your metal finishes Choosing one metal finish and carrying it through across all your hardware, from door handles and hinges to light switches, sockets, and fittings, brings a sense of unity and polish to your home. Whether you go for brushed brass, matt black, or polished chrome, the key is consistency. When finishes are mixed, say a chrome light switch next to a brass door handle, it can feel chaotic and visually jarring, even if everything else in the room is beautifully curated. Worse, it can cheapen the look of an otherwise high-quality scheme. There is one exception that works well both visually and practically, however. Opting for white sockets, switches, and downlights. This can be a clever way to streamline the look and reduce costs, allowing you to invest more in higher-quality hardware where it really matters, such as your door handles, hinges, and cabinetry fittings. Colour-match your lighting One of the most common mistakes I see is ignoring the colour temperature of your bulbs. Colour temperature is measured in Kelvins (K). At one end of the spectrum, you have warm white (around 2,700K), ideal for creating a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. At the other end, cool white (4,000K and above) emits a brighter, bluish tone, which can feel crisp and clinical. Most good bulb brands will display these ratings on the box. Mixing different colour temperatures within the same space is a common pitfall. It creates visual inconsistency, throws off your paint colours, and can make the room feel disjointed and uneasy, even if everything else has been carefully considered. Warm white lighting, ideally between 2,700K and 3,000K is the ideal choice to use throughout the home. It creates continuity from room to room and gives the overall effect of a softer, more welcoming, and relaxing atmosphere.
Finextra
2 hours ago
- Business
- Finextra
Speak Without Words: By Imanuel Kaiser
You can tell in seconds, some fintech products click. Why? They look good, feel considered, give a sense of control. What you're seeing is design doing the heavy lifting. To their detriment, most startups don't treat design like a real business lever. Instead, they might think of it as a coat of paint to add once the product works. But great fintech products aren't painted. They're designed and built from the inside out. Every front-end element: spacing, animation, colour, copy, tone, works to build utility and inspires emotional confidence. That confidence is what keeps users moving, trusting, and coming back. Design decisions are business decisions. Ignore them, and you leave money on the table. Fintechs should feel like music software A great strategy would be to borrow from apps like Apple Music and Spotify, not in terms of features, but in feel. Those apps are highly emotional products. They're tuned to human behaviour and express personality. That idea matters in fintech more than people admit. Personal finance can be stressful and many people don't enjoy thinking about it. So if you can create a space that feels intuitive, confident and a little bit joyful, you're going to get ahead. That's why the best fintechs don't look like banks, they're starting to look more like lifestyle apps you want to spend time in. Design-first fintechs are surging ahead Design features are a forever imprint in the product and scale in ways most marketing doesn't. The strongest consumer fintechs right now such as Revolut, N26 and Wise, have product teams that prioritise design because it drives growth. They know that if you can make financial tools feel light, modern and emotionally fluent, you gain a level of customer engagement traditional players can't touch. You also spend less on support, churn less, and get more referrals. Earning trust Trust isn't won by saying 'trust me' or showing a padlock icon. You win it when the experience feels like it should. That means a responsive UI. Examples might be a transfer button that animates with just the right delay, or typography that's readable without effort. Don't design by committee Finally, if your sign-up form looks like a compliance department built it, it probably was. Most legacy banks ship features. Great fintechs ship experiences. That starts with a small team that cares obsessively about how each part of the product feels, not just what it does. I'd go as far as saying: if your founding team doesn't include someone with a strong design eye, or you're not bringing in that instinct early, you're at a disadvantage. It will show. And no amount of after-the-fact polish will fix it. In conclusion Most users won't say why they don't like your app. They won't complain about the copywriting or the dropdown spacing, they'll bounce. Teams who invest in emotional design, who make things feel smart, fast, easy, and respectful will get a different outcome. Their users are proud to recommend them. And they win market share not by shouting louder, but by being better. When your product has great design, you start to speak without words, and that's when users really start to listen.
CNA
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
The dilemma of ultra-processed foods
Design and illustration Lim Ling Li Developers Lee Long Hui, Lim Ling Li Video Mak Jia Kee Executive producers Alvin Chong, Kevin Kwang © 2025 Mediacorp Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Oakley Capital Buys a Majority Stake in Fornasetti's Holding Company
MILAN — In a strategic move, Fornasetti heir Barnaba Fornasetti agreed to sell 60 percent of Immaginazione Srl, the holding company that owns and manages Fornasetti, to Oakley Capital. The private equity firm operates mostly in Europe and specializes in premium brands. Its portfolio includes luxury luggage firm Globe-Trotter and Italian design firm Alessi. More from WWD 10 Rustic Cottage Aesthetic Home Finds to Channel This Summer's TikTok 'Garden Girl' Vibe EXCLUSIVE: As Royal Copenhagen Turns 250, Its Creative Director, a Fashion Veteran, Has Fresh Ideas Alpargatas Inks Deal With The Eastman Group For Havaianas In North America 'This agreement marks a significant moment of transformation for Fornasetti. Our identity and our creative vision will always remain at the core of our project, strengthened by new energies and skills that will guide us through a phase of thoughtful, ambitious and value-oriented expansion,' Barnaba Fornasetti said in a statement. The son of the late Piero Fornasetti, the Milan-based artist runs the design and decorative arts house his father started in the 1940s and is credited with propelling it into modern times, expanding the product offering and geographic reach and through a variety of collaborations. Oakley Capital's operating partner Vicente Castellano said that Oakley plans to accelerate the company on a global level. 'We have a strong track record and have already enjoyed several successful partnerships with iconic brands, such as Globe-Trotter and Alessi. We are delighted to invest in another prestigious Italian brand… to fully realize its untapped potential and transform the brand into a global lifestyle company.' Best of WWD In the Hills of Kyoto, a Glassmaker's Magical Forest The Story Behind the Mysterious Face That Adorns Most of Fornasetti's Décor Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Vogue
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Rosie Assoulin Resort 2026 Collection
Rosie Assoulin isn't trying to make your everyday wardrobe. 'They're little special moments,' she said of her resort 2026 offering—a mixture of playful prints, lively colors, and couture-inspired structure with sporty flourishes. 'It doesn't feel wasteful to me because there's that great white summer dress that you pull out every season. No matter what, it's getting worn. It could be 12 years old and it still feels fresh every time.' Assoulin is interested in creating clothing for occasions, be it a dinner party or a vacation. 'I want to feel great every day. They're precious few days that you get to take a trip,' she said. 'We want to create the wardrobe for that.' That's not to say the collection isn't versatile. From tops with convertible drapery to a maxi dress with a removable bustle (in both pink plaid and butter yellow colorways), Assoulin reminds us that just because her clothing may not be for everyday use doesn't mean it can't be reworn again and again. 'Not every occasion calls for a removable bustle, so why not have the option?' she said. While she has no shortage of occasionwear, there are also plenty of statement pieces for more casual moments. Much of her offering mixes sport and craft, from pants made of a floral upholstery-inspired fabric to the stem-green shorts with yellow accents. Even the yellow spongy crepe maxi dress with a scalloped drop waist is inspired by a vintage swimsuit. In limiting her output to two collections a year, Assoulin is challenging herself to edit. (Much of her excess creativity is diverted to her pottery habit, her bright yellow vases dot her showroom.) With this collection, she proves that maximalism can be done with restraint.
