Go Ahead, Sleep at Work.
Check email, yawn. Go to meeting, eyes glaze over. Eat lunch, still no energy. Today is one of those days where I am dreaming about a nap. I want to crawl under my desk and shut my eyes, even if only for 15 or 20 minutes. Ah, if only we had Energy Pods at work. (Yes, some companies actually do!) These pods are made by MetroNaps, a UK-based company that specializes in “corporate fatigue solutions.” I love it! yawn…
Pelican Chair, New at DWR!
Finn Juhl’s 1939 classic Pelican Chair is now available at Design Within Reach! “A chair is not just a product of decorative art in a space,” wrote Juhl, “it is a form and a space in itself.” Beautifully demonstrating this idea is his Pelican Chair (1940), with its graceful curves that befriend the body and wrap the sitter in its embrace. www.dwr.com
Steelcase Unveils Node Chair!
Steelcase has unveiled its new chair, node, at NEOCON. Sadly, I didn’t make it there this year, but that very same chair was actually unveiled- literally- in my office a couple of months before. My rep thought it might be of interest, so she (and the Steelcase rep that was to guard it with his life) brought it by one morning, shrouded in a white sheet. It was that special! It was that secret! There could be no risk of another vendor seeing it! (Luckily, I’m on the client side!) I wanted to blog about it then, but had to contain my excitement. I didn’t even really tell anyone about it because it was hard to describe simply with words and do it justice. Start telling people about a plastic tablet arm classroom chair and it’s hard for them to get past the image of standard horrible classroom seating. But this is a chair that won the Innovation Award in the Education Solutions category at NEOCON and that’s a big deal. Since we’ve established it’s hard to describe with words, I’ve posted Steelcase’s informative video instead.
Caroma Profile Smart Toilet with Integrated Sink
I love the idea of Caroma’s space saving and water saving toilet. It instantly uses the greywater from washing your hands to flush the toilet. Duh, so simple…why didn’t I think of that and invent it? Sure it’s probably a little awkward to stand in front of the toilet and reach over, but definitely worth the water savings, don’t you think? Besides, there are much more awkward bathroom and kitchen setups (or combinations of the two) in many a NYC apartment. www.caromausa.com/profile-smart
Litracon Translucent Concrete
Litracon™ is a combination of optical fibers & fine concrete. It can be produced as prefabricated building blocks and panels. The small fibers blend into concrete becoming part of the material like pieces of aggregate. The result is not only two materials – glass in concrete, but a third, new material, homogeneous in its inner structure & on its main surfaces as well. http://www.litracon.hu
Cloud Softlight by Molo
The most recent addition to the family of flexible honeycomb structures that molo creates from paper and textiles, these hollow lattice cloud forms cluster to create an undulating overhead canopy. You decide the shape of your cloudscape, positioning how it rises and falls through and over a space. Lit from within by LED the clouds are softly radiant. www.molodesign.com
Reham Shadi is an interior designer and space planner and has worked in Los Angeles, New York, Columbus, and Cairo. She is a graduate of the New York School of Interior Design, the American University in Cairo, and the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo. Recent Projects include Franklin University in Columbus, the Institute of Courage in Topanga, CA, and Esquire Magazine Design House 360 in Los Angeles, CA.
Reham became a LEED AP in June 2009. She is a member of Project Seedlings, an environmental education program for Columbus, OH inner-city youth comprised of volunteers from the A&D industry.
Reham's favorite thing in the world is traveling with her husband, Ed. She also likes hanging out with their chihuahua, Gus, shopping, yoga, the beach, Indian food and anything chocolate. She dislikes the cold, the suburbs, gardening, credit cards, video games and texting. Her favorite YouTube videos are Blood (with the little boy) and Drinking Out of Cups. 
