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Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer, as well as a sculptor and painter. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware. Aalto's early career runs in parallel with the rapid economic growth and industrialization of Finland during the first half of the twentieth century and many of his clients were industrialists; among these were the Ahlström-Gullichsen family. The span of his career, from the 1920s to the 1970s, is reflected in the styles of his work, ranging from Nordic Classicism of the early work, to a rational International Style Modernism during the 1930s to a more organic modernist style from the 1940s onwards. His furniture designs were considered Scandinavian Modern. What is typical for his entire career, however, is a concern for design as a Gesamtkunstwerk, a total work of art; whereby he – together with his first wife Aino Aalto – would design not just the building, but give specia...

The days of working in boring monotone environments with varying shades of grey and beige are long gone, that is if you strive for productive people, which will ultimately create an entirely productive company. Unfortunately many large corporate companies still find their unfortunate staff working in these less than inspiring environments and are probably wondering why their staff is so uninspired and not achieving the great work they are capable of. To stay in business today is tough and most companies are realising the need to be creative and innovative. This includes everything from banks and insurance companies through to architects, medical practices and even specialised I.T companies. In order to be mentally stimulated, we require a stimulating environment. So how does one decide on what colours to make the various areas in a working environment without creating an eyesore that creates anxiety and confusion instead of the desired effect for what it is intended? The big trend comi...

These items are often last on the list when furnishing a home, yet comprise two of the most functional and useful elements within a living area. So often people use upholstered ottomans as coffee and side tables until the glass of red wine or the mug of coffee falls over, generally destroying an item of furniture intended for sitting or resting your feet on. When people start looking for coffee and side tables, the first surprise is generally the slight cost difference between the two. The expectation is that the side table will be half the cost of the coffee table, which generally isn't the case, as there is mostly two thirds of the material used in the smaller item. The amount of labour is similar to both and both are relatively expensive to transport, due to their overall volume. Here are some things to bear in mind when selecting this functional piece of furniture. Square / rectangular and round offer the most flexibility, whilst oval tables tend to be space specific and tend t...