Light-emitting wallpaper is here!

An enterprising young designer from the Netherlands has invented what has to be the ultimate in home illumination – light emitting wallpaper.

The luminescent wallpaper is the brainchild of Jonas Samson, who designed and submitted it as part of his final-year postgraduate degree.

Explanation

So how does it work? Well, speaking exclusively to TechRadar, Samson explained that the wallpaper actually uses existing technology, but applies it in a different way:

"The base material is made from a commercially available product that’s manufactured by a number of companies. What I have done, though, is to apply that technology in a different way."

Delving deeper, Samson revealed that the wallpaper is constructed by "sandwiching" a number of layers together that combine to produce light:

"The back layer is a silver-based solution that conducts electricity, while the layer above this contains phosphorous pigments that light up. On top of this is a flexible, transparent ITO conductor layer, with regular wallpaper placed on top to act as the final, outwardly visual layer," he explained.

Off the wall

The result, when it’s switched on, is a visually stunning wall-of-light that can be turned off and on, just like a regular light.

Although Samson first revealed his creation to the public last year, this year’s upcoming Salone Internazionale del Mobile interior design show in Milan, where he is exhibiting, looks set to make his creation a must-have for those who can afford it.

We love Apps!

Every one here at Hi Design owns an iPhone (although some are more familiar with the device than others!!) A big talking point in the office revolves around what apps we have downloaded for our clever little phones. Between us we have everything you could need to do on your phone, from paying your car parking to creating 360 degree virtual room views!

So.. you can imaging the excitement when we dicovered our wall covering supplier, Tekture had released an app to help you browse their ranges.

Their clever app lets you do everything that you can do on their website wherever you may be. In the office, on the road with a client or even in bed.

We greatly believe in the work / life balance at Hi but when its so easy and fun to work its hard to not too.

If you are interested in interior design you really must check out the new Tekture app in your app store!

The BIG office move

They say the two most stressful things in life are getting married and moving.

But imagine how much worse it could be: you’re not just moving yourself and your family, but moving a whole office with hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people. People who are used to the way things are, who may not want to move, and who will all have their own concerns and needs….Marriage? That’s a breeze in comparison!

There are so many things to worry about, figuring out where to start can be just the first hurdle. What work-style will you be implementing? How much collaborative and meeting space will you need? What technology will future-proof your new offices? And how are you going to get the employees to engage with the idea, from the initial planning to the final bedding-in? And while you’re focusing on the big issues, you still can’t neglect the “little” things.

One client described how a decent coffee machine became an issue during an office merger: in one of the two offices, the employer provided free coffee where as the other did not have any provision for refreshment. During the pre-move consultations, many employees listed the coffee issue as an area of concern – were they still going to get it? It sounds so minor when compared to the major issues (like the building, design, furniture and fit-out, the location and commuting time, the technology, or the work-style), but it was something people got concerned about.

This example only demonstrates the importance of the project leaders and executives putting themselves firmly in the employees’ shoes, and providing information that’s specific to each individual.

If you’re thinking of moving office take a look our guides. They will help you keep track of all the important details so you can focus on the little thing that will help make the move more comfortable for your staff.

Too see all of our guides follow this link

WE ARE HERE TO HELP#

Open publication - Free publishing - More office design

Open publication - Free publishing - More hi design

Pushing the design boundaries - Riga, Latvia

While troweling through the web we came across this new office design in the Latvian capital Riga. The office that was designed by 'Open AD' was for the PR agency McCann Erickson.

Here is what the design agency said about the project....

The building has been treated like an outdoor environment, with indoor urban planning. Corridors are treated as streets, with benches at the end of them. Separate offices and workspaces have been treated like houses coming off these indoor street, turning the workplace into a small community with shared public spaces. a bookcase in the shape of a tree forms a central part-like area, making a garden libarary.

An igloo structure covered in old newspaper, which appears on the corner of one of these streets, is branded the Egg of Talent. “It is somewhere to go if you need inspiration, to watch a film, to take your laptop, or get your head down and think,” explains Tetere. “This was important to people working creatively in a shared environment.” Tetere adds that the project “was a good break from bars and clubs, as you are always thinking about function. We enjoyed learning about the needs of these companies and the people who work in them, and taking a creative approach to those needs.”

The team also took a creative approach to their budget, reusing and recycling materials wherever possible. When they commissioned furniture for the project, they used lacquered MDF. The panels that make up the corridors are made from recycled timber boards rescued from carpenters’ studios. The lighting is recycled from plasterboard tubes that once held bolts fabric, cut down with bulbs inserted. As well as helping to meet the budget the recycling achieves a retro aesthetic, which Tetere refers to as their “trash style”.

Open AD’s most noticeable recycling project is a large cabinet filled with a collection of disused domestic and office items, turning it into display case of pre- and post-Soviet design. “We went round second-hand shops and called friends to see if they had any appliances we could use, but more importantly, we asked the employees at McCann Erickson and Inspired to bring in objects from their homes that they didn’t need anymore,” says Tetere. “There is a big computer screen from the 1990s, an old home telephone. Some 
of the objects are ten, 20, 30 years old. I think it’s nice to come to work and see something that was a part of your home in the place that you work.”

Handelsbanken Worcester

After a successful completion of Handelsbanken Worcester we were delighted to be invited to join Phil Dutton and his team at the branches official open evening last night. The event was well received with many corporate and private customers attending. Phil as always supplied plenty of drinks and Swedish canapés and kicked off the evening with a lovely speech that complemented our work with the branch.

We wish Phil and his team all the success they deserve and hope that we will be working with them again soon.

Cardboard Office Furniture

Perfect for those looking for environmentally sustainable office furniture for either home office or commercial use, the Paperweight Desk is a simple yet functional, extremely light yet immensely strong task desk that is made of 74% recycled paper, and 26% virgin fibres created from fully managed fast growing sustainable sources.

Created by London’s Cardboard Future, The Paperweight Desk is made of grade A white double walled corrugated board, a solid board, and water varnished desk top with edge protectors. It has 2 chamfered legs that can be either inset or outset, a deep cable management tray, cable outlet slots, twin flaps in desk top for cable access, and best of all it only takes an average of three minutes to assemble! In addition to the Paperweight desk, the line of sustainable furniture also includes a pedestal drawer unit, shelf unit, fourleg table, and round table, all made from the same recycled materials.

We love this concept and would love to put them forward for one of our forward-thinkind clients. We love to support a British product and especially one that helps the environment.

If your company is intersted in more sustainable products and ideas we would love to talk to you!

Talk to us

Wallpaper you can Tear!

Wall treatments are one of the best ways to add style to your home office, but applying them can be some serious work, not to mention expensive. Luckily though, the “Tears Off” modular wallpaper created by the Latvian design company ZNAK is a relatively quick and easy way to give your office a fresh new look, all while allowing you to exercise your creative side.

Made up of specially designed perforated pieces which were inspired by the “transformation process of snakes”, the “Tears Off” wallpaper lets you create your own custom design by tearing off patterned strips of the wallpaper sheet in different formations to reveal the original wall color beneath. The non-woven wallpaper comes in 11 different colors, and can be purchased for £10.00 per sheet.