Top 10 Interior Design Trends for 2013

A lot of developments have taken place in the world of interior decoration and here at 3Investonline, we would be exploring Freshomes’ 2013 top 10 trends in interior decoration.

1. A New Relationship between Men and Interior Design

Society is changing and its “movements” have collateral effects on all aspects of life as we know it. In developed countries, men are known to spend a lot more time at home than in the past, helping out with children and housework, as a result of the proclaimed men-women equality. In 2013, interior design will thus begin to mirror male preferences like never before.

Sober furniture details, less flashy colors and functionality over “cuteness” are just some of the features expected in a home with male dominance. If you think about it- strictly from an aesthetic point of view- this situation can create a great visual balance, one that will make both partners feel at ease in their own crib.

2. Group Dynamics

Men being more involved in interior design is not the only social trend for this year. Another interesting shift will be made from personal tastes to group tastes and from a single designer to interior design teams. Efficiency will go sky-high, as project tasks will be well managed by more than one person.

For example, when it comes to designing a room, one team member could do the planning, another could take care of the lighting effects and the third designer could take on the finishing touches. Having more people dealing with a project is a good way to share responsibilities and speed up the work process for the client.

3. DIY projects

Desire for self-expression is more and more obvious in the houses of people everywhere. We want to have furniture and decorations that mean something, that make us smile and that ultimately make the place feel like home. Re-purposing various objects and materials is now both a passion and a form of art.

DIY projects are slowly starting to gain power in the process of interior design, whether we are talking about old chairs being revamped or new candle supports being created. Creativity is once again taken to the next level and the home owner is more than just an innocent bystander- he is now in complete control of the project’s outcome.

4. Texture and Touch

If people did not pay much attention in the past to how a furniture object feels when touching its surface, this is probably due to the fact that functionality used to be the main sought after characteristic in a household item. Now things are much different. People are in search for “touchable” textures, which inspire warmth and comfort as a way to engage and experience a proper home atmosphere. Suede and wood are two of the materials which will define the interior design world in 2013. Variety of texture will also be a key factor in arranging spaces.

5. Embroidery and knitting

It’s a shame we did not learn everything our grandmothers thought us; if we did, our homes would probably look a lot more cheerful right now. Nevertheless, embroidery and knitting is a major trend for 2013. From colorful carpets with thousands of knots to various storage baskets and poof covers, handmade is back and appears it will be here for a while.

The modern twist of these items produced by hand gives them a particular charm, one that cannot be obtained from any industrially produced household decoration.

6. Stripes, stripes, stripes

In 2013 social spaces will likely turn to design dynamics, in order to inspire vibrant living and energy. One of the simplest ways to achieve this effect is by employing stripes in an elegant manner. Carpets, wallpapers, upholstery, graphic art- each of these elements can wear the distinct feature of movement as long as they are defined by… stripes.

Bold red and black white patterns are the highlight of the design themes again, only this time associated with minimalist decor complements. The idea is to make things stand out, without compromising in elegance or visual harmony.

7. Floral patterns with a white background

Floral patterns are also back in style, only this year they come with a twist: a white background. Ensuring a very romantic touch and giving the feeling of a perpetual holiday, these stylish additions make a strong statement in a room. You can go for a variety of colors, as long as the overall result is appealing. Try new fabric covers, graphic art, wall paintings and wallpapers- the effect will be pretty strong.

8. African influences

More and more modern villas are starting to showcase unique design themes and African influences are particularly considered dynamic and “exotic”. In 2013, African influences are said to be a major trend, bringing warm colors and animal skin imitations back into the eclectic interiors of most fashion enthusiasts. In luxury holiday villas across the globe you will likely observe wooden furniture elements decorated with carvings or wrought iron, sculptures and handmade decorations, all defined by the African style.

9. Hand sketching and wall writing

Hand sketching and wall writing will be more and more popular this year, as graphic artists will start collaborating with interior designers in creating original wall imprints. Imagine your favourite message elegantly written in the hallway or various letters adorning the ceiling. Here is a nice example below:

10. Green walls, garden rooftops

Green living will be a key factor in design and architecture this year. From mobile plant panels to framed plant screens with lighting effects, this idea can bring a fresh touch to any apartment or public space. This approach is not only healthy, but also original and elegant. The advantages of having such a green wall? Air cleaning, humidification, evaporation of the air and appreciations from visitors.

Top 10 International Hotel Brands in Nigeria by 3Invest Intelligence

Africa’s second largest economy, Nigeria have recently witnessed a handful of prestigious hotel springing up this year. Some of these hotels include Radisson Blu, Four Points by Sheraton, Ibis and Legacy in Lagos, the commercial capital, and many groups have hotels under construction, including Accor, Hilton, Ramada, IHG and Protea. Other groups who have signed deals with the hope of entering Nigeria’s  robust market for the first time include Kempinski, Mantis and Wydham.

MARRIOT| VICTORIA ISLAND | LAGOS

MARRIOT Lagos, NIGERIA –  Millionaire ex-banker, Jim Ovia has concluded plans to bring the prestigious Marriott Hotels brand to Nigeria following the multi-billion naira agreement signed by Quantum Luxury Properties Limited (Quantum Capital), chaired by Ovia, and Marriott Hotels.

The 150 star rooms Lagos Marriott Hotel is expected to be launched in 2014 with  all the facilities and luxury associated with an international market leader like Marriott, Ovia said.

“We are proud to have the opportunity to partner with a world-class brand like Marriott,” Ovia said, adding that the Nigerian economy continues to be an attractive destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), particularly with the boom in the telecoms industry and the attractiveness of the banking sector.

Giving insight into the plan,  “We identified a gap in the marketplace within the hospitality industry to support the burgeoning sectors. Nigeria is well known for its hospitality and Lagos as a mega-city, deserves a world class facility to complement its status.”

Also speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony is Alex Kyriakidis, - President, Africa & the Middle East of Marriott. He  said the arrival of Marriot in Lagos marks a tremendous milestone in the hospitality business in Nigeria, adding that the hotel will be an iconic one that will, with superior services, render competition irrelevant.

Founded in 1971 with its headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland; Marriott International, Inc. is an American diversified hospitality company which began operations in Africa in 1982 with the Cairo Marriott Hotel, has a regional presence consisting of nine properties in three countries offering 3,941 rooms.

KEMPINSKI | ABUJA | 

Introducing The One Kempinski Abuja ... an exclusive development located in the heart of the Nigerian capital. Featuring prestigious serviced residences, with a choice of executive suites, one and two bedroom apartments or three bedroom penthouses, The One Kempinski Abuja is the epitome of high end urban living. With five star services managed by the world renowned operator, Kempinski, and outstanding leisure facilities, including rooftop infinity pool, health club, spa and gymnasium. The One Kempinski Abuja is the ultimate retreat for the business traveler and tourist alike.

This stunning development also falls under The First Groups innovative new brand, "The One". This exciting new concept is borne out of the unique partnership of a world class property developer and a global hospitality brand, "The One" initiative provides a unique opportunity to invest in the vibrant hotel market.

HILTON | AIRPORT ROAD, IKEJA | 250

The design approach is to provide global standards and facilities with a contemporary interpretation. The concept is of four leaves of bedroom accommodation emanating from a six-storey atrium all with stunning views.All services are generated on site to ensure continuous operation – water from a local borehole; electricity from the central plant with waste heat providing the building’s cooling and heating requirements.

Owner Profile:

Hilton Worldwide has 25 hotels in total across Africa including the Transcorp Hilton, Nigeria. Also looking at partnering Transnational Corporation Plc (Transcorp) to develop eight new luxury hotel facilities across Nigerian cities within seven years. The company has another 15 underdevelopment, including the Hilton Windhoek in Namibia, Hilton Labriz Resort and Spa in the Seychelles, and Hilton Kampala in Uganda.

Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel |  Victoria Island, LAGOS | 170

A stunning masterpiece styled by famous Swedish hospitality designer, Christian Lundwall, the 170 rooms Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Lagos, V.I. is perfectly perched along the waterfront area of Victoria Island, the business hub of the city. The lounge, featuring comfortable sofas and fountains, is just one of the beautiful focal points of this Lagos hotel. The atrium opens up to the fourth storey of the hotel, offering guests unique views of Lagos Lagoon.

 The Voyage buffet-style restaurant serves an eclectic, international cuisine and overlooks the lagoon, while The View bar is ideal for snacks and drinks. Providing jetty access, the Surface Bar and Grill on the terrace offers outdoor dining overlooking the lagoon. 

Owner Profile:

The Rezidor Hotel Group is one of the world’s fastest growing hotel companies. It offers the best of hospitality, with price levels and target markets ranging from family value and high-class comfort to high-end luxury.

The Rezidor Hotel Group's history at the forefront of contemporary hospitality began in 1960 when it opened its first hotel: the towering Royal Copenhagen, built by SAS airlines to satisfy demand for luxury accommodation in the Danish capital.

IBIS | Toyin Street Ikeja | 165 ROOMS

Owner Profile:

HDV Nigeria Ltd (otherwise fully called Hotel Development Ventures Nigeria Ltd) is a Venture capitalist Company registered in Nigeria RC No. 833209. The company specialises in employing shareholders funds to develop and operate Hotels, restaurant and resort centres of international repute.

HDV Nigeria Ltd intention is to invest privately sourced funds to develop a portfolio of minimum of three star branded Hotels within the designated area within the shortest possible period as a model for the State and the nation as a whole in the long term. 

Facilities:

An underground parking facility for 58 Cars is being incorporated into the concept of the design. An outdoor swimming pool. All usual hotel facilities like Wi-Fi Internet connection etc.

RAMADA PLAZA | LEKKI LAGOS | 232

OWNER: Kunech Investment LTD.

Wyndham Hotel Group is the world's largest and most diverse hotel company, encompassing approximately 7,190 hotels and 609,600 rooms in 66 countries under 15 hotel brands. Headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, with offices around the globe, including London and Hong Kong, the Hotel Group employs more than 4,000 associates worldwide.

From the award-winning upscale offerings of its namesake Wyndham Hotels and Resorts® brand to the distinctly comfortable and familiar properties of its iconic Days Inn®, Super 8® and Howard Johnson® brands, the company prides itself on providing guests and franchisees with exceptional customer service, great value and the most lodging choices around the world.

The company's loyalty program, Wyndham Rewards®, is the largest in the lodging industry, based on number of participating hotels, with more than 8 million active members.

Wyndham Hotel Group is one of the three business units of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE): WYN), one of the world's largest hospitality companies providing hotels, timeshare resorts, vacation rentals and timeshare exchange.

Intercontinental Hotel | VICTORIA ISLAND LAGOS | 358 ROOMS

Owner Profile: Milan Group / IHG 

IHG is a global hotel company whose goal is to create Great Hotels Guests Love. It has more guest rooms than any other hotel company in world – that’s over 153 million guests annually, more than 672, 000 rooms in over 4,500 hotels in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world.

MILAN GROUP and its associated companies have investments in Real Estate, Financial sector and Hotel.In addition our main line of business is Import and Distribution of Rice, Sugar, Tyres, Fruit Juice and many other items imported from Europe and Asia.

About the Hotel:

Conveniently located in Lagos, InterContinental Lagos Hotel is a great base from which to explore this vibrant city. From here, guests can enjoy easy access to all that the lively city has to offer. With its convenient location, the hotel offers easy access to the city's must-see destinations.

 The ambiance of InterContinental Lagos Hotel is reflected in every guestroom. Internet access – LAN, daily newspaper, bathrobes, executive lounge access, air conditioning are just some of the facilities at your disposal. Besides, the hotel's host of recreational offerings ensures you have plenty to do during your stay. InterContinental Lagos Hotel is your one-stop destination for quality hotel accommodations in Lagos.

The company operates nine hotel brands – InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, EVEN Hotels and HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts.

WHEATBAKER | IKOYI LAGOS | 70 ROOMS

Owner Profile: Legacy Hotels and Resort

Legacy is known for its collection of exclusive and luxury hotels, resorts, lodges, golf, executive suites and residential estates. Legacy's focus is to become Africa's leading lifestyle brand, committed to enriching the dreams and lives of all with whom it's associated, driven by the simple adage to leave all who come into contact with us, better off than before we met. Legacy... Creating Lifestyles, Enriching Dreams, Leaving Legacies.

About:

The Wheatbaker Hotel has a total number of 70 rooms and suites, luxuriously furnished and tastefully decorated, equipped with amenities which include en-suite bathrooms, direct dial telephones, flat screen television, tea/coffee making facilities and wireless internet connectivity.

Golden Tulip | Festac LAGOS | 471 ROOMS

Owner Profile | FRANCHISED BY UPDC

The Golden Tulip chain traces its roots back to the early 1960s, when the first Golden Tulip hotels opened their doors in the Netherlands. Since then the chain has evolved and expanded across the globe, always in step with the changing needs and expectations of our customers.

About:

The Golden Tulip Festac Lagos is a new 471-guest room property. The hotel is located in one of the most dynamic trade and business districts of the city of Lagos. Half an hour’s drive from central business districts and the airport, the Golden Tulip Festac Lagos is located near the Badagry Highway, which leads travellers by road from Lagos to the neighbouring Republic of Benin.

 Facilities:

The hotel is set on a 7 hectare site and features beautifully landscaped Tropical Gardens, 471 rooms, a variety of restaurants and bars, the largest and most flexible conference and banquet facility in Lagos, a Gym and wellness center, tennis courts, ATM/Cash machine, Health club, Tennis, squash

The Park Inn (4 Star) | Apapa LAGOS | 125

Owner Profile:

Rezidor Hotels APS Danmark (“Rezidor”), the fastest growing hotel group company in the world whose portfolio includes more than 400 hotels (87,800 rooms) in over 60 countries. Rezidor's brands include the Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts, Regent Hotels & Resorts, Park Inn and Country Inns & Suites in Europe, Middle East and Africa like the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Victoria Island and Park Inn Ikeja.

Rezidor Hotel Group, entered into an agreement with the management of Apapa Hotels Limited for the development of a four –Star Radisson Hotel, in the heart of Apapa, Lagos, to cost $25 million

Top World Green Buildings

Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles
Brooks + Scarpa
This apartment/office complex is built on the site of the old Cherokee recording studios in Los Angeles, which once hosted the likes of David Bowie and Warren Zevon but is now home to one of the greenest buildings in the U.S. The design uses passive cooling that takes advantage of the Southern California climate, and it has day lighting that minimizes the need for electric lights — most of which are high-efficiency LEDs

First Unitarian Society Meeting House, Madison, Wis.
Kubala Washatko Architects Inc.
The 20,000-sq.-ft. (1,850 sq m) addition to this historic Frank Lloyd Wright–designed meeting house is 40% more efficient than a comparable facility. The addition features recycled content and locally sourced materials, along with CO₂ sensors that trigger a ventilation system to maximize energy savings when spaces are unoccupied. The addition has a vegetated roof, and individual lighting controls are in all the building areas.

Kiowa County Schools, Greensburg, Kans.
BNIM Architects
After the town of Greensburg was almost totally destroyed by a tornado in 2007, the city fathers decided to build the city back green. This single K-12 school is the crown jewel. The design optimizes day lighting and natural ventilation while reducing the urban-heat-island effect through open area allocation and diverse landscaping. A 50-kilowatt wind turbine outside the school provides a portion of the building's energy needs, with much of the rest coming from a wind farm located outside the town.

High Tech High, Chula Vista, Calif.
Studio E Architects
This 550-student public charter school actually incorporates green design in the curriculum. The building management system includes a weather station, monitors and controls, in addition to irrigation and domestic water systems. That optimizes thermal comfort and indoor air quality while conserving energy and water. This is a green school that teaches just by being.

Lance Armstrong Foundation, Austin, Texas
Lake | Flato Architects
The headquarters for Lance Armstrong's foundation was established in a renovated 1950s warehouse that was transformed into a multifunctional office space. For the new design, 88% of the material from the original building was recycled and used, while the roof's center bays were replaced with north-facing windows to harvest daylight. No toxic chemicals were used in or around the building, which earned a gold certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

LOTT Clean Water Alliance, Olympia, Wash.
The Miller | Hull Partnership
Most people wouldn't picture a sewage-treatment plant as a green building, but the LOTT Clean Water Alliance Regional Service Center is different. It has been optimized to provide solar heat and introduce daylight to reduce lighting. Methane generated from the plant's waste-treatment process is used in a cogeneration plant to create

Vancouver Convention Centre West, Vancouver
LMN Architects, DA/MCM
Practically the entire city of ultra-environmental Vancouver could be considered one giant green building, but the convention center — the first such structure in the world to earn a platinum rating from LEED — stands out. The 6-acre (2.4 hectares) living roof hosts 400,000 indigenous plants, while free cooling economizers lower temperatures for the busiest seasons. The interior is fitted with CO₂, VOC and humidity sensors; the heating and cooling are provided by seawater heat pumps powered by hydroelectricity.

Step Up on 5th, Santa Monica, Calif.
Brooks + Scarpa
A mixed-use project with 46 studio apartments that provide affordable housing and social services for the homeless and mentally disabled of Santa Monica, Step Up shows that being green is about more than just the environment. The density of the project exceeds the average population density in Manhattan by more than 10%, and the building itself is nearly 50% more efficient than a comparable conventional structure.

Research Support Facility at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, Colo.
RNL Design
It makes sense that the building in which cutting-edge research into renewable energy takes place would be one of the greenest structures in the U.S. The facility is meant to create a blueprint for a net-zero-energy future, integrating passive design strategies such as day lighting and natural ventilation. The open office plan reduces the building footprint per person

OS House, Racine, Wis.
Johnsen Schmaling Architects
This LEED platinum-rated house shows how a small building can go green even without a massive budget. Taking advantage of the breeze from nearby Lake Michigan and the site's solar exposure, outdoor rooms reduce the house's depth, which allows for better cross-ventilation. A compact structured plumbing system with low-flow fixtures and an on-demand hot-water circulator pump reduces water consumption.

There is fire on the mountain: Protect your homes from fire

Protecting Your Home Against Fire

Every year thousands of people lose their homes or their lives by fire. But many fatal fires could be prevented by basic knowledge and practical precautions. Every family should have a fire safety program to teach family members how to prevent fires and how to react in case one occurs. This activity teaches your family basic steps to prevent and deal with fires.

Activity

Study the checklist "Fire Safety All around Your House." Discuss it with your family. Then with the checklist, a black pencil, and a red pencil, walk together through each room in your home. As you do, discuss whether your family takes all the safety precautions listed. With a black pencil check off the precautions you are already taking. If you need to improve in an area, make an X with a red pencil. If you have red Xs, your home is not as safe from fire as it could be. Assign family members to correct each problem. As they do, erase the red marks.

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