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The BBC has announced that it would like design students from around the North of England to send in designs for furniture and fabric for it’s new home in Salford Quays. The BBC plan to move to Media City in Salford Quays in the Spring of 2011 and the competition will be open until 30 April 2010 and the winner will be announced at the end of May.

Alan Bainbridge, North Portfolio Director, BBC Workplace said, ‘We’re seeking to create a place that provokes smiles and delight.’

As part of the brief, students have been asked to design a chair that will allow staff to make and receive calls confidentially within the open-plan offices that they will be occupying. If you would like more information, e-mail: bbcnorthdesignchallenge@bbc.co.uk

Tags: BBC, chair, design, furniture, offices

Back in November, Minneapolis based furniture company Blu Dot embarked upon a social experiment where they placed 25 of their “Real Good” metal chairs around New York city. These chairs were fitted with GPS and were watched closely by a mixture of remote cameras and cameramen. The purpose of the experiment was to see who would take the chairs and then speak to these people to see what they’d done with them.

Blu Dot have made a video explaining the experiment and showing the results, which can be viewed by clicking here. When you watch the video you’ll see how clever it is, not only the idea itself but also their use of social networking site Twitter to give updates on the movements of the chairs. This definitely brings a new edge to furniture marketing.

Tags: chairs, furniture, furniture marketing, metal chairs, social networking, twitter

Ever fancied owning crystal studded sofas, tables, mirror frames and lamps? This trend which was once a favourite of European royalty is coming back in a big way via India. Previously, indulgent royals would venture to Paris and Milan to purchase this luxury furniture but now Indian designers have started using it in their designs and it is becoming very popular.

High-end designers in India say that they have seen a definite uplift in the luxury furniture market since July as the trend has caught on. The Indians also seem to have found their own niche in the trend, sitting comfortably somewhere between the over-elaborate Italian designs and the bland German pieces. So if you’re in the market for some crystal studded furniture I suggest you head to India.

Tags: German design, India, Italian design, lamps, mirrors, sofas, tables

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has stated that Glencraft, a factory in Aberdeen which was staffed by blind and disabled people and which shut down in November, could still re-emerge as a new company. The Minister was presented with a 2,500  signature petition last week by  members of Glencraft staff, in which the Minister was asked to do all he could to save the outfit.

The closing of the factory in November meant the loss of 50 jobs but the strong feeling that it has provoked in the local community has forced action to be taken. The company which manufactured divan sets and mattresses will now hopefully have some sort of future.

Tags: factory, furniture, Glencraft, Scottish

As iPhone apps spring up to cater for every aspect of our lives, it was only inevitable that the furniture industry got in on the act sooner or later. This month IKEA and House of Fraser have released apps that will allow people to browse their new 2010 catalogues, but will it work? Does the furniture industry really require something tangible to sell products?

I guess the only answer to this is, “We’ll have to wait and see!” but it does seem a particularly difficult industry to break into the iPhone app market with. In my opinion IKEA, who only do a small amount of business through their website, are barking up the wrong tree. Their app only acts as paperless catalogue and nothing more. The House of Fraser app on the other hand lets users choose gifts by the recipient, which is a function that not many sites do well so if they can get it to work then they could be onto a winner.

Tags: furniture, gifts, House of Fraser, IKEA, iPhone

Fears have been raised over the danger of flatscreen TVs that are not secured properly after a new study in the US revealed that 8,000 children in the US are injured every year by televisions. In the last 18 months in Britain alone, 4 children have died after having TVs fall on them, according to researchers children under the age of 7 are at most risk.

Recommendations are that free standing sets should be placed on wide stable surface and any secured to a wall should be attached to a solid surface that can support the weight sufficiently. With the majority of sets that are sold being of the flatscreen variety this is becoming much more of an issue and parents should definitely take heed.

Tags: flatscreen tv, safety

At a school in Deeside, Scotland senior pupils have been inspired to embark upon their own business venture, designing and building garden furniture. The company called Benchmark, was formed after pupils saw the chairs being built by the technical department at the Aboyne Academy.

The handmade garden chairs which have already received a great deal of interest are selling for between £59.99 and £64.99 via the Young Enterprise scheme. The pupil’s company has all the roles you would expect to find in a regular business, a managing director, a financial director and sales and marketing staff and all profits are going to company shareholders, which include the school itself and members of the company.

Tags: furniture, garden chairs, garden furniture, Scotland

It’s Christmas time again and by now most houses that you pass will have a Christmas tree or lights on show but when it comes to decorating your own house what furniture should you decorate and what should you leave alone? For me the two focal points of your decorations should be the fireplace and the Christmas tree but there are other areas that can give your house that genuine Christmas feel.

Your dining table is one obvious choice as it’s where you be spending a good chunk of Christmas day, all it needs is a festive centrepiece, you don’t need to drape every chair with tinsel. Other items to consider are TV units, coffee tables and any hallway units you may have. The key to decorating these items is to keep it understated with very simple items like candles and bowls of potpourri, if you use clippings from your Christmas tree you can give most ornaments a festive look and you’ll get that Christmas tree smell all over your house.

Tags: Christmas, coffee tables, dining table, fireplace, house, table, TV units