interior decor | Manhattan Home Design Reviews

Manhattan Home Design Reviews | The Protractor Desk: a Wonder In Your Home Office

September 28, 2022February 22, 2023 Eloy

Manhattan Home Design Reviews. The modern furniture catalog is so large and diverse that, when you think you’ve seen it all, some other wonder always arises, whose existence you didn’t suspect, but which most likely has all the potential to become the new star of your layout. The Protractor desk, designed in 1949 by the Italian architect and designer Carlo Mollino, is probably one of those amazing products that you knew nothing about and now you can learn in detail and decide if you’ll make it one of your most prominent and spectacular work tools. Learn more about it in this fascinating new article from Manhattan Home Design Reviews.

This design, which can easily be the focal point of any layout in which it’s used, is a modernist icon within its category. The Protractor desk is considered a masterpiece for the way its structure is supported. Two solid wood beams hold its wide 15 mm thick tempered glass top, one of the keys to its elegance and strength. This glass plate is held by raised stainless steel support buttons, which give it greater strength and resistance.

Much More Than a Modern Desk

From the first moment you start using it, you’ll realize that it’s a first-class piece, which only with its aesthetic value will enhance the appearance of your work environment in a surprising way. We live in the era in which the home office has gone from being an option to being the only alternative for millions of people. In fact, after the onset of the pandemic, many became so used to doing their jobs from home that they now consider it the only possible way to accept new contracts.

After all, the benefits of being able to set up, decorate, organize, and manage your own office are too great to ignore. If the time has come when you need to start putting together your home office, can you imagine a better way to start doing it than with a piece as impressive as this one?

One of the most appealing aspects of this model is its aerodynamic flair, purely minimalist, with a structure that totally breaks with the archetypal desk to deliver a model worthy of the talent, creativity, and ingenuity of an experienced architect, who knows well how to use the space and materials in original and interesting ways.

Some details, such as the stainless steel bolt sleeves that hold its five drawers, unify them and connect them with the top of the piece, and the drawer with an open face, also covered by a 15 mm glass panel, are what give the ultimate extraordinary touch and make it different from any other type of modern desk.

The Protractor desk is a much more stylish piece than you might expect from a wooden desk. Its walnut wood components, of superior and hypnotizing beauty, are something that will inspire you every day during your working hours and will make you feel that more than in an office, you’re in a space made to suit your personality.

Manhattan Home Design Reviews | The LC3 Sofa: An Outstanding Experience of Comfort and Ergonomics

September 20, 2022February 22, 2023 Eloy

Manhattan Home Design Reviews. Leather is recognized for its versatile and friendly properties and its great elegance and aesthetic appeal. It’s a material that can last for many years if it’s cared for correctly, and it can look even better as it ages, as some sofas develop a very interesting patina as their leather upholstery becomes more supple and softer. In this Manhattan Home Design Reviews entry, we will explain why Le Corbusier’s legendary LC2 Sofa is one of the best options you can imagine.

Some models, such as the LC2 Sofa, became highly recognized pieces thanks to their materials’ quality and minimalist aesthetics. Their full-grain Italian leather is made to look spectacular and, at the same time, provide a very pleasant and comforting experience. You may easily find an affordable comfortable sofa for yourself, but never forget that upholstery is not everything in a piece of furniture. Almost always, comfort is mainly associated with other aspects such as the type of padding it has, the density of the cushions, the dimensions of the sofa, the firmness of its structure, and so on.

One Of The Best Choices Of Your Life

A good way to know with greater security if a sofa is comfortable is to carry out a small test before taking it home. Sit on it, lie down for a few minutes, try to feel its texture, the cushioning sensation that its cushions give you, how your body feels when you lie down and, when you’re in that position, think if you could be like that for a very long time. Also, pay attention when you get up to the way the cushions regain their shape and if there are no traces of your body on them.

The tips we’ve given you in this article will help you hit the mark with the right choice of sofa, but beyond that, we have revealed that the Le Corbusier model is your fastest way to live this type of user experience with a modern model. There is nothing more satisfying for a user than the idea of knowing that they have chosen the right sofa model in every way, a piece that feels good, that is appropriate for the body, made with materials that will last for a long time after intensive use, and will continue to retain its elegance throughout its useful life.

Le Corbusier 2 Style Sofa — The Le Corbusier 2-Style Sofa

Many sofas you’ll find in modern catalogs probably look amazing, but when you use them you realize that they don’t really feel as good as they seemed. Besides, the materials are not always the best. Choosing a Le Corbusier 2-style sofa will bring you great satisfaction, it will renew the spirit of your living room and, probably, it will become the star of many unforgettable moments in your life or even family photos.

Manhattan Home Design Reviews | The Flag Halyard Chair: a Style Statement

August 30, 2022February 22, 2023 Eloy

Manhattan Home Design Reviews. There is a purpose that practically all interior designers and decoration enthusiasts share: the desire to turn a space into a unique environment, with a defined personality. That is a style that reflects the taste and personality of its owners and that, at the same time, looks well done. In this Manhattan Home Design Reviews post, we’ll tell you why some key details like the inclusion of a Flag Halyard Chair in your layout can be vital to achieving amazing results in your interior decor project.

In some regions of the United States where large, beautiful homes abound, such as Atlanta, Georgia, it can be much more feasible and easy to do a more complex, complete, and original modern décor plan. Although minimalism has been a very noticeable trend for a long time, there are users who prefer to add a constellation of elements to their projects to make their different areas more welcoming and functionally complete spaces.

Those who got used to living in smaller spaces, such as small New York City houses or apartments, may want to experience the process of decorating a larger area. In any case, what you should always be very clear about is that magic happens in the details.

flag halyard chair — The Flag Halyard Chair

Why an Accent Chair?

Never be surprised at what an accent chair can do for you. Even in the living rooms equipped with sufficiently voluminous and cozy sofas. An accent chair is what its role indicates: an element that accentuates an aspect or value within an area, in the same way that an accent color would stand out from a more or less homogeneous color palette. In other words, with a piece like the Hans Wegner Flag Halyard Chair, you would be providing a remarkable detail: a seat made with a combination of authentic materials, rarely seen in modernism, a “summer” design that feels very pleasant, generates a lot of comfort and inspires a lot of relax.

The above are not random details: the Dane knew what he was doing, and it’s not for nothing that this piece, considered a masterpiece whose creation was inspired during a summer afternoon by the sea, was probably born from one of those precious spontaneous ideas that sometimes blossom in the imagination and that the creator didn’t let escape since, from that first breath of inspiration, he dug a hole in the sand in which he would mold and begin to shape his future creation.

hans wegner chair — Hans Wegner Flag Halyard Chair

Its tubular chromed steel structure, its interwoven flag halyard that gives support and body to the seat and back, its sheepskin cover, and its upholstered leather pad that supports the head make up an extraordinary combination of materials, which would never go unnoticed. Adding a Flag Halyard Chair to your floor plan is a style statement, as it can bring out a very special dynamism in terms of aesthetics and functionality with an element that looks good both indoors and outdoors and can easily become your favorite chair.

Manhattan Home Design Reviews | The Arco Lamp: a Symbol of Power and Class In Your Living Room

August 24, 2022February 22, 2023 Eloy

Manhattan Home Design Reviews. Marble may be considered by some to be an exotic and sometimes costly resource due to its reputation and the fact that it’s a favorite of many interior design fans and professional decorators. Marble could be present in all kinds of elements within a space: floors, accessories, decorations, walls, and even some famous pieces such as the Arco lamp, a very popular model of the Mid-Century Modern style, which includes a Carrara marble base, practically the most famous and demanded type of marble out there. Over time, it has become a resource associated with luxury and high class, not only because it’s highly attractive and elegant, but also because some variations of marble are top-notch and their use represents a significant investment of money. In this Manhattan Home Design Reviews post, you’ll discover why this lamp represents so many things and why it will give your layout a superior character.

Many people prefer not to purchase such an iconic model as the Arco lamp because they think it would be a too high investment of money in one single piece, especially people who have just moved to a new place and need to furnish it from scratch. However, it’s necessary to keep in mind that this is a very popular lamp, and therefore there are very decent replicas and quite faithful to the original FLOS product, marketed at a price three or four times lower than the original.

An Arco lamp replica is a very convenient investment since it’s a product in which every detail has been taken care of, first-class materials have been used, and the technical characteristics of the original design have also been respected. The Manhattan Home Design’s product is a good example of it. Only a person with vast experience in interior decoration and furniture and fixture designs could tell the difference between the original and an Arco lamp reproduction. Besides, the replica also includes an authentic piece of Carrara marble that forms its base.

Why Is Marble a So Remarkable Material?

Marble is porous, susceptible to harmful agents, and is most recommended for use in clean, easy-to-maintain environments. As it’s a material extracted directly from nature, it presents unique variations in the veining, tonality, and texture, which show that it’s an authentic resource. Over time, it develops a patina that allows it to age well, preserving its aesthetic attributes.

In addition to being a heat-resistant material, marble has a very hard texture, which allows it to resist shocks and looks great with almost any decorating style you want to use. Some of the most popular types of marble are Spanish white marble, Macael marble, and of course the aforementioned, Carrara marble. Marquina black marble is also an extraordinarily elegant alternative, ideal for all types of indoors such as bathrooms, living rooms, and decorative elements. Besides, one of the most striking characteristics of marble is that it allows different types of finishes, such as polishing and brushed.

carrara marble — The Carrara Marble Base

In addition to everything mentioned above, marble is an element of great symbolic value, as it represents status, class, good taste, power, and is a resource of inestimable beauty that was even used in great works of architecture of antiquity and Michelangelo’s sculptures.

If you’re currently in the process of remodeling your spaces and need fresh and surprising ideas, using this resource will always bring you great results that will arouse the admiration of your friends and family.

Manhattan Home Design Reviews | The Bellini Sofa: a Magnificent “Resettable” Piece

August 17, 2022February 22, 2023 Eloy

Manhattan Home Design Reviews. The Bellini sofa by Mario Bellini (also known as Bellini Modular sofa), undoubtedly became a contemporary classic. The 35 x 35 inches seat module became the cornerstone for an astonishingly ingenious design that sought to push the advantages of modernism to a limit beyond the known and traditional. Its impact was so positive that the original project was maintained and faithfully reproduced through the years, including the seat backs and arms. In this Manhattan Home Design Reviews entry, we’ll tell you why the Bellini sofa is a perfect piece for people who like to constantly change the available space in their floor plan.

The popularity of this design led to what usually happens with famous products: quite respectable replicas began to appear very soon. Currently, people seek in a Camaleonda sofa replica the great comfort and ergonomics that the authentic product can offer to the user and also the same amazing technical properties that represented an innovation born from the ingenuity of Mario Bellini in 1970, with its hooks and rings system. Such a system allows the modules to be unhooked and re-combined as required by the user, which makes it a kind of “resettable” piece.

In addition to being an excellent option for lovers of the Mid-Century Modern style, especially for those who constantly seek to renew the face of their living room’s layout (considering that it can be transformed into a sectional, a sofa bed, or any other configuration you need), the Bellini sofa is also a product with a very pleasant minimalist aesthetic, which is still quite compatible with the most current decorating trends.

Bellini Modular sofa — Mario Bellini Sofa

The best news is that people who want to experience the benefits and advantages of having this piece can do so thanks to replicas such as the one from Manhattan Home Design, whose price is far from the authentic Camaleonda sofa price. It’s an incredibly similar piece that even emulates its abundant polyurethane padding with its characteristic quilted effect and all its modular properties.

You can hook and unhook the sofa modules most conveniently, renewing your floor plan’s shape over and over and again, transforming it, and re-adapting it to give a new spirit and a new face to your living room.

Manhattan Home Design Reviews | Barcelona Bench: The Missing Element In Your Living Room

July 29, 2022February 22, 2023 Eloy

Manhattan Home Design Reviews. The Barcelona Bench is great for many reasons and in many ways. It represents a comfortable place that will always be waiting for you; a station to recharge or take a nap after a highly stressful day. Also, its modernist versatility allows you to combine it with almost everything. It’s a highly efficient design that’s also very easy to keep clean and in good condition. These and other qualities are what have allowed it to conquer a place of prestige as one of the most popular and coveted elements of the Mid-Century Modern style. In this entry from Manhattan Home Design Reviews, we’ll help you learn in a little more detail the characteristics of this memorable and influential product.

There are several versions of the Barcelona bench, but one of its best sellers is the one with 3 seats, probably due to its large dimensions: overall height 14.9″, overall width 19″, overall length 71″. Technically, the materials of this piece are also remarkable -Its thick padding and distinctive interlocking tufting make it look very beautiful. Plus, the upholstery that covers its cushions isn’t just any leather, it’s genuine Italian leather, also present in the closures that wrap around the frame. It also has asymmetrical straps throughout the seat.

It’s possible that the 2-seater Barcelona bench is not large enough to satisfactorily cover the functional needs of a user, most of all if it’s going to be installed in a frequently used area where several people usually enter. This 3-seater bench will do a great job as it’s longer and stronger, enough to seat three average-sized people.

The Mind Behind The Work

Mies van der Rohe was a 20th-century German-American architect who began his career in architecture at the young age of 15. After World War I, his work rose to national prominence, helping him lead the modernist movement in art and architecture. He wasn’t only a creator of furniture, but he had also designed buildings and museums. The creator sought to accentuate lightness within delicate structures, which is why for some his style is “Industrial”.

A high point in van der Rohe’s professional history was the Barcelona Exposition, which helped him gain great prestige internationally. It was there that the designer presented his well-known Barcelona chair which, over time, became one of the main references of the Mid-Century Modern Style and is considered one of the most popular pieces in the history of design, since it’s still a perfect and very warm addition to any home or apartment.

barcelona modern bench — Barcelona 3-Seater bench

Having a piece like the Barcelona Bench in your home or office represents an aesthetic and functional benefit that you should never underestimate. Never forget that this piece is part of a collection that has conquered the taste of many generations: the Barcelona Collection, and surely it deserves that you also give it an opportunity in your spaces.

Manhattan Home Design Reviews | The Bellini Sofa Leather: A New Way To Experience Modernism

July 20, 2022February 22, 2023 Eloy

Manhattan Home Design Reviews. Sofas are an exceptional type of furniture piece since they are made to occupy a very important place: to declare the style, to be in many cases the focal point, and to be one of the most valuable elements in a living room. With the heyday of Mid-Century Modern, many designers have tried to innovate in this regard. However, few models have had the transcendence and relevance truly high enough to be considered iconic. Others, like the Bellini sofa, not only succeeded but continue to conquer the tastes of new generations. In this installment of Manhattan Home Design Reviews, we will discover this design and why it’s so important within modernism.

One of the most striking things about the Bellini sofa is that it’s a modular sofa; that is, a design that can offer great functionality due to its technical capabilities. Within its category, the Bellini Camaleonda sofa rethought, in a revolutionary way, how to conceive and use this type of piece and gave a new meaning to the idea of transforming a sofa into different modalities or even dividing it into several sections or individual seats. A level of sophistication and flexibility that was unknown until then.

Many Sofas In One

Indeed, having a Mario Bellini sofa in your layout is like having several sofas inside one. The intention of creating a transformable piece up to this level is evident when closely evaluating the hook system through which the different modules can be assembled. This is something very convenient for lovers of dynamism within modern environments since you can easily and quickly transform it into a sectional sofa, linear sofa, corner sofa, and sofa with ottoman and thus make your living room or the place where you decide to use it look very different on a regular basis.

The Bellini sofa looks spectacular in any of its versions, but recent trends have indicated that the tan leather version is one of the favorites of the public today. Users have come to appreciate leather more closely in recent years due to its great versatility, durability, beauty, flexibility, and elegance. You can use a leather sofa like that for many years with the certainty that it will continue to look spectacular for a long time.

Also, the piece is not only great on the outside: its multiple interior layers of high-density polyester foam provide an unforgettable wearing experience, which will allow you to see that not everything in this piece is about style and aesthetics, but also about ergonomics. All these attributes make it one of the indisputable favorites of many people around the planet. Know its advantages too and you’ll discover why it should be part of your life.

Manhattan Home Design Reviews | Florence Arm Chair: an Idyllic Modernist Design For Your Decoration

July 13, 2022February 22, 2023 Eloy

Manhattan Home Design Reviews. To talk about accent chairs is to enter a world full of many possibilities. It’s enough to take a look at the catalogs of the various furniture stores of that style to realize that the number of options available is not only very large, but also complex and diverse, in the best imaginable sense: sizes, materials, colors, finishes, upholstery, and a long etcetera that also includes all kinds of functional and technical characteristics. Taking all that into account, you are probably wondering: How do I know which criteria to follow specifically when choosing the perfect accent chair for my layout? Why should a model like the Florence Arm Chair be the chosen one? What’s special about it? In this edition of Manhattan Home Design Reviews, we’ll introduce you to this model that has received such good comments and applause since its release on the market.

The first thing you have to know about this elegant piece is that it’s an ultra-comfortable seat presented by Florence Knoll in 1956. It’s a Mid-Century Modern model upholstered in leather with a surprising aesthetic, visually welcoming, and at the height of the most demanding users. Its finishes are formed with flexible aniline, natural oils, and waxes to give it an appealing and sophisticated look. Inside, steel springs and solid wood provide strength and stability. The cushions of this sofa are filled with dense foam, which offers incredible comfort, made of safe and reliable materials that don’t present health risks of any kind and have a high resistance to flames.

florence arm chair — The Florence Arm Chair

A Design That Has It All

The best thing about a chair as iconic as this one is that it basically has everything that a design of its stature and importance should have: a timeless modernist aesthetic that not only made a huge impact in its time but still looks amazing today on every kind of environments (either in its version of tan leather or black leather), materials of extraordinary quality, which give it great durability and useful life that can be extended for many years. What’s better for a piece of furniture than to become a family heirloom? Better yet: What could be better for a piece like this than to be loved by many generations to come, who can continue to give it a place of honor in their spaces?

florence modern chair — Florence Modern Armchair

On the other hand, if you like designs based on clean and straight lines, dense cushions, and a minimalist flair that doesn’t need too much sophistication to look highly cozy and welcoming, this piece is most likely in tune with your tastes and expectations. There are many indoors in which you can integrate it with great success and enjoy its benefits.

Never forget that style is defined based on the tastes and personality of the users. At least, that’s how it should be, so that the spaces reflect what they like and they can feel comfortable enough in them. The Florence Armchair can be one of your great allies in this task and help you achieve the interior decor project of your dreams.

Manhattan Home Design Reviews | The LC4 Lounge Chaise: An Iconic Piece That Prevails

June 28, 2022February 22, 2023 Eloy

Manhattan Home Design Reviews. There are several reasons why the LC4 Lounge Chaise created by Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, and Pierre Jeanneret became a transcendental piece and one of the Mid-Century Modern style icons. Some have called it a “relaxation machine”, and those are not idle ideas. The piece, exhibited for the first time in 1929, a year after it was created, was a highly influential element that didn’t go unnoticed in the eyes of interior decor enthusiasts and was acclaimed by specialized critics, with a resonance that, to this day, it can still be seen. This Manhattan Home Design Reviews entry will allow you to discover in depth one of the most prestigious pieces in the MCM catalog.

According to records, the piece retains a style adopted from Thonet furniture. The tubular steel elements were one of its most outstanding attributes and one of the characteristics that broke the mold since, although the 1920s was a period in which much experimentation was done with this resource, most of its applications were relegated to bistros and hospitals, with an evident absence in the designs of avant-garde furniture pieces.

At first, the public didn’t express a high demand for the futuristic designs, but things changed when, after the presentation of the design at the Salon d’Automne, its production was greatly expanded. Its success was first high in France and, some time later, it spread its popularity to other territories, overcoming more and more borders and, over the years, conquering new generations.

Over the decades, as naturally happens with other successful designs, many models with similar characteristics began to appear on the market, in which the same materials were used. However, Le Corbusier’s original model is preserved as the main reference point for all those products inspired by his. The prestige gained by the lounge chair prompted true lovers of MCM design to locate the authentic piece, with all the features born from the imagination and ingenuity of its creators, taking into account that it’s a piece made to provide a comfortable, ergonomic, and pleasant user experience. A high-class design, made with special care in the details and top-quality materials.

A Chair Made for the Human Body

The LC4 Lounge Chaise was conceived always with the position of the human body in mind first. The sensations that it was capable of transmitting to those who used it seemed to be the most important goal of the project, but without neglecting the aesthetic aspect and its relationship with the rest of the components of an interior layout: architecture, surroundings and prestige. The user was at the center of the design, and the result exceeded expectations, not only because of its excellent functional qualities but also because it looked spectacular from any angle.

Le Corbusier lounge chair — Le Corbusier Lounge Chair

The idea on which the design is based is comfort with form and function as the protagonists. The shape of the seat, with a wide, curved silhouette that supports the back and elevates the legs for full body care, is capable of providing optimal relaxation at any angle of inclination. Having an LC4 Lounge Chair in your living room definitely means upgrading your home to the next level.

Manhattan Home Design Reviews | Why Is Le Corbusier’s LC3 Sofa Such an Important and Legendary Design?

June 22, 2022February 22, 2023 Eloy

Manhattan Home Design Reviews. Breaking the mold is not usually an easy task. However, when the right ideas come at the right time, the next step is to surprise the world with whatever you have to give. This seems to be the general idea that motivated Le Corbusier, in association with his cousin Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand, to present his famous collection of sofas that in 1928 caused a great sensation among specialized critics and users, especially lovers of the Mid-Century Modern style, who found in this design a revolutionary piece that was unlike anything previously seen. The LC3 Sofa had such an important introduction to the world of modern design that, almost a hundred years later, it has not stopped capturing the interest and taste of many generations. In this installment of Manhattan Home Design Reviews, we have set out to let you know the history of this model, a product with a long history of success.

One of the most representative characteristics of the Le Corbusier 3 Style Sofa, which also directly broke the conventions of the traditional design of armchairs and sofas, was its outstanding exterior tubular structure, exposed to view throughout the piece’s frame. This resource, which is a compositional part of the design’s aesthetics and makes a magnificent visual contrast with the leather of its upholstery, is one of the reasons why many people are captivated by this very magnetic design at first glance. There are versions of these Le Corbusier pieces with 1, 2, and three seats, and there are also versions with other types of upholstery, such as the tanned leather version, but they all retain the same aesthetic essence and the same functional characteristics.

A Unique Modernist Experience

The padding of the seats, backrest, and armrest is one of the most significant features that make this product a piece capable of bringing to the users clear sensations of ergonomics and spectacular comfort. As is well known, in modern design not everything revolves around aesthetics, but also around the functionality and practicality with which these pieces of furniture are usually used, so achieving a sofa that feels very good when using it was paramount. The geometric shapes of the design are another of the typical features of the MCM and reflected the creative vision of its author.

The relevance of these products by Le Corbusier is so notable that these pieces are part of the permanent collection of the Design Museum, and are exhibited as a tribute to the basic design principles of the last century that have prevailed through the years and have made that pieces like this are perpetuated in the sales lists, being requested both by professional interior designers and by enthusiastic users of interior decor. They are pieces that work very well in any modern setting and have gained symbolic value due to the meaning they have accumulated over the years.

le corbusier 3 style sofa — Le Corbusier 3 Style Sofa

Having these pieces as the focal points of an environment can be the perfect step to give a new face to a living room, a studio apartment, or even an office. They are the kind of designs that look good from any angle and that anyone will be able to love almost automatically. Le Corbusier’s collection is available in the Manhattan Home Design catalog.