The combination of Verner Panton’s design and Menu’s award winning thermo cups is eternally modern and an immediate classic.

Verner Panton was always on the cutting edge – willing to test new designs, new styles and new technologies; his colourful design radiates curiosity, optimism and joy.

The pattern on Menu’s thermo cups is called Geometry 1 and is from 1960; it represents Verner’s first and most famous textile design, for which he received The International Design Award in the United States in 1963.

Menu’s thermo cup is also an award winning design, created by Pernille Vea; the cups are constructed in two layers of porcelain with a hollow isolating centre, ensuring that you never burn your fingers and maintain the cold or heat of the contents equally well.

In 2003, the thermo cups were awarded the FORM 2003 prize and the DesignPlus prize in 2004.

The cups are made of porcelain of the highest quality, fired at 1320 degrees Celsius, ensuring strength, durability and an easy to clean surface; the glazing is acid-free, and therefore does not change colour and doesn’t contain lead or cadmium.

The new cups come in attractive boxes bearing designed by Verner Panton, containing four coloured cups or four cups with black decoration. Retail price £29.95 available in the shops from May.

Web: http://www.menu.as

Marmitek, specialists in the field of X-10 home automation, has introduced the CM15Pro computer interface, which along with the supplied ActiveHomePro software enables you to control and operate affordable home automation on your computer.

Marmitek brings comfort and safety to your home in an innovative manner, using the very latest techniques in the field of multimedia, video surveillance, home automation and security:

Once your settings are programmed in your computer, you can save them in the memory of the CM15Pro and it can be turned off:

• Your lighting and appliances are easily switched on and off with the CM15Pro and appropriate receivers.

The choice of settings is limited only by your imagination – random switching of your lighting, create a home movie theatre, control your exterior lighting, or have your coffee ready when you wake.
 
Using macros you can programme your preferred environment e.g. the main lighting in the living room only switches on when someone enters the room, its dark outside and the atmospheric lighting is off.
 
Furthermore the CM15Pro has more extended programming possibilities and a memory for about 1400 macros/timers, with which you can expand your home automation almost without limitation.

• The mutual compatibility of Marmitek products is one of the main benefits, allowing you to construct your own ideal system, adding the latest user options at any time in the future.

The recommended retail price for the pioneering CM15Pro (Computer module + ActiveHomePro Software) is £59.95 incl. VAT.

Web: http:// www.marmitek.com
 

Chalon UK Ltd, a market leader in handmade kitchens, bathrooms and classically styled furniture, has launched their latest bespoke kitchen range, the Chalon ‘Designer’ Collection at their London and Harrogate Showrooms.

The company’s distinctive kitchens are a blend of inspired design, solid timber and quality construction, rounded off with a unique finishing style.

The new Chalon Designer Collection provides the classical look and feel of its Original furniture, whilst the fitted style means it is well suited to any space and budget

Remaining handmade throughout, it has a flexible style that allows the company’s designers to choose elements from their Original range – such as the unique finishes or signature Worktables (islands) – and combine them with this new cabinetry to suit customers requirements.

Some special offers on the new range are available to all showroom visitors during May and June 2008, with a £1,000 discount offered on this new collection of furniture.

To see the quality and beauty of Chalon furniture and enjoy a first class design service, call at the showroom - The Plaza, 535 King’s Road, London SW10, or Harrogate outside the Victoria Shopping Centre in Station Parade; or online:

Web: http://www.chalon.com.

Tel: (01458) 254610

For the ‘pooch’ with everything, this trendy Magis dog house designed by Michael Young, is a must have accessory for your faithful friend.

Made from moulded polyethylene, it has stainless steel legs and a brass plate with the inscription Amicus Fidelis Protectio Fortis (faithful friend, strong protector); the brass plate can be personalised with your dog’s name.

Measuring W104cms X D150cms X H83cms, the Magis dog house is available in orange or white and retails at £274.

Web: http://www.espacio.co.uk

Tel: (020) 7376 5088 or (020) 7637 1932

Sovereign Appliances has launched an entirely new type of home appliance, which hits the spot for green householders, kitchen designers and developers:

The pioneering Sovereign Eco-Bin Waste Manager is an all-in-one, three-way waste management system that disposes of food waste and separately compacts cans and plastic bottles.

The Eco-Bin is designed to help homeowners reduce the overall volume of household waste that has to be collected by the local council and features three individual pull-out drawers for:

• Food Waste - Compost It
  Food waste is ground up and drops into a waste bin lined with a biodegradable bag that can hold up to 7 litres of organic remains before it needs emptying.
• The much-reduced waste can then be put into your compost bin or normal waste bin; a built-in automatic sanitation system then cleans and flushes out the bin area via the waste outlet.
• Cans Away
  Aluminium cans from drinks and packing material from food items are crushed and compacted in a separate compartment, reducing their overall size so that 22 litres can be stored before the need to empty the container.
• Plastic Bottles Take Less Space
  The third compartment of the EcoBin compacts containers such as plastic bottles and yoghurt pots etc; up to 16 litres can be stored before the container needs emptying.

The 60-cm wide, stainless steel Sovereign EcoBin Waste Manager is available as a freestanding or built-in model, with a drop-down door to access the three waste compartments. Priced around £1400.

This novel green machine is the shape of things to come!

Web: http://www.sovereignappliances.com

Tel: (015270) 578333

Special Edition I’ is a bold new collection of wallpapers from Farrow & Ball, which prove that classic can also be contemporary, and elegance can also be adventurous.

An exciting contemporary adaptation of four classic Farrow & Ball wallpaper designs, Special Edition I comprises thirteen new and innovative colourways: Warm reds, dramatic blacks, chocolate browns and silver and gold metallics are combined across the wallpapers with style and flair.

The collection features the hallmark texture and depth of colour for which Farrow & Ball wallpapers are renowned and ideal for adding an edge of sophistication to contemporary and traditional interiors:

• 4 new colourways of St Antoine, a classical French style damask, £68.50 per 10m roll.
• 4 new colourways of The Ringwold Papers, a delicate sprig and berry design, £56.50 per 10m roll.
• 4 new colourways of Block Print Stripe, featuring colour on top of colour, stripe on stripe, £52.00 per 10m roll.
• 1 new colourway of Silvergate, a timeless and exquisite damask, £68.50 per 10m roll.

Farrow & Ball wallpapers are made using the company’s own environmentally friendly paints, producing papers with a sensuous texture and delicacy of appearance, yet also hard-wearing, stain resistant and washable.

View the new collection online:

Web: http://www.farrow-ball.com

Tel: (01202) 876141

Neighbourhood Watch, which exists to promote and support the voluntary work of 170,000 Neighbourhood Watch groups, has launched an online shop offering discounts on a range of household security products.

The aim is to provide affordable home security solutions, bringing peace of mind and protection to UK property-owners.

The number of break-ins in Britain is nowhere as high as it was a decade ago; even so, a home is burgled every two minutes, according to the latest recorded crime statistics and burglaries can cost a home around £1000 in stolen goods and damages.

Neighbourhood Watch has teamed up with Scottish and Southern Energy to offer discounts on the very latest monitored wireless alarm system to registered Neighbourhood Watch members:

• The home security system is connected to an advanced monitoring service to alert you the moment there is a problem at home.
• If an intruder, panic alert, or fire activates the alarm, your nominated contacts will be notified within seconds by phone, text and email.
• The hardware for this home security system is supplied free of charge and available on a two-year plan, at a special discounted monthly charge of £14.99 (that’s just 49p a day).

Also on offer online are discounted home personal security products from Helix, including personal attack alarms, security boxes and DIY household security devices.

Web:  http://www.neighbourhoodwatch.net/

Tel: (0800) 1979720 quoting NW1

Lower Mill Estate in the Cotswolds, was set up to introduce imaginative, modernist architecture into a rural setting, to protect and enhance the natural environment, to engineer a harmony between residents and wildlife, and to protect the local and wider ecology.

The project’s success in achieving these objectives has been acknowledged with two awards in the Daily Telegraph Your New Homes Awards in March, for Best Architectural Innovation and Best Waterside Development.

Richard Reid and his team of architects have set a new agenda for others to follow by designing a series of contemporary houses, in a landscape setting that are both contemporary and highly inspirational.

The man behind the project, Jeremy Paxton is interested in pioneering homes, which excite and inspire with new design ideas, interesting materials, and intelligent environmental thinking.

Judge Cherry Maslen of The Daily Telegraph) said, “Stunning architecture and creative use of interior space, have made the absolute most of the waterside setting; decking right over the water and glass walls positioned for sunset-over-the-lake views, ensure an absolute appreciation of the outstanding natural environment”.

Lower Mill Estate is an exclusive development in the Heart of England, of high quality lakeside second homes stunningly designed, enjoying the most magnificent views over 450 acre country estate.

There is a selection of two, three, four, five and six bedroom homes available with prices from £495,000 to a little over £1m.

Arrange your personal tour of the estate online:

Web: http://www.lowermillestate.com

Tel: 01285 869489

Zoffany the internationally renowned quality fabric and wallpaper house, has introduced four striking collections into their extensive range of beautiful fabrics and wall coverings.

These timeless new collections encompass a rich array of designs in three textile collections and a complementary wallpaper collection.

Each of the classic designs, some dating from as far back as the 17th century, has been adapted from original documents in the Zoffany archive or from museum collections. For example:

The ‘Fleurs Rococo’ papers move away from the trend for statement wallpapers and towards designs that are still aesthetically stunning yet easy to live with.

The collection includes eight traditionally designed wallpapers, which range from a quintessential classic stripe to a flamboyant oriental trail.

The wallpaper designs have been printed with a range of traditional and new techniques to introduce both textural and metallic finishes to the papers.
Pictured here are: Fir Trees FLW02003 and Periwinkle Sage FLW08008.

The ‘Fleurs Rococo’ weave fabrics offer an elegant selection of embroidered brocades, richly patterned with classic and stylised designs.

The colour palettes within the collections, range from the authentic and the traditional to more contemporary combinations.
 
View these gorgeous new collections online at:

Web: http://www.zoffany.com

Tel:  (08708) 300 350

When he created Motorlight, designer Jake Dyson felt that contemporary home lighting –uplights in particular – had been neglected; functionality had been sacrificed for form; most designs were sculptural and the choice was somewhat limited.

After two years of development, Jake has realised his vision that a light can be versatile as well as beautiful, resulting in Motorlight, the world’s first variable angle uplight.

Motorlight enables you to adjust the angle of the beam from 8 degrees to 60 degrees wide, from a focused spotlight to a broader ambient light, in a striking modernist design.

It is possible to alter the angle of the beam with Motorlight’s unique focusing mechanism, which enables you to vary light angles to suit different environments and needs - from ambient light through to spotlighting.

The angle can be fixed or switched to continually cycle through the angles, using simple controls at the back.

Derived from Jake Dyson’s belief that function and form go hand in hand, Motorlight boasts a striking modernist design that would sit well in many styles of interiors.

Motorlight retails at £495 and available in five different colours; Red Glow, Blue Glow, Black Gloss, White Gloss and Clear Glow.

Motorlight is available online as well as The Conran Shop, The London Lighting Co., Twentytwentyone and Central Oxford.

Web: http://www.jakedyson.com

Tel: (0207) 713 0188