Usually you can’t judge people for their tastes. Same goes for Karim Rashid’s loft that has an unique style. With curvy random shapes, lively colors and some interesting wall designs, the whole space has a revolutionary 90s design. Not sure how productive you’ll be with such an office or if you’ll be able to concentrate on your work (I know I’m experiencing difficulties just by looking) but it looks like a courageous attempt and your guests will certainly appreciate the colors. Like it? Would you buy it if mass produced? - via

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Karim Rashid’s Loft - Inspiration or Bad Taste?

By that time most people know that the big reason behind the financial crisis these days, is the way the real estate sector moved. Prices skyrocketed and people had to pay more and more to own one. If last year many houses were worth 250,000 in the UK, they’re now being auctioned off for some 100,000 because banks are desperately trying to minimize their loses after clients failed to pay for their mortgages and have been kicked out.

Just a few examples to make sure you got the point, a three-bedroom flat in a council block in Brixton was sold for 79,000, a two-bedroom flat with two bathrooms and two balconies in a gated development with communal gardens in Abbey Wood sold for 96,000 while a one-bedroom flat in a stylish block of flats in Lordship Lane, sold for some 100,000.

Call these bargains or not, the housing market is still feeling the crunch. At the moment, auctions are the only marketplace that working these days to buy/sell properties. - via DailyMail

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Financial Crisis Brings House Prices Down

What you see above is a 4 bedrooms home that packs an intelligent design by combining a living area with a truly amazing backyard garden. Located on the streets of Fitzroy, an inner city suburb of Melbourne, even though it’s not wide it promotes open space to make it look bigger, and packs some modern furniture to get your eyes with. May not be the home of my dreams, but it sure has lots of key elements to charm me with. Like it? - via

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Modern Home in Fitzroy, Melbourne

Nokia is putting themselves on the “smart home” scene with their latest solution. Their Linux-based platform dubbed Home Control Center plans on managing the power needs of your home appliances, electronics, entertainment, security, the climate control system. And plans on doing it all, from your mobile phone. What’s really impressive is that Nokia’s platform is going to be compatible with most of the smart home technologies on the market, including Z-Wave, ZigBee and KNX, and that it’s going to feature remote access capability along with Web, media and e-mail server expansion options. I’d love to test it out in my apartment, but I guess we’ll have to wait a bit till that thing ships. - via

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Nokia’s ‘Smart Home’ Solution

There is something about the Trio Sofa that gets it way ahead of others. Other than the elegant looks or the stylish lines, it’s not just comfortable to sit on, but it’s also highly practical. Designed by talented Julia Hamid for both work and leisure, it features side tables for your laptop, a quick dinner or a cup of tea so that you can do something even when seated. With lovely colors and looking extremely comfortable, the Trio Sofa will probably be pretty expensive, but we’re sold on it. - via

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The Trio Sofa, Practical and Stylish