Latest news with #design
Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Irish Times
How to destress your space with small changes for a calmer home
For many, a calm and tranquil home sits high on the wishlist, but often, the reality is quite different. Daily life brings clutter, unfinished jobs and small design frustrations that quietly add to the pressure. The good news is that small, thoughtful changes can have a big impact – such as moving an appliance, clearing a surface, fixing what's broken. These simple steps can help a home feel more zen. Here are some practical ways to reduce stress at home by focusing on how spaces are used day to day. No big overhauls, just subtle shifts. Finding purpose When starting any home improvement, the most important question isn't what it should look like, it's how you want it to feel. READ MORE Do you want the space to energise or calm? To encourage connection or allow focus? Too often, people begin with paint colours or Pinterest boards before thinking about the purpose of the space, but the atmosphere should come first. A bedroom, for example, has very different emotional needs than a home office or living space. One is about rest and recovery, the other might be about clarity, focus or creativity. A living area might need to transition between relaxing with family in the evening and entertaining friends at the weekend. If you don't design with these intentions in mind, the space may never quite feel right. Simplify Before diving into any design change, it's worth taking a step back and observing how you actually live at home. Track a typical day, or better yet, a whole week and pay attention to the routines, movements, and moments that feel stressful or awkward. These daily frictions are often small, but they add up. [ How to futureproof your home in a cost-effective way Opens in new window ] One client I worked with a few years ago did exactly this and made a surprising discovery. Mornings in their house always felt chaotic, and they couldn't figure out why. After tracking their routine for a few days, they realised the kettle and coffee machine were positioned directly above the cutlery drawer, so every time someone was making tea or coffee, they were blocking access for the person trying to get spoons for cereal. It created unnecessary bottlenecks and tension at a time of day that's already under pressure. By simply moving the appliances, the mood in the mornings shifted dramatically. It sounds almost too simple, but unless you stop and observe your habits, these design mismatches often go unnoticed. We get used to working around them, even if they're causing low-grade stress every day. Take on to-dos Do you want the space to energise or calm? Design by Optimise Design Sometimes the things that stress us out at home aren't dramatic, they're simply unfinished. A DIY job that was started but never completed. A broken drawer. The flickering light bulb you keep forgetting to replace. These low-level annoyances quietly chip away at our calm. Even if you've stopped consciously noticing them, your brain is still logging them as 'to-dos,' creating a subtle, but constant sense of pressure. Taking an hour to make a list and then slowly working through it can bring an immediate sense of control and relief. It's not about perfection, but about reducing background noise in your mind. And then there's clutter. It's one of the most common and underestimated stressors in the home. In today's world, it's incredibly easy to accumulate things and much harder to carve out the time to assess what's actually needed or valued. But research backs up what many of us feel intuitively: clutter makes it harder to focus, can increase anxiety, and even elevate cortisol levels. One study by the University of California, Los Angeles, found that women who described their homes as 'cluttered' had higher stress levels and a lower overall sense of wellbeing. [ Interiors: Good design is as much about what you leave out as what you put in Opens in new window ] Decluttering isn't about being ruthless or overly minimal, it's about clearing space for what matters. Start small: a single drawer, a shelf, a countertop. Create one clear, calm zone and build from there. You'll not only lighten your home but also your mind. Reflection of you Before diving into any design change, it's worth taking a step back and observing how you actually live at home. Design by Optimise Design When redesigning a home, one of the most important measures of success is whether you actually feel at home in the end result. It should be a reflection of you, not a carbon copy of your inspiration images or someone else's taste. It's easy to get swept up in trends or perfectly curated Instagram accounts, but the most comforting spaces are the ones that feel lived in, loved, and personal. Ask: does this space reflect how I live and what I love? Do I feel relaxed here? Does my family? Put your stamp on your space. Choose colours you're naturally drawn to. Hang art that tells your story. Keep the things that make you smile, whether it's a holiday souvenir, a ceramic bowl from a class, or a slightly wonky lamp that's followed you through three homes. As Marie Kondo says, surround yourself with things that 'spark joy'.
Free Malaysia Today
11 hours ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Miti issued LoD over alleged plagiarism of expo designs
Current Media Group founder Fey Ilyas took to social media in April to accuse the ministry of using his company's designs for the expo without payment or credit. (Expo 2025 pic) PETALING JAYA : A direct marketing company has issued the investment, trade and industry ministry (Miti) a letter of demand seeking compensation for use of the firm's designs for the Malaysian pavilion at the Osaka World Expo in Japan. Current Media Group (CMG) is also demanding acknowledgement of its contributions. In a statement, CMG said it decided to issue an LoD to the ministry yesterday after exhausting all informal avenues for dialogue and giving Miti 'ample time to act in good faith'. 'Should Miti fail to respond satisfactorily within the statutory period, CMG will pursue every legal remedy available under Malaysian law,' it said. On April 25, CMG founder Fey Ilyas took to social media to accuse Miti of using his company's designs for the expo without payment or credit. Fey claimed that his company was engaged by the ministry in 2022 to develop the concept, theme, and architectural direction of the Malaysian pavilion. He said a proposal was presented to key stakeholders, including the minister, Tengku Zafrul Aziz, and the company was repeatedly assured that it would be formally appointed for the project. However, it was told in January 2023 that the appointment would not proceed and that the ministry wanted to open a tender. Fey claimed that his company was given the runaround for two years when it tried to get acknowledgement and fair compensation for its work. He said his company was also advised to stay silent about the alleged appropriation to prevent jeopardising future opportunities. Miti subsequently said that it was conducting an internal investigation, and that it took the allegation seriously. It said it would take legal action 'if and when necessary'. However, CMG said it had not received a single request for documents, interviews, or clarification since Miti's statement, nor had the ministry provided a substantive update on the status of its inquiry. 'CMG reiterates its willingness to engage in constructive mediation at any time, so long as that process is undertaken in good faith, recognises the value of creative labour, and upholds equitable terms,' it said.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Emotionally overwhelming': Architect of new OKC arena shares inspiration, addresses feedback
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – News 4 caught up with the owner of the architectural company chosen by Oklahoma City to design a new, nearly $1 billion arena; and the future home of the Oklahoma City Thunder. A first look at the designs was shown off in front of a sold-out crowd during Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt's State of the City address on Wednesday. OKC Mayor David Holt unveils new arena renderings during his State of the City address The Oklahoma City City Council hired MANICA Architecture for the project in October 2024. The Kansas City-based company specializes in sports and entertainment videos. It's designed with the NBA and NFL, including the Chase Center, Allegiant Stadium, and the new Nissan Stadium. News 4 interviewed David Manica, owner of the company, after Wednesday's announcement to share more about the project. Q: Talk about this day finally coming to fruition? David Manica: Emotionally overwhelming. Absolutely. I'd seen that video 100 times over many months as it came together, and for me, I never got tired of watching it. I always, you know, it always stirred something in me, but to watch it in that room with 1,500 people who were seeing it for the first time was absolutely overwhelming. So, I had to get back up on stage and try not to tear up at the end. Q: What does Oklahoma City's story mean to you, and how important was that to craft into the design? David Manica: Well, it means everything to me, and it's what I built…my team and I built the whole concept of the project around is this sense of community, unity, and togetherness. I was asked in a few other interviews, you know, what sets, what makes this project Oklahoma City, what makes it Oklahoma, and for me it's all about the people.' Q: You mentioned during your presentation you got feedback locally before you even came up with initial designs. How important and difficult was it to step back and not rush into something preliminarily? David Manica: It took a lot of patience and it took a lot of courage to come here and not have anything to try to sell and instead just sell our ability to listen…I think it made all the difference in the world. I would never have come up with this idea in a vacuum. Q: Do you have a good idea of how many iterations you came up with for this specific project? David Manica: You know, we had four or five different versions of the same idea, and we began to refine it over time…We started with the circle, and then we began to think about concourses with 360-degree views, and that led us to the glass. Q: What would you say stands out as the most striking characteristics of this project that set it apart from the Paycom Center? David Manica: I think it's the glass façade and the idea that you look through the building. So that has to do with the idea of authenticity and integrity and all these things that I think are represented in the people and the spirit in the community of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma people. Q: Did the Oklahoma City Thunder's championship win raise the stakes and pressure to get the design right? David Manica: No, it didn't. I was, of course, hugely relieved and very happy, selfishly, that I'd walked into this unveiling with the Champions…This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me to get to unveil a project in this way to a community like this, for someone that just won a championship. Q: Some Oklahomans have expressed concerns about the glass, given our weather patterns. What would you say to alleviate those? David Manica: The glass façade's actually a really smart way to protect against all of those things and all the weather here in Oklahoma. I'll go through them one by one. So, first of all, the glass will have bird protection on it. So, the little dots that make sure the birds don't run into the building. So, we'll have that. We'll also have fritting and tinting to make sure that the glass is protecting the inside of the building from the hot sun in the summer times. And then it is both insulated and laminated, which will further from insulation and the heat of the summer and the cold in the winter, as well as the weather. Q: There's a lot of woodwork in this design, can you speak to that? David Manica: No one else has asked me that question. So this idea that, you look through the façade and you look to what's inside, we call that wood, all that the wood bowl, it kind of looks like a wood bowl. It is the vessel. It's the vessel for everything that happens inside of it, and so that vessel is intentionally designed out of a wood product. Q: What's being done to ensure these designs are cost-efficient? David Manica: I mean, that was a, that was an absolute hard line in the beginning. We have been careful to manage the size of the project and the decisions that we make each step of the way with the details. The glass façade is a great example. It actually saved us a lot of money to do a building that way. The best and most helpful thing that we're doing is, we have the contractors involved with this right now. So, as we make decisions, we're working with them in lockstep to make sure that we're making decisions that are in the best interests of the project, both from a fan experience and a results standpoint, but also from a cost standpoint. The arena is expected to be completed in 2028. Paycom and the Oklahoma City Thunder mutually announced Monday that Paycom will not pursue naming rights of the new arena. Designs shared on Wednesday, Manica said, are conceptual and do not include the final plans. A frequently asked questions page has been set up on a new website dedicated to the project. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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CTV News
14 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Pasta imposter? Montreal brand calls out Russian company for packaging plagiarism
A side-by-side comparison of packaging for dried pasta from the Stefano brand, based in Montreal, and from Avanti Macaroni Factory, based in Russia. (Source: Instagram/@sfaita) As the saying goes, 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.' That's how one Montreal-based pasta brand is reacting after calling out a Russian company which appears to have copied their design for their own pasta products. Aliments Faita Forgione, maker of the Stefano brand of pasta and sauces, shared a photo of the two packages side-by-side on their Instagram account on Tuesday. 'We always knew our packaging was stellar… but we didn't expect it to go on an all-expenses-paid trip to Russia without us,' the company said in a post. From the placement of virtually every bit of text and the see-through plastic on the front to the lettering on the side to the package, the products look strikingly similar. 'Here's a little lesson in plagiarism 101: when your packaging looks this familiar, it's not inspiration — it's copying,' the Montreal company said online. 'Shoutout to our Russian pasta friends for 'borrowing' our design, but remember, originality is always the best recipe. Just saying!' LG2, a creative marketing company based in Montreal and Toronto, designed the branding for Stefano pasta products. A spokesperson told CTV News they were 'surprised' about the lookalike after a client in Toronto spotted the product on social media. Apology on Instagram The Russian products appear to be sold by Avanti Macaroni Factory. Someone purporting to be an employee responded to Aliments Faita Forgione's post online and apologized, writing in Russian that the company acknowledged that it was 'inspired' by the packaging design. Avanti pasta products sold in Russia. Avanti pasta products sold in Russia. (Source: 'After reviewing our stance, we realize that we have crossed the line between inspiration and copy,' the person wrote. 'It was a mistake and we apologize for this situation. We value your work and creativity, so we've decided to completely stop commercial use of this package and make necessary changes to our design.' Attempts by CTV News to reach the person who apologized were not successful. Aliments Faita Forgione seems to be having fun with the copycat and, at least for now, does not intend to take legal action. 'We would have to pay out of our own pocket with no guarantee that the product would be removed. If it was in North America, we would have consider it but Russia is far,' a company spokesperson wrote in an email Thursday. 'So, we decided to post on our social networks without identifying the company in question, mainly to raise awareness of plagiarism in design.'
Wall Street Journal
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
Cary Grant's Reimagined Beverly Hills Estate Hits the Market for $77.5 Million
When 26-year-old Barbara Harris met Cary Grant in the 1970s, the legendary actor was already in the middle of renovating his longtime home in Beverly Hills, Calif. Even after the couple married in 1981, she took a back seat when it came to the project. 'The design was already in process,' said Barbara, now 74. The couple shared the home until 'The Philadelphia Story' actor died in 1986, when she inherited it.
