Euro Style Home

Having kids doesn't mean having to throw in the towel and become a soccer mom. The modern family homes featured above set out to break the stereotype of family living. I personally love the idea of living in a modern home with a handful of kids running around. Growing up in a stylish enviroment exposes children to fashion, design, architecture, and other creative arts.

Designing the main areas in a modern home can can sometimes be easier than decorating kid's rooms and spaces. When designing a modern nursery or kid's room there is a balance between modern furnishings and a kid-friendly, functional design.

Need a few directional ideas for designing your modern nursery or kid's room?

• Choose a classic or modern theme
• A few different options for color schemes included neutrals, white and black with bright accents, and an all white space
• Select furnishings that don't shout baby

The light fixtures you select for the kid's space can make a big impact on the overall design. Below are a few modern table lamps for the kid's room or nursery. The lamps are modern and fun and will easily transition into a more grown up space as the child ages.

Lite Source Kito Blue Table Lamp (left), Chrome Stack Set of Two Table Lamps (right)

* Post Update 10/24/12: Our Chrome Stack Table Lamps has been discontinued.

Possini White Flower Acrylic Shade Table Lamp (left), Jonathan Adler Carlyle Slide Table Lamp (right)

* Post Update 10/24/12: Our Jonathan Adler Carlyle Table Lmap has been discontinued.

Images: emmas designblogg, Family Living, Apartment Therapy, Apartment Therapy

Responding to the modern dream for clean sophisticated design and bright open spaces.

The Mima House is a 387 square foot prefabricated house in Portugal. Designed by Mima Architects, it has a modular structure and can be divided into rooms with a grid of removable partitions. Each side of internal and external walls can have a different color/finishing, which allows a dramatic change through a simple wall rotation.

It costs about the same price to manufacture as a family car. Mima architects researched for years to be able to put together a single home that was fast to produce, flexible, light and inexpensive, yet was a good quality product wrapped up with a pleasant clean design. Fundamentally inspired on the traditional Japanese house, the perfect paradigm for lightness, flexibility, comfort and pleasing lines.

Plywood panels transform the windows into walls to create privacy where necessary.

Despite its standardized construction methods, these houses can be customized in so many parameters, that you’ll hardly see two equal houses.

Fundamentally inspired on the traditional Japanese house, the perfect paradigm for lightness, flexibility, comfort and pleasing lines.

The restrained order of its standardized building parts appealed to MIMA architects as the hallmark of a deeply rooted culture, confirmed over centuries and easily adaptable to any new development.

Images: Jose Campos

A mostly white interior palette gets dramatic with tasteful black accents and carefully curated pops of color. This is an incredibly well designed 500 square feet of space and although the original open plan was sacrificed for a large wall of closets that extends in to the living room, the apartment is practical and functional beyond its tiny footprint. This New York apartment is modern in design, but has a richly curated and well traveled worldly feel with its blend of patterned textiles and unique accessories.

Images: The Designer Pad

Pump up your style with the slate gray and vibrant yellow color combination. The gray hue plays it safe, while the bright yellow commands the spotlight. Paired together they balance each other out to create an exciting interior! I love the gray and yellow color scheme in a living room, dining room, or heck just about in any room in the house. Below are a few of my favorite examples of the yellow and gray color combo.

The hot color combo is tied into the living room (above) in a few different ways. I love this example and how it shows you that even with an abundant use of gray and yellow, the space is not overwhelming.

Design powerhouse Kate and Andy Spade can't be wrong! Their yellow and gray designer bedroom was featured on the cover of World of Interiors Magazine.The gray wall treatment is a neutral backdrop to the bright yellow striped headboard.

Don't forgot about the kitchen. HGTV Canada's design team Colin & Justin made a bold statement with the bright yellow cabinetry. It definitely adds a fun, playful element to the kitchen.

Create your own gray and yellow color combo in your home with a few of the products featured above.

1. Set of 2 Zuo Mesh Chrome Dining Chairs
2. Set of 2 Yellow Tone Bar Stools
3. Frosted Sunshine Yellow Effetre Glass 6" Recessed Trim
4. Matte Silver Gray 8" High LED Up/Down Outdoor Wall Light
5. 52" Fanimation Torto Gray Finish Ceiling Fan
6. All Yellow Giclee Pendant Chandelier

Images: Mix and Chic, Daily Decorator, The Lennoxx

Name:                 Karim Rashid

Age:                     52

Occupation:       Iconic Modern Designer

Born:                   Cairo, Egypt

Education:         Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada

Karim is one of the most prolific designers of our time, with over 3000 designs. His designs span the creative medium from product design to fashion. Karim's designs are easy to recognize and are known for their bright and bold color schemes. His work has gained such acclaimation from the design community that it can be found in 14 museums worldwide. Some of his popular product designs include his lamps for George Kovacs, trash cans for Umbra, water bottles for Bobble, USA, and post-it holders for 3M.

If you have visited Las Vegas recently you might have seen his design of the Silk Road restaurant in the City Center. It is no surprise that Miami fell in love with Karim Rashid's designs. The Mybrickell Condos in Miami definitely represent Karim's colorful and playful style. Karim fits right into the fashion scene with his unique watch designs for Alessi, funky rain boots for Sydney D. Japan, and Heart Pendant necklace for Georg Jensen, Denmark.

It is no doubt that I too am a huge Karim Rashid fan. I love that we carry a few of his table lamps that he designed for George Kovacs. Below are my favorite picks.

George Kovacs Apple Green Desk Lamp

Karim Rashid Opal Glass Soft Collection Table Lamp

George Kovacs Soft Tangerine Glass Desk Lamp

Image: Modern Furniture