NEW 2010 Products are Here, Thanks Gus.

GT Rocker Lounge Richmond Chair & Sofa Truss Chair FREE SHIPPING

Philippe Starck thinks deep on design | Video on TED.com

We have always been advocates of the ideas that are presented on TED. Here is a video of an incredible designer, Philippe Starck who is famous for his Kartell designs, especially the Bubble Club Chair and Louis Ghost Chair (picture below). Watch Video Here >> Philippe Starck thinks deep on design | Video on TED.com

Best of Year Awards Put Herman Miller in the Spotlight

Herman Miller's Best of Year Award Winners Last week’s Best of Year Awards—Interior Design magazine’s design competition recognizing superior interior design projects and products in all categories—highlighted three products from Herman Miller: the Envelop desk, the Setu chair, and the Embody chair. Envelop won the Best of Year Award in the Furniture: Contract/Desking & Systems category, while Setu received the award for the Seating: Contract/Conference category. Embody was noted for its Merit Award in the Seating: Contract/Task category. reblogged by Maria Davis

Design Your Own Furniture, Design Your Own Space

SmartFurniture.com Launches the SmartDesigner (Beta)

Design on Demand Application Puts Furniture Customization & 3D Space Planning at Your Fingertips. December 08, 2009 10:17 AM Eastern Time CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Smart Furniture® announced today the launch of The SmartDesigner®, a revolutionary new online application based on the Google (GOOG) O3D Platform that allows you to design custom furniture and plan personalized spaces in 3D views of your home or office. “The SmartDesigner enables customers to plan, customize and purchase furniture in a way that was impossible before”. The SmartDesigner combines product configuration and space planning in realistic 3D environments in a manner that has never been done before in a purely web based application. The SmartDesigner also enables people to purchase their furniture designs seamlessly through SmartFurniture.com, or shoppers can save their rooms and collaborate with others using the Design Community. “The SmartDesigner enables customers to plan, customize and purchase furniture in a way that was impossible before,” says T. J. Gentle, CEO and President of Smart Furniture. “If customers want to see how a particular chair or table will fit in their living room or office it is simple to visualize with the SmartDesigner, and if they want to find a fabric or finish that is ideal for their space, it is simple to customize the furniture to suit their preferences. For the first time, all of this can be done online, within your web browser." "At Smart Furniture, our goal is to bring custom 'Design on Demand®' to everyone - to empower people to transform the space around them into a reflection of their own personalities, and to make it fast, easy, and fun," said Stephen Culp, Founder and Chairman. "You can now design custom furniture, visualize it in your space, and order in minutes, all without having to deal with traffic, crowds, or aggressive salespeople. At Smart Furniture, we ask why not shop on your own terms?” The SmartDesigner features products manufactured by Herman Miller (MLHR), Knoll (KNL), Steelcase (SCS), Kartell, Blu Dot, BDI, along with many others, including SmartFurniture.com’s own award-winning Smart Shelves. A beta version of the SmartDesigner is now live and available for consumers to use at http://www.SmartFurniture.com/smartdesigner. To learn more about how the SmartDesigner works, view this video. About Smart Furniture, Inc. Smart Furniture® brings custom design to a whole new market - everyone. As the industry leader in “Design-on-Demand®” furniture and interiors, Smart Furniture empowers customers to customize furniture and spaces, quickly and easily. Promoting personalization through product design, technology, and a passion for customer service, Smart Furniture continues to earn industry-wide acclaim and dramatic customer growth. For product or showroom information, call 888-GO-SMART or visit www.SmartFurniture.com. Contacts Smart Furniture, Inc. Karen Liwanpo, 423-822-2266 marketing@smartfurniture.com

SmartFurniture.com Design on Demand Platform Now Features the Setu Chair by Herman Miller

Long Awaited Release of the Award Winning Setu Chair Now Available and Fully Customizable at SmartFurniture.com CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- SmartFurniture.com® is proud to announce that the Herman Miller Setu Chair is now available and is fully customizable in three minutes with the online Setu Chair SmartDesigner®. The Setu Chair by Herman Miller (MLHR) is designed specifically to meet the needs of the modern office, and more importantly, the individuals who work in that modern office. Built to adapt to each unique person, the Setu Chair automatically conforms to your weight, height, posture, and center of gravity. Featuring a new kind of back support called the Kinematic Spine, the chair is flexible and comfortable enough to adapt to a wide range of users. The cutting edge engineering and people-friendly design of the chair have already received numerous industry accolades, including the prestigious Gold and Silver awards from the Best of NeoCon. "The Setu by Herman Miller is not only a breakthrough in the technology underlying office chairs, but it remains true to Herman Miller's design aesthetic," said T. J. Gentle, President and CEO of Smart Furniture. "We believe that the Setu SmartDesigner showcases Setu's options, features and benefits in a way that consumers can find only at SmartFurniture.com." "With the Setu, Herman Miller has created a chair that improves individual comfort by adapting to individual work styles," said Stephen Culp, Founder and Chairman. "At Smart Furniture, where we focus on customizing products to fit the unique demands of our customers, the Setu is a perfect fit." Just as impressive as the functionality and diversity of the chair is the commitment to environmental sustainability. Composed chiefly of recycled material, the Setu is itself 93% recyclable. Setu has GREENGUARD certification, Cradle to Cradle certification, and can contribute to LEED credits. More information about the Herman Miller Setu Chair is available at SmartFurniture.com at http://www.smartfurniture.com/products/Setu-Chair.html. About Smart Furniture, Inc. Smart Furniture® brings custom design to a whole new market -- everyone. As the industry leader in “Design-on-Demand®” furniture and interiors, Smart Furniture empowers customers to customize furniture and spaces, quickly and easily. Promoting personalization through product design, technology, and a passion for customer service, Smart Furniture continues to earn industry-wide acclaim and dramatic customer growth. For product or showroom information, call 888-GO-SMART or visit www.SmartFurniture.com. Contacts Smart Furniture, Inc. Karen Liwanpo, 423-822-2266 marketing@smartfurniture.com

Putting the Scenic City on the (virtual) map

Chattanooga's downtown may have undergone a major revitalization in recent years, but on the Google Earth virtual globe, it's still a barren flatland. Chattanooga 3D, a volunteer-based collaborative effort of area businesses, architects and computer modelers, is determined to change that. They've been working since the project's launch as part of the STAND 48Hour Launch event on Nov. 13 to "push up" the virtual Chattanooga by populating it with models of actual buildings. Karen Liwanpo, the creative director at Smart Furniture, came up with the idea for Chattanooga 3D just before 48Hour Launch. At first, she thought the idea would stand out in the crowd of the event's more traditionally minded concepts but was concerned by its scope. "I e-mailed (Google) and said, 'Is this crazy? I want to do this in a week and a half and put Chattanooga on the map. It's next weekend; what do we do?'" Ms. Liwanpo said. In response, Google put Ms. Liwanpo in contact with Chris Wilson as a project consultant. Mr. Wilson led a similar effort in 2007 to populate Google Earth's virtual representation of McMinnville, Tenn. Thanks to Mr. Wilson's and Ms. Liwanpo's familiarity with Google's SketchUp 3D modeling software, their team of about 25 volunteers so far have created 14 models, some of multiple buildings. Partners like RiverCity and local independent architects and architectural firms have offered the team computer-aided design schematics for many downtown buildings to speed up the modeling process. The show of support has been encouraging, Ms. Liwanpo said. "This is such a great project, and it's people thinking 'big picture' for Chattanooga," Ms. Liwanpo said. "This is something large-scale, not for profit for us, but for Chattanooga, it could be really beneficial." The models are now awaiting final approval for inclusion into Google Earth, but Google representatives' interest in the project should accelerate that process. "We're excited to see the Chattanooga community working together," said Bruce Polderman, Google's senior business project manager, in an e-mailed statement. "Whether you're a resident or have never visited Chattanooga, being able to explore the town virtually ... is a great way to learn more about it, no matter where you are." Aside from the appeal of seeing a city represented in 3D, there are many applications to efforts like Chattanooga 3D, said Stephen Culp, who co-founded the project. Google Earth's ability to integrate contact information, Web sites and other data into the maps makes a vibrant presence on the service of obvious use to tourists, city planners and event organizers, Mr. Culp said. "This project can make Chattanooga more accessible to all kinds of people and organizations," Mr. Culp said. "Eventually, folks everywhere will be able to explore Chattanooga in Google Earth, create presentations, plan events, conduct research, showcase art, promote their business or neighborhood -- you name it." Ms. Liwanpo said she hopes to attract more volunteer support for Chattanooga 3D and involve other groups like university courses in the process. The project so far has focused on buildings downtown, between the riverfront and Main Street. Within a year, given sufficient support, Ms. Liwanpo said she would like to have modeled all the landmark buildings and pieces of art on display throughout the city. WANT TO VOLUNTEER? * Visit www.chattanooga3D.com to sign up as a volunteer, view a list of buildings that need to be photographed or modeled. * Download Google Earth and Google SketchUp for free at earth.google.com and sketchup.google.com, respectively. THE WORK SO FAR Many Chattanooga buildings already have been modeled and are awaiting approval from Google before being uploaded, including: * Big River Brewing Company (2001 Riverside Drive) * The Bijou Theatre (215 Broad St.) * The DoubleTree Hotel (407 Chestnut St.) * Smart Furniture (413 Market St.) DIGITAL SIGHT SEEING Chattanooga 3D is a work-in-progress, but many cities' virtual counterparts are almost fully digitized. Download Google Earth for free at earth.google.com, check the "3D Buildings" box and you can be virtually walking the streets of any of the following cities in minutes: * Seattle * Dublin * Tokyo * Valencia, Spain * New York City * Sydney * Miami STEP-BY-STEP 1. With appropriate photos of each side of the building being created, the modeler uses the Google Earth satellite image to select the building's location and surrounding area. This image also will be used to texture the roof of the model. 2. Using a tool in Google SketchUp, the modeler creates a basic 3D blueprint of the building. At this point, the model is gray and featureless. 3. The modeler now applies the photos to each side of the building as textures. The photos must be adjusted to cover the model exactly and avoid perspective "pinching." 4. With the building model complete, the modeler must "geo locate" the building by adjusting its orientation and scale to match the Google Earth satellite imagery. At this point, the model must be reviewed by Google before being included in the program.