Like no chain of hotels I have ever seen or heard of before, the Ace Hotels are a must destination for any design enthusiast. The hotels are the creation of design team Robin and Williams and are located across the US. These hotels are full of salvaged, vintage and retro pieces with each room completely unique. Actions, or should I say pictures, speak far louder than words so I will leave you to enjoy the pics!

www.acehotel.com

www.romanandwilliams.com

1. Rare Eames Sideshell Chair for Herman Miller – Item number: 330352963646

2. Vintage Black Metal Industrial Desk – Item number: 160356469338

3. Retro Arkana Teak Sling Arm Chair – Item number: 270443609996

4. Charles Pollock Chair for Knoll – Item number: 280385310091

5. Ladderax Storage System – Item number: 270442043127

6. 1950s G Plan Coffee Table – Item number: 190328387024

In no particular order, here are some inspirational interior shots featuring retro pieces from the Sneek Peeks section on Design*Sponge

Design*Sponge is a brilliant American daily website dedicated to home and product design run by Brooklyn-based writer, Grace Bonney. Launched in August of 2004, Design*Sponge features things such as diy projects, before & after furniture and home makeovers.

The site is updated constantly throughout the day (with an average of 6-10 posts a day), and attracts a core group of devoted readers. Design*Sponge currently has 43,000 daily readers and over 35,000 readers reading via RSS!

Not bad, but it still has some way to go before it catches T.F.C.R!

When writing this post the first thing I did was look up the definition of the word ‘chair’. A chair is a seat for one person, with a support for the back. Correct. But I much prefer my own definition: Chair is Art!

And this new blog written by my fellow ‘Chair Commando’ Joel over at Blue Ant Studio is a gallery full of wonderful pieces of art from all over the web!

Joel explains “chair whore is a blog about chairs and nothing else.”

So if you aren’t a fan of chairs I advise you to avoid like the plague! However,  if like me you are appreciate the art of chair design then head straight over to…. chairwhore

I am all for getting creative when it comes to recycling and this clever bookcase designed by Isabel Quiroga (NL) epitomises just that!

The tables are sawn in the middle and stacked together and I love the fact that the drawers could be used for extra storage space!

A brilliant idea!

As part of their 50th anniversary celebrations,  Vitsœ will release the last 50 original side tables designed by Dieter Rams on their birthday – 4 September 2009.

First commissioned in 1962, the 621 Side Table was last produced in the 1980s and will be sold in its original packaging, so grab yourself a little piece of design history!

For further information and details of how to get your hands on this rare table go to the Vitsœ website.

Via Retro to Go

Porada was established in 1968 by Luigi Allievi with the help of his 4  sons in order to expand the production of chairs, started in 1948, to other branches of home furnishing.

This Giotto Coffee table is my personal favourite from their current collection and illustrates perfectly the result when combining modern technological processes with the traditional artisan style of the area.

See Porada for further details.

1. Vintage Ercol Wishbone Chairs – Item number: 140336011582

2. Retro G Plan Dining Set – Item number: 270440122329

3. 1960 Robin Day for Conran Suite – Item number: 220463899697

4. 1990 Eames Birch LTR Table – Item number: 360177992137

5. Mid Century Modern Teak World Globe – Item number: 180394449084

6. 1960′s Eames RAR Rocker Chair – Item number: 360177778936

From left to right….

1. 1960s EAMES RAR ROCKER ARMSHELL CHAIR FOR HERMAN MILLER – Item number: 360177699967

2. 1960s VINTAGE WOOD CHAIRS – SET OF 4 – Item number: 170369188306

3. 1960s HEALS SIDEBOARD IN TEAK – Item number: 220463576317

4. SPACE AGE OPAL SIDE TABLE – Item number: 270439374708

5. RETRO PIEFF LEATHER 2 SEATER SOFA – Item number: 250478165760

6. G PLAN STYLE COFFEE TABLE – Item number: 170368833999

This September, Fritz Hansen launches the classic and versatile Arne Jacobsen’s ‘Series 7′  chair in seven new colours, including the hot pink one (above) by Arik Levy. This extremely comfortable chair was made famous when Christine Keeler, the woman at the centre of the Profumo Scandal was shot in 1963, sitting nude astride a cheaper version of the now iconic chair. The fake can now be seen in the V&A collection and can be viewed online at the V&A website.