Last month's Surfaces Expo in Las Vegas brought together retailers, architects, designers and builders from all over the world to discuss the latest tiles, marble, carpeting, hardwood, rugs, laminate, stone and wall coverings from more than 600 manufacturers and suppliers.
It was fascinating to see exactly how manufacturers are preparing for the coming season's design trends.
At Surfaces Expo a couple of years ago, a minimalist look with high-gloss surfaces, shiny white tiles, blonde woods and plain beige carpets dominated. This year, the shift in style was striking. That cold minimalism has been superseded by natural materials, pronounced irregular textures, burnished surface finishes and understated metallic effects. A handcrafted aesthetic is clearly being encouraged and there is an apparent consensus from manufacturers about this new design direction.
The Belgian company Louis De Poortere got a lot of attention from interior designers for the Multi rug design from its Vintage Collection. It uses a mash-up approach of splicing together traditionally patterned panels, and the finished rugs give a contemporary twist to the timeless appeal of oriental carpet and patchwork techniques. The illusion of "worn away" areas, the subtle stitched-together appearance of the panels and the lightly faded antique colours add a layer of appealing character.
Meanwhile, the latest product launches from Mannington Mills, one of the largest flooring companies in America, are characterised by reclaimed woods and modern rustic styling. Darker hardwood and laminate shades with burled elements, scratched features and greyed-off tones helped give the company's range the rough luxe look that was prevalent at the show.
Architectural Systems Inc showed its gorgeous Ornamental Collection of wall coverings with self-adhesive backings. With deep quilted and embossed leathers, rich copper effects, antiqued gold, pewter pin-dot patterns and burnished faux bois surfaces, the company offered high-glamour and intense character. ASI products were used by designers of the Dubai Bloomingdale's store, and it continues to lead the way in surface trends.
Bristol Studios Design was the best example of a tile manufacturer showcasing product inspired by the effects of earth, air, fire and water. Its pottery tiles had on-trend surface finishes with molten, eroded, oxidised, burnished, undulating, crushed and cracked qualities.
Victoria Redshaw is the managing director of Scarlet Opus. For more information, see www.trendsblog.co.uk and twitter.com/scarletopus. For more details on Louis De Poortere rugs visit www.louisdepoortere.com
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
Third Test
Day 3, stumps
India 443-7 (d) & 54-5 (27 ov)
Australia 151
India lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
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