The light-emitting diodes on the front end of the redesigned all-wheel-drive 2012 Audi A6 3.0T look better than those on any other luxury sedan. The Bang & Olufsen premium sound system — 1,300 watts, 15 speakers — sounds better than those put in most of Audi’s rivals. Always a global leader in interior design and materials quality, Audi has upped its game with the new A6 model line. Read full article > >

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2012 Audi A6 3.0T: Speed us into temptation

Sony and the firm BarberOsgerby have turned high-design light fixtures into discreet home speakers.

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T Magazine: Year in Design | My Favorite Thing

A new quarterly magazine pairing storytelling with unscripted interior design With the creation of their new quarterly shelter and lifestyle publication Anthology , editor Anh-Minh Le and creative director Meg Mateo Ilasco have introduced a beautifully-assembled magazine that juxtaposes eye-catching photographic coverage of home d

See how fashion’s finest decorate their opulent abodes While most of the interiors-obsessed turn to The Selby these days to sneak glimpses of the intriguing abodes of creative types, Assouline’s new book ” American Fashion Designers at Home ” proves that nothing quite beats the appeal of thumbing through pages of full-bleed photos to see their sources of inspiration and an unbuttoned look at how they live. Presenting the residences of over 100 of the most revered fashion designers (all members of the book’s collaborator Council of Fashion Designers ), it includes Ralph Lauren’s Colorado ranch, Betsy Johnson’s NYC apartment, Oscar de la Renta’s Connecticut estate and more. Often, signature elements—particular colors, shapes, and especially attitude—are immediately identifiable in their private quarters. Take Carolina Herrera’s Louis XV-influenced New York apartment; the classic elegance of her fashion collections is immediately recognizable. Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa’s two-bedroom, New York apartment embodies the cool minimalism and tranquil color schemes (including four shades of gray) that are undeniably part of the Calvin Klein aesthetic. An avid gardener, de la Renta brings his love of nature inside with living and dining rooms covered in several layers of floral fabrics. Not surprisingly Betsey Johnson painter her 1,800-square-foot loft in varying shades of pink, but her balanced mix of flea market finds and opulent antiques shows her more toned-down, sophisticated side. Johnson’s advice on interior design is to “Fill your house with stuff you love, because I believe they all go together if you personally love them.” Like on the runway, the book shows off plenty of unattainable yet covetable items and ideas. The Azria’s L.A. home (designed by architect Paul Williams who also created Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball’s homes) once belonged to writer Sidney Sheldon—the creator of “I Dream of Jeanie”—and boasts a greenhouse and gardens, a 6,000-square-foot movie theater, an enclosed tennis court and a pool inlaid with 14-karat gold. Elie Tahari’s chocolate factory turned triplex penthouse (previously owned by Rupert Murdoch) is flanked with two decks, each offering 360-degree views of Lower Manhattan. The Zen-inspired, eco-friendly villa in the Turks and Caicos belonging to Donna Karen features a main house, yoga hut, two guesthouses, a pavilion, and a spa house with steam bath—all as gracefully confident as a Donna Karan collection. Ultimately, what shines through are the designers’ impressive aesthetic acumens. Johnson continues, “You want to be creative and courageous in your dress and the same is true of your home. When you’re designing clothing, you really only have one point of focus and that’s the body. But home is fabrics and furniture and floors and natural light. If fashion is a planet, home is more like a universe.” “American Fashion Designers at Home” sells from Assouline for $65.

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American Fashion Designers at Home

An interactive room planner realizes decorating bliss with just a few clicks Recently launching stateside, home furnishings aggregate Mydeco combines interactive tech with an extensive network of vendors for a uniquely easy shopping experience. The site—founded by Lastminute.com’s Brent Hoberman—uses their finely-tuned search engine to find the best interior decor available online, but even more handy is what Mydeco allows you to do with your favorite picks. Their 3D room planning tool enables you to build any room to scale, either by scanning a floorplan or by selecting and modifying one of the templates they offer. The exhaustive set of options means you can kit out rooms down to every last detail, beginning with the style of doors and windows to choosing flooring and finally appointing it with furniture, area rugs, plants and even wall art. The 3D view gives a sense of the scale, while the smart camera view gives an accurate look at how the room’s decor looks in context. Another helpful tool, Mydeco’s iPhone app (and soon to launch iPad version) provides another way of realistically furnishing any room. Simply snap a picture of the entire room or specific area you want to furnish, and like the 3D planner, either pull from your wish-list or browse their bevy of decor choices to begin furnishing the room. As a clever tool for amateur and professional interior designers alike, Mydeco allows you to “get more out of your home,” as Hoberman intended—or creatively waste a little time. While Mydeco typically only serves as an interior design resource, as part of their U.S. launch they’re offering an online boutique peddling a hand-picked selection of homewares from independent U.K designers. Like an edited Etsy, a few of our favorites include furniture designer Alexena Cayless ‘ Ceramic Hip Flask, Zia Meadows ‘ handmade vintage lampshades and Takae Mizutani’s Egg & Soldiers ceramic holders.

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Mydeco