The Conference

Rigidity may be given when it comes to the appearance of books, but modern designers have seen to it that this doesn’t dictate the shelves that house them. More than ever, personal taste is the deciding factor as storage space is given free reign to interact with design, user and environment. Go with the flow and put your book shelves on show. 1. Console Book Shelf: Reading doesn’t get more comfortable than this. Regardless of where you like to read or study, Stanislav Katz’s Console Book Shelf will keep you engrossed for hours without moving rooms for missing material. Flanked by two fitted shelves on either side and below it, the reclining part of this unit is as aesthetically appealing as it is functional for reader and book alike. Designer website: http://www.stanislavkatz.com/

When researching energy efficient appliances, we often turn to the recommendations of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The ACEEE continues to publish helpful information about all sorts of appliances, including freezers. The ninth edition of their Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings , published in fall 2007, contains helpful information about selecting a freezer. The most efficient type of freezer is the chest freezer. This is due to the fact that cold air is heavier than warm air, and it does not escape as easily from chest freezers that open from the top. The weight of the lid also helps to seal chest freezers tightly. Chest freezers are 10% to 25% more efficient than upright freezers.

Ever wish you had a little more space in your apartment, or that your furniture was more than just functional? These days more and more designers are using unusual materials and new technologies to create transforming, collapsible, portable and sustainable furniture in all kinds of strange shapes and sizes. If you are thinking of redecorating you might want to skip your local shop and see what is out there on the web first.