About Alexander Calzadilla

Alexander Calzadilla is a Cuban male originally from Philadelphia, who has happily called Miami his home since moving here at the age of 15. He attended Southwest Sr. High School and Florida International University, ultimately receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. While in college, he began working as a paralegal for the Law Offices of Jeffrey E. Reichenbacher, a position he kept for seven years after graduation. He subsequently worked at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Associates before landing at Costa Nursery. After distinguishing himself with many accomplishments, he was promoted to the position of Director of Specialty Products, which included the orchid, bonsai and lucky bamboo departments. When Alex was first put in charge of the three departments, they ranked near the bottom. By the time he left Costa after seven years, Alex had transformed the floundering departments into unqualified successes, posting record earnings, sales and profitability. In 2008 Alex was named the Costa Employee of the Year. Alex now puts his formidable prowess as a businessman into his newest venture, Avant-Garde Home Furnishings, LLC, serving as Managing Partner.

About Avant-Garde

We offer home furnishings and decor for every area of your home,both inside and out, always striving to bring you the most current design elements being used by today's top designers, at a fraction of their retail cost. Whether you are completely redecorating an area of your home, looking for the perfect accent piece to finish off an existing room, shopping for a unique gift, or simply "window shopping" to get design ideas, Avant-Garde is the place to go for everything modern & contemporary for your home.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Design trends of 2011...

Interior design trends of 2011: 'emotional austerity', 're-balancing'...

An article that appeared in the independent

According to experts, the big design trends of 2011 will stem from consumers reassessing what they need to live comfortably, seeking innovation, finding a local balance in a global world and searching for personalized products.

The book Interior Trends 2011 was recently released by IMM Cologne; compiled by the expert committee of the international trend board at IMM Cologne, this latest in a series of annual publications predicts that people are questioning what they need to live well, demanding innovation not re-imagination, addressing issues of balance and seeking products with personality.

The interior trends of 2011

1. Emotional Austerity

IMM Cologne believes that as a result of the financial crisis people are questioning what it is they need to live well. This is leading to the emergence of simplistic, formal or severe designs that combine the basic and old with the modern and the high-tech.

2. Surprising Empathy

Consumers are no longer content with re-imagined concepts and are instead forcing designers to push boundaries and create truly innovative new products. Aesthetically this trend is characterized by angular or folded structures and ash greys or blacks brightened with dashes of yellows or orange.

3. Re-balancing

IMM Cologne believes that consumers have grown tired of being bombarded by constant marketing and instead are searching for products that are personal and create a sense of home in an increasingly globalized world. Within this trend there is a preference for simple angular structures and soft natural materials such as wool.

4. Transforming perspectives

Designers are beginning to question the boundaries between art and design, the virtual world and the real world - leading them to propose radical new designs that experiment with archaic forms and nature. These designs are characterized by glass and metal complemented with hard and soft plastics that combine to form a changeable surface.

IMM Cologne is an international showcase of the latest household and furniture designs. 2011's event will feature a specialized section dedicated to young, emerging designers around the world.