ELLE DECOR Announces 10 "A-List Designers to Watch" and Their Brand Partners for the Modern Life Concept House, Opening May 17, 2011

NEW YORK, April 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ELLE DECOR, the leading brand in the shelter category, today announces 10 designers and brand partners for its Modern Life Concept House, opening May 17, 2011. The 10 designers include five from ELLE DECOR's 2010 "A-List Designers to Watch" and five from this year's "Designers to Watch" list, which was announced today by Editor in Chief Michael Boodro

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"The ten emerging young design stars are a perfect complement to the contemporary brands with which they are paired," observed Mr. Boodro.  "Together, these teams will realize ELLE DECOR's vision for its 'house of tomorrow.'"

The 2011 A-List "Designers to Watch" include:  Rafael de Cardenas of Architecture At Large who will be designing on behalf of Extremis; Aurelien Gallet for Flou; Beth Martin for Calligaris; Todd Nickey and Amy Kehoe of Nickey Kehoe for Restoration Hardware, and Sara Story for The New Traditionalists.  They are joined by last year's designers:  Jesse Carrier of Carrier and Company, designing on behalf of Room & Board; Oliver M. Furth for USM Modular Furniture; Grant K. Gibson and Katie Lydon for Bosch; and Marie Turner of M. Elle Design for LEMA.  Additional sponsors with product integration include Blurb, iRobot, and Seattle's Best Coffee.

About the Modern Life Concept House

The Modern Life Concept House will be open to the public on the following weekends: May 20, 21, and 22; May 27, 28, 29, and 30; and June 3, 4, and 5 from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. Admission is $30.

Go to facebook.com/elledecorshowhouse for regular updates and for more information on the Modern Life Concept House, to purchase tickets, and to shop the featured products. Follow us on Twitter: @ELLEDECORhouse

About ELLE DECOR

ELLE DECOR is the #1 brand in the shelter category: ELLE DECOR and elledecor.com --  the preeminent online destination for design enthusiasts -- offer inspiration and expertise to 2.5 million print and online users each month. ELLE DECOR reaches 8.9 million readers worldwide with 23 ELLE DECO publications in 27 countries. ELLE DECOR is published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (hfmus.com), a company of Lagardere Active.

About +aRt

Set in the heart of West Chelsea, +aRt is located at 540 West 28th Street. The 13-story new construction building features 91 artfully designed condominium residences. +aRt is being developed by Ekstein Development, L+M Development Partners and RD Management and is exclusively marketed and sold by Halstead Property Development Marketing. For more information, please visit: http://www.540W28.com. Nicole Amato, [email protected], 212.867.8778 ext. 226.

About Housing Works

Housing Works is a healing community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Our mission is to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, the provision of lifesaving services, and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain our efforts. For more information, visit www.housingworks.org.

About Bosch

Bosch home appliances is part of BSH, Bosch and Siemens Home Appliance Group, the third largest appliance manufacturer in the world.  Known worldwide for raising standards in appliance efficiency and quietness, Bosch is a recipient of the ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award. In fact, Bosch is the only US appliance manufacturer with entire product lines of ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers, washers and refrigeration. With US headquarters in Huntington Beach, CA, the company operates an appliance park in New Bern, North Carolina comprised of state-of-the-art factories for washers, dryers, dishwashers, ranges, ovens and cooktops.

For more Bosch information, visit www.bosch-home.com/us, like Bosch at Facebook.com/BoschAppliances or connect on Twitter @BoschAppliances.

About Blurb®

Blurb® is a creative publishing and marketing platform that unleashes the creative genius inside everyone. Blurb’s platform makes it easy to design, publish, market and sell professional-quality books, using the Blurb Bookify™ online bookmaking tool, Blurb’s free, award-winning Blurb BookSmart® app or by using Blurb’s PDF to Book workflow. Blurb’s bookstore and online marketing tools enable customers to market and sell their books, and keep 100% of their profit. Blurb’s social and community features allow customers to create and share Blurb books among friends and colleagues with ease.

Blurb was founded by Eileen Gittins in 2005, and includes a team of design, Internet and media veterans who share a passion for helping people bring their stories to life. In 2010, Blurb shipped just under 1.4 million books to more than 70 countries and territories. In 2010, Blurb was ranked the fastest growing media company on the Inc. 500. Blurb is based in San Francisco with offices in London. For more info, visit www.blurb.com.

About Calligaris

A leader in Italian home design since 1923, Calligaris has grown from a small, family-owned operation to an international name in modern furniture. Calligaris prides itself on creating stylish and adaptable chairs, tables, sofas, beds and accessories for any contemporary home by combining sleek Italian design with the highest level of functionality. Calligaris incorporates its four pillars of Italian style into each piece of furniture - modern design, excellent craftsmanship, ingenuity and everyday appeal.  Based in Manzano, Italy, Calligaris products are available at retailers in 95 countries worldwide.  For a complete list of products and to find a retailer near you, visit www.calligaris.com. Please contact Samantha Cary at 312-946-6004 or [email protected] with any press inquiries.

About Flou

Founded in 1978 by Rosario Messina, Flou has remained committed to its mission which is to help people sleep well. By consistently producing high quality beds with soothing, clean and contemporary design lines, Flou has subtly redefined sleep culture. Most noted for its elegant storage beds with removable fabric upholstery, Flou also offers a complete bedroom furniture assortment that includes wardrobes, night tables, storage chests, duvets, mattresses and linens which are available in both European and American sizes. Flou is available in majors cities throughout the world. Its flagship showroom in North America is at 42 Greene Street in New York City. For more information, please visit www.flou.it.

About iRobot Corp.

iRobot designs and builds robots that make a difference. The company’s home robots help people with smarter ways to clean, and its government and industrial robots protect those in harm’s way. iRobot’s consumer and military robots feature iRobot Aware® robot intelligence systems, proprietary technology incorporating advanced concepts in navigation, mobility, manipulation and artificial intelligence. For more information about iRobot, please visit www.irobot.com.

About Nova Studio International

Nova Studio International is synonymous with Innovative Design Solutions.  For over 30 years, we have imported and represented a variety of the finest European kitchens and furniture companies.  Come visit one of our two New York retail showrooms and discover the finest in kitchens, wardrobes, doors, lighting, indoor and outdoor furniture and accessories.

Extremis, outdoor furniture conceived by Dirk Wynants, is much more than just a furniture line – it’s a way of life, aimed at bringing people together to enjoy life to the fullest.  For the past 16 years, Belgium based Extremis has been making “tools for togetherness”.  Lema produces fine wardrobes, wall systems and home furnishings at its factories in the Brianza region of Italy.  Nova Distribution represents both Extremis and Lema throughout the United States and Canada. www.novastudio.com

About Restoration Hardware

Restoration Hardware is North America’s leading premium home furnishings brand with stores and an ecommerce website in the United States and Canada. The retailer also mails the Restoration Hardware Home, Outdoor & Garden, and Baby & Child catalogs to millions of consumers throughout the year. Additionally, the company markets its brands directly to the interior design trade and boasts a contract division that services the hotel and hospitality industry. An investment group that is led by Catterton Partners, Tower Three Partners and includes Glenhill Capital and CEO Gary Friedman owns Restoration Hardware. www.restorationhardware.com

About Room & Board

Room & Board is a Minneapolis-based furniture retailer offering unique home furnishings that combine classic, simple design and exceptional quality using natural materials. More than 90 percent of its furniture is manufactured in America.  Room & Board is proud of its commitment to supporting American manufacturers and small, family-owned businesses. For more than 30 years, Room & Board professionals have helped people furnish their homes, translating their passion for well-designed home furnishings into outstanding value for customers. Room & Board has stores in Minneapolis, Chicago, Denver, Orange County, San Francisco, New York, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Its unique collection of home furnishings is also available nationally through Shop From Home, which includes a catalog, Web site and team of knowledgeable Design Associates to help with the selection process and professional, in-home delivery service. For more information on Room & Board, visit roomandboard.com or call 800-486-6554 to order a catalog.

About Seattle's Best Coffee

Seattle's Best Coffee, LLC has been roasting premium coffee since 1970 and today roasts more than 20 million pounds of coffee every year and millions of cups of our coffee are served every day. A freshly-brewed cup of Seattle's Best Coffee is currently available in more than 40,000 locations including cafes, college campuses, restaurants, hotels, airlines, cruise ships, bookstores, grocery stores and movie theatres. Seattle's Best Coffee is a featured brand within Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) and is ranked among the 10 best franchise opportunities by QSR Magazine (January 2010). For more information, please visit Seattle's Best Coffee online at www.seattlesbest.com and become a member of the coffee community at www.facebook.com/SeattlesBestCoffee or @SeattlesBest on Twitter. For information about our retail franchise opportunity, please visit www.seattlesbestfranchise.com.

About The New Traditionalists

If you believe that “traditional” and “cool” are not mutually exclusive, you are one of The New Traditionalists. Designed in New York City.  Manufactured in New England.  Influenced by classic silhouettes, exceptional clothing, objects, history, and you. Connecting traditional and today. Hand rubbed finishes. Hand made furniture. Environmentally smart.

“If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday.” - Pearl S. Buck

Please contact David Harris for any press inquiries or questions.

[email protected]

212-226-1868 x307

www.thenewtraditionalists.com

About USM Modular Furniture

Swiss-based USM has been providing timeless modular furniture designs suitable for both home and office environments for over 40 years. Recognized as a design classic, USM Haller was formally accepted into The Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA’s) Architecture and Design collection in 2001. Created from a few basic elements, the company’s furniture offers tailor-made solutions that can be expanded or reconfigured as needed. Each furniture piece allows room for maximum versatility and creativity. To encourage long-term use, all of the USM product lines are made from high-quality materials for strength and durability to last for years. Manufacturing processes use the latest environmentally friendly technologies and USM has achieved Greenguard Certification on its USM Haller and USM Kitos product lines. 80% of USM’s components are recyclable. For more information about USM product lines go to www.usm.com and visit the NY showroom or a local sales partner.

SOURCE ELLE DECOR