Mar 31 2011

Guest Blog – How to use Apps in design – Niamh Pedreschi

Published by Lorna at 9:46 pm under Guest Posts

This week’s guest blogger is Niamh Pedreschi, Niamh has a number of sites and businesses so I’ll list them at the end. I first met Niamh when we were both studying interior design, which now seems many yeons ago!

I’ve decided to tell you a little about using apps, partly because their use has increased so much and partly because my husband and I have set up a new business creating some apps within the energy sector. However, it also seems that the explosion in this sector has also entered the realm of design and interior design. Here are just a few of my favourites:

Dwell

The Dwell app is an easy to use app with features in the following areas – a feed from their Twitter account, Products page, Homes, Ideas Watch videos, Events section and about and settings. The pictures and video are excellent.

Good Housekeeping @Home

This is another good app, I like the Stain Buster section which lists a lot of possible stains and explains very simply how to remove the stain from Fabric, Upholstery or Carpet.

There is also a category on Home Decor which contains a gallery of inspiring ideas for every room of the home. There is also a link to their You Tube channel.

There is also a twitter feed in this app, @goodhousemag and a Facebook feed is also included in the settings. There is a nice section on News and Tips which contains crafty ideas and knitting patterns, tips for pruning to cleaning Chandeliers.

Wallpaper*

Another app for the design conscious is Wallpaper* with sections for News, Features and a gallery. With articles of all aspects of design from product design to vehicle design and even the all important interior design.

I particularly like that you have a Favourite tab where you can add articles to your favourites’ for your personalised gallery.

Eco Bulbz from Eco Appz

Eco Bulbz is the first of our apps to be released. My husband is an electrican and we are very conscious about how much money can be saved with the use of energy bulbs which is exactly what this app does: it shows how much money would be saved when normal bulbs are replaced with energy saving bulbs. The app has been released in two versions a Eco-Bulbz Basic which allows a quick calculation be carried out on a number of bulbs of the same wattage. The full version of the app Eco-Bulbz has the quick tab but also contains a section on carrying out a detailed room-by-room survey.

Many congratulations to Niamh and her husband, they have been shortlisted for the inaugural SEAI Innovation Award for this new business, the winner of which will be announced at the energy show which takes place on the 30 and 31 March 2011. And if you want to know how much you’d save by switching to energy saving bulbs, you know exactly how to work it out now! Have fun finding various apps and what they can do for you and your home.

Niamh’s sites are Harmony Design Studio (where you can purchase her handmade clocks and read her blog) and Eco Appz.

The app can be found at the app store at this link http://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/eco-bulbz/id393190826?mt=8