In my world of kitchen and bath design, just when I think I’ve seen it all, I realize that’s very far from the truth. Luckily, I see all the drool worthy newness hot off the press via the myriad news releases I receive every day. Here is one new product I recently learned about. I think you'll agree it's not to be missed!
Not only do I love the dependable functionality of the Delta/Brizo brand, but I’m always intrigued in the creative process they use in coming up with new design. Brizo Faucets has outdone themselves again with their new Sotria Collection. Think mid-century-jet-set-streamlined-fins-you get the picture. The sleek angular lines call to mind the days when the iconic Pan American World Airlines ruled the sky. At the risk of dating myself bigtime, I'll admit my dad actually worked for Pan Am so I was a lucky enough to be a jet-setting tot! 
Playing off the Sotria collection’s mid-century inspiration, Adele Young, of VDL Interiors, infused colors and shapes popular in the 60’s throughout this space. The result? A beautiful room brimming with modernity while hinting at the retro age of “Pan Am” airlines. 
Kitchen Love, Italian Style at Acheo and Poggenpohl
Ok so you got me, Poggenpohl is not Italian. They are German, except when they're in Milan, then they're Italian. Good enough? I can hardly believe I’ve been home for over a week! Images and impressions are still swirling around in my head from the wonderful time I spent with Blanco and some fellow members of the Blanco Design Council in Milan. Design Week was not limited to the extensive exhibition at the Rho Fairgrounds but also included events all over town. We visited two memorable and cutting edge showrooms on our visit. 
The first was Acheo (pronounced AH-kee-oh), located in the Brera district. Brera is also known today as the design district. It is also one of the few really old areas of Milan which saw 80% destruction during WWII. Acheo opened it’s showroom there in 2010. Today they are a showcase of quintessential contemporary Italian design for the kitchen.
They put on an impressive pre-dinner spread for us and the peeps from Modenus Blogtour Milan.
All through our trip we saw many products not available here in the US. Some will become available, perhaps in other versions. One such item is this Durinox work top and sink (below) which is a part of the Blanco Steel Art collection. Think stainless steel on steroids!! Seriously, it is made with a finishing process used in the auto and aerospace industries so it is super scratch resistant and more than twice as hard as stainless steel. It is available, as shown, in Europe from Blanco in Germany. The sinks only will be available for undermount installation here in the US.
We found that in Milan you could miss half the experience if you failed to look up! Look at these cool light fixtures at Acheo!
The other showroom we had the pleasure of visiting during our visit was Poggenpohl. I think you could argue that they set the bar when it comes to innovation in contemporary cabinet design. As I mentioned, Poggenpohl is a German company and they claim to be the oldest kitchen brand in the world! 
Some years ago Poggenpohl teamed up with the Porsche Design Studio to develop the P'7340 line of cabinets. Both companies focus their concentration on the overall line as well as providing unsurpassed quality of product. Above is a Porsche Design Kitchen P'7340 by Poggenpohl. It's hallmark is the aluminum frame which surrounds each box. Originally designed with men in mind, it has evolved into a brand appealing to discerning contemporary design devotees of either sex. Chief Poggenpohl designer Manfred Junker was on hand to explain the intricacies of design detail that go into the product including their trademark, no handle, fronts. In fact, he claims, they are the first to offer touch control on the refrigerator and dishwasher. Here's what they have to say about that on their website: "Handleless fronts emphasize the clean, uncompromised lines of the kitchen furniture."
Poggenpohl took care of our tummies too. After all, design spotting can work up one hell of an appetite!
This newest version of P'7340 (see below) features a contrasting counter top inset made of solid New Zealand pine with a wire brushed finish.
Next up: FTK (Technology for the Kitchen) This was the section of iSaloni featuring the latest trends and products in kitchen appliances.Click here for a peek at all my Milan photos!own and automatically completes the closing cycle
Cabinet Doors + Art=Maple Craft Doors
One of the benefits of working for a custom cabinet shop like Brendan Donovan Furniture & Cabinet Co. is OPTIONS! Many of the projects I work on are combinations of both manufactured and custom cabinets. We can order it. We can make it all (including doors) or we can make the cabinet boxes and order the doors. Speaking of doors, how about these doors?!
If you know me you know I’m drawn to anything different, quirky, off the beaten path. I think these cabinet fronts by Maple Craft Doors fit the bill. They’re definitely at the higher end of the price spectrum but consider this: you don’t have to use them for the whole kitchen. In fact because they’re so striking less is actually more.Frank Dyck, Administrator/Sales at Maple Craft had this to say about these uber cool doors (MY COMMENTS INSERTED IN CAPS):
"We have the ability of creating a custom wood pattern that runs from door to door through the entire kitchen. (OK SO I LIED, IT CAN ALSO BE COOL TO GO ALL THE WAY) There are some limitations to how detailed we can go as far as sharp corners and such but the possibilities are endless.
All the customer has to do is send a front view of the cabinet with door/drawer sizes and a rough sketch of their artwork. (JUST THINK, YOUR ART ON YOUR CABINETS!!)
We do the final drawing, send back for confirmation and as soon as we have confirmation, production is about 14 working days.
This is also something that the general public has for the most part not seen." (YOU'VE GOT THAT RIGHT. I WAS HARD PRESSED TO FIND OTHER EXAMPLES)
I did find this leaf-pattern rosewood inlay side board from One King's Lane. I love it and it's perfect if you're going for a Mid-Century vibe. (In fact, I also discovered this treasure trove of cabinet curiosity on Pinterest.)
Another original fun door I spied at Maple Craft Door is the Hilton. Each door and drawer panel is custom programmed. By doing this, they create a random pattern over the whole kitchen.
So what do you think? How crazy are you willing to go in the kitchen? It's beautiful and unique but will you love it in 20 years? I believe this creativity could be timeless.
My New Favorite Flooring Find
Flooring is the basis for every room in your house, ground zero if you will. We want it to be a flattering backdrop for our decor, cabinetry and rugs BUT it's also got to be durable and easy to take care of. Wood flooring is all the rage and, to be sure, nothing equals the warmth and richness of a real wood floor.
If you love the look of real wood but don't want to worry about finish, maintenance or potential water damage (leaks happen), this may be the product for you. Meet Crossville, Inc. Not only is it possible to get that "real wood" look in porcelain tile, but now you can even get that "weathered barn" look with SpeakEasy, their latest porcelain tile collection. 
Sometimes my clients are afraid to use real wood in the kitchen or bath so this is a great alternative. I also like the fact that the weathered finish is not slippery like polished marble. I love pairing the distressed look with super modern design as in the photo above. Then again this look always blends with traditional or rustic design.
The collection features five colors that mimic stained wood. There's even a color called Sweet Georgia Brown! Planks are 36" long and you can choose from 6", 8" or 12" widths.SpeakEasy is Green Squared certified and contains a minimum of 4% recycled pre-consumer content. For more info about this collection and all the other offerings over at Crossville visit crossvilleinc.com.
Hot Trends Make a Big Splash at KBIS 2014
As many of you know, the Kitchen and Bath masses gathered in Las Vegas February 4-6 for their annual pilgrimage to KBIS, the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show. This year the event was part of Design & Construction Week, a new concept, merging KBIS with IBS, the International Builder’s Show. As a result, it was bigger and better than ever. Let’s hope that what happened there does NOT stay there !
Maybe I should limit that to kitchen and bath industry products and trends ;) Uber interior design resource Modenus hosted their latest Blogtour group who covered the event in a big way! You can get the entire scoop here.So what is trending, you may ask? Here’s the latest scoop from Kitchen & Bath Design News and KBIS co-sponsors, the National Kitchen & Bath Association:
Let there be light. Yes we’re used to lights in the refrigerator but now we’re adding LED lighting to cabinetry as well.
Make that matte. Last year I noticed a growing interest in matte finishes and it’s even more so this year. One such surface is the new Dekton by Cosentino. It's an ultra compact surface including quartz, porcelain and glass. This makes it perfect for both indoor and outdoor use, even better than quartz as it's UV resistant and can withstand extreme heat.
Keep it simple. NKBA President John Petrie, CMKBDT tells us, "while transitional styles are still number one, we see kitchen design trending more contemporary this year, with clean , simple lines: less clutter and little ornamentation".Quartz rocks, especially if it’s patterned! Homeowners have discovered quartz but they're not willing to give up the pattern and movement found in natural stone products like granite and marble. New finishes by Cambria let you have the best of both worlds.
Cambria's Waterstone Collection captures the depth and beauty of marble and granite while offering the superior strength and performance of quartz. (Here's something for you "traditionalists", they clearly didn't get the message about contemporary in this kitchen!)Gadgets, gadgets, gadgets, We may like our cabinetry look pared down but gimme the gadgets! Technology reigns, ie anything touch operated or digital.
The new Temp20 Technology by Delta Faucets boasts a digital temperature display that saves you the shock or injury from water that's not the temperature you were expecting. When the temperature is less than 80 degrees the LED display will glow blue. It's magenta from 80-110 and red when it's above that. You can get this feature on your Delta faucet this spring.
A bath to come home to, trends in the bathroom focus on customization and spa ambiance. In the high end markets, free standing tubs are all the rage. They are functional and sculptural at the same time. We are also understanding the benefits of hydrotherapy as in soaking tubs and steam baths.Additional features you may want to include in your new kitchens and baths include the following:-Induction cooktops (and now ranges too!)-Steam ovens-French-door refrigerators (duh, I think we all know that already!)-Bottom freezer drawers (ditto of above)-Touch activated faucets-Electronic (no touch) faucets-LED lighting-Charging stations-Pet stationsI believe all of the above are here to stay, at least in the foreseeable future, and the technology will only get better.
Ever Wonder Where a Delta or Brizo Faucet Comes From?
Is this some cutting edge art installation? Although it's beautiful, it's not! What you see is a PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) chamber at the Delta Faucet Plant in Jackson, Tennessee.
Delta's trademark BRILLIANCE anti-tarnish finish is applied here, not only adding color but providing heavy duty abrasion resistance to their faucets.This was just one of the things I learned about on day two of the Brizo Blogger 19 Reunion. (Click here to read about day one at St. Jude's) I always love to visit plants and factories because it gives me so much more information to help my clients make the right choices for there home.
American manufacturing is alive and well at Delta Faucet Company which also produces the luxury line of Brizo Faucets. The plant, located in Jackson, Tennessee is about midway between Memphis and Nashville. They employ around 900 workers operating in about 600,000 square feet.
What impressed me was the level of quality control I saw. Everything was oriented towards helping employees to make the best products as safely and efficiently as possible. There's a lot of creative machining and engineering going on but it's not all automated. This factory is very people focussed. Each faucet is actually hand made and 100% of product is tested before being sent out into the world.
Delta and Brizo faucets are also known for their trademarked DIAMOND SEAL technology. This is the little mechanism inside that dictates water flow and temperature. Yes, there are actually diamonds in there! Diamonds lubricate moving parts without need for lubricants. This eliminates even trace amounts of lead. What this means for the consumer is that a Delta or Brizo faucet is safe and durable lasting up to 5 million uses – up to 10 times longer than the industry standard!Last but not least we can't leave the factory without mentioning what I consider to be the Delta Brizo crowning glory, the trademarked Brizo SMARTTOUCH technology. In Delta products it's called TOUCH20. All SmartTouch/Touch20 (touch on, touch off ) products undergo extensive testing. Yes, every single one! In addition my favorite, the Brizo Odin electronic lavatory faucet now sports SMARTTOUCH PLUS technology which means it can also be used totally hands free.
Back at the hotel we were able to preview top secret products in development as well as the new line of Brizo freestanding tub fillers. We also learned that all "touch technology" is not created equal and were able to experiment with a wide variety of products, many of which use the infrared method that we frequently see in public bathrooms. In my opinion there was a big difference between how these products function compared to the Delta products which function using the static electricity we carry in our bodies! The human body conducts electricity. The surface of the faucet conducts that energy activating a solenoid (on/off switch) under the sink. The result seems to be much more dependable. I tested Moen, Kholer and Hansgrohe, so basically all price points. Though none were perfect, to me the most expensive Hansgrohe was the worst!
We ended the day with a demonstration of the newest showering phenomenon, H20KINETICS. Wow! It's a very wet, very satisfying shower with LESS water. Check it out. The H20KINETICS shower on the left as seen with an infrared light vs. a typical sprinkling showerhead. You can see the strands of water seem turbo charged!I want to thank Brizo for a most amazing experience. It's always great to connect with people I am proud to call my peers and to learn a great deal in the process.