Atlantico Furniture, part of the De La Espada / Autoban design firm has a "design driven by nature" philosophy as you can see by the plant stand incorporated into the Lin Pod Bench. Personally I could leave the plant behind and use the space to ice down some champagne. This cool little bench with a back that swoops down in one fluid move creates a peaceful atmosphere that connects us more deeply with nature. The 13 new releases from Atlantico are made from solid American White Oak, American Cherry, and American Black Walnut cut into planks of varying widths based on the best use of planks available. Atlantico's furniture benefits from a painstaking attention to detail and a purity of lines that are a tribute to their long-standing passion for minimalism. I picked the Lin Pod Bench just because it was different and catchy, but the rest of the collection of mostly wood furniture can be seen here. W.69.30" D.23.23" H.26.54" $2195 Allow 4-8 weeks.
The Vreta swivel recliners from Ikea are a "standard" as far as recliners go. Vreta's design is classic, modeling the most common forms of leather recliners found in the world. The large pillow topped arms that come down into the seat offer maximum comfort for a tired pair of arms. Other than using a TV remote, there is not much else that will strain the arms in a recliner such as this one. The swivel base is another feature that can come in handy as you may need to "wheel around" to speak with guests on another piece of furniture in your living room. Pictured in dark brown, Vreta also comes in ivory, red, and black. Measurements: 37 3/8" x 40 1/2" x 34 5/8". Price: $549. Available: here.
Designer Martin Sprouse has a firm belief when creating his furniture pieces. His philosophy is simple, "custom furniture is not about choosing options; it's about creating them". Here are two wonderful designs that have roots in the modern movement, and geometry in their construction. The 3Chord multi-function work station started with a basic rectangle and received new life and added surface area with contrasting solid walnut additions against a white Corian top. A bead blasted stainless steel structure adds a classy look to this timeless and modern desk. H 29.5" x W 72" x D 34" Sprouse managed to create some visual drama from the otherwise clean straight lines of his Superflat expandable dining table. The opposing wood grains of the surface extension are contrasted by powder coated steel which fit the particular surrounding of the project the dining table was created for. H 29.5" x W 120" x D 39" See the rest of Martin Sprouse's furniture here.
The choices you make in the décor of your kitchen can say a lot about you, whether you know it or not. Do you like to show off your special pieces with lots of glitz and glamour, so that everyone knows that you have good taste and an eye for detail? Or are you content enough knowing that you made good purchases that are the gold standard of good quality, and prefer for them to take a more backstage approach?
What I love most about these questions is that the choices a client makes has nothing to do with their personal design style. No matter what style of décor you are into, you either want to show off your investments, or make them seamlessly blend into the cabinetry. Contemporary clients normally like the look of stainless steel, but it can get to be a bit overwhelming, and sometimes they will hide all of the appliances accept the cooktop/range and hood. Traditional consumers tend to love rich wood or crisp white cabinetry and try to hide most stainless steel. However, there are those few customers that spend over $12,000 dollars on a SubZero Pro 48" refrigerator and want to show it off. The other design categories are all over the map with how clients prefer their transitional, eclectic, and other designs.
For those that really want to show their merchandise off, I recommend a few brands that really show off the design style they are going for:
Elmira Stove Works creates this work of art-
Continue reading "Appliances Design Question: Show them off, or hide them away?" »
In a recent post Furniture Fashion praised the benefits of tankless water heaters for not only their energy efficiency, but environmental aspects as well. Grand Hall's Eternal hybrid is an advanced on-demand water heating system that provides endless and consistent hot water for multiple applications. Eternal Hybrid is honored as one of "2008's Best New Products" by Professional Builder and omits near zero greenhouse gas emissions which means Eternal Hybrid is one of the cleanest burning, environmentally friendly appliances on the market. This little wonder is capable of producing a 47,500 to 236,000 BTU's capacity range, and 0.1 - 20.8 GPM with a patented counter-flow technology that maintains an 86% efficiency. Other features include an intelligent computer monitoring system, stainless steel and self cleaning reserve tank with 20 year warranty, and a multi-pass heat exchanger. Perfect for residential or commercial, and indoor or outdoor use. See more here.
