CaesarStone Gallery

CaesarStone, the manufacturer of CarsarStone quartz surfacing and Concetto semi-precious surfacing has an online gallery showing actual installations of their products.

I like that their gallery is divided by color and style  – ultra modern, modern, traditional, commercial.  This is especially helpful when trying to see what a 2×2 sample will look like as a countertop in a kitchen or bathroom.

Picture Galleries are also great sources for inspiration.  You might be searching for the right countertop and stumble upon hardware or a unique lighting application you want to incorporate into your own project.

If you want to upload your own photos of your new CaesarStone creation, visit their upload page.  

Exotic Hardwood Floor

A great way to make a room a showcase is to install exotic wood flooring.
 

According to Shannon, who blogs at Floor Talk! exotic wood floors will set your home apart from others that have more traditional wood flooring. 

    

Over 60 species of exotic woods exists around the world.  Popular flooring choices include Santos, Mahogany, Brazilian Walnut, Tiete Rosewood, Brazilian Teak and Amendoim.  The flooring is available solid or engineered. 

    

Like any unique flooring or design purchase, be sure to view or request several different samples to see the range of color and grain in the floor. These natural characteristics are part of what makes the item exotic.

   

Also make sure you understand how hard your wood floor will be.  Many people are under the misguided notion that hardwood floors will not dent under heavy pressure.

 

Peacock Mosaic Tile

 

Look closely at this picture and you can see the individual mosaic pieces that make up the peacock plumage.  These glass mosaic tiles from New Ravena Mosaics are hand cut from 6″ glass stalks.

Glass mosaics don’t have to be sheets of uniform tiles.  You can let your imagination and color palette run wind

New Ravena Mosaics was founded in 1991 by Sara Baldwin, one of the countries best mosaic designers.  She draws much of her inspiration from the Virginia Coastal area.

Designs start at $120 per square foot.

My Washing Machine is Calling

If you ever worry about your home while you are away on vacation or business then a detection system with auto shut off and phone dialer will provide the peace of mind you need.

Titan Safety Products has a line of wireless safety products that respond to smoke, water leaks, carbon monoxide and health emergencies in the home sounding an alarm and making up to six separate phone calls to alert the call recipients of a problem.

The WaterTitan increases this functionality by also automatically shutting off the incoming water main when a water leak is detected, in addition to sounding an alarm and calling the programmed numbers. The Auto-Dialer unit will continue to sequence calls until the call recipient confirms the alert message. There are no activation or monthly fees for this service.

The water leak sensor is wireless and can detect as little as 1/32^nd of an inch of water, which is the equivalent of wetting your fingertip. These devices can be used in bathrooms, laundry rooms, kitchens or basements, and have a range of over 250 feet.

Once installed, the system is self-monitoring, easily programmed and self-testing. The dialer can support up to 50 separate devices from Titan Safety such as sensors for CO, smoke, water and a health alert panic button.

A Passion for Pink

A recent article from Interior Design Magazine features a kitchen designed around a client’s love for Hot Pink.

The client feels the pink makes the concrete and stainless steel look less serious.  You can follow this great example of using an accent color with your own personal favorite.  The key is to pay attention to the value of the colors you select.  Colors of the same value will not have enough contrast.  For example, if you substituted a pastel pink in this room it would make the room look too washed out.

I have a prospective client right now who has a collection of kitchens in her idea file all with red accents.  Because the kitchen cabinets and floors vary in color I know the red accents are what has drawn her to the pictures.

Idea files are a great way to start the remodeling process.  While many obvious preferences will evolve some will be subtle.  A good designer will notice whether a person prefers clean lines or decorative ornamentation; or perhaps if a client desires perfect symmetry or a kitchen with all of the tall cabinetry on one side.

Designer: Ghislaine Viñas

Glass Sink From Franke

Franke will introduce a new glass kitchen sink at the UK’s Kitchen and Bath Show in March.

The Kubus is available in two models; a single bowl (KBV 611) and a bowl and a half (KBV 651) in your choice of cool Black or sleek Aqua tones.

Glass is making a new impact in the kitchen as manufacturing techniques have improved strength.  Franke tested the new sinks by dropping stainless steel pans onto them.

Since many people find the price of glass countertops prohibitive, these new sinks will be a great way to add modern sleekness to kitchens. Unfortunately, it will be a while before the sink will hit the market in the U.S.

Glace Penny Round Glass Tile

Glace tiles from Ann Sacks is a modern glass version of the traditional ceramic penny round tile. 

In addition to 3/4″ rounds, this opaque sparkling tile is available in sheets of 1″x 6″ sticks.

Ann Sacks uses the traditional method of ladling molten glass into steel molds to form these tiles.  The slow cooling process gives the tiles their aged and scattered appearance.

Since blue is the new green I expect these tiles to be very popular.

Ceramica Cielo Jungle Collection

Exotic Leather is all the rage.  And since home decor often
follows the fashion runway trends it’s no surprise that 
designers are very excited about the Jungle Collection from
Italian Fixture manufacturer Ceramica Cielo.

The available finishes are Monty – python skin
Dundee -brown and green crocodile skin
Deep Dundee - off-white crocodile

The sinks are finished both inside and out while the toilets are only patterned on the outside and lid.

I really like the white crocodile.  It’s a great way to add an exotic feel without going overboard.