Monday, April 16, 2007

Design Tips


Resourceful light sources
Try table lamps or swing wall lamps for a luxurious look that can provide a more natural light.

Vanity Fair
Seek out a vanity that looks more like a piece of furniture than a cabinet. You can convert an antique bureau or select a bow-fronted vanity for a unique, custom-look.

Show your true colors
Don’t be afraid of bold color in the bathroom, especially since the paintable wall surface is often reduced by showers, mirrors and tile. armstrong

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Maiolica series from Casa Mood


Casa Mood’s extruded ceramic Maiolica series brings a cool glamour to kitchens and bathrooms with white, black, silver, and gold (shown) color options. Tiles are available in 12”-square mosaics or individual sizes, such as 3” x 6” and the 6”-square tiles shown here. This series is part of a new comprehensive collection debuting throughout 2007.
Be sure to check the rest of their products. These folks make beautiful stuff.

Casa Mood via materialicio.us

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Duravit Sundeck Bathtub


The Sundeck bathtub can be installed outdoors or anyway where there is a hot water connection. A padded cover keeps the water warm: when folded at the ends, it creates two headrests; when fully open it can be used as a sunlounger or deck. The rectangular shape of the bathtub (in acrylic 186 x 86 cm) emphasises the essential clarity of the concept. The wood panelling is weatherproof.duravit

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Contemporary Marble and Concrete Fireplace from Mark Concrete


Sophisticated and elegant, Mark Concrete mixes new and classic materials in their contemporary marble and concrete fireplace. The textured blue-grey concrete meets the glossy green marble along a gently sweeping wood line. It curls up like a slender column of smoke rising from the hearth. A large installation, the marble and concrete fireplace is designed to look fabulous even if not lit. The open hearth sits off centre and in an almost demure position. Beneath a warm ruddy mantelpiece that highlights the natural veins in the polished marble, the fireplace indulges in contracting colours and textures. An award winning design by Mark Concrete, the contemporary marble and concrete fireplace blends classic luxury with sophisticated style.trendir

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Contemporary bathroom furniture from Bristol and Bath - the Kirsten bathroom collection


As shinning metal has become a common element in sleek modern designs, people have been searching for new and unique alternatives with which to characterise their contemporary bathroom furniture. The Kirsten bathroom collection achieves this through a distinctive rustic-modern style. The simple rectilinear basins are aged with a rust-like finish, that adds a comfortable worn feel to the strict geometry. Like a comfortable worn jumper, this bathroom collection feels well used and established in contrast to the clinical sparseness of most modern designs. The Kirsten wall mounted basin is available in two earthy finishes that bring a splash of colour into the room. The dark green-grey and a bright yellow ochre lightly stipple the light metal frame, while providing a solid mottled colour across the front panel. Perfect for urban interiors, the Kirsten contemporary bathroom collection offers the minimalist form in an easy to live in style. Available from Bristol and Bath, the Kirsten collection brings a sense of history to the newest of styles. from trendir

Monday, March 12, 2007

Marazzi Group Forest Impressions


Forest Impressions porcelain tiles take their tonal cues from leaves, ferns, and lichen. Dappling and speckling lend a natural feel to Forest Green, paired with a steel border. Other color options are Forest Beige and Forest Noce.
marazzitile

Friday, March 9, 2007

Cork Flooring Benefits


Cork is actually the bark of an Oak tree commonly known as the Cork Oak. It is native to the mediterranean region predominantly in Portugal and Spain. The bark naturally splits every 9-15 years and can be harvested safely without harming the tree. The bark regrows and the cycle continues for years and years. The cork oak has been known to live for up to 500 years.

BENEFITS YOU GET FROM CHOOSING NATURAL CORK FLOORING:

* Warm to walk on (R-5 value)
* Quiet—has natural sound absorbing qualities
* Naturally resistant to mold and mildew
* Naturally hypo-allergenic
* Easy to clean
* Finished with top quality waterbourne urathane
* Available in six different styles that can be intermixed for a variety of patterns
* Cork Flooring looks beautiful in any room of your home but is not recommended for high sun areas

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Copper Bath Tubs


If you love the look of weathered copper, satin nickel plating and old world styling as part of your bath experience you owe it to yourself to browse our copper tubs.

Whether you intend it to be part of your daily routine or have a soaking tub with a view in mind, a SinkWorks Copper Bath Tub will be the focal point of your personal space. Their tubs are available with and without an overflow. Complementary plumbing can be found in Accessories Section.
more at: SinkWorks

Monday, February 26, 2007

Glass Tiles Collection from BISAZZA


The new Glass Tiles collection presents the first patterned tiles to feature glass chip mosaic and inlaud motifs, lending a contemporary twist to this artistic techique. Different colours and materials are paired to form the striped/checked patterns or geometric motifs of these new compositions.
They are designed with the aid of computers and manufactured using laser cutting, which enables the precision.The result is a polychromatic patterned surface which is smooth, level and seamless. With these techno-aesthetic qualities, the Glass Tiles collection represent a new proposal in contemporary decor.
made by: Bisazza

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Chromatherapy Steam Shower


This steam shower is fitted with an elegant aluminium panel in the middle and sky blue glass on both sides. As with standard steam showers this unit includes an overhead shower and a steam generator. However, what really sets this unit apart from the rest is the chromatherapy functions it comes fitted with.

It has been proven by light engineering research that differently coloured light has different psychological effects. Our steam shower changes colour to stimulate the mind, body and soul. You can choose one colour or let the shower cycle through the colours: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple.
product of: Presleybathrooms

Monday, February 12, 2007

Luxury Bathroom Sink from Adagio - wood and marble sinks


For fabulous sinks of exotic materials Adagio provide quality and distinctive style. With a range of wood and marble sinks, each with its own character and glamour, Adagio can provide luxurious sink for any design. Wooden sinks add unusual colour and texture to bathroom fixtures. The WD-105 for example features a lovely organic form to match its natural wood grains. Carved from a large laminated block of wood, the sink features ring layers. Each layer is formed by several different blocks for a variety of warm colours and grains. The sink is then finished to a sensual glossy shine. Marble sinks provide classic sophistication in modern forms. The ML-002 starts as a rounded rectangular block of Royal Green marble. The carved top surface sweeps up to a ring peak before rushing down to the bowl’s centre. A sculptural creation the marble sink appears to be fluid, as if reacting to the rushing water. Gorgeous and glamorous, Adagio luxury sinks offer beautiful materials in modern sculptural forms.
made by: Adagio

Friday, February 2, 2007

Toyo Ito designs poster for Cersaie 2007


Grids have ruled space throughout the 20th century. Cities all over the world have been covered by homogeneous grids. I have a feeling that in this century, grids will melt, become distorted and transform like natural topographies. In other words, architecture is becoming closer to natural systems.
This is the idea that inspired Toyo Ito in his design for the poster for Cersaie 2007.
from: TileLand

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Ceramic tiles from Steuler-Fliesen Studio


African motifs reinterpreted to suit contemporary taste, are among current furnishing favourites. Authentic patterns and decorations in earthy and flowery tones can be perfectly combined with minimalist forms and objects of European architecture and interior design.
Inspired by traditional pearl jewellery from Africa, Wild Thing Massai represents a tile collection which matches African colours and customs.
from: Steuler-Fliesen
via: TileLand

Monday, January 29, 2007

Light-Transmitting Concrete from Litracon - simply amazing


Fabulous and dramatic, Litracon have created a concrete that is as innovative as it is amazing. Designed by Hungarian Aron Losonczi, Litracon creates a mysterious light material that retains the strength and texture of concrete. Litracon uses a matrix of glass optic fibres to transmit light through the concrete. Rather than weaken the material, the web of glass actually lends strength to the concrete by creating a modest aggregate. Suddenly the solid primitive material gives a light translucent aspect that transmits dramatic shadows like a screen. Due to the fabulous properties of fibre optics, light can transmit through up to twenty meters of Litracon. It can be cast as blocks, panels or even precast forms of light-transmitting concrete. Perfect for concrete constructions as well as decorative interiors Litracon brings a juxtaposition of earth and light.
via: Trendir

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Living Floor Reacts to Your Steps


b.Lab Italia brings you Living Floor, interactive floor tiles that react to your steps, letting you leave disappearing footprints all over the room. Available in a variety of colors and metallic finishes, these PVC tiles are made up of a non-slip clear covering with an underlying interactive fluid layer. It's like beach sand, moving and changing its appearance as you walk on it.
produc of: bLab

Saturday, January 20, 2007

FLOR CARPET TILES


Fun, affordable, and altogether beguiling, this new generation of carpet tiles is designed in an arresting array of hip colors, patterns and textures, letting you create a customized area rug or wall-to-wall carpet for a fraction of the cost of a woven piece.

Each FLOR carpet tile measures 19.7 inches square and is secured in place by four peel-and-stick adhesive tabs, so there’s no gluing. The tabs are low-tack, so if you don’t like what you’ve done you can move the carpet tiles around (the adhesive won’t damage the surface underneath). And if a square gets soiled, you simply pull it up and replace it. Best of all, FLOR starts at less than $10 per square, with most designs priced in the teens. That means you can create a 5-by-8-foot carpet for as little as $150.
more at: TileLand

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Louis Vuitton Boutique Earns AIA Award


For a Louis Vuitton boutique in Hong Kong, international architecture firm Peter Marino Architect takes home a prestigious American Institute of Architects (AIA) Institute Honor Award for Interior Architecture. Recognizing excellence in architecture, the award is one of the industry’s highest honors.
Located in the central district of Hong Kong, the three-story retail luxury boutique resembles a 25-foot-high, semi-transparent box. Features include an abundance of natural light and a main stair volume which appears to be carved out of a solid block of stone. On the stair, built-in LED panels display video images on each walking surface.
frpm: InteriorDesign

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

A Perfect "10"!


Some things just can't be perfected. Such is the case with the new Andrea 10 from MTI Whirlpools, the latest in their popular Andrea series of luxury baths. Like its predecessors, its lines are clean and sleek; its rectangular design simple and straightforward. But what really makes this tub stand out is the luxurious Lucite® acrylic surround, creating a tub that is the quintessential essence of beauty and strength. And in keeping with the Andrea extraordinary genre, there's much more to this minimalist design than meets the eye.
The newest star in MTI's Designer Series, the Andrea 10 may be customized to meet the demands of even the most discerning homeowners.
Whirlpools' Andrea Acrylic Freestanding Tub Is True Bathing Perfection!

find out more: MTI Whirlpools

Thursday, January 11, 2007

GLASS BOTTLES REDUX


Oceanside Glasstile uses more than two million pounds of glass each year from curbside recycling programs for a product line that includes 20 to 86 percent recycled material, depending on the color. The latest in the series is Elevations, shown here as a large-format field tile and liner. Also new is Tahoe, the blue-gold tiles that accent the wall, and Facets, a line of miniature mosaic field tile.
designed by: glasstile

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

TERRA LED (ultragres) FLOOR TILES (+ walls)


LED lighting set within Royal Mosa's Terra Maestricht tiles create striking and innovative surfaces. Each tile is the same size, thickness & quality as the standard Terra tiles, so they can be placed at the same time - and easily. All tiles feature cut edges and may be used for wall tile applications too. And the smooth natural finish provides an R10 slip resistant rating.
Royal Mosa create a huge range of tiles in a great many sizes, colours and designs. For internal or external applications, Mosa tiles are the first choice when the criteria is set for appearance, practicality and durability.
from: actiles

Monday, January 8, 2007

COVER-TILES


The Cover-Tiles concept came from the idea of exposuring the insides of the wall on an esthetic way. Tile over your bathroom or kitchen plumbing with Cover-Tiles. Studio JSPR’s Cover-Tiles collection is a series of tiles that cover pipes, connections and water taps which are normally enclosed in the wall. With Cover-Tiles, these elements are all visible on the outside. They show the way waterlines run under the tiles and how the raw technical system of water lines, taps, showerhead and connections work and look like.
designed by: Studio JSPR

Sunday, January 7, 2007

PLYNYL TILES


Plynyl Tile is the result of our two-year development effort combining our unique woven fabric with a state of the art, vinyl backing system.

The woven fabric for the tile has been
re-engineered to insure the tile edges stay sharp and clean. Plynyl Tile comes in our signature Basketweave pattern using
bi-colored yarns to provide maximum durability and ease of maintenance.

Tile backing provides cushion and dimensional stability through the use of two layers of vinyl and an intermediary non-woven stabilizing layer. The backing includes approximately 15% post-industrial recycled content. Chilewich is working to increase this and to move to post-consumer content.

Because Plynyl is woven, it has the characteristics of woven material. The natural bow and skew of the weaves shows, especially at seams. Seams will be visible, too. The natural variation in the color of the fabric is also the result of the weaving process.
Product of: Chilewich

DORNBRACHT LOT


German precision comes back to the kitchen with Sieger Design's angular Lot, a no-nonsense deck-mounted sink faucet in polished chrome or platinum matte. The spout rotates conveniently as part of a two-hole mixer, or a wall-mounted mixer with a matching cover plate.
from: dornbracht.com.

Saturday, January 6, 2007

MÁRMOL´07 SETTING UP HIGH QUALITY EXHIBITION


MÁRMOL´07, the International Natural Stone Fair, will be taking place at Feria Valencia from 6th to 10th February 2007 and will be giving priority to quality. As is usual, MÁRMOL will be running concurrently with CEVISAMA, creating a show of coverings for use in architecture and decoration that is second to none.
The event shares not just a common audience with CEVISAMA but also a full programme of events aimed at an audience of architects, interior and other designers. A new event on the programme this year is the Architecture and Design Forum, which takes place on 7th, 8th and 9th February and will be addressing the subject of Architecture and Design for all.
MÁRMOL expects around one hundred Spanish and foreign exhibitors along with a substantial Italian presence, especially of product from Lazio and Sicily.

AN AUTOMATIC VISUAL SYSTEM FOR MARBLE TILE CLASSIFICATION

The international market of ornamental stone has seen the use of materials quarrying from East Europe, Africa, Asia and South America, characterized by a low cost of labour. This event has embittered the competition in this field. Hence, it becomes fundamental to produce machined products of high quality in a more efficient way. This work aims to design and fulfil a prototype to automatically classify the Royal Perlato tiles of Coreno. It is based on artificial vision. The implemented hardware visual system is cheap because it is made up of components readily available and is easily obtainable by small and medium ornamental stone businesses. The developed software algorithm is based on a multifactor analysis of variance and a quadratic discriminant analysis. The experimental results show that the developed hardware and software system permits all the tiles of Royal Perlato of Coreno to be classified properly. Moreover, the developed system not only improves the efficiency of the selection but also reduces the controversies between the manufacturer and buyer, making tile classification more selective and increasing the number of qualitative classes taken into consideration. Finally, it allows the duplication on the selection line without altering data dispersion.

CONTEMPORARY RELEASE: METRO


Imagine Tile, the industry leader pioneering the use of high resolution imagery in ceramic tile, has just released its latest design, Metro, adding a very versatile and decorative surfacing product to the company’s selection of ceramic tile offerings. The new design is a warm, deep copper featuring subtle metallic patterning. The look is fitting for a variety of aesthetic applications ranging from cutting-edge contemporary spaces to classic, traditional environments. Metro is excellent for both commercial and residential installations, indoors or out, giving designers a bold visual and textural palette to work with.

ASSOBAGNO CHOOSES CEVISAMA TO PROMOTE ITALIAN BATHROOM STYLE


Assobagno, the Italian trade association that represents Itlay´s leading bathroom manufacturers, is taking a group stand at CEVISAMA for the first time. The fair runs from 6th to 10th February next at Feria Valencia.

One of Assobagno´s objectives in the international marketplace is to "promote the most efficient trade fairs". Assobagno represents 120 leading manufacturers of sanitary ware, furniture, accessories, fittings, shower cubicles and spa baths and showers with a joint turnover of 800 million euros.