Arabo
Pettina
Filigrana
Piazze
Cubo
Prisma
The new Ombré finish for kitchen and bath faucets from Kohler uses an innovative technique that melds two vibrant metal finishes together to render a subtle but striking transition from light to dark.
Kohler has taken a familiar product and, inspired by the worlds of fashion and modern design, created an uncommon showpiece that is unlike anything else on the market.
The Ombré Vibrant finish makes use of Kohler’s proprietary physical vapor deposition process, which bonds the finish and faucet together at the molecular level, to create an incredibly strong surface that is both scratch- and tarnish-resistant. The finish comes in two fabrications: Vibrant Rose Gold to Vibrant Polished Nickel, and Vibrant Titanium to Vibrant Rose Gold.
The Ombré Vibrant finish is available on a curated selection of Kohler plumbing products: Components and Sensate. Homeowners can express their personal taste by using faucets with this finish as an integral design component for their home décor.
The word ombré, French for shadow or shade, has been seen on everything from haute couture gowns to celebrity hairstyles, and its ingenious use on what could be seen as an everyday product further establishes Kohler as the industry leader in finish innovation.
Photos courtesy of Jillian Rosone.
The Scandinavian design aesthetic continues to take the world by storm, from the cozy comfort of hygge to the inspiring minimalism of the trend itself. Design experts at Modern Dining Tables, as well as Niki Brantmark, blogger at My Scandinavian Home and author of “Lagom, The Swedish Art of Living a Balanced, Happy Life,” understand this aesthetic well, and how it plays into improves a room’s design and decor, particularly dining areas. With minimal furniture, soft color palettes and harmonious shapes and materials, the Scandinavian style is an excellent choice to soothe your dining room.
BACK TO BASICS
Wooden furniture and surfaces are the most common among the style, portraying a sense of simple elegance that is nature-based. Some of these surfaces and finishes include light grey marble or wood counters and kitchen equipment like wooden chopping boards, says Brantmark. This choice brings warmth into the home, as well as any other plant life added to the room that naturally revives the space.
To complement the natural wood touches, a soft color palette is also needed in order to create a “sleek, clean, organized look,” according to Brantmark. Designers at Modern Dining Tables also suggest more refined colors, such as mixing natural wood or darker metallics with white or rose gold. Alternatively, also suggested are black accent pieces, in order to give life to the room by making a modern contrast and letting the natural wood shine.
MINIMALISM AND ORGANIZATION
In order to fully commit to this style in your dining space, the layout of a Scandinavian kitchen often portrays a sense of minimalism, both in style and organization. To keep the look clean and streamlined, Brantmark suggests both open and closed storage options in the form of kitchen cabinets and drawers. “You need to be able to hide the clutter but ensure items you need regularly are at hand,” she adds.
Other ways to convey this sense of sophisticated simplicity can be shown in the furniture and lighting pieces displayed. Suggested by Modern Dining Tables, industrial-style lighting fixtures are highlighted examples, as “metal is never out of fashion” and gracefully complements other aspects of the aesthetic. In regards to furniture, large tables with simplistic, matching chairs work well in these spaces, as they are warm and inviting and further allow for a informal place for people to gather and socialize.
“I love that this look is calm and fresh yet has a balanced, warm and inviting feel about it too,” Brantmark remarks. “Kitchens are known as the ‘engine room’ of the house. It’s where people gather socially so it’s important people are drawn to the area and feel comfortable.
Photography by Niki Brantmark
Design by Tina Lekeberg
After choosing the perfect dining table, preparing an unforgettable meal, and gathering your guests, don’t forget to select a set of dinnerware that will showcase your style.
The way we display our food has become a delicate form of art, from intricately drizzled sauces to the dishes on which they are served. Cristina Vezzini and Stan Chen are making elegance easy with their stunning dinnerware collection. Vezzini & Chen is a combination of hand-carved ceramics and hand-blown glass, which gives each piece a unique touch.
Vezzini, originally from Italy, and Chen, who is from Taiwan, met while attending The Royal College of Art and continued working together after graduation in their London studio. Although the two specialize in different materials and techniques, Chen being the skilled glassblower and Vezzini focusing on handcrafted ceramics, the team is a cohesive unit, which shines through in their work.
It is unlikely that you’ll find another set like Vezzini & Chen’s because each and every piece is handmade and carefully constructed by the duo. Their broad range of inspiration also adds an exclusive aspect to each set. Inspiration from nature, such as fire and water elements, comes through in their designs and pairs nicely with the natural materials that they mold.
Vezzini & Chen’s Hexa Plates and Hexa Bowls are inspired by the idea of looking through water, and the layered, multi-faceted image that appears on the other side. The bowls and plates are available in four signature textures.
Just a glimpse of Vezzin & Chen’s work include these other remarkable collections. The Hexa Wine Glasses are also available in four textures, but each individual glass is as unique as a snowflake.The Horizon Wine Glasses are delicate, hand engraved, and unforgettable. Buyers will certainly want a set of their own, but the hand-carved ceramic plates are part of a limited edition for the Spring Restaurant in London.
Light, geometry, texture, and repetition are also a large part of Vezzini’s designs, which contrasts Chen’s smooth, flawless glass creations nicely. The two designers use these inspirations to work together and bring their pieces to life. Vezzini & Chen’s dinnerware collections will stand out on any table!
Photos courtesy of Vezzini & Chen
Handcrafted in America since 1945, True Residential’s commitment to American-made products goes all the way back to its beginnings as a commercial refrigeration company in St. Louis.
In today’s world, where design is specialized and unique for every home, particularly in the kitchen, the brand remains vital to the industry.
A team of designers at True Residential spoke with Unique Homes about the brand’s influence on kitchen design, both in the home and commercial spaces.
How has the appliance industry changed since True Residential began, from the early 1950s to now?
When True started in 1945, they were only selling commercial refrigeration. Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, commercial-style equipment in the home became popularized. That trend has continued to grow. Today, people have more apps and technology at their fingertips than ever before to help them cook like the pros, therefore, they’re seeking for more commercial-style equipment
True Residential has stayed true to its commercial roots providing a unique, commercially styled product that also performs like one. We are always demanding more from our appliances. True has always been at the forefront of increasing efficiency without sacrificing performance or quality. We’re proud to be an original Energy Star partner.
Kitchen design by Vanessa Deleon.
what is the brand's top priority with regard to design?
Providing a premium commercial-style refrigerator, both inside and out. We try to be on the forefront of trends like custom colors and various product configurations to provide truly unique options for designers, builders, specifiers, and clients.
This year we unveiled four additions to the Build Your True collection — a system that allows consumers and/or designers to choose from a variety of our products and customize them in one of our custom color and hardware finishes. To cater to the color-happy trend, we added an eye-catching cobalt blue joined by matte white and matte black finishes to round out our roster of stunning custom finishes.
what do professionals and chefs look for in appliances?
Chefs look for function above all else. We have had numerous professional chefs choose our appliances, Wylie Dufresne among them. The 42-inch fridge alone offers 24.44 cubic feet of stylish, stainless refrigeration. This detail offers chefs ample space for food storage in a hygienic environment designed to keep items fresh.
True’s cascade airflow — a system exclusive to the brand — provides consistent temperatures throughout the unit. We also outfit each refrigeration unit with incredibly sturdy drawers, offering chefs the commercial strength they rely on at work — in their own personal kitchens.
In terms of organization and style, our refrigeration units come with streamlined handles, TruLumina lighting, steel-encapsulated glass shelves, and 36 color combinations for designers and homeowners to choose from.
And while all the appliances we offer are energy efficient and designed with function and form in mind, we have the highest-performing, most energy-efficient Clear Ice Machine available on the market today.
The 7,500-square-foot designer space features more than 135 premium Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove products and illustrates product innovation with unique culinary experiences
Now on display in the heart of the Miami Design District, Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove open their newest showroom, which showcases premium refrigeration, wine preservation, cooking equipment, and luxury dishwashing.
At the center of the showroom is a 780-square-foot demonstration kitchen with 20 active appliances, allowing guests to test out the products’ features and functionalities. The showroom will host an ongoing calendar of programming spearheaded by showroom manager Barbara Barnes and culinary experiences led by executive chef Alex Diaz.
The showroom’s arrival highlights the growing sophistication of the culinary scene in South Florida, providing the company with an immersive experience center to serve the Florida, Caribbean and Latin American design communities, and will welcome consumers, designers, distributors and culinary talent. The Miami showroom is one of 60 exclusive showrooms across the globe in preeminent hubs for luxury design including Manhattan, Costa Mesa, London, Hong Kong and Cannes.
“We are so pleased to open our newest showroom in Miami, and to bring such a broad range of products to this important market. We chose the Miami Design District as the location because of the neighborhood’s commitment to supporting great design, architecture and culinary experiences,” said president and CEO of Sub-Zero Group, Inc. Jim Bakke. “We were able to imagine and build a space that allows us to welcome, educate and host groups and individuals who want to experience the quality and innovation of our products.”
A third-generation, family-owned company, Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove appliances have been continuously designed, tested and manufactured using premium grade materials in Madison, Wisconsin for more than 70 years. Developed with and for the design community, the products offer limitless design possibilities and are engineered to last more than 20 years. As a result, Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove products are widely known for superior craftsmanship, reliability and longevity. With the opening of the Miami showroom, the company now has 35 dedicated showrooms in the U.S. and 60 worldwide.
Photos courtesy of Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
Exuding power, elegance and timelessness, black finishes are making their way into kitchens and bathrooms.
Whether glossy or matte, black finishes offer a dramatic departure from traditional stainless steel and chrome finishes. Offering a dynamic edge to any space, black has become one of the hottest finishes for decorative plumbing and hardware.
Offering an array of striking black finishes, California Faucets Kitchen Collection is making it easier than ever to personalize the kitchen sink area.
“Black has broken through the barrier of traditional finish colors in a big way, especially in the kitchen,” explains Noah Taft, California Faucets’ senior vice president of marketing and sales. “Homeowners are finding black brings warmth and elegance to a room, and it’s a refreshing change from chrome and stainless steel.”
California Faucets now offers a variety of premium black hued finishes for its recently-launched Kitchen Collection. Some of these finishes include Matte Black, one of today’s hottest finishes for faucets and decorative hardware, and Black Nickel, a space-age finish blending the gleam of nickel with shades of black.
Corsano Culinary Faucetin Carbon Black (PVD) with Stainless Steel Spring
Corsano Series Pull-Down Faucet Ensemble in Matte Black
Whether it’s a bathtub, lighting fixture or sink, black finishes are also making their way into the bathroom. From the creative minds of Newport Brass, Hastings Tile & Bath, Drummonds, Franz Viegener and Buster + Punch come a series of curated interior fittings with an engrossing black coat. Drummonds’ Serpentine Tub helps bathers unwind and relax with its soothing black finish.
Designed by Arne Jacobsen, Hasting Tile & Bath’s VOLA: HVI comes in both glossy and matte black.Buster + Punch’s HOOKED 6.0, an industrially designed chandelier, is made up of several pendants and finished in solid metal with matte black detailing.
Buster + Punch’s HOOKED 6.0, an industrially designed chandelier, is made up of several pendants and finished in solid metal with matte black detailing.
38 Prince Street
The townhome at the Residences at Prince combines the strong lines of a late Federal house with the stylistic Greek Revival flair. The expansive open kitchen with its extensive marble countertops will be a joy to cook in for the holidays and leads through a dining room with a fireplace to a large south-facing, bi-level garden.
277 Fifth Avenue
Spacious dining rooms were designed by interior architect Jeffrey Beers as the ideal space for hosting any size holiday celebration. The open-layout floor plans allow residents to easily entertain guests from the gourmet kitchen, while putting the final touches on a meal. The homes’ warm color palette create an inviting, comfortable environment for holiday mealtime.
1000M
The ultra-luxury condominium development coming to Chicago will offer residents an intimate, chandelier-lit private dining room with stunning views of the city and access to the sky terrace. Located on the 72nd floor, this space is sure to upgrade any dinner party.
One West End
This Upper West Side condo includes a contemporary chef’s kitchen and private dining room that pair the panache of New York City’s Michelin-starred restaurants with the intimacy of a private home. After sharing a meal together, family and friends can mingle in the media room, which includes a fireplace, billiards and a large comfy couch.
The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach
The Penthouse, with seats for 14 people, is the perfect spot for a dinner party. Featuring panoramic views, a 20-foot-tall wine cave, a private terrace on the first level, a BBQ terrace, a complete outdoor bar, and a 2,000-square-foot deck area with dining seating and lounge areas, this penthouse will help you and your guests ring in the new year with style.
Brickell City Centre’s REACH and RISE
Featuring an exclusive fête room, these two luxury towers allow residents to host the ultimate holiday soirée with stunning views of the Miami skyline. Located on the 7th floor, the sophisticated social room features an elegant furnished living room, dining table and eat-in, chef-worthy kitchen, creating the perfect space for a celebration.
Call your friends, pop the champagne, plate the cheese and have the most stylish affair around — simply because you can.
There are many reasons to throw a dinner party, especially around the holidays. Having the right spectacular space to impress your guests is crucial. From sky terraces and amazing views to fireplaces and stunning chandeliers, these dining room’s “wow-factors” will surely be the talk of your dinner party.
In today’s competitive luxury condo market, interior designers are separating their projects from the pack by drawing inspiration from an unlikely source — hotels and restaurants.
Jeffrey Beers, an internationally-acclaimed interior architect famed for designing countless award-winning hospitality projects, recently tapped his experience to create restaurant-style kitchens fit for an executive chef at his newest residential project, 277 Fifth Avenue, in NYC.
“Cooking is like a dance,” says Beers, which is why the kitchens at 277 were carefully considered so meals can to be prepared fluidly. The gourmet kitchens are highly efficient, with single-slab marble backsplashes that feature niche shelf cut outs; sleek white-oak cabinets with thoughtfully placed shelves; and large millwork pantries with soft-close features.
Photo courtesy Pentagram
It’s no secret that Italy — home to many admired artists, designers and architects — has produced a range of beautiful artistry. So it’s no surprise that today’s Italian-crafted furniture continues to bring unique elements to any home, from bathroom to kitchen to outdoor living areas.
By Alyssa Gautieri
Machinne Volanti
Designed by Italian artist Piero Fornasetti, these hand-painted tile designs feature bright and whimsical patterns like balloons, planes and ships. Inspired by the frescoes that Fornasetti painted as a young man in his bedroom, Hastings Tile & Bath’s Machinne Volanti is reflective of Italian artistry. “We work very hard to find artisans and manufacturers whose products are unique — and unlike anything else you would find here in North America,” said Kevin Mashia, the director of tile products for Hastings Tile & Bath. “We certainly feel that the Fornasetti collection of tiles is the perfect embodiment of our continued mission.”
Photo courtesy of Hastings Tile & Bath
Gloss Black Appliances
ILVE is embracing the re-emerging kitchen design trend — black appliances and finishes — with its new Gloss Black color option available in the Majestic Collection of ranges and hoods. Known for its handcrafted Italian appliances, ILVE’s Gloss Black finish continues to bring luxury to life. “The Gloss Black finish is so rich, it adds a layer of elegance, drama and sophistication to the kitchen,” said Melissa Haber, director of sales and marketing for EuroChef USA. With more than 220 colors, three trim options and four leg options, this collection is truly customizable.
Photo courtesy of ILVE Appliances
Hexa Stools
Twentieth presents Lebello’s Italian-crafted Hexa Stools, which are available in a range of hexagonal shapes and colors, as well as three sizes and two heights. While they bring life to outdoor areas, these stools also use a knit-tech fabric and Breath-Air foam to provide extraordinary outdoor softness and elasticity. Twentieth’s Founder and Director Stefan Lawrence called the sophistication of the fabric an “incredible advantage.” “The stools may look ordinary from a distance, but the uniqueness lies in its knit-tech fabric,” agreed Lars Dahmann, Lebello’s founder and brand manager. “I find the product very striking. It’s a harmonious balance of innovative materials with a simple design approach.”
Photo courtesy of Lebello
This story originally appeared in Unique Homes Summer 2017.