Tap Tap
A Touchable Faucet
Monday, October 06, 2008
Here’s a good compromise between traditional taps and taps with sensors that might not work quite as well as we’d like.
The Pilar faucet from Delta can be turned on or off with just a touch. Using a finger, forearm or elbow, just tap it anywhere on the spout or the handle. The faucet can also help conserve water, as just a touch keeps water from running when you don’t need it.
Currently the technology is available in a low gooseneck pulldown kitchen faucet in chrome and steel finishes.
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It’s All About the Crema
Cappuccino Conquers the World
Monday, March 17, 2008
European kitchens have sprouted a new appliance. The cappuccino machine. Whether in city condominiums or farmhouses, grand villas or modest apartments, there’s a cappuccino maker on the counter.
Germany, Switzerland and Austria have really embraced the tradition. And even though the French have their own coffee traditions, they’ve also joined in. But unlike Italians, everyone drinks cappuccino throughout the day, not just in the morning.
Perhaps it’s part of globalization, or maybe it’s just all those George Clooney commercials-- his ads for a particular brand of espresso are ubiquitous in Europe. The Clooney coffee is a ready-to-brew version—one need only insert a small packet into the machine and presto, fresh espresso. The downside is that only that brand of coffee can be used. If you want to try a different bean or a different roast from what is offered, you’ll have to buy a different machine.
But not to worry, there are plenty to choose from!
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New Europe
Contemporary Style Rules
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Our reports for the next few months will be coming from France, Switzerland, Germany and Italy. The Dream Spaces editorial department spares no expense to bring the latest in home and lifestyle trends to the Central Coast. Well, okay, the editor is in Europe, so let’s make hay while the sun shines.
The twice-yearly sales are on in France until the end of next week. And the French are shopping! Even big-ticket items like entire kitchens are on sale, with up to 70% off. Kitchen design in France, as in most of Europe, tends toward contemporary (with a few regional exceptions).
Yet even though the lush spreads in design magazines show unadulterated surfaces and kitchens where surgery could safely be performed, in people’s homes, kitchens are invariably warm and welcoming. Regional influences work their way in, from the olive green and yellow pots of Provence to the linen and red color scheme of Alsace. And of course, everything is designed to maximize space, with innovative drawer arrangements, pull-out pantries, under-cabinet utilization and built-in appliances. Cooktops are computer-controlled electric (I confess that while visiting a friend in Switzerland, it took me a minute to figure out how to work, i.e., program, the stove!) Unlike American cooktops, European models have for many years used a seamless heating system from low to high, so that it’s possible to simmer a sauce on a very low heat with superb control.
You’ll still see stainless steel, but less so on refrigerators and dishwashers, where facing material is used to blend these with cabinets. Muted marble countertops are common and again, everything is designed for ease of cleanup, with no joins or overlapping edges where debris can get trapped. Contemporary design is as prized for its functionality as its style.
More on kitchens in our next post.
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Dry Grass
Bamboo Fiber Soaks It Up
Sunday, December 30, 2007
The latest arrival in trendy bathrooms is bamboo. Not on the floors or in cabinets, but in the towels.
Pure Fiber’s 100% bamboo towels are plush and soft. But besides the softness and silkiness of cashmere, bamboo yarn gives you the absorbency of fine cotton. Even better, bamboo yarns are more environmentally friendly than cotton, which accounts for a quarter of all crop pesticide use worldwide. Bamboo fabric requires less dye than cotton, modal or viscose, and the color is much more vivid.
And when you’re ready for new towels, the old ones are biodegradable. As a natural cellulose fiber, bamboo can be 100% biodegraded in soil by microorganism and sunshine.
Pure Fiber’s towels come in a range of colors like midnight blue, coastal blue, zesty orange, sunny yellow and, of course, white and natural. A set of bathtowels retails for $42.
Locally, Bambu Batu stocks bamboo towels and other bamboo items.
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Thrown a Curve
A New Shape in Showers
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
A new shower from Italian design firm Aqvadesign was inspired by the use of wood in beautiful ships, where it withstands the action of sea and sun.
Suggesing the graceful curve of a ship’s hull, the 2-inch thick Aqvaplana shower panel is designed in solid marine Okumè type wood. It might seem counter-intuitive to use wood in a bathroom where it’s in direct contact with water for extended periods. But the idea of creating a shower panel of wood normally used in boat-building and further protecting it with special marine-type varnishes, actually brings the natural warmth and beauty of wood directly into your bathroom, without any problems related to mildew or deterioration.
Available in 6 wood colour variations (Zebrano, Ebony, Wenghe’, Teak, Oak and Paduk), the panel has an ultra-thin frame (5.5 cm at the base and 3.5 cm at the height of the shower head), that is entirely concealed (no connection between the faucet and shower head is visible externally). For even more wow factor, the fixture can be installed free-standing.
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Hot Topic
Towel Warmers Go Designer
Monday, November 26, 2007
Just in time for chilly weather, Thermique’s glass towel warmers are creating buzz in design circles.
Say goodbye to those familiar chrome tubes and welcome a sleek, silent heated glass version. The electrically heated, energy-efficient glass panels are suspended between wall-mounted brackets. The glass can be customized with your monogram or other designs. Brackets are available in polished chrome, oil-rubbed bronze, brushed or polished nickel, and polished brass.
In addition to the wall-mounted panels, Thermique plans to add floor models soon.
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