The Black Hole
Is No More with New Shower Flooring
Friday, June 22, 2007
No matter how gorgeous your shower, well, there’s still that ugly drain. If only there were a better way. Oh, wait, there is.
A system by Lacava Design called Tatami Brick offers an alternative. The ceramic bricks are set in a resin container with a drainage system that wicks away the water. The non-slip bricks snap into place and their ridges channel water away from your feet so you feel secure standing on them. You even get a little foot massage at the same time.
Measuring just over two inches thick, the bricks are easily removed for cleaning. The system is manufactured by Ceramica Flaminia in Italy and imported by Lacava Design.
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Il Bagno Bello
Bathing Italian Style
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
We love contemporary Italian bathroom design. And the aptly named Agape is one of the best practitioners of the art. Their Spoon bathtub is, you guessed it, spoon-shaped: wider at the top and narrowing to a delightfully smaller curve at the foot. According to the company, the tub’s inclined concave internal profile allows optimal water distribution. We love it for its clean, sculptured lines.
A different kind of curve shows up in the Chiocciola shower in the form of a nautilus-like spiral, suitable for free standing, corner or recessed locations. Access can be from the right or left and the screen wall can be transparent or translucent.
The Ufo is an extra-large stainless steel bathtub that uses industrial components adapted for use in large bathrooms. Available in polished stainless steel or with a white enamel interior and black enamel exterior, it does rather resemble a flying saucer. The company likens it to a space-age version of traditional cast iron tubs.
Agape also gives a contemporary twist to a traditional material with their Woodline tub in waterproof birch plywood with light, medium or dark oak veneer. The ergonomic interior section is modeled as a chaise longue.
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Shrink to Fit
Modular Appliances Made for Small Spaces
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Gaggenau‘s Vario 200 series delivers a big bang for the buck. If space is limited, you can get full-size service from their line of space-saving modular cooktops.
The line of 12-inch modules includes eight special-purpose appliances, high-tech in stainless steel, with new-style, sturdy control knobs set in a glowing orange ring. In the 200 series, surfaces are finished in shot-blasted aluminum, gleaming, light and robust, with top-mounted control knobs. Modules include such gourmet extras as a barbecue grill, in-counter steamer, deep fryer, a wok and even an induction cooktop.
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Squared Away
Tile Breaks Out of the Box
Monday, March 26, 2007
Surving Studios‘ porcelain relief tiles are real standouts. Literally. Surving’s range of “cutouts,” or appliqués, are made by cutting away the background around the relief when the clay is wet to leave a free-standing leaf or animal.
Their nature-themed collections include the Rainforest, like its namesake rich in variety and detail. It includes full trees with branches, leaves, and animals, bark tiles, even a tree frog peeking out of a knothole. A blue butterfly, a large beetle, and a tiger moth are each sculpted perched on a leaf. The Waterworld collection includes diving frogs, seahorses, fish, turtles and lilypads.
Most of their 2”, 4”, and 6” decorative tile can be turned into an appliqué, which can be applied to wood, painted walls, plastic or almost any smooth surface. Cutting them into stone, tile, or even wood creates another handsome effect. The appliqué tiles can be used indoors, outdoors, and in wet environments.
Consult a dealer for help with creating designs, picking the right tiles and expert advice on the proper grouts and colors of grout. Locally, you can find Surving applique tiles, as well as their other lines, at Matt Clark Tile in San Luis Obispo.
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All Righty, Zen!
Meditating on a Quality Soak
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Got a tub gathering dust in your bathroom? Why not replace it with a Japanese soaking tub? Smaller and deeper than regular tubs, they truly represent the Zen of bathing. Taking up less space, easier to maintain, and using less water and energy than regular baths, Japanese soaking tubs are gaining traction in Central Coast bathrooms.
Diamond Spas makes a selection of beautiful Japanese baths in stainless and copper. Durable and beautiful, copper tubs come in a variety of earth colors from medium to dark brown. Stainless tubs deliver durability, superior corrosion resistance and, of course, a cool, sleek profile. Diamond Spas can customize your tub — shape, size, individualized seating and jet packages can all be engineered to customers’ preferences.
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A Royal Flush
When The Standard Loo Just Won’t Do
Sunday, October 15, 2006
TOTO’s new Double Cyclone flushing system is definitely fit for a king. The company’s engineers redesigned the standard flush, getting rid of those hard-to-clean pinholes under the rim. A Double Cyclone flush begins with a high-speed stream of water from a nozzle tucked at the back of the bowl. This scours the rim while another nozzle fires a second high-speed water jet to provide a second rim scour. Finally, a siphon jet whisks away any remaining debris.
A redesigned rim makes it all possible. Traditional hollow rims overhang the bowl and release water through those pesky pinholes. It can be hard to clean trapped waste or bacteria from up under the rim. With TOTO’s new concave rim design, water from the primary and secondary nozzles fires around the concave rim removing debris and bacteria with each flush for a virtually self-cleaning toilet.
The Double Cyclone flushing system is available in the new 1.6 gpf toilets in TOTO’s Guinevere and Soiree collections.
TOTO products are available in San Luis Obispo at Pacific Coast Kitchen & Bath.
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