Fire in the Hole
Where You Never Expected It
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Don’t have a chimney? Have one chimney but want two fireplaces. More? No problem.
The Concept line from Planika will have flames dancing in any room you like. The secret is in an eco-friendly fuel based on ethyl alcohol. It’s smokeless and odor-free. Only water vapour and carbon dioxide are emitted - in proportions similar to those contained in the air exhaled from the lungs.
You can put a fire in your coffee table, in a wall unit, on the wall or in a sculptural form. The Coffee Fire Long is a sleek coffee table with aluminum legs into which is set a cyliner for your fire.
It’s easy to set up—the company promises that within 10 minutes, you’ll have a fire blazing!
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A Roll in the Hay
Spas Find a New Medium
Friday, February 22, 2008
Europeans are hitting the hay in greater numbers as the popularity of the “hay cure” increases.
Found most prominently in the Alpine regions, the hay cure makes use of a plentiful local resource—the flower and herb-filled grass that grows on the surrounding Alpine meadows. The hay comes from meadows between 900 and 1000 meters (it’s the same hay that the famed Alpine milk cows eat in winter—a dried version of the fresh grass and plants they graze on throughout the summer.)
These high meadows are filled with wild herbs and flowers—on average there are 85 different medicinal herbs in one square meter of meadow! The ground cannot be chemically fertilized and modern harvesting technology is banned, largely because the machines cut the grass too short and the little plants can’t grow tall enough to seed. So farmers manually reap the hay with scythes.
Light and airy, medium green in color with a marvelous aroma, the hay is sewn into natural linen cloths. The spa guest wraps herself in the cloths while moist warm air frees the aromatic oils in the hay that are absorbed through the skin. And the aromatherapy from the hay is not only good for breathing problems, but is said to be helpful with depression.
In any case, it smells wonderful and feels wonderful. No wonder European spas are making hay!
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Localizing the French Kitchen
The French Way
Sunday, February 17, 2008
As promised, more on French kitchens. While contemporary reigns, you’ll find regional influences widespread. In Provence, you see lots of stone, both the material and the color, primarily a honey-colored limestone. In Alsace and Savoie, with ample forests, you’ll see wood for walls, floors and cabinets. In Brittany, stone again, but with the cooler colors prevalent in the region, including a silvery granite. Each region maintains the tradition of using local materials to create a unique and recognizable style.
Translating this approach to the Central Coast, means that even though we might have a contemporary, or Tuscan or Mission kitchen, we can localize it. Our local limestone resembles the stone of Provence, and would add a wonderfully warm accent to a kitchen—perhaps a backsplash, an accent around an archway or in a wall or floor. Oak, although not plentiful, is common on the Central Coast, so oak cabinets or accents would reflect the materials of our region. Iron cut-work celebrating our ranching heritage, a set of olivewood spoons or other kitchen accoutrements made from old vines would create a sense of place.
The French sense of style relies on confidence. Take a page from that stylebook and bring the region into your home in your own way!
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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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Rough and Ready
New Flooring Gets Banged Up
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
The latest trend in Southern California flooring is faux-old wood planks, according to the National Wood Flooring Association.
Hand scraped, brushed, punched and worn planks are the hottest thing in flooring. Some manufacturers even use a tumbler that swirls chains and bolts around smooth wood to distress it. Part of the appeal is the instant sense of history that comes with a distressed floor. The other part, of course, is the ease of care. You can’t hurt a distressed floor.
According to Chris Phillips of DeChateau Hardwood Flooring in San Diego, the trend started five years ago in California among owners of contemporary homes who wanted to contrast modern architecture and furniture with a casual floor. Crews used to do the work onsite; now the distressing is done by the supplier.
It might seem backwards, but distressed wood is more expensive than pristine planks. For a super-authentic look, hand-distressing is the way to go. Hand-distressing mimics real wear and tear better than machine-distressing, with prices starting around $14 a square foot. But much of the work can be done by machine instead of by hand, which makes it more affordable—around $5 a square foot.
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Capri Style
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Imagine a villa on Capri—white and flower-bedecked, clinging to a hillside with sweeping views over a deep blue sea, cool interiors and interesting furniture. Now imagine that you’ve been invited inside.
Mariella Gardella has persuaded 23 Caprese villa owners to throw open their doors for this lush book. Superb photography captures the essence of Capri—its terraced gardens, sailboats, cliffs and coves and most of all, its color. As she tours these enchanting private villas, Gardella draws readers to the heart of the home, the kitchen, sprinkling traditional local recipes throughout the book.
