Here are some of the top kitchen trends to try out in 2022:

Colored Cabinets

Yes, white or wood-toned materials are classic and will continue to be the backbone of most kitchens, but we’re starting to see pops of color on island bases and other custom cabinetry. Blues of every shade are holding onto their spot as a popular accent hue, but homeowners are branching out with lush greens and deep reds to add visual contrast.

Customized Storage

Open shelving can be pretty, but it often means sacrificing valuable storage space. Especially in today’s multi-generational households where there are more people living under one roof than ever, eliminating wasted space is essential. That means getting more creative with display and storage options, including custom-size shelves and cabinets, and built-in organization for things like spices and bakeware.

Veined Slabs

They’ve been on their way up for a while now, but 2022 will be the year of countertops with dramatic focal veins. A river of black or grey running through a creamy white marble or quartz can be a real showstopper.

Resilient Waterproof Flooring

Homeowners are always looking for products that combine form and function, which is why waterproof core or luxury vinyl flooring is hot right now. According to an annual survey by Houzz.com, almost a quarter of those upgrading their kitchen flooring in 2022 are choosing the easy maintenance of resilient vinyl planks or tiles, more than doubling its popularity in the last three years. This durable material is extremely versatile, can look like tile or wood, and come in almost any shape, width, or texture.

Marble Backsplashes

While about half of homeowners are still opting for tile backsplashes, the Houzz survey found that marble is on the rise, with many preferring the clean look of just one material between their cabinetry. Many choose the same material for both their countertops and backsplashes, although it can be chic to have complementary patterns in the same color range. The backsplash “envelope” – extending the backsplash all the way to the ceiling – is also having a major design moment right now.

Delightful Details

Especially after spending so much time stuck in our houses over the past two years, we’ve all had a chance to become very familiar with our kitchens. Many people are looking to spice up the heart of their home with distinctive details like custom-built range hoods, unique hardware, or designer wall plates. These smaller and less expensive changes can provide just the right amount of drama in a larger space.

Smart Appliances

Artificial intelligence is being integrated into so many aspects of our lives these days, and the home kitchen is no exception. This year, homeowners can take advantage of many time and headache-saving devices. Connected refrigerators allow you to customize the temperature or check their contents remotely, smart ovens give you the flexibility to start baking a dish while you’re away from home, and smart dishwashers automatically dispense the perfect amount of detergent for any load. You can find smart tech in almost every appliance and gadget nowadays, from toasters and air fryers to range hoods and garbage cans.

If things keep going like this, cooking and cleaning your kitchen will be a whole lot easier in 2022.

The post 2022 Kitchen Design Trends to Try in Your Home first appeared on Dornob.

Tuscan style is just one of the latest in this parade of design ideas du jour that include trends like cottagecore and California cool. But unlike those other trends, Tuscan style is less a blend of design aesthetics that form a signifying and distinctive thread. Rather, it’s more a design style influenced by a specific region and overall vibe.

Instantly recognizable, Tuscan style can often be eerily similar to Southwestern, at least in terms of materials. Think stucco, terracotta, and warm, rustic woods. But where Southwestern style relies on bright colors and patterns, crafted materials like woven and handmade items, and vivid ceramics, Tuscan style design takes a slightly different approach.

So what exactly is it?

In Your Element

Tuscan style largely revolves around natural hues and rustic palettes influenced by warm earth tones. These natural design elements stretch well beyond the color scheme, extending to the materials used both in and outside Tuscan-inspired homes. Because sandstone and limestone are commonly found in central Italy, they’re often incorporated into this type of design aesthetic. Marble is another popular material that’s often used for decorative touches and indoor features like floors, arches, and pillars. Overall, these features create a natural look that evokes Tuscany’s sun-baked beauty and earthiness.

Elegant Simplicity

During ancient Roman times, people often flocked to the warm hillsides of Tuscany to escape the bustling and often contentious city life. Thus, their countryside homes tended to evoke warm, inviting feelings not constrained by austerity, embracing the loveliness of nature with a simplistic style that was both well used and well loved. Wide, wooden plank floors, shutters, doors, and windows create a warmth that contrasts well with color-washed stucco walls that appear as if they were borne out of the earth itself.

The furnishings also evoke this straightforward, subtle simplicity. Think clean lines, well-worn, natural woods, and accents that incorporate tile, marble, and wrought iron features. Other popular materials include copper and terracotta, but think moderation, not maximalism. Simple yet rustic touches like a terracotta backdrop in the kitchen, majolica dinnerware to add a bit of color and texture, and copper pots hanging from a wrought iron shelf. The palette, though natural, does incorporate some color. Blues and greens are used to create a cooling effect while warm ochres, golds, and yellows evoke the warm Tuscan sun.

Outdoor Oeuvre

And don’t forget about the outdoors! Tuscan-style villas often have extended outdoor areas that open up to include lovely green spaces within a central courtyard. Marble is also a central feature here, in the form of statuary or even water fountains that often form the center of attention. Still, Tuscan-style outdoor areas, while usually contained within brick or stone walkways in a courtyard design, are also meant to look a bit wild, kind of like letting nature take its course. Think wildly growing greenery swaying in the breeze, tall grasses, and an overall uncultivated look that adds to the charm and creates that countryside villa feel.

Tuscan design style is a great way to bring the natural, sun-kissed look of the central Italian countryside into your home. Just work in some warm, welcoming tones accented with muted blues, greens, and yellows, natural elements like wood, stone, and marble, and accents like wrought iron features and terracotta tiles, and you’ll have yourself a true Tuscan villa in no time.

The post Looking for a Big Change? Try Tuscan Style in 2022 first appeared on Dornob.

In 2013, Italian architect Dario del Bufalo, an expert on ancient stone and marble, was in New York to give a lecture and sign copies of his book Porphyry. Included in the book was a photo of a red and green mosaic that had once been part of the dance floor on one of emperor Caligula’s extravagant “party ships.”

“There was a lady with a young guy with a strange hat that came to the table,” Del Bufalo told CBS’ 60 Minutes. “And he told her, ‘What a beautiful book. Oh, Helen, look, that’s your mosaic.’ And she said, ‘Yeah, that’s my mosaic.’”

The architect chased down the young man, who led them to art dealer and gallery owner Helen Fioratti, who did in fact own the ancient tile work and had mounted it to a pedestal as a coffee table decades earlier. The artwork was subsequently confiscated by New York authorities and returned to the Italian government.

Emperor Caligula, one of the most despised Roman rulers, was known for his violence and over-the-top opulence. Among other things, he commissioned two giant pleasure barges (one was as long as an Airbus A380 plane) to sit on Lake Nemi. After his assassination in 41 A.D., the ships were sunk and remained at the bottom of the lake until the 1920s, when Italian dictator Benito Mussolini had the lake emptied. Hundreds of artifacts were recovered over the following years and put in a museum, but as the Nazis retreated from Italy in 1944, both the ships and the museum were destroyed by fire.

Because the mosaic-turned-coffee table shows no signs of fire damage, authorities suspect it was either stolen from the museum before the blaze or taken for a private collection before it could ever make it to the museum.

“These items may be beautiful, storied, and immensely valuable to collectors, but willfully disregarding the provenance of an item is effectively offering tacit approval of a harmful practice that is, fundamentally, criminal,” New York County District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. said in a statement speaking of the mosaic, as well as two other artifacts recovered and returned to Italy.

“It was an innocent purchase,” Fioratti told the New York Times in 2017. “It was our favorite thing and we had it for 45 years.”

She and her husband reportedly bought it from a Roman noble family in the 1960s, through a sale brokered by an Italian police official known for finding Nazi-looted art after World War II. When the millennia-old artifact was seized, the Fiorattis were not prosecuted, and although they still feel they have a legitimate claim to it, they did not fight the confiscation.

“I felt very sorry for her,” Del Bufalo said of Fioratti, “but I couldn’t do anything different, knowing that my museum in Nemi is missing the best part that went through the centuries, through the war, through a fire, and then through an Italian art dealer, and finally could go back to the museum. That’s the only thing I felt I should have done.”

At any rate, Italy is happy to have reclaimed one of its priceless pieces of history.

“The mosaic testifies how important and luxurious these imperial ships were,” Nemi Mayor Alberto Bertucci said in March, when the artwork was installed at the Museum of Roman Ships. “These [boats] were like buildings: They were not supposed to sail and they confirm the greatness of this emperor who wanted to show the greatness of his rule of the Roman empire through these ships.”

“This is a great day for Nemi and our entire territory!” the mayor added.

The post Ancient Roman Mosaic Recovered After Spending 50 Years as a Coffee Table first appeared on Dornob.

“As the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, we are happy to participate, under the aegis of the Italian Commissariat for Expo, in this innovative project, the first high-tech reproduction of Michelangelo’s David. The David will be the protagonist of the Italian Pavilion of the next Universal Exposition…[this] icon of beauty and perfection will represent not only Italian art, his figure will above all be the bearer of an important positive message of rebirth, hope, and courage,” says the Accademia’s director Cecilie Hollberg.

Over the course of the next 12 months, until the October opening of the postponed Expo 2020 Dubai, the construction of the David’s high-tech brother will begin with comprehensive data collection and digitization. The natural plastics, resins, and other “innovative materials” will then be milled before being filtered through the “largest 3D printer in the world.” After being both machine and hand-polished, the final step will be detail work, like painting the replica to imitate the original’s marble coloring.

Digital David will be a collaboration between Italy’s preeminent engineers, computer scientists, artisans, curators, teachers, and restorers, all under the supervision of the University of Florence.

The 16th-century masterpiece is no stranger to being copied. Since its unveiling in 1504, Michelangelo’s treasure has been reproduced in countless forms and places. There are two full-scale facsimiles in Florence alone. A marble version is also located outside City Hall, the David’s original site (the real one currently resides safely out of the elements in the Galleria dell’Accademia). A bronze, now-patinaed model looks over the city at the Piazzale Michelangelo. The statue also has life-size likenesses in other places all over the world, including New York, California, Brazil, Uruguay, Korea, and Australia. According to the Wikipedia page about the David’s imitations, a plaster cast was even installed in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum in 1957 and included a “detachable fig leaf, used for added modesty during visits by [the Queen] and other important ladies.”

The newest edition is not even the first 3D-printed David. “At Stanford University they made a first digital [reduced-scale] copy about 20 years ago, but in the meantime the tools have changed and we wanted to try to transfer the knowledge applied so far only in the industrial sector, in the aeronautical and naval sectors,” explains Hollberg.

The result will hopefully showcase the progress Italy has made since Michelangelo first got his hands on that colossal block of Carrara marble. With native companies involved in all aspects of the venture, “the promotion of Italian scientific and technological expertise is part of the operation,” says Paolo Glisenti, commissioner general for the country’s Expo pavilion. “It’s technology tied to historical memory, for future memory. History and innovation — those are the themes that interest us.”

David 2.0 will be displayed centrally as the focal point of the multi-story Italian exhibition, enabling visitors to examine it from every angle. A video recounting the entire creation process will play nearby, providing a handy guidebook on how to replicate ancient artwork in the event of damage.

After the Expo closes in March 2022, the 3D twin will be returned to Florence, although its exact location has yet to be determined.

The post Michelangelo’s David Gets “Digital Twin” for World’s Fair first appeared on Dornob.

Mái Apartment embraces and reimagines the aftermath of Vietnam’s fraught colonial history. The country was controlled by France for more than six decades as part of the so-called “French Indochina,” during which time the French believed it was their responsibility to introduce modern Western political, social, industrial, and technological ideas to Asian and African nations in order to “civilize” them.

Northern Vietnam declared independence from France in 1945, but Western influences continued to have a big impact in the ensuing decades. Imported from the United States, Modernist architecture flourished as part of an effort to overthrow the French neoclassicism, introducing a new aesthetic of concrete and terrazzo to the otherwise-tropical environment. Great examples of this style in Vietnam include the General Science Library by Nguyen Huh Then and Bui Quang Hang and Independence Palace by Ngô Viết Thụ.

Take a walk through Ho Chi Minh City and you’ll see evidence of these influences on virtually every street. The style is easy to spot when it comes to exteriors, but less common indoors, especially within residences. Whale Design Lab, led by architect Hanh Le, has brought to life a striking arrangement of minimalist surfaces and monumental forms without making any significant structural changes to the existing apartment.

One significant influence is Louis Kahn, one of America’s greatest 20th-century architects. A master of Brutalism, Kahn created such visionary structures as the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California (1959-65), Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire (1965-72), and the striking National Assembly Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh (1962-63). His work is typified by dynamic geometric shapes, and though most of his structures were made of cold and hefty cement, they never felt static or boring.

Hanh Le saw in Kahn’s work a revolutionary functionality and pared-down elegance, eventually leading him to wonder how could these aesthetics be recreated “in a boring four-bedroom condo apartment.”

The giant circular cutouts seen in the Phillips Exeter Academy appear here in a new way, sliced out of interior concrete walls that allow light to pass between the spacious, open two-level living area and a quiet study with a curving built-in desk upstairs. They’re echoed by the rounded archways subtly separating and defining various interior spaces, including the lip of a gorgeous terrazzo floor, which uses large chunks of white marble inlay instead of aggregate for an updated look.

This terrazzo continues both up the stairs to the second level and into the kitchen, where it forms the counters, central island, and even a backsplash. Custom furniture, like a rounded dining table with a built-in planter for a living tree, perfectly complements the architecture of the space. Tropical greenery and warm wood give it an edge that’s distinctly Vietnamese.

The apartment takes its name, mái, from the Vietnamese word for “polish.” It took three years to complete, but the result meets all of the clients’ needs with a refreshing sense of uniqueness that can’t be found anywhere else.

The post Modernist Apartment Makeover Brings Louis Kahn to Tropical Vietnam first appeared on Dornob.

Though Dorsey’s eponymous studio is based in Dallas, Texas, he more recently opened up a Los Angeles outpost in hopes of broadening his horizons. These newfound coastal surroundings, as well as the “anything is possible” attitude so prominent in California, seem to have played a big role in shaping his new collection, whose diverse pieces are near-direct reflections of the state’s awe-inspiring topographies.

STRIKE offers us six bold sculptural designs — Calistoga, Laguna, Malibu, Ojai, Sausalito, and Sea Ranch — each available in nine types of marble and limestone: White, Poseidon, Pewter, Nero, Montclaire, Danby, Cream, Charcoal, and Breccia Nuvole. On top of that, each fireplace can be adorned with one of three types of finish. And while that may sound like a lot of options to choose from, you can rest assured that every piece in this collection is refreshingly textural, unapologetically modern, and undeniably thought-provoking.

“A lot of traditional fireplaces are already available, but there were hardly any modern options at all,” Dorsey explains. “I started designing my own streamlined fireplaces for interiors projects and expanded upon that for the line.”

“People are more interested now in stones that have a lot more texture and movement of pattern,” he adds. “Breccia Nuvole gray marble is one of my favorites, because it looks like lava stone, especially when it’s given a rough finish.”

Hailing from Tennessee, Dorsey’s passion for architecture began early on, eventually leading him to pursue a degree in architecture and, after that, a career in hospitality design. He’s since overseen projects like clubs, hotels, airplane interiors, and luxury residences — all worth a collective $2 billion.

The designer’s website notes that “his aesthetic is best described as ‘relaxed luxury,’ which is defined by a quiet palette, custom furnishings with handcrafted details, meaningful objects, and a true sense of the people who live there. He believes furnishings should be impactful without being overwhelming, and rooms should flow and transition seamlessly.” This style is evident in Dorsey’s interiors projects, too, whether it be his ultra-beachy “Surf Shack” retreat in Dallas’ Forest Hills neighborhood, a super sophisticated, LA-inspired “La La Land” home, or a graphic wonderland of a Hamptons Showhouse.

In a recent interview with California Home Design, Dorsey expounded further on his distinct brand of “relaxed luxury,” explaining that for him, “relaxed luxury is the idea of living casually with things a person loves to touch and feel in a way that is approachable and not precious. Relaxed luxury is understated. Often quiet, it can go unnoticed, but the user with a discerning eye will appreciate the details and the soothing feeling. Relaxed luxury is achieved with custom furnishings incorporating handcrafted details, meaningful objects, and a true sense of the people who live there.”

The post STRIKE: Chad Dorsey’s Bold Stone Fireplaces Heat Up the Modern Home first appeared on Dornob.

The brief was to take over the factory, located in Los Angeles’ Culver City area, and make it a showroom in which minimalist bathroom fixtures by The Splash Lab could shine. Founded by brothers Justin and Fraser Lovell, The Splash Lab emphasizes craftsmanship, cutting-edge manufacturing processes, modularity, and rich raw materials like marble and copper in its washroom designs. Their work challenges conventional ideas of what these spaces can look like and offer, combining high functionality with streamlined looks.

Highlighting these products meant designing a flagship showroom that got to the essence of The Splash Lab’s identity, granting mundane objects an air of dignity. The designers’ solution? Introducing an interior scheme that looks a lot more like a church than it does a public bathroom.

“The Splash Lab wanted to create something unique that resonated with their passion for design, experience, and exploration,” says McLaren Excell. “They were, however, open minded as to how this intent might be communicated as a work of architecture…We introduced a series of monumental insertions that would create an evocative user experience, whilst establishing a clear spatial hierarchy to the unit. The design needed to have enough tactility to achieve the weight and presence necessary to establish this identity but without competing with the existing building fabric.”

The designers created four “monumental interventions” to establish six distinct areas, all separated by large cathedral-like archways that “suggest a theme of spirituality and ritual cleansing.” Visitors first walk through the “portal” arch at the entrance to transition into the gallery and proceed through the rest of the space.

“Much like a church or cathedral, the interventions establish a simple structuring to the space. To continue the analogy, from the narthex you enter a central nave which is flanked by two side aisles. There is a transept with a sculptural steel table as the central altar, which is intended to encourage participation through interactive displays and formal seminars. An triple-arched apse provides the axial focal point and marks the end of journey, while a screen divides the public areas of showroom ‘worship’ from the private area of the staff ‘choir’ — or, in this instance, meeting rooms — helping to establish a clear threshold between public and private spaces. This simple and timeless format provides the setting for showcasing The Splash Lab.”

Simple geometries, muted colors, and carefully chosen lighting frame the products without overpowering them. Concrete plinths, built-in display niches and extensive use of marble reinforce the subtle theme. If there’s one thing that draws your attention away from the goods, it’s that stunning ceiling, but you can only crane your neck for so long. The result presents the brand’s serene faucets, basins, hand dryers, grab bars, and other products within a sanctuary, which is just what The Splash Lab intended.

The post Arches, Plinths, and Lots of Marble Make This L.A. Showroom a Sanctuary first appeared on Dornob.

Bold Marble

Image via Maddux Creative

Skip the standard Carrera marble and try something a little bit out of the ordinary instead. Unusual marble patterns like Zebrino, Arabascato, and Paonazzo add artistic flair and the grounding influence of natural materials in one. And when it comes to 2020 bathroom trends, this design by Maddux Creative practically has it all: an interesting marble pattern, gold accents, open shelving, and vessel sinks.

Brass and Gold

Image via Blaze Makoid Architecture

It’s hard to be mad about the continued popularity of warm, elegant-looking brass and gold accents in interior design. You can bring these metallic materials into the bathroom in all sorts of ways, including lighting, mirror trim, faucets, and cabinet hardware.

Dramatic Black

Image via HGTV

Bathrooms are usually fairly small, so they may not seem like great candidates for dark hues. But you don’t have to paint your whole bathroom black in order to pull off this trend. Black brings in some contrast that sets off other elements in the room: daylight streaming in through the windows, living plants, white walls, beautiful marble, gleaming lighting fixtures, and reflective surfaces. Try incorporating it through your vanity, an accent wall, shelving, or accessories. Black cast iron tubs set against white walls are also very popular this year.

Integrated Lighting

Image via Grand Mirrors

Good news for your makeup application routine: we’ll likely see a lot more diffused LED lighting integrated into bathroom elements like mirrors, shelves, and vanities in 2020. The effect is much softer than that of a standard lighting fixture, and it tends to be a lot more flattering, too.

Open Shelving

Image via Septembre Architects

The idea of open shelving in the bathroom isn’t to keep all your clutter in full view, but rather to mimic a spa-like feeling with well-curated vignettes. Shelves on the wall or beneath your vanity might display baskets full of plush towels, aesthetically friendly bath oils and salts, plants, or apothecary jars full of cotton balls.

Smart Features

Image via Kohler

If you’re disappointed that, in the decidedly futuristic-sounding year of 2020, we still don’t have all the cool tech predicted back in the 80s, you can at least soothe yourself with a shower that’s perfectly customized to your preferences down to the single degree. Smart features are invading one of our most private spaces, and while to some people that sounds like a nightmare, to others it’s a dream.

For instance, Kohler has a new smart toilet with built-in speakers, ambient lighting and, for some reason, Amazon Alexa support. Their Verdera Voice Lighted Mirror supports Google Assistant, as well, playing music, telling you the weather, or changing the color of the integrated lights. And Kohler’s PerfectFill bathtub technology will draw a bath “to your preferred preset temperature and desired depth with a simple voice command.”

The post 6 Bathroom Trends That Feel Fresh for 2020 first appeared on Dornob.

A new series by Italian furniture manufacturer LEMA offers pieces that almost never look exactly the same. Their new “LT40” system, designed by David Quincoces, aims to be versatile in both its aesthetics and functionality. The pieces come in four configurations: freestanding, cupboard, shelving, and “boiserie,” or wall paneling. Each of these elements can also include open “containers” for displaying objects, benches, drawers, cabinets, work surfaces, and more.

That means you can design pieces built to meet the unique requirements of every room in the house. Create a cabinet and shelves for the dining room that fits your collection of dishes and glassware, make a desk with just the right amount of drawers and open shelving in an office or nook of your home, build a custom closet, or place floating nightstands on either end of a section of wall paneling for use as a headboard.

Though the essential shapes and lines of the collection remain firmly in the streamlined contemporary zone no matter which options you choose, you do have a lot of control over the final look. Finishing choices include wood, lacquered surfaces, glass, clay, natural marble, faux marble, and velvet.

The company adds that “these four families, mixed freely together, characterize the architecture together with a series of additional elements which complete the LT40 design: double-faced containers, benches, and elements designed to house multi-media apparatus; shelves and paneling with structural frames in aluminum, adjustable and designed for wall mounting; trays and tops in marble or stone; container boxes in wood or glass, and built-in LED lamp systems.”

“The system is enhanced by the LT_FRAME containers, with a strong graphical and chromatic impact, in six predefined types of configuration. Six cornices in two-dimensional types enclose the “tesserae of a mosaic” made up of color, wood, and transparencies, framed in a perfect equilibrium of rigorous, subtle forms. [They’re] designed for hanging on the wall and supplemented by a discreet LED light which emphasizes the internal perimeter.”

It’s not clear whether you can continue to customize each piece after you’ve chosen and assembled it. Adaptability over the life cycle of a product definitely enhances its sustainability, though, so if you move to a new home, have children, or just plain change your mind, you don’t have to buy something new. In any case, the LT40 system is definitely a stylish way to outfit your home with high-quality furniture that’s made to last.

LEMA is known as one of the greatest contemporary ambassadors of the “Made in Italy” tag. The company released its LT40 modular storage system alongside other new designs at the London Design Festival, and they can also be seen at the company’s showroom on King’s Road in London and in dealers around the world. Check out LEMA’s website to find one near you.

The post Create Custom Furniture Configurations With LEMA’s Modular LT40 System first appeared on Dornob.

Diego Rincon of Diego Alejandro Design approached this project with an unusual source of inspiration in mind: the sense of peace and calm you find in art galleries. When imagining a space that feels highly functional, spacious, and clean but with a creative edge, Rincon thought of artist Yves Klein’s posthumous “Propositions Monochromes” exhibition, which famously paired a single distinctive shade of blue with the blank white gallery walls.

The “before” image shows a fairly standard contemporary kitchen with mid-grade appliances, green Formica countertops, white subway tile, and off-white cabinetry that doesn’t match the white walls. The new custom-designed cabinetry is a cook’s dream, with each cabinet and drawer outfitted with special partitions and trays for pots and pans, cutting boards, cooking tools, colanders, and more. The new cabinets have no hardware or milled details for a more streamlined look, not to mention the fact that there are fewer doors overall, making the space look larger.

Thick, open shelving allows a curated selection of objects to set a mood while clutter is kept hidden away. Rincon took the door off the pantry to the left of the stove and transformed it with extra counter space and a pull-out cabinet to physically enlarge the kitchen. Lighter marble countertops make a big difference, too, with the extension of the marble pattern up onto the backsplash giving the space a more harmonic feel.

Rincon explains: “When I started designing this custom kitchen for my client — an avid cook with a busy schedule — I wanted to give him an efficient and functional space. But I also wanted to create a space for him that had a sense of peace and calm resembling an art gallery’s atmosphere. Cerused Oak wood with a natural grain mixed with custom, high-gloss lacquered cabinetry, alongside calacatta lilac marble from Italy were some of the materials carefully sourced for the redesign of this kitchen in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York.”

“I removed an old set of upper cabinets to make the space feel airier. Two floating shelves took their place. To me, this is perhaps one of the most graceful parts of the kitchen. I wanted to highlight the craftsmanship that was put into every little detail that makes up the kitchen. I designed a small spice cabinet — six inches deep, to store herbs from different regions plus a selection of olive oils and vinegar bottles, which is especially convenient in New York.”

Obviously, not everyone can take their pick of Viking appliances and luxury surfaces, but just seeing how Rincon changed certain elements to alter the ambiance and functionality of the space can help spur your own ideas. Plus, if you’re a renter or on a serious budget, you can always try recreating some of these elements with IKEA’s LACK wall shelves, sleek handle-free cabinet doors, self adhesive marble film, and some organizing inserts.

All photos courtesy of Gieves Anderson

The post NYC Kitchen Renovation Takes Inspiration from Art Galleries first appeared on Dornob.

Now, over a century later, many carriage houses have been converted into homes, and they often have significant historic value. In Dublin, on a 200-year-old estate called Bolton Hall, both the main house and carriage house are protected structures. So when Ferreira Architects was commissioned to helm a renovation, they had to adhere to strict rules about what could be updated, and about what must be restored.

To preserve all of the carriage house’s original details while bringing in some modern flair, the architects worked alongside interior design firm Kingston Lafferty Design from the very beginning, involving them in fundamental decisions that would influence the overall look and feel. The renovation also involved reimagining the interior architecture and incorporating a new contemporary addition and exterior terraces.

The firm also developed the home’s interior design, landscape design, and much of the furniture design, bringing together a cohesive palette of colors and materials that you might not expect to find in a rural setting.

“The new design combines and juxtaposes the old and new buildings as one interesting and exciting multi-level, unique space,” they explain. “The existing coach house is brimming with character, charm, and original detail, so we opted to maximize this with the design. We deliberately created interesting spaces, nooks, and crannies, contrasting the old building with a juxtaposing minimal and streamlined extension design.”

“We wanted to provide the user with the optimum exciting experience, with multiple routes and ways to use the space. We employed mild steel portals to link the different areas and a floating timber stair[case] to act as a strong feature connecting the stone walls. To maximize the beautiful exterior spaces, we designed two exterior terraces, with one linking the indoor to outdoor via a fully tiled cantilevered table and bi-folding window detail.”

The vaulted brick ceilings and stonework of the original carriage house are clearly the dominating element, setting the tone and providing a whole lot of character. To balance its ruggedness, Kingston Lafferty brought in clean-lined, minimalist elements like smooth, pale wood floors, sharply defined doorways, and translucent panels, all of which have been married to the stone by way of textured concrete.

What makes this renovation stand out, however, is the elegant, feminine sensibility of the custom furnishings and fixtures, like a striking pink couch accented by red hanging lamps. A lot of designers would have leaned into the industrial nature of the building’s history, giving it a bit more of a masculine energy, but instead of an overabundance of concrete and metal pipes, we find polished marble, patterned tile, and gleaming brass.

The juxtaposition of these elements is thrillingly effective and enhanced by the fluidity of the spatial layout, making it seem like there’s always something interesting to discover around the next corner.

The post Modern Accents Meet Historic Stone in Dublin’s Bolton Coach House first appeared on Dornob.

The setting is a typical “bourgeois” apartment in a 1960s building on Corso Sempione in the historic city center. Calling the project “Teorema Milanese,” the architectural duo of Andrea Marcante and Adelaide Testa transformed the apartment’s classically-styled interiors into a bright, open, and playful living space that feels utterly of its time without being too trendy.

The architects wanted to retain the apartment’s original layout but brighten it up, so they only made one major structural change. Knocking down a partition wall to combine the living and dining rooms into a single large space, they connected the living room to the entrance and helped maintain visual contact with the kitchen. A central corridor leads to private areas like the bedrooms and bathroom.

Translucent partitions outlined in brass transmit daylight from a large bank of windows on the outer wall and establish interesting lines for the eye to follow as you move through the common areas. These lines interact with those of contrasting marble flooring, which is the real star of the apartment. Verde Alpi marble in a rich, deep green anchors the dining space, leading into the streaked blue-and-white Cipollino Tirreno marble in the entranceway. The glossiness of the marble reflects the daylight, giving the home a subdued glow all throughout.

A write-up for the renovation on HomeWorldDesign reads: “The design of the marble slabs and the pattern of the veins within them create visual pathways, guiding the inhabitants through a pattern of precise spatial hierarchies. The floor joints also form the base for a screen in brass and glass, another custom-made piece, which acts both as a visual filter between the entrance and the dining area and also as a storage feature, and whose metal ‘arms’ indicate more intimate visual pathways between the apartment’s entrance, the kitchen, and the living area. The use of marble continues in the corridor and the bathrooms, again covering the walls to provide a luxurious backdrop and base for the washbasins, in gray ‘Salomè’ marble.”

The reflectiveness of the marble is echoed by that of the metallic accents and the diamond-shaped mirror set into the dividing wall. On the ceiling, a rose mimics the look of traditional ceiling ornamentation that you’d usually see in this sort of apartment in Milan, but updates it with geometric simplicity.

Part of the beauty of this project lies in its expert blending of styles and elements, producing something that feels truly original. As the architects draw from Italy’s mastery of marble, the clean-lined elegance of art deco, and the bright, playful style of Memphis design (which actually originated in Milan), they create a home that’s rooted in history and a sense of place, yet refreshingly new.

The post Contemporary Marble-Clad Apartment in Milan Defies Interior Design Trends first appeared on Dornob.

But with the opening of Willmott’s Ghost, a new Italian eatery, anyone can pop in for an hour or two, any day of the week. You won’t get to tour the famous greenery or the five levels of botanical workspaces, but you can dine on Roman-style pizzas, fried gnocchi, clams, and tiramisu in a small section of one of the domes.

The latest establishment from esteemed restauranteur Renee Erickson, Willmott’s Ghost offers about 50 seats in a jewel box of a space decked out in an appetizingly crisp palette of materials and colors, including palest pink, mint, deep marine blue-green, white Carrera marble, and metallic gold. Accessed through its own subtly marked entrance, the café is just as beautifully lit as you’d expect, especially given its unique location within the domes.

You’ll find no Italian stereotypes here, nor an overabundance of midcentury modern nostalgia. Vertical lines draw the eye up toward the glass, with crescent moon booths and globe-shaped lamps giving the space a little extra sparkle.

While the Spheres were created by architecture firm NBBJ, Willmott’s Ghost is the work of Seattle-based Heliotrope Architects, who liken the experience to “building a ship in a bottle.” They add: “The design team drew inspiration from the unique geometry of the [spheres] and the bright, airy environments of modern art museums and galleries.”

“Enclosed within a spherical envelope, the area housing the restaurant proved an incredible — and inspiring — challenge, as much of the architecture is dictated by curves. Curved leather banquettes and booths hug the glass perimeter. Curved walls clad in painted wood pickets define the dining room, and curved bars with Italian marble tops organize the space.”

“Avoiding the tropes of Italian restaurant aesthetics, the architecture and design evoke classical themes written in a contemporary language. Willmott’s Ghost takes its name from the thistle-like flower christened in honor of Victorian horticulturalist Ellen Ann Willmott.”

The menu celebrates Italian cuisine at its best: when it’s simple enough for its star ingredients to shine. Rustic rectangles of pizzas are adorned with seasonal toppings. Plates of thinly-sliced prosciutto and artisanal cheeses are drizzled in Sapori olive oil. Local specialities like Coho salmon are accented by aromatic herbs and citrus. Get a reservation if you want a table, or walk in and sit at the bar.

If you want to see more of the Spheres, just be sure to time your trip to coincide with the first or third Saturday of the month to enjoy a free “open house” tour. Make a reservation first, though, as slots are limited and fill up quickly.

The post Willmott’s Ghost: A Chic Café Inside the Amazon Spheres first appeared on Dornob.

Some cities are so deeply associated with their history, it’s hard to see them as living, evolving places with modern identities. Take Venice, for instance. Italy’s grand canal city is best known for its gondolas, museums, old crafts like glassblowing, and ornate architectural details. So what does “modern Venice” even look like? Just head to Hotel Il Palazzo to find out.

Set in an ancient palazzo off the beaten path in the quiet residential neighborhood of Dorsoduro, Hotel Il Palazzo Experimental is a beautiful study in transmuting all of the essential elements of a city’s core identity into a space that feels fresh and cutting edge. Offering 32 elegantly designed rooms and suites along with a back garden that opens out onto a canal, the hotel is fittingly outfitted considering its proximity to both the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the Galleria dell’Accademia art museum.

Designer Dorothée Meilichzon is the mastermind behind the hotel’s chic look. The longer you look around, the more small details you’ll note that reference archetypal elements of Venetian style, starting with all of those signature arches. Home to a spectacular array of Gothic architecture, Venice is awash with arches in a variety of sizes and degrees of ornamentation, like those on the famous Doge’s Palace.

Terrazzo, the composite material consisting of chips of marble, granite, glass, or quartz in a binding material like cement, originated in Venice. So naturally, you’ll see terrazzo everywhere in the Hotel Il Palazzo, from the floors to the sign fixed onto the brick facade outside. There’s plenty of Venetian marble and glass around as well, in addition to luxe textiles like richly colored velvet. In other parts of the hotel, you’ll find stripes referencing the shirts of the gondoliers who navigate the city’s iconic boats through the canals.

But even with all of these references, there’s nothing cheesy or overdone about the design. The hotel still feels warm and welcoming, deeply rooted within its setting and unquestionably unique.

The designers explain: “We have worked on the interior of the hotel and the restaurant using very classical Venetian elements that we love, but also by using more contemporary elements such as tributes to the Memphis movement, [including] bright colors, brushed aluminum, scalloped edges, glass lamps from Luciano Vistosi, Breccia Capraia marbles, pand] arches on [the] bathtub… We have saved as many architectural existing elements as we could from the existing palazzo: the beams, the huge ceiling height on the first floor, the gallery, the amazing gothic windows, [and] the double wooden doors.”

“Elements that are already very strong in terms of identity, we have tried to reinforce with strong Venetian inspirations: symmetrical architecture, marble, many forms of stripes (painted, metal marquetry, fabrics…) “Gothique Fleuri” inspiration, colors from the laguna and from the Venetian facades — and also by using traditional timeless Venetian savoir faire such as black lacquer, traditional cement terrazzo from Venezia, some marmorino, and calce on the walls.”

The hotel also features a large restaurant on the ground floor, with an open kitchen that uses only seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients and a cocktail bar, to boot. Room rates start around €170 including taxes and fees, if you’d like to check it out in person.

The post Modern Gets Warm and Cozy at Venice’s Hotel Il Palazzo first appeared on Dornob.

It took an entire year to gut the five levels of the original 1930s brick and wood villa and complete the design for Hellas House. The construction took another five years. Chatzigiannis even laughed as he noted: “I spent the better part of my youth on it.”

Hellas is what Greeks call their homeland, which is why it was formerly known as the Hellenic Republic in English. Kontomichalos’ challenged Chatzigiannis to renovate the 5,380-square-foot villa so it would “scream Greek” without any brash or tasteless touches that often plague such projects. Chatzigiannis explains: “There is a stereotypical ‘Grecian’ style for this kind of project, one that can’t seem to escape the blue-and-white thing or laurel-wreath crowns or chitons. It can go over the top very easily.” He gladly welcomed his client’s refreshing challenge.

Kontomichalos wanted his main business ventures centered in Hellas House, including an import company dedicated to bringing the finest honey, wine, and olive oil from his homeland into Shanghai, a travel agency dedicated to unique and personalized adventures, and a store offering locals the best of imported Greek produce. His vision also included a space dedicated to showcasing social and corporate events, as well as other floors and rooms that would bring the best of Greece to the other few hundred Greek natives who call Shanghai home. Simply stated, Kontomichalos wanted Hellas House to represent, “the best Greece has to offer: history, culture, natural products, hospitality, and healthy lifestyle.”

The culmination of Chatzigiannis’ five-year project delivered exactly what Kontomichalos wanted. The travel agency, produce store, and import company were the easiest factions to create. The basement of Hellas House became a wine cellar for Greek wines. An open-air kitchen now occupies the ground floor, flanked by a gallery of artifact replicas representing the various eras of Greek culture. The adjacent lounge gives way to a garden, pool, and dining veranda, while a multi-purpose exhibition space occupies the mezzanine. Formal dining is offered on the second floor, which also includes a luxurious living room and terrace. An attic retreat is slipped in beneath the pitched roof and displays ceiling beams salvaged from the original structure.

To ensure Grecian authenticity all throughout Hellas House, Chatzigiannis chose to work with resources and color schemes from ancient times to complete the project. Bronze, marble, and wood are abundant in almost every room, as are basic hues of black, white, and gold. He also imported massive slabs of raw marble to Xiamen from the Aegean islands of Naxos and Thassos to construct the floors, walls, and columns.

Every era of ancient Greek history is represented throughout Hellas House. For example, the entrance hall represents the Bronze Age, with a life-size plaster cast replica of a female circa 2800–2300 BCE. Chatzigiannis complements the statue’s minimalist style with equally restrained custom elements: a graphic metal console in matte black, a simple geometric brass stair rail with a matte-gold finish, and a subtle white-on-white plaid-pattern floor of polished marble.

In addition, the chaises, stools, and chairs found throughout Hellas House are replicas of T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, a renowned 20th-century designer celebrated for incorporating ancient Greek furniture standards into modern creations. Chatzigiannis painstakingly found the small number of elderly Athenian craftsmen who still create Robsjohn-Gibbings’ signature curved-wood furniture to ensure he could bring it into the home.

The journey to completing Hellas House was long and tedious, but both Chatzigiannis and Kontomichalos happily agree that it was a big success.

Photos courtesy of InteriorDesign.com

The post Ancient Greek Architecture Graces Shanghai’s New Hellas House first appeared on Dornob.

Emerging technologies like 3D printing and computer-aided parametric design can produce visually stunning results, but sometimes it feels like something’s missing. That ‘something’ is almost always a human touch. When you lose a connection to craftsmanship, you lose a certain soulfulness, too.

Purcell Rodrigues avoids this feeling of emptiness by combining the strength and complexity afforded by technology with the heft and character of much older fabrication techniques, like bronze casting. Unusual and creative, the works offer a refreshing change for those who are tired of seeing the same old midcentury silhouettes rehashed year after year.

He calls his aesthetic “tradition redefined,” offering up the monolithic Seismic cocktail table as a prime example, “the lovechild of antique granite and cutting-edge CNC marble fabrication.”

Other standout designs include the Khepera Bench, which features legs that began as a computer model, “evolved” into physical sample through additive or subtractive manufacturing, and were made into a pattern to create the wax parts for casting. “Then, from the rough ceramic mold, an exquisite object materializes ready for finishing and patina.”

The Phalanx Loveseat and Tray features a soft microfiber cushion tucked into a leather-wrapped frame for both comfort and durability, which reaches around either side to offer two built-in wooden side tables. The result is a sleek silhouette that does away with the need for additional clutter.

The sculptural bronze legs of the Horta Console look like artifacts from Ancient Crete refined for the modern era, stretching up from the ground to support a black marble surface. The striking Bias Hooded Bed includes a multi-dimensional faceted headboard that feels like a protective shelter, and the Wesley Sconce sees a topography of rounded metal plates layered over a light source to intriguing effect.

The designer says he was encouraged to pursue both creative and entrepreneurial skills as a child raised by a graphic designer and a businessman. He says he used to disassemble his toys “to get to the bottom of how things were made, what was inside them, and how they worked. It was about the process of creation, the making.”

Now, with Atelier Purcell, Purcell Rodrigues offers access to his designs to customers in the US and UK via his online store. To see the pieces in person, check out Dennis Miller in New York City, De Sousa Hughes in San Francisco, and Thomas Lavin in Los Angeles and Laguna Beach, California.

“Alexander Purcell Rodrigues Design is an award-winning interdisciplinary design studio based in London and Los Angeles focused on delivering elegant design solutions through a combination of detailed research, a respect for the functional demands of contemporary life, and expertly-sourced materials that combine to interpret and reflect the client’s unique requirements. The studio looks to define a new aesthetic language for the luxury sector.”

The post Technology Meets Ancient Techniques in Luxury Furniture Designs by Atelier Purcell first appeared on Dornob.