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Products in Brief: Entertaining Options
Kartell by Laufen
The Italian furnishings manufacturer Kartell and the Swiss bathroom specialist Laufen collaborated on a new contemporary bathroom-furniture collection that was unveiled at the Milan Furniture Fair in April. The collection includes tubs, shelving, mirrors, drawers, sinks, toilets, and accessories in transparent polycarbonate and a new material from Laufen, SaphirKeramik, which the company claims is thinner than and twice as strong as ceramic. Shown is a chest of drawers, a SaphirKeramik washbasin, and a transparent polycarbonate mirror and stool.
Metropolitan Collection
Wolf-Gordon has added four new designs-a stripe, reptile skin, map pattern, and complex solid-colored weave-to its Metropolitan upholstery-textile collection. Woven in Bella-Dura fabric, a proprietary olefin blend, the new designs are intended for demanding indoor and outdoor commercial environments. Each item is solution-dyed, can be cleaned with bleach, and contains silver-ion technology for antimicrobial protection. The textiles withstand over 1,500 hours of UV light and over 50,000 double rubs on the Wyzenbeek test.
Cement Tile
Los Angeles–based architect Barbara Bestor of Bestor Architecture selected Granada Tile cement tile for the floor of the new Beachwood Cafe in Hollywood. Granada's 8”-square Khufu pattern in bright yellow and blue helped the design team create a playful, relaxed ambience for the eatery, which received a 2012 Restaurant Design award from the Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Curl Table Lamp
The Curl table lamp by London-based designer Sebastian Bergne features a white body of die-cast aluminum and adjustable LED technology that allows the user to vary the temperature of white light with a simple rotation of the diffuser. The lamp does not have a specific base, so it can be placed in a variety of positions to provide ambient light for any space. Bergne is an independent industrial designer who has created products for major brands including De Beers, Muji, Swarovski, and Vitra.
Miraflores Collection
New Ravenna Mosaics' Miraflores Collection includes 18 mosaic designs by San Diego–based interior designer Paul Schatz. The series, handcrafted in Virginia, was inspired by Schatz's travels throughout Spain, Portugal, and Mexico, and also reflects his passion for Islamic geometric art. Created in natural stone, the mosaics can be installed as floors or walls, indoors or out. Vittoria, shown at right, is a water-jet- and hand-cut mosaic that comes in Lagos Gold honed, Calacatta Tia, and Allure polished marble.
Outsider Lamp
The Jacco Maris lighting collection is now available in the U.S. and Canada through Global Lighting. Handcrafted in the Netherlands, the collection consists of five lights made of steel, brass, copper, iron, and sand-casted aluminum. Inspired by a tractor headlight, the modern-industrial Outsider fixture features a cast-aluminum shade in black, aluminum, or white. The UL-listed indoor/outdoor fixture uses one 26W E26 lamp and comes as a 22.5” x 16.5” adjustable pendant on a rod or a pendant with an iron chain in 22.5” x 16.5” and 35” x 26” sizes.
Adorne Switches and Wall Plates
Adorne is a line of switches, dimmers, outlets, and wall plates that provide unique on/off activation. The line includes Touch, a switch with a translucent face in which capacitive touch technology controls lights; Wave, a switch that activates lights with the wave of a hand; and the Pop-Out Outlet, which moves in and out from the wall when needed to provide three outlets. Wall plates come in 32 finishes, including cast metals, natural woods, and leather. All switches are flush with the wall plates and feature convenient locator lights.
Agave Series
The Agave Series of cast-concrete landscape containers from Kornegay Design can withstand extreme weather environments and heavy pedestrian traffic. Agave is available in three sizes: 24” diameter x 13.5” high, 36” diameter x 18” high, and 48” diameter x 22.5” high.
Play Chair
Designed by Alain Berteau for the Belgian manufacturer Wild Spirit, this solid-wood outdoor chair is a visual mix of polished Art Deco and rustic styles. Composed of mature 80-year-old teak, the stackable, ergonomic design is intended for both commercial and residential applications. The chair is available in the U.S. through the Manhattan-based design showroom D'Apostrophe.
DriftBath
Aquatic's DriftBath features more than 70 ports located in the backrest and foot areas of the bath, which can create a blanket of water flowing in one direction. While typical whirlpool and air-bath systems use a mixture of air and water pushed into the bathing well to generate an invigorating or effervescent form of hydrotherapy, DriftBath eliminates air induction and minimizes the movement of water for a quieter, more serene bath. To add to the DriftBath experience, an integrated pump-and-motor unit captures the heat energy it generates and infuses it back into the water.
Kickflip
Alumen8A's Kickflip LED indirect/direct 180° adjustable wall-wash luminaire offers an asymmetrical lighting-distribution curve with minimal back spill. The fixtures are designed to fit discreetly into lobbies, corridors, stairwells, reception areas, and meeting rooms in hospitality and retail environments. The fixture is characterized by a highly contemporary, curved slender housing (made of 60% recycled aluminum) with an extruded clear acrylic lens and a range of slide-in options. Kickflip uses genuine Nichia LEDs available in 3,500K, 4,000K, or 5,000K color temperatures.
Dual-Flush Trip Lever
Splitting the traditional trip lever into two levers–for light and full flush–allows Kohler to free up a toilet's tank lid for use as a shelf and make this water-conserving option easier to use than standard dual-flush toilets with actuator buttons on the tank lid. Actuating the bottom, or long, portion of the lever (shown in green) provides a 1.1-gallon light flush, while pressing down on the two pieces together provides the full 1.6-gallon flush. Available on several Kohler toilet models, this technology boasts significant water savings and carries the EPA WaterSense certification. Unlike standard dual-flush toilets, this option is ADA-compliant.
Optima LED StretchLite Backlit Light Box
Stylmark's Optima LED StretchLite combines the brilliance, uniformity, and longevity of backlit LED technology with the dramatic dimensions of tension-fabric displays. Designed to accommodate readily available tension-fabric graphics, the fixture is particularly well-suited for large-format images–from conventional sizes to custom applications that can cover an entire wall. The light-box frame has a slender edge and an invisible perimeter-tensioning feature, which gives graphics a frameless appearance and enables users to change images quickly and easily.
