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While not all strictly for residential use, these new furnishings, finishes, and technologies offer a personal touch that makes them particularly well suited for domestic life. |
Product Focus: Home Base
Biknit by Patricia Urquiola
The overscale woven design of Patricia Urquiola's Biknit chaise for Moroso becomes both the surface and the structure of the seat. Suited for both indoor and outdoor use, the chaise has a base made of a thermo-stabilized ash wood that can withstand the elements while retaining the look of the natural grain. The chunky corded seat is woven onto a powder-coated-steel frame; polyester/PVC knit upholstery is used for outdoors, and a wool knit cover for indoors.
ADA-Compliant Teak Shower Seat
Handcrafted and milled in the U.S. of durable teak and stainless steel, MTI's flip-up shower seat is also ADA-compliant (the ADA mounting height for the lowered seat is 17” to 19”). It can withstand a maximum weight of 500 pounds and is automatically held in position by a positive stop-friction spring guide bracket. MTI uses only 100% U.S.-certified, reclaimed, sustainable teak from reputable suppliers. All shower seats must be installed using suitable fasteners and sufficient in-wall backing materials.
Sensate Faucet
Kohler's new touchless kitchen faucet uses a state-of-the-art sensor that responds in 20 milliseconds for consistent on/off operation. The technology does not require users to tap or wave in front of the sensor; they just need to place a hand or utensil through the activation area to start or halt water flow. Sensate's small handle allows users to tweak the water temperature and flow. A magnetic docking system in the faucet's spout securely locks the adjustable spray head into place. Optional manual operation ensures that the faucet works during power outages.
2013 DuPont Colors
DuPont worked with global trend experts along with architects and designers to bring the company's 2013 surfacing options to market. Nine new products in the Corian collection are joined by three new colors in DuPont's Zodiaq quartz surfacing material for residential and commercial applications. The new designs fall into three main color-trend stories—Raw, Interference, and Solidify—and feature mirrored and metallic mica flakes suspended in neutral gray, brown, or cream backgrounds.
Steve Leung Collection
Known for his hospitality spaces, including the new Shangri-La Hotel at the Shard tower in London, Hong Kong-based interior designer and architect Steve Leung has launched his first wallpaper collection with Graham & Brown. The line includes seven new designs, from 3-D geometrics to classical stripes to climbing florals. Made in England, the line has been produced on a substrate that offers easier application and removal. The 3-D Ling pattern (shown below in beige/green) features an Eastern trellis motif embellished with metallic highlights.
Canale Cover
The New Mexico-based architectural-metalwork firm Kason Group has introduced a new line of architectural canale covers as a cost-effective solution for retrofitting old wooden canales on Southwestern-style homes in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas. The cover is custom-designed to fit securely over an existing wooden canale without setting foot on the roof, and comes with a cascading brass rain-chain “waterfall.” An eco-friendly powder-coat finish withstands rusting, fading, and harsh climate conditions.
Harmony Paint
According to Sherwin-Williams, its latest interior paint features patented technologies that can reduce ambient odors to help rooms stay fresher for longer as well as reduce the levels of VOCs from potential sources such as insulation, carpets, cabinets, fabrics, and other building materials. The interior acrylic latex paint is ideal for new construction and renovation projects where elevated concentrations of formaldehyde may exist. Harmony is available this month in flat and eggshell finishes, with semigloss available in midsummer.
Gentle Chair
Sofia Lagerkvist, Charlotte von der Lancken, and Anna Lindgren, the three members of the Swedish design group Front, have collaborated on a striking new chair for the Italian manufacturer Porro that will be on display at this month's Salone del Mobile in Milan. Intended for residential use but also suited for restaurants, shops, and other commercial spaces, the Gentle chair features soft black “eco-leather” upholstery sewn onto its metallic back legs, flexible backrest, and padded seat, all of which contrast with the chair's natural ash-wood front arms and legs.
Lazio Collection
Inspired by the authentic floors of the Lazio and Tuscany regions of Italy, the Lazio Collection from Ann Sacks features multihued terra cottas partnered with precisely cut marble or limestone to create patterns one would find on the floor of an ancient church. Each color comes from reclaimed bricks or clay found across Italy, and the assemblage is antiqued by hand using original techniques and oil and beeswax to re-create a soft, undulating Old World surface. Shown above is a 15¾”-square diamanté field in light and dark terra cotta.
