Decorative What?
Honestly, there are some things in the home that just shouldn’t be decorated. In fact, they should be made discreet, subtle, hidden, even.
Yes, I’m talking about your toilet. Of course it’s one of your home’s most necessary, uh, accessories, but do we really have to draw attention to this less-than-beautiful everyday function?
I just got a press release the other day heralding the “WOW” toilet tank decorating kit, which is “flush with creativity for homes and businesses”!
That’s not all: “Homeowners can now easily interchange the look of their toilet at any time to match wallpaper or carpet, or celebrate a holiday, season, sports team allegiance and more.” Please, people, no more. I can’t go on.
But it’s like a train wreck – I can’t look away, either. I just had to type “decorative toilet” into Google, and there are pages and pages of products that help you decorate the toilet – seat, lid, tank, flush handle and all. But I’m not going to give you a link to any of them.
You will thank me for this, as I’ll provide just one frightening image from my discoveries:
Enough said.
Celebrating Kitchens and Baths at Porcelanosa
Let’s pause for station identification and say this: We at Washington Spaces ♥ our partners who help us honor this region’s best in home design. And last week, that was Porcelanosa, which opened its striking showroom for a reception to award the winners from our recent kitchen and bath design competitions.
All photographs by Carrie Russell
Nearly 200 professionals in the design trade fought rush hour on the Beltway to come out to Rockville, MD, for the event. But it was worth it, as kitchen and bath designers, interior designers, builders, architects, and other home decor experts pored over Porcelanosa’s collections – many of them for the first time.
Simon Ley of The Ley Group Inc. checks out the merchandise.
“It’s a great space. It’s a good opportunity to walk around,” said Sophie Prévost, principal of ColePrévost Inc. and a bath award winner. Her award, with a photo of the winning project, is on the right and also here.
Interior Designer Justine Sancho, second from left, came with her associate, Joanne Segrera, standing next to her, because Segrera is friends with Porcelanosa’s kitchen and bath designer, Evita Pleitez, right. “Have you ever used Porcelanosa products in your designs?” we asked Justine. “I would like to,” Joanne responded. “I guess that means we will!” Justine exclaimed. Standing on the left is Justine’s husband, Bill.
Other guests were intimately familiar with the showroom. “My wife must own stock in this company now,” said Brady Wilkerson, owner of SGO Designer Glass of Rockville, explaining that she’s outfitted their home’s three bathrooms in Porcelanosa tile. “My wife loves this place.”
David Carmona, general manager of Porcelanosa, does everything there, including passing hors d’oeuvres.
Besides handing out awards, we were pleased to help people in the trade meet each other and exchange business opportunities.
Sean de Launay, left, and Daniel Steinkoler
Sean de Launay, formerly of Nash Construction, just started his own “green” consulting business called Green Home Pro. He told us he’ll be doing some business in the future with Daniel Steinkoler of Superior Home Services Inc., who won a kitchen award. We also profiled Danny’s own green home recently in the magazine.
Shimon Garibi, a designer with Elite Kitchens, has used lots of Porcelanosa tile in his kitchen designs. He stands with Washington Spaces Account Executive Angela Carpenter.
Krew Hammond, a sales associate with ADU Appliance Distributors Unlimited Inc., was talking up ADU’s new green appliances. Porcelanosa, which markets itself as a green company, would be right at home in one of his kitchens.
ADU’s Krew Hammond stands with Susan Utley, owner of Design Studio of Bethesda and a past winner of Washington Spaces’ interior design competition.
Jennifer Gilmer, a kitchen award winner, was talking about her firm’s new (and more affordable) online kitchen design service.
Anthony Wilder of Anthony Wilder Design/Build won two awards – here and here. He and Deborah Kalkstein of Contemporaria, who was also a winner, playfully teased each other about who had the best project.
Washington Spaces Associate Publisher Heather Heider, right, congratulates Debra Bowles, director of operations at Daniels Design and Remodeling, for her firm’s bath award.
Heider also congratulates Rebecca Hubler of Designed Interiors in Annandale, VA, whose winning entry can be seen here.
Lights of Venice owner Sami Garshoni, whose beautiful Spanish and Italian lighting we’ve blogged about, was there to see Porcelanosa’s equally beautiful Spanish tile.
Lorna Gross of SAVANT Interior Design, right, a former winner in our Best of Interior Design competition, trades design secrets with Washington Spaces Editor in Chief Trish Donnally.
Terry Kees, vice president at TAS Interiors, chats with Washington Spaces Senior Account Executive Emilia Philip.
Several of the photographers who make our magazine so beautiful were present as well, including Greg Hadley.
Keep an eye out for our spring issue, which will be out next week, where our story on tile trends features several examples from Porcelanosa. Better yet, go to the showroom and see the gorgeous contemporary tile yourself.
Wild Tile
I started out writing a post about a fabulous new tile collection I first spotted on the Trendir blog, called Rako 2008 by a company in the Czech Republic called Lasselberger.
The Botanica collection in particular caught my eye. It’s along the lines of some gorgeous new Ann Sacks tile introduced this year as well, which I wrote about in May.
But as I started looking through the dozens of product shots they include with each of the new Rako lines (some of which are a little too racy for a family blog!), I just started laughing. The Europeans definitely have a different approach to marketing than the Americans.
This Denim line is beautiful for sure, but the way she is looking so longingly at it is hilarious.
Let’s see, is she getting ready for her day, or winding down after a night out?
Once you get past the flying lady in the sling (if you ever do), this tile is called Tetris.
Here, snaky, snaky! Let me give you a kiss on my beautiful Villa tile.
And isn’t that the cutest thing?? My giant python is playing hide and seek!
If you are going to exercise at home, this Shikoku tile is sure to boost your kickboxing juju.
Or if classic boxing is your sport, do it with Dolce Vita as your backdrop.
OK, I have two young sons, but bath time has never resembled this utopian scene:
This tile is called Bonanza, and they mean it in more ways than one!
Modern Organic
It hit me when I was looking at designs for shower doors, of all things. Sterling’s new series of frosted shower door designs this spring includes Bishop’s Lace, a lovely modernized floral pattern.
And then I realized how many cool, contemporary incarnations of nature have come out in the past few years, which takes the organic theme to a new, shimmering level – even when it graces the most mundane of products, such as shower doors … or window film.
Emma Jeffs’ White Orba design harkens the sunflowers.
Brume, another window film company, has these ultra-cool leafy designs, which are available here and here.
Moving on to the king of modern organic design, Tord Boontje: Real Simple magazine this year touted his Garland Shade Light as one of 10 home accessories “that will stand the test of time.”
Boontje’s Copper Garland is in the same vein.
Boontje’s work recalls UK artist Susan Bradley’s Outdoor Wallpaper:
Bradley’s Botanica collection is equally inspiring:
Alessi’s Mediterraneo series also takes up the charge:
And if you want to take a bike ride through nature, nothing beats this basket:
Finally, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola calls her T-Table (T stands for transgenic) a technological fossil, according to Dwell magazine. Along with Boontje’s Garland Shade Light, her table was also honored by Real Simple magazine as another one of the 10 accessories that will become a future collectible.
You can get it here:
