Sunday, May 22, 2011

Design Bacchanalia


Several months later and many house projects in, I'm pleased to report that there is progress. And not just little progress, but enormous. Pictures were sent throughout the course of my business travels of cut out walls, piles of concrete blocks, floors polished to a smooth white. All in all, a great deal of labor and love has transformed what was an otherwise dank space into something worthy of praise.

I've spent the last month or so on the road going from tradeshow to tradeshow, soaking up kitchen and bath designs from Vegas to New Orleans, and now I am eager to translate the vision into reality.

A few of my favorite finds were Artistic Tile out of NYC. They are Vetrazzo's ditribution partner in the tri-state area, and I had the pleasure of working the first and last show with them. They create gorgeous tile patterns, which they then sell through their network of dealers across the country. From arabesque to 1950s chic, they offer a palette I'm eager to incorporate into my home.

Then there was Kirei, with whom we shared a booth at AIA Expo in New Orleans. Between multiple stops at Butcher, Cochon's deli outpost and do check out the pork belly sandwich, I learnd about Kirei's eponymous material made from sorghum and used to create an earthy, upscale look in cabinenty, wall coverings, and even flooring. After squaring away a deal to create a rolling dinner table made of the material with owner John Stein, I spent the rest of my time working in the booth and strolling the floor.

Other cool items seen at the tradeshows:
Mockett wheels
Smart Glass lighting fixture by an Atlanta glass artist
Interface Flor
Artistic Tile
Kirei
Papatya Chairs