Spitalfields Saturday Style Market

I have to say I was pretty pleased when I spotted Spitalfields Saturday Style Market as a possible stop for BlogTour London.

Spitalfields Market is a great London institution – in a huge old Victorian building with a metal and glass roof, surrounded by cool shops and restaurants – the center of the building is filled with traditional market stalls and 100′s of eclectic independent traders selling their finest wares.

Aside from the market stalls, there are some great independent retailers too like OneDeko; a contemporary furniture store and Elemental; a vintage/retro lighting and furniture store.

Just outside Spitalfields is The Lollipop Shoppe , offering international furniture classics, lighting and home decor. Major Brands such as Vitra, Knoll, Artek, Cassina, and Fritz Hansen are featured with an eclectic collection of accessories.

With such a tight schedule I hardly know where to start. Leave comments on your favorite places at Spitalfields.

Spitalfields takes its name from the hospital and priory, St. Mary’s Spittel that was founded in 1197. Lying in the heart of the East End, it is an area known for its spirit and strong sense of community. It was in a field next to the priory where the now famous market first started in the thirteenth century.

From its small beginnings in the 17th Century, Spitalfields Market blossomed. Traders working from a collection of sheds and stalls did their best to meet the needs of London’s rapidly growing population and their appetite for fresh fruit and vegetables. Their success made Spitalfields Market a major center for the sale of fresh produce, trading six days a week.

In 1920 the City of London acquired direct control of the market, extending the original buildings eight years later. For the next 60 years, Spitalfields’ nationwide reputation grew, as did the traffic congestion in the narrow streets around it. With no room for the expansion it so badly needed, the market was forced to move and in May 1991 it opened its doors at its new location in Leyton, east London.

At the end of 2005, the Spitalfields completed an 18-year regeneration program. This resulted in the creation of two new public spaces, Bishops Square and Crispin Place, a public art program, an events program, the restoration of several historic streets in E1 and a selection of carefully selected independent retailers and restaurants.

September 2, 2013

Cashmere by Kreoo

Kreoo by Decormarmi, known for their exquisite stone vessels and furniture, has introduced a new marble sink called Cashmere.

The brand name, Kreoo, is inspired by the Greek word “kraino” which means to produce or create and in its conjugation kreion means “the one who odes and creates.” Kreoo was launched as an offshoot of parent company Decormarmi in 2010. Italian Designer Enzo Berti, who was inspired by Scandinavian designers associated with the Mid-Century Modern period, created the collection for Kreoo.

Crafted in Italy’s Vicenza area using traditional techniques passed down through generations of stone workers, the Cashmere sink is an oval bowl with an extension that becomes a functional surface to hold small soaps or other cosmetic items. I think it resembles a kitchen measuring spoon – just a little bit.

Cashmere is available in Calcutta. It may be offered in Estremoz White; Marquina Black and St Marie Grey in the future.

The Cashmere vessel can be combined with Kreoo’s storage cabinetry called Wood Box or sit atop their beautiful marble Console Table. The unique shape lends a sense of personality to the bathroom that a standard oval sink does not offer.

August 31, 2013

Electrolux Grand Cuisine

If you fell in love with the collaboration between Electrolux and Molteni, the iconic French range manufacturer; you are sure to be impressed with the professional suite of appliances in the Grand Cuisine offering from Electrolux.

Designed with the masters in mind, and already established in the kitchens of Alain Ducasse and Tom Aikens, the Grand Cuisine aims to bring the techniques of the upper echelons of gourmet cooking within reach.

There are nine appliances that make up the Electrolux Grand Cuisine range: a combination steam oven, blast chiller, induction cooktop (induction zone), gas cooktop (gas hob), stainless steel griddle (sear hob), round-bottomed induction wok (surround induction zone), vacuum sealer, bespoke ventilation and stand mixer. To have all eight fitted for your kitchen will set you back $107,000, and excluding the ventilation and the Molteni Range.

Electrolux launched the line in Europe in 2012 with 2013 slated for the US release. While the majority of households struggle to reconcile rising healthcare and fuel prices, the executives at Electrolux say they have spotted a gap in the market with the popularity of cooking programs.

Electrolux describes Grand Cuisine as the first professional cooking system for home use, and the first to allow consumers “to fully recreate Michelin-star restaurant experiences” in their own kitchens.

The Electrolux Grand Cuisine user interface makes cooking as simple, or as complex, as you want it to be. Choose Manual, Program or Automatic Mode simply using a touchscreen. Anything you cook today, you can also cook with Electrolux Grand Cuisine appliances.

To give you full confidence, the Electrolux Grand Cuisine Cooking System comes complete with a private cooking session in your home with a top chef.

The Combination Oven is a large steam oven fitted with sensors to control humidity. Use the 6 sensor probe to detect food’s coolest core temperature.

Food rom the oven or cooktop can go directly into the blast chiller, rapidly reducing temperature to store or freeze. Blast chilling doesn’t allow time for the large ice crystals to form that can destroy food taste and texture.

You can use the entire cooktop surface of the Grand Cuisine Induction Zone for cooking, because pot detection technology knows exactly where the pot needs heat. There is also an option to set the cooktop from hot to cool across the surface.

The Gas Hob evenly heats with Electolux’s patented Flower Flame burners that automatically adjust to pan size. The brass burners come in two sizes – the 5.5 kW and the 3.0 kW.

The energy-efficient Sear Hob has a stain resistant and odor repellent chrome plated stainless steel surface that requires no oil so it is ideal for healthy cooking. It seals in juices without mixing flavors.

The Grand Cuisine Surround Induction Zone is perfectly curved to match the shape of your eastern-style round-bottomed pan and heat it evenly from all sides. The induction wok cooktop is also ideal for steaming, poaching boiling, searing and stewing.

Enjoy sous vide cooking at home just like a Master Chef with Grand Cuisine precision Vacuum Sealer. Additionally, you can store pre-prepared foods and ingredients under vacuum for days, weeks or even months.

The Grand Cuisine Stand Mixer features the planetary movement technology, ergonomic patented bowl lift system, removable stainless bowl guard, aluminum cover and a rage of professional attachments for mixing, kneading and whipping.

August 25, 2013

New Blanco Faucets

I’ve been wanting to write about the new faucets from Blanco for a while and now seems like the perfect time. If you have not already heard, I will be going to London as part of the BlogTour London 2013 founded by Modenus CEO Veronika Miller. Blanco is one of the fine sponsors for this trip.

The new faucet collection from Blanco is making a Splash. Beauty and Performance go hand-in-hand with water-saving options.

The new series includes the Victorian GRACE II, the sleek ALTA COMPACT, the elegant HILAND and the graceful NAPA. Blanco’s tradition of high quality materials and innovative design is carried forward in this collection. With all the possible design and color combinations, most homeowners are sure to find a faucet that fits their style and needs.

Grace II

Traditional Design for today’s world.
Pull-down and Pull-out Faucet Design with dual spray
2.2 GPM flow rate
Chrome or Stainless Steel finish

Alta Compact

Clean contemporary design
120° degree spout swivel
2.2 GPM flow rate
Café Brown, Chrome, Satin Nickel or Anthracite, Biscotti, Cinder, Truffle, White combo finishes

Hiland

Transitional Design for any decor
Pull-out faucet with dual spray
2.2 or 1.8 GPM flow rate
Chrome or Stainless Steel finish

Napa

Elegant high arc design with gentle curves
Pull-down and Pull-out Faucet Design with dual spray
2.2 or 1.8 GPM flow rate
Chrome or Stainless Steel finish

This series of solid brass faucets retail from $375 – $525 and include a Limited lifetime warranty.

About Blanco

For three generations, BLANCO, the German innovator of finely crafted sinks and faucets, has passionately elevated the standards for luxury sinks, faucets and decorative accessories.

BLANCO offers a large variety of award-winning kitchen sink designs at all price points, with bowl configurations, bowl depths and installation styles available in both stainless steel and granite.

BLANCO has a long tradition of environmental stewardship and their production facilities operate to strict DIN EN ISO 14001 environmental performance standards.

Showing their commitment to provide their customers with unsurpassed service, Blanco has produced educational how-to videos on www.blancoamerica.com. The videos offer step-by-step tutorials designed to answer the most frequently asked questions about sinks and faucets including: How-to change a ceramic faucet disk cartridge.