Methven Aio

Following the successful launch of its stunning Aio shower range, Methven, a global designer and manufacturer of premium bath fixtures, has extended the collection with the addition of complementary vanity faucets that will be on display this month at 100% Design during the London Design Festival.

A triumph of imagination, the Methven Aio Aurajet shower defies convention with its intriguing minimalist appearance and exclusively engineered Aurajet technology.

Our engineers designed the new halo-shaped shower head so that hidden nozzles generate individual jets of water that collide against precisely angled surfaces, creating a stunning fan of luxuriously dense droplets,” – Methven Group CEO, David Banfield.

Methven teamed up with Pantone to incorporate limited edition shower heads in stylish colors. Methven promises to update the colors each year. The current offering includes Marsala, Pantone’s color of the year for 2015; Classic Blue and Midnight.

The new faucet range is manufactured from Eco Brass® – a revolutionary high quality, high strength material which is lead and heavy metal free, providing enhanced corrosion resistance and therefore preserves water quality.

The Aio basin faucet is characterized by sophisticated simplicity, with an integrated lever and body design. The faucet mixer features a directional aerator, which streamlines the water flow and minimizes splash back.

The Aio collection also includes a wall-mounted tub spout.

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If you can’t jet to London this month but want to follow coverage of the show, check for updates on Twitter and Facebook from the Modenus BlogTour. #BlogTourLDN

December 14, 2014

Recycled Lighting Designer Spotlight: Laurence van Seventer

Laurence van Seventer, a Dutch designer and founder of Lolo Palazzo is a creative frontrunner in industrial design who is innovative in welding metal with recycled bicycles, car parts and other discarded metal.

From her Hague Studio, Laurence van Seventer creates chandeliers that remind me a bit of the Atlantis chandelier from Barlas Baylar Lighting. Her larger chandeliers can incorporate as many as 600 upcycled bicycle chains and weigh 275 pounds.

Her designs begin organically and she does not know when she begins a piece what outcome it will have. In Laurence’s view, we live in a world that has to involve recycling. As an artist she likes the contrast between soft and industrial materials. Playing with the lighting levels also creates an added element of light play and drama to her lighting sculptures.

The Ballroom Blitz chandelier was recently featured at Design London’s Superbrands Design Festival this past fall. Many of Laurence’s chandelier designs can be found hanging in prestigious hotels around the world.

Laurence is currently working on a new collection called ‘Killing me Softly’, which is a combination of recycled steel and recycled; in collaboration with Label Mademoiselle Cecile.

In the lamp collection Laurence is showcasing more of her welding and plasma cutting skills. The lamp bases are constructed from motor bike parts.

In addition to lighting, Lolo Palazzo also produces mirrors, and sculptural pieces that range from flower bouquets to animal sculptures.

I’ve heard that Tent London and Super Brands were even bigger and better shows this year. I always tend to gravitate toward the lighting exhibitors. It would have been nice to see the Lolo Palazzo pieces in person.

To see more amazing pieces, visit the Lolo Palazzo Pinterest Page.

http://www.pinterest.com/lglvs/ballroom-blitz/

September 21, 2014

Nouveau Rebel

It’s hard to believe a year ago I was attending the London Design Festival and visiting amazing showrooms. How can a year go so quickly? One showroom tour I really enjoyed was Lee Broom in Shoreditch.

This year Lee Broom launched a new collection of lighting and objects at Electra House, his flagship store, under the tongue in cheek title, ‘Nouveau Rebel.’

“I named the collection Nouveau Rebel as it is a material favored by the traditional art world and also the nouveau riche. I like the tipping point between these two worlds, and I wanted to create contemporary products that use the material in new ways whilst referencing 80’s styling and traditional production methods”

The lighting features diffusers made from hollowed out Carrera marble. A light source inside illuminates the stone’s veined surface from behind.

The collection includes Chamber pendant lights, a spherical Dome light and a linear light called Tube.

The Tube Light is made from a cylindrical piece of marble that is just six-millimetres thick along its length, with LED bulbs inside and bronze caps on each end.

“It’s a marble take on a fluorescent light,” said Broom. “It’s probably the difficult piece in the collection to make because its using one long piece of marble.”

Nouveau Rebel lighting at the launch party at the Ace Hotel

May 28, 2014

BLANCO CULINA MINI

CULINA MINI | KitchAnn Style by Kitchen Studio of Naples

The new CULINA MINI from BLANCO offers all the function, performance and innovation of the original CULINA faucet, just in a smaller profile to give homeowners more options for open living spaces.

“Consumers still want to work in a gourmet kitchen inspired by world-class restaurants – but often these industrial features do not look very sophisticated in an open spa.” – Tim Maicher, Director of Marketing

The original CULINA Semi-Professional design is a perfect union of high performance and high style with its sleek closed coil, the streamlined handle inlay, and the magnetic spray holder.

Details

• Solid brass body with ceramic disc cartridge
• 2.2 GPM flow rate – also available in 20% CAL Green water-saving model
• Double spiral flexible pull-out spray hose
• Reach 7-7/8″; Spout Height 7″; Faucet Height 17-1/8″

The CULINA MINI is offered in Polished chrome or Polished nickel and will retail between $650 and $725 when it becomes available in June 2014.

(BLANCO is a trusted sponsor for BlogTour NYC May 2014, but the views and opinions expressed on this blog are mine, They were not displaying at ICFF nor WantedDesign NYC. Since smaller bar faucets are harder to find I wanted to mention this product for those in the planning process for their home.)