Candana: July 2013

Sunday, 28 July 2013

Top 10... New Products

Axor Starck Organic basin mixer, Kaldewei Bassino bath

Vola 060 shower (WELS approval pending), Brodware Michelangelo wall basin set

Gessi Ispa bath, Parisi Doppio Zero basin

Studio Bagno Soul 2 basin, Hydrotherm Tube heated towel rails

Alaska Metallic tiles, Hansgrohe Raindance Select E120 shower

Wednesday, 17 July 2013

The International Contemporary Furniture Fair is a yearly trade fair held in the big apple, NYC. And this year Candana went a long to check out what was happening in design in one of the most prominent design capitals of the world.

'The ICFF hosts more than 500 exhibitors from more than 30 countries in 11 categories from furniture to materials to kitchen and bath to fabricators.

North America’s premier showcase for contemporary design, the ICFF annually lures those in determined pursuit of design’s timely truths and latest trends to an encyclopedic exhibition of up-to-the-moment offerings, as well as a series of fascinating, fun, edifying programs, and a packed schedule of exhibits and features.'

One of the great things about this fair was that you were greeted most of the time by the actual designers/owners of the companies exhibiting.

The passion in their product was evident and it was great meeting some of the local NY designers and manufacturers.

On the first day of the fair, I ran into none other than one of the most prolific designers of our generation, Karim Rashid. It's pretty hard to miss him, towering over me at over 6ft and wearing an all white suit with the exception of a pink shirt and matching shoes. He is the definition of an eccentric designer. If you know me, you'll know that I am a huge fan of his work and was completely starstruck. Definitely one of the highlights of the fair.

Another highlight was sitting in on a talk with world renowned architects Claesson Koivisto Rune. I've admired their work for many years and was extremely lucky to listen to their thought process and have them talk us through some of their projects.

Back to the fair. One of the biggest trends I spotted was minimalism.

Modern lines, block colours and clean shapes were in abundance. Very chic, very New York.

From furniture to jewellery, there was a heavy use of luxe metals such as gold, brass and copper which was also carried through to the bathroom finishes. Samuel Heath's new art deco inspired range 'Style Moderne' was on display in a lovely range of finishes, the antique gold my personal favourite.

The other obvious trend was the use of bright colour. Cerulean armchairs, lime green bath tubs and tapware powder coated in every colour imaginable were on display.

Bathroom favourites were also on show, Philippe Starck's new Axor Organic range was on display (working model and all!). The lovely Devon & Devon range as well as amazing new bathtubs by Victoria & Albert.

ICFF is the 'couture fashion show' of interior design and I felt extremely privileged to visit one of the most influential fairs within this industry.

All photos by Candana

Tuesday, 9 July 2013

Sicis NYC

Visiting New York showrooms is a completely unique and inspiring activity.

While in NY for the ICFF fair, I decided to stroll through Soho and check out the local design showrooms including the very exclusive and chic Sicis tiles (available at Candana).

Spread over 4 levels in one of the most beautiful buildings is mosaic tile heaven!

I was greeted at the door by a lovely representative (I mean, who isn't friendly in America?!) who directed me to the different areas of the showroom.

From stone mosaics to Murano glass pin-up girls, every surface was clad in exquisite tiles and yet it wasn't confusing or excessive. Each display flowed from one to the other.

The craftsmanship and overall magnificence of the Sicis product is perfectly reflected in this impressive showroom. If you ever find yourself strolling down Broome & Greene Streets, drop into Sicis and experience one of the best showrooms in America.