Tag Archives: designhounds

Travel, Trout and “Technicurean” Tendancies

I love traveling! I love to see new places and I love to eat new food! Experiencing scenic places as they relate to food and wine has become my favorite way to see the world. As I eat and drink my way through life I am inspired by the slow food, farm to table movement and local specialties. A trip to Colorado, a state I had never been to, had me doing some research. Although I rarely eat meat these days, tasting a bison, elk and boar meatloaf wrapped in bacon at the landmark Stanley Hotel was a must. Local trout, a cauliflower salad and a vegan cheesecake made with a cashew base did not disappoint. Thinking about locally produced food, it’s origins, processing, storage and preparation had me chatting about my recent trip to Napa for a Modenus DesignHounds Signature Kitchen Suite brand immersion experience. I had been looking forward to getting an understanding of what this new brand meant by “true to food”. They did a great job of getting that message across to me. The “true to food” culture of the brand speaks of the appreciation for food and its journey to your plate. The appliances incorporate technology to simplify the temperature selection for storage and preservation of meats, wines, produce, nuts and everything you can consume! The stories of vintners, butchers, fisherman and farmers are embedded in the brand. Technology also assists in preparation. The simple graphics on the 48″ pro range with steam, convection, induction, gas and sous vide as well as individual timers are all you need to honor the ingredients and turn out professional quality meals at home. Technicurean is the term they minted for food enthusiasts looking to use latest technology for preservation and preparation of consumables. I love it! High performance appliances are exactly what the home entertainer needs to be able to enjoy the experience. The perfect wine preserved and served at the perfect temperature. The sous vide feature removing all the pressure of critical timing. As I savored my local trout and bubbly I realized how much I appreciated the SKS experience, the travel, the food and wine and the technicurean culture of it all. A visit to a local winery, the CIA at Copia and time spent with live demonstrations of these technicurean appliances, some classes on business practice were all a part of the brand bonding experience. Thank you to Modenus DesignHounds and Signature Kitchen Suite for making it possible. Here are some photos of the SKS Napa trip! The beautiful food and wine pairings and demonstrated techniques included wines from Moone Tsai, sous vide poached eggs, pastas, meats, fish, vegetable dishes and desserts, one more incredible than the next! Enjoy the feast for the eyes! Oh! …and if you are in New York City on June 12th or 13th, you can check out the range and wine preservation in person at CE Week at the Javitz Center.

Bonding with a brand SIGNATURE KITCHEN SUITE

experiencing CIA at COPIA

a little pictorial of some hospitality and culture of Signature Kitchen Suite

Toni

Are You A “Technicurean”?

You may be and not even know it! “Technicurean”, is a new term, cross pollinating tech enthusiasm with epicurean tendencies, creating the perfect pairing for modern entertaining at home. Signature Kitchen Suite, a brainchild of the tech minded folks at LG, is a new entry into the luxury home appliance market that brings technology in the kitchen to a whole new level. I have been intrigued by a sous vide feature that is a full top bay of a 48″ professionally styled range, with individual timers that will alert to your cell phone. If you are unaware of sous vide, it is a technique for keeping food at the perfect serving temperature for hours! I have been intrigued by the entire brand, really, that calls itself “true to food”, since the initial launch last year. My interest was further piqued by experiencing the timers of the Signature Kitchen Suite range at the CEDIA EXPO, a technology trade show, while participating in the Design Connection Tour, bringing together interior designers and technology companies and integrators. Who wouldn’t want tech to make the kitchen more convenient when entertaining and paying homage to your inner foodie? On a very exciting note, I have been invited to try out these appliances and experience the brand culture of Signature Kitchen Suite at their experience center in California this week. I will be in the fine company of designer, blogger and social media maven members of MODENUS Designhounds, while eating, drinking, cooking, touring vineyards, learning features and soaking up all the “true to food” technicurean culture I can! I am sure there will be much to report. Stay tuned!

Toni photos courtesy of Signature Kitchen Suite

Kitchen? It’s the “kitchen hidden in plain sight” …… some thoughts on Salone Del Mobile with Designhounds

I recently attended my first Salone Del Mobile in Milan thanks to Designhounds, Digital Community Network of Design Experts, a platform by MODENUS Media. Aside from the mind blow of Milan itself, the show was still more than I expected. Beauty, fused with innovation, whimsy, history, and technology, as well as every sort of material from fabric to glass to wood and stone and metal, both practical and just dreamy filled my eyes and the few days I had there.

As an interior design specializing in kitchen and bath, one of the things that impressed me most was the variety of unfitted furniture housing appliances and the spread of cohesive storage through out the living space displayed at the show. Poggenpohl had some interesting offerings with hidden supply, drain and exhaust in clever feet that made a seamless transition to other room solutions and open floor plan living. I like this un-encumbered look and love the use of open display space cleverly integrated into islands as well as the mix of organic materials like natural stone and wood to give warmth to modern design.

This new organic modernism incorporates streamlined technology and seamless integration in a way that simplifies living and creates a new luxury statement. The finest materials like the solid wood of Team 7, a environmentally friendly company from Austria, now offering it’s lines of fine wood and stone furniture in the US, creates a luxury feel that doesn’t need adornment to feel rich. The simple integration of lighting and convenience oozes luxury like a Tesla. Ultra high performance, simplicity, and that “feel good” environmental sensitivity are what I see as the luxury statement going forward. I am interested to see how quickly the US market will fully embrace these trends.

The simple integration of function and utilitarian comfort doesn’t mean coldness or lack of personality in the design. The use of texture and lighting play a major role in creating interest and the personalization of everything adds new and unexpected dimension to a space. The kitchen can actually become almost hidden as the full integration blends appliances and storage into the living space with innovative shapes. I am thinking of “the kitchen as hidden in plain sight”! This new integrated living style is both innovative and fun!

Liebherr Monolith Kitchen
KBIS 2018, Orlando
Richard T. Anuszkiewicz
Padgett and Company Job#4184

Richard Anuszkiewicz, a great designer and a Designhound on our excursion to Milan, designed a space so lovely that yes, the kitchen is truly an afterthought! This from KBIS 2018, bringing that “kitchen hidden in plain sight” to the US in an avant garde, “before the trend” way! The Liebherr refrigeration integrates beautifully in this modern, eclectic, artful, BEAUTIFUL space!

Liebherr Monolith Kitchen
KBIS 2018, Orlando
Richard T. Anuszkiewicz
Padgett and Company Job#4184

Now more from the Euro Cucina floor showing this integrated trend….. these from Stosa Cucine.

Please stay tuned as I have more thoughts from Eurocucina and Salone Del Mobile concerning how our appliances are starting to show the versatility to reflect our lifestyle! Yes! Appliances can be quite exciting!

-Toni

Authentic Luxury Italian Style……..

I have often said that I want to see the world through a kitchen and bath lens and I recently had the pleasure of spending time at Lago D’Orta, Italy, courtesy of ROHL Luxury Faucets & Fixtures, the White Good Agency and Designhounds. The trip was fantastic! A truly luxurious experience, which I will get to in detail, but it was incredibly special to experience the culture of this brand.

The story of founder Ken Rohl innovating the pull out kitchen faucet and bringing it to market is an impressive one, but even more impressive is the way the family continues to keep a finger on the pulse of the industry to bring exceptional products to our market. The polite generosity of the Rohl’s exhibited during our dinners and two factory tours is refreshing. The factory tours included a story told in animated Italian by Bruno Nicolazzi and translated to reveal how some designs were created at dinner from a napkin sketch. The actual plumbing has a variety of personalities from sleek modern to beautiful classic designs but all have a an artful quality that transcends trends.

As a young woman, I ran a plumbing showroom for a few years. I am guilty of looking at swans at a beach and thinking not of that natural beauty but the brass swan faucets in the showroom back in the day! I do love plumbing. I have designed pressure balanced loops for walls to distribute the water flow and understand the difference between pressure balance and thermostatic valve. I say this because I was particularly impressed by the quality, beauty and simplicity of the multi port manifolds I saw being assembled in the factory. Innovation, quality and commitment to the environment were on exhibit everywhere at these lake side manufacturing facilities. Watching hands craft, polish and assemble the pieces was impressive also. The hand crafted quality is something you can see and feel in the product and each valve is actually pressure tested. Yes, these are water appliances you can count on!

It is also interesting to note that the area has long been known for artisanal metallurgy. Beautiful church bells were produced here and that legacy and commitment to metal craft is now used in the faucet manufacturing process. In honor of this the members of our group were given a momento of a leather bracelet with a bell.

Now on to our full Lago D’Orta experience. The views were stunning during the drive through the countryside and the arrival at our hotel had me in awe. The Hotel San Rocco is lakeside and part of the historic little village Orta San Giulio. There is so much romantic beauty in the historic architecture and stone streets and each little lane inspires thoughts of the stories the walls could tell. Our group was taken by boat to an 11th century church on Isola di San Giulio in the middle of the lake. The art and architecture of the place is breathtaking. I loved the sculptures, the frescos, the marble and metal work and the scenic beauty.

I also must speak to the food and wine! The hospitality of the Rohls had us sipping wine lake side and dining on beautifully presented local Italian specialties. Feast your eyes on these beauteous desserts! All in all this was a trip of authentic luxury, indeed!

I hope you enjoy the photos I took as I bonded with this brand. I am quite impressed by the quality and company culture and hope you investigate their offerings for your next water appliance purchase.

Toni