Tile Tuesday: In Valencia Art is a Way of Life

Welcome to today's installment of Tile Tuesday!  The second half of my adventure with Tile of Spain took us to Valencia, location of Cevisama the annual trade show held to showcase the latest innovations introduced by the Spanish tile industry.We traveled by train east from Sevilla to Valencia, which is situated on the coast about 300 miles south of Barcelona. At first glance Valencia appears to be very modern with a predominance of what I call “the new Spanish architecture” featuring waves, curves and a visually interesting asymmetry.But there is an older Valencia to explore as well. The heart of the city features structures such as The “Iglesia de San Juan del Hospital” which dates back to the 1200s! The current city grew from this center. What a crazy combination of styles!  You can see Roman, Gothic, Renaissance  and more because different sections were constantly added to the original structure.Again we had a passionate knowledgeable tour guide who did not allow us to leave one inch of Valencia uncovered!  One of my favorite spots was the Mercado de Colón, a beautiful example of the Art Nouveau style. Glass and tile adorn this early twentieth century marketplace, now a gathering place full of interesting bars and restaurants.Hallmarks of the Art Nouveau style include free flowing organic shapes,  rich earth tones and lots of tile! At the turn of the nineteenth century there was no aspect of living that was not touched by the movement.  It was a global trend as well.  In Germany it was known as Jugendstil, in Spain Arté Joven and Secession in Austria.  The American version evolved into the what we know as the Arts and Crafts Movement, a simplified, more linear version.   According to Art Nouveau philosophy,  art should be a way of life. No wonder I'm always intrigued by it!If you're looking to "Nouveau" your kitchen here are somethings you can include:-Rich brown wood stains-Green, green and green 

Traditional Tile by Los Angeles Tile, Stone & Countertops Filmore Clark

-Some curvy shapes (more affordable to do this with your counter top than with cabinets)-Oak wood floors or cabinets -Certain flora and fauna like the dragonfly, the ginko leaf and the thistle are all images often seen in Art Nouveau styling-Ceramic tile backsplashes (preferably with the above motifs)Next Tile Tuesday: More Cevisama and the future of tile. 

A New Way to Organize Your Kitchen

Technology is a great thing but what about the inevitable "cord spaghetti"?  There is a very cool solution for that. Check out this little video by Adorne.  They've got you covered for all types of under cabinet magic including lights, outlets, music and more.  High function with a lovely aesthetic. 

Getting Creative at Cavastone

Time to switch from "turkey talk" to tile!  Hope you had a great holiday.  If you haven't found the new Kitchens for Living page on Facebook, please check it out and give me some love (ok I'll settle for a like). Today I'd like to highlight  a local resource that you should definitely know about if you live in South Florida.Cavastone is located in Boca Raton.  I've worked with them before but I was recently in the neighborhood so I decided to make a pit stop and check out the latest in the world of tile.   The showroom is stunning, sophisticated, and well lit which allows you to view the products to their full advantage.  I was most impressed with the options they have for porcelain tile but there is also a large assortment of granite and marble slabs.The tile above is gorgeous! It's a natural semi-precious stone accented with silver! Makes me think of a decadent boudoir or dressing area. Digital printing technology allows for an infinite number of options when it comes to porcelain tile.  They've got the natural look down!  The nice thing is if you ever need more it can be made for you. Those large sizes (see top) also come in 25" by 25" in case your abode is not quite that large. This dimensional look is also a big trend, used for walls in both interior and exterior applications.  You can find all Cavastone info right here on the Kitchens for Living Local Resources page. If you've got a great local resource clue me in.  I'd love to hear about it!

Spain Takes the Stage at Cersaie 2014

Tile of Spain, a collective of 90 Spanish ceramic wall and floor tile manufacturers, recently showcased new collections and innovations at the Cersaie 2014 show.  Held last month in Bologne, Italy, Cersaie is THE yearly international exhibition of ceramic tile.I love to note the trends at this show as they are a barometer of what we’ll be seeing here in the near future.  It’s not only the tile itself but how it’s being used that intrigues me and can offer us a wealth of design ideas.Tile has been used in building as far back as 3000BC in ancient Greece.  First used to replace thatch roofs, they were desired for their fire resistance.   Today tile finishes are vast, varied and constantly reinvented through the advent of new technologies affecting both performance and aesthetics.This year Spanish manufacturers, reflecting the latest design trends, showed vintage styles, hexagon shapes, three dimensional profiles and more.Here are some of my favorites from Tiles of Spain showcased at Cersaie 2014Porcelanosa (above) makes a complete contemporary statement with this combination of tiles.  I especially like the subtle injection of Old World suggested by the matte black floor tile. Other than the fact that chevrons are always cool, I love the gradient shades of grey shown here by Equipe Ceramicas, so original!  The grey and white are also neutral and easy to design around.Think pink! A lot of chick-pad-pink from Unicer (above). It's all tile, the white, the print the textured and the matte.  Would you?If you're going to use tile in the kitchen, go big! It really makes a statement.For more ideas check out the Tile of Spain USA Inspiration Gallery. 

Glass Reflects History and Looks to the Future

The thing I love about glass is that it constantly reinvents itself and that is the secret to staying viable in all economies. Glass has been around thousands of years,  first found in the Mesopotamia region, it’s main component is silica. It’s been so useful throughout history because it is so versatile in its uses.  By nature it is sterile and non pourous which makes it an excellent choice for holding food and beverages.

Modern Kitchen by Los Angeles Architects & Designers Griffin Enright Architects

It can also be molded into almost any shape. Its transparency allowed us to have the first windows offering light and at the same time protection from the elements.

   The international design movement of the early 2oth century gave us architecture featuring large unbroken expanses of glass.  A quintessential example is Philip Johnson's Glass House and who could forget the 90s phenomenon, glass block! Corning Glassworks , an American company founded in 1851 continues to explore cutting edge uses for glass.  You can visit the Corning Museum of Glass where over 40,000 objects representing 3500 years of glass and glass making from Egyptian to 20th century are on display. But if you can’t make it to Corning NY, check out this timeline available on their very slick website. The following video produced by Corning shows some amazing cutting edge technology featuring, you guessed it, glass!  This is not a new video, apparently made in 2011, but it looks pretty futuristic to me just the same.  Note the kitchen and bath applications! Last but certainly not least, here is a sight we’re going to be seeing more of in the coming years, Google Glass. Do you agree?  Weigh in now!

Dreaming of a White Kitchen...

I’m always designing, writing about and thinking about kitchens.  It’s what I do.  Today I started thinking about what MY dream kitchen would look like and thanks to our uber talented design pals over at houzz.com I think I found it.

Modern Kitchen by Auckland Kitchen & Bath Designers shannon pepper design

It’s this stunning kitchen by Shannon Pepper Designs in New Zealand.  Not only is it a visual pleasure, but it would also be a blast to cook in!  It features glossy white cabinetry with contemporary slab fronts, white marble counters and a stunning red painted glass backsplash.  I’m loving how the red is picked up by the bar stools too.  I love, love, love.  I wonder if she calls this “Pepper Red”?  If not, she should!  

Modern Kitchen by Auckland Kitchen & Bath Designers shannon pepper design

I also love the contrasting cabinetry in the adjacent bar. Now for me I must confess I would tweak just a couple of things because that’s what I do.  I take a dream and I tailor-make it to suit YOU.  But wait we were talking about me today!  I would have run that HOT “Pepper Red”  backsplash all the way up behind the hood and I would have lowered those upper cabinets because I’m short and because it would give me more storage.  Something like this:As they say, a girl can dream.  Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and tons of beauty, love, health and prosperity in the new year!! Thanks for reading Kitchens for Living.  XOXOXOX