International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF), the word “reinvention” came to me as a trend that speaks not only to the city, but also to the innovations shown at this year’s show. The significance of standing on the Chelsea High Line in a garden that was once an elevated train track while looking at an image from 1945 that was re-invented in graffiti, was not lost on me. It was that “aha” moment.
Translating “aha” into “ahhh” then became the trend story for ICFF kitchen and bath products. In the U.S., we tend to keep one foot in what’s comfortable and traditional while at the same time we yearn for the latest and greatest. Transitional design is the best of both worlds – the reinventing of tried and true with something new.
2013 Trends for Kitchen and Bath
The sink that comes out on top
BLANCO’s MODEX has won numerous design awards for it’s unique raised cubic look and integrated functionality. It’s made of SILGRANIT II, a durable granite composite that lets you use the sink as a real workstation to prep, cut, set a boiling pot atop, etc.
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Energy-efficient LED lighting
Big Ass Fans introduces Haiku with LED lighting. This sleek minimalist ceiling fan was launched last year at ICFF and has been re-invented with a patent-pending LED module that is 80 percent more efficient than traditional bulbs, offers 16 unique brightness settings and will last for years.
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Outdoor living, bathing
Connecting with nature appears to be a growing design niche – even in New York City. Weltevree presents their award-winning Dutchtub wood-fired hot tub with a unique look and simple design that lets you take the outdoor bathing experience with you.
New traditional design
Victoria+Albert takes the original Victorian bath and streamlines the look with its Drayton model. This transitional bathtub and its coordinating basin are made of ENGLISHCAST, which is a glossy white composite surface that is easy to clean.
Vintage tile gets skinny
INALCO, a Tile of Spain manufacturer, is one of the innovators of thin tile – tile that is as mechanically strong as normal porcelain – but with unique advantages for easy installation with little grout on walls, counters and floors. This classic vintage look comes in a thin tile called Handcraft.
