Happy Mother's Day!

 

Here's to you and all your Moms from me and mine!

 

BlogTourNola Sponsor Spotlight: Blanco Sinks and Faucets - It's all in the details

A longtime BlogTour sponsor is BLANCO, the German manufacturer of finely crafted sinks and faucets, brings style and quality to a new level with their latest collection of faucets.
“Our latest collection of faucets offer livable style,” stated Tim Maicher, Director of Marketing for BLANCO. “When we say livable style, we are referencing style that leads trends while integrating into any kitchen design. At the same time, we are talking about the faucets’ functionality. Faucets 
are the jewelry of the kitchen. They must be attractive, but they are also the most abused fixtures in the kitchen. That’s why we engineer BLANCO faucets to last, to use less water, to provide unmatched cleaning and to be as easy to use as they are to maintain.” 
BLANCO was one of the hosts of our final dinner together on BlogTourNola at the beautiful Nordic Kitchens & Baths showroom in Metairie, LA. They put together a fun video from the evening, which was also hosted by Poggenpohl and Silestone. Keep your eyes peeled for a quick pic of yours truly. 


From BLANCO's newly released product lineup, I am loving the ALTA compact faucet (which is admittedly a little modern for my usual tastes, but I love the simplicity of this one) and the Napa faucet which is a beautiful piece of sculpture.



ALTA compact faucet comes in wide range of SILGRANIT® II colors and metal finishes and is just the right size for smaller spaces. Features a 128° swivel spout, dual pull-out spray.

For more traditional tastes, there is the Napa faucet which is sinuous and sleek at the same time - it has gentle curving lines, but with durability built in. Dual spray available in polished chrome and satin nickel. 



One of my favorite products from BLANCO is the beautiful Fireclay apron front sink. The newest material in luxury is actually centuries old. Made of authentic fireclay, the exclusive BLANCO CERANA™ is durable, beautiful, and versatile. This is a reversible sink is a perfect fit for both traditional and contemporary kitchens. Above is the more traditional rounded "farmhouse" style sink and below is the more integrated modern look. Two in one - a great idea! Boston blogger Erin Gates just showed her BLANCO Gerana sink in her new kitchen remodel. It's a great look. And I'm thinking this is going to make a great addition to my virtual Dream House design project as well.


A huge thanks again to BLANCO for sponsoring BlogTourNola - it's been a great experience getting to know everyone involved!


If you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please email me. Thanks! Subscribe to ::Surroundings::

BlogTourNola Sponsor Spotlight: A Steamy Situation with Mr. Steam

First, a little entertainment:




So, it was pretty hot and steamy for part of our New Orleans adventure and I'll admit, the thought of a hot steam wasn't too overly appealing. Until I got home to New England and was reminded why the joys of a steamy experience would be well warranted for most of the year here!


First, a big thank you to Mr. Steam - and the effervescent  Martha Orellana (aka Mrs. Steam)  and Dan Reinert for hosting our amazing dinner at Chef Susan Spicer's Bayona Restaurant. The food, and the company, were amazing.

Mr. Steam, aka The Feel Good Company, is a premier source of upscale, and high quality steam products including towel warmers, shower speakers, shower seats, aromasteam and chromasteam™ systems. Their advanced technology, engineering, and design provides equipment that enhances lifestyles worldwide. The company has refined — and redefined — value and reliability, assuring the highest level of quality. In addition to providing private luxury enhancements for residential use, from smaller homes to estates, their products service a large roster of hotels, resorts, health clubs, spas, and professional team headquarters.

Plus, they enjoy a good time.


Mr.Steam© residential steambaths transform your shower into a personal home spa retreat.

Adding Mr.Steam Aromasteam™ oils,  Chromasteam® lights and MusicTherapy sounds to your steam shower will enhance your steam bathing experience. Steam may help relieve tired muscles as warmth penetrates the body. Warm moisture opens the pores of your skin, leaving it softer and more supple. Perspiration during steambathing may remove impurities from your body. Improved breathing and a sense of cleanliness contribute to a feeling of wellness and fitness.

iSteam© is a new home steam shower experience that marks a new era in bathroom remodeling options. As easy to use as a smart phone, the beautiful grapics of the iSteam touch panel are unprecedented in steam controls. "We set out of create the best possibler user experience, integrating all the benefits of steam bathring and accessories into one highly intuitive control" says Mike Pinkus, Mr. Steam president and the lead industrial designer behind iSteam. "With swipe-touch simplicity, iSteam creates a near-magical transformation of your shower" 
MrSteam: iSteam Control from Mr.Steam on Vimeo.


If you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please email me. Thanks! Subscribe to ::Surroundings::

East or West: Home is Best

Contrary to what many of us realize, many residents who lost their homes in New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina - which was in 2005! - are still struggling to rebuild. Our BlogTourNola trip a couple of weeks ago wasn't all about beignet's and bubby, we were on a mission to learn more about all of New Orleans, not just the fancy parts.

As a wrap up to our trip to New Orleans, we're holding a tweetday TODAY at 4:00EST to talk about the trends and themes we saw in New Orleans, the Kitchen & Bath Industry show, and most importantly, our meetings with the homeowners affected by the storms and where they are today.  To view the chat, please click here.

 Brad Pitt's Make it Right Foundation is the largest LEED Platinum building project in the world. To date 90 homes have been built, with 5 more currently in construction. Pitt selected the Lower Ninth Ward for his project, one of the most devastated during the storm. These new houses are environmentally friendly, yet seek to maintain the local "front porch" culture of the area.  Homeowners have a choice of design plan, color schemes and finishes. Those who wish to participate are provided with the tools for financial planning and the team to make their new homes a reality.

Grassroots organizations are still on the ground working hard with their neighbors to get them back in their homes. We visited three homes and met the homeowners, volunteers and donors who are still working tirelessly (okay, they must be tired, they're human after all!) to get their lives back.


 Meet Joe and Gloria:

Joe and Gloria Robert of New Orleans were newlyweds looking forward to a bright future together when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005.

Residing in their new house for just one month before Katrina slammed the city, the couple lost everything when the levee behind their house was destroyed - one of 53 levees in the city breached by the storm surge – and canal water swallowed the home. The Roberts evacuated the city, staying with various friends and relatives. When the flood waters receded weeks later, Joe and Gloria moved into a pop-up camper in their driveway for a while, but they’ve also been staying with Joe’s daughter from a previous marriage.

Nearly eight years later, Joe and Gloria’s house is still uninhabitable. While a new house has been framed out, the building lacks essentials including electrical, drywall, flooring and plumbing.  Because Joe is a contractor by trade, he has the skills to work on his house, but he has generously donated much of his free time to volunteering with St. Paul’s Homecoming Center helping to rebuild other people’s houses.

Joe works on his home little by little, but is often derailed by setbacks such as having his house broken into and his tools stolen. Even though Joe was forced to save up until he could replenish his tool supply, he has not lost his faith in humanity.

Fortunately, Joe and Gloria received some good news recently when Storehouse of World Vision selected the couple and their house for a rehab project. A few weeks ago Storehouse joined forces with the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) and St. Paul’s Homecoming Center to help rehab kitchens and baths in three houses as a lead-in to NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) held April 19-21 in New Orleans.

While Storehouse and NKBA partners have donated materials, appliances and labor for a new kitchen and bath in the Robert’s house, the rest of the unfinished home still needs lots of TLC.





BlogTourNola Sponsor: Silestone by Cosentino and an important message

 

BlogTourNola sponsor Silestone by Cosentino showcased some gorgeous new quartz surfaces at KBIS and I am just in love - and I'm not just saying that because they are super nice people, sponsored our trip and treated us to delicious food! In other words, my thoughts and opinions are my own!

The above montage shows some of my favorite new product releases. I have to say that I am pretty sick and tire of the ubiquitous granite countertop. Are they "over"? No, not over. But there are many natural stone alternatives that are both unique and beautiful. And, unlike many earlier iterations of quartz countertops that had very regular and repetitive patterning, they are now able to vary the surface patterns to look even more like natural stone as its removed from the earth.

Nebula

 

Suede

 

White Zeus Extreme

For more detail, visit Silestone.

Photo of Eco by Cosentino countertop by Linda Merrill at a Make It Right Foundation house, Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans.

 

The folks at Silestone's sister brand Eco by Cosentino have also been heavily involved in the rebuilding of New Orleans, providing the countertops to Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation. ECO by Cosentino, an innovative line of eco-friendly surfaces made of 75 percent recycled materials, was specified for the kitchens and bathrooms of the Make It Right homes based upon its unique green attributes, C2C (Cradle to Cradle) and GREENGUARD certifications.

And, breaking news! Tune in on Thursday, May 9th, for a tweetchat #Blogtournola as we all chat about our experiences in New Orleans and in particular the people and places we visited in the zones affected by Hurricane Katrina. Big headline news stories come and go, but that doesn't mean that the story is over. Many, many people are still struggling to rebuild their homes and lives, even while helping others in need. One such hero is Mr. Joe Roberts.

Joe and Gloria Robert of New Orleans were newlyweds looking forward to a bright future together when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005. Residing in their new house for just one month before Katrina slammed the city, the couple lost everything when the levee behind their house was destroyed - one of 53 levees in the city breached by the storm surge – and canal water swallowed the home. The Roberts evacuated the city, staying with various friends and relatives. When the flood waters receded weeks later, Joe and Gloria moved into a pop-up camper in their driveway for a while, but they’ve also been staying with Joe’s daughter from a previous marriage.


Nearly eight years later, Joe and Gloria’s house is still uninhabitable. While a new house has been framed out, the building lacks essentials including electrical, drywall, flooring and plumbing. Because Joe is a contractor by trade, he has the skills to work on his house, but he has generously donated much of his free time to volunteering with St. Paul’s Homecoming Center helping to rebuild other people’s houses.

Joe works on his home little by little, but is often derailed by setbacks such as having his house broken into and his tools stolen. Even though Joe was forced to save up until he could replenish his tool supply, he has not lost his faith in humanity. Fortunately, Joe and Gloria received some good news recently when Storehouse of World Vision selected the couple and their house for a rehab project. A few weeks ago Storehouse joined forces with the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) and St. Paul’s Homecoming Center to help rehab kitchens and baths in three houses as a lead-in to NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) held April 19-21 in New Orleans.

 

While Storehouse and NKBA partners have donated materials, appliances and labor for a new kitchen and bath in the Robert’s house, the rest of the unfinished home still needs lots of TLC.

Above - Joe and Gloria Roberts house, April 2013.

Joe speaking with us in another home he is rebuilding for the St. Paul's Homecoming Center.

Doves released at a building site in Gentilly, New Orleans.

We're holding a fundraiser, so please visit this link http://www.worldvision.org/nolaprojects to learn more. (It should be live later today). There are many worthwhile places for our money in this world, but these people have been working hard for eight years, it would be nice to see their labors rewarded and for them to know that they are not forgotten.

 

Thank you.

 

May Giveaway! A handmade serving board from 60Nobscot Home




I'm thrilled to be able to offer as a giveaway this beautiful handmade latter that would be great as a cheese tray, sushi platter or for any other food presentation. This unique, minimalist serving board is made from re-purposed remnants of domestic New England hardwoods.

Ray and I at the IFDA New England Member's Dinner in 2010




Ray Bachand's furniture design is guided by the unique character and temperament of each piece of wood. The uniqueness of the grain patterns, the shape and size, the color variations etc. all contribute to how a board will be used. Often defects become attributes and sections that might otherwise be cut out or discarded become spectacular. This allows that each finished piece is indeed unique and can truly be considered one of a kind. 

A mostly self-taught artisan he has attended workshops at The North Bennett Street School and Chair Making Workshops in New Hampshire. He has a background in music with a BA in percussion performance from San Jose State University and has done graduate work at UCLA. His performances ranged from The San Francisco Opera to Dave Brubeck to Frank Zappa and he was a faculty member of The Berklee College of Music.

After founding, running and then selling a music software company Ray became impassioned with wood and has never looked back. He is now the proprietor of 60nobscot Home a showroom & gallery featuring custom furniture, unique art & handcrafted home goods in the restored barns at the historic Mahoney Farm in historic Sudbury Massachusetts.

Here's a few examples of Ray's work:







 

I think this piece would work in so many settings and decor styles and thank Ray for offering this piece to a ::Surroundings:: friend and reader.

In order to win, please visit Ray's website and Houzz pages and come back and post here to tell us which piece is your favorite. Extra chances to win if you also "Like" Ray's Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/60nobscot and mine here: https://www.facebook.com/LindaMerrillDecorativeSurroundings

Email addresses must be included in order to win - if you use yours to sign into disqus, then that's okay for the purposes of entry, or include in your post, or email it to me separately after you've commented and reference your comment.  Only continental US mailing addresses, please. Let me know if you have any questions. Random drawing to be held on May 12th.

If you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please email me. Thanks! Subscribe to ::Surroundings::

BlogTourNola: Antiquing on Magazine Street, New Orleans

After our walkabout in the Garden District of New Orleans, out BlogTourNola group was treated to a guided tour of a few select shops on the famous, and very long, Magazine Street.  Our host was up and coming designer Shaun Smith who owns his own sweet little shop as well. Below are some of my favorite things and links to the shops we visited:



Petricia Thompson Antiques / Antiqueties d'Europe









Gerrie Bremermann Designs - Ms. Bremermann is one of the Grande Dames of New Orleans design and her shop was just filled with exquisite finds both old and new. Her entire staff was lovely, as was she. My Skirted Roundtable co-host Joni listed Ms. Bremermann as one of her Top Ten Interior designers. Read Joni's excellent profile here. I actually will admit that I wished I had done so before I visited her shop, which is right next door to our tour guide Shaun Smith's store.


 Shaun Smith Home - a huge thanks to Shaun for putting together our little tour of his Magazine Street neighborhood and for the tasty luncheon! His own shop is imbued with his fresh, young style and filled with pieces that mix both old and new.

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to visit all the shops I'd wanted to. I would have loved to visit Brian Batt's Hazelnut, Perch and Julie Niell's lighting shop and factory.  Julie and I had been emailing about me stopping by, but aside from a quick hello on the sidewalk outside her enticing shop, we had a schedule and couldn't stop in. Some other time, Julie, aka the Bayou Contessa!! So nice to meet you!


And I wanted to send a quick hello to the nice lady from Denver who recognized me from The Skirted Roundtable in Shaun's shop. I'm afraid I forgot to ask your name, but thank you for saying hi!  I was plopped down in a chair, sfitzing from the high-80's heat and humidity, sunburnt and feeling a little bedraggled, so you were a nice pick-me-up!

After a quick shower back at the hotel, we headed over to the Odgen Museum for a talk given by Miles Redd about his career and new book The Big Book of Chic. We chatted with Miles at The Skirted Roundtable last fall and this talk included much of what we had spoken with him about. I've met or chatted with Miles a few times now and he's always the epitome of Southern graciousness. Afterwards, we headed over to Chef Susan Spicer's restaurant Bayona.  BlogTourSponsor Mr. Steam, or more precisely Mr. Steam VP Martha Orellana (aka Mrs. Steam) was our hostess with the mostest for this wonderful dinner.

 I dined on grilled hanger steak, fingerling potatoes and green beans in an amazing bordelaise sauce. Seriously, plate licking good.




If you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please email me. Thanks! Subscribe to ::Surroundings::

BlogTourNola: Bevolo Gas & Electric

 
Among all the treats of New Orleans, one of the standouts was a visit to the Bevolo Gas & Electric company. One of the first things I noticed in New Orleans was the prevalence of gas lanterns in both commercial and residential settings. It's funny, Boston is an old city filled with original brick buildings, older even than New Orleans, and traditional gas lanterns would certainly look great here, but I can't recall seeing any.
The gas lanterns are so elegant and romantic. Nestled in the heart of the French Quarter, Bevolo's store, showroom and factory space is gorgeous, rustic and inviting. It's a great, crusty unfinished space that wonderfully sets off their lighting fixtures.
Enjoying a breakfast coffee was our fearless leader Veronika Miller of Modenus and interior designer Barbara Elza Hirsch. Note the architecture of the doors in the background - gorgeous.
Out the back door is a charming back alley where you will feel transported into another world.
Part of the job description for the craftsman must include showman skills. Or, at least, the ability to tune out the bloggerazzi. All Bevolo's lighting is made by hand on site. They warrantee their glasses for life, for any reason, regardless of how many times the lanterns have changed hands, regardless of how it got broken, Bevolo will replace the glass for free. They care that much about the integrity of their products. In fact, they don't even sell their products through distributors. Buyers and designers must deal directly with the factory. They say this is because they can't manage the sales and service aspects of the business remotely to the level they wish.
The courtyard space between the showroom and factory. Love the patina. As a Catholic, I have to share that I love all the religious iconography throughout the city. It's both beautiful and evocative of the history of the city and it's deep roots in France and religious mysticism.
On the subject of the environment, according to the Bevolo folks, the gas lanterns, which do run 24/7, use less energy than many electric light fixtures
Something a little different. Cute!
Bevolo is a multi-generational family owned business founded in 1945 by Andrew Bevolo, Sr. The Italian chandelier above hangs in homage to their Italian roots.
A huge thanks to Bevolo Gas & Electric for the fantastic tour and breakfast beignets and coffee!
Now, all I have to find is a Boston client willing to go gas!
All photos by Linda Merrill.
 
 
 
 
 

 

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