Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Shopping for new sink hardware? Perhaps something decorative with a European influence? Something you won’t find at the local home improvement store?

If so, take a peek at some of the stuff from THG, a company that was founded in Normandy half a century ago and has a history of offering fine custom-crafted faucetry and bath fixtures. They have presences in several countries in Europe and also in the U.S.

As an example of their work, check out the Frou Frou faucet and knob set, a part of the company’s Py Rochon line.

THG

If you’re looking for living room furniture and trying to maximize useful space while keeping a small footprint, then this fun piece from Italian Design might pique your interest.

The low table is a compact square when closed, taking up only a 24 ½”X24 ½” block of space, but three of its five layers can be rotated 360 degrees into different positions (the top and bottom layers are fixed) to give you all sorts of room for drinks, magazines, decorations, etc.

Available finishes include wengé, bleached oak, ebony, white laminate with edges in wengé, all black laminate, or “Acrilux” highgloss: white, red, grey with edges in bleached oak or wengé.

Italian Design

If you’re someone who chooses lamps based on their ability to blend in and not compete with other decorations and furnishings, this probably isn’t the floor lamp for you. However, if you want lighting that draws attention to itself and is as much art as lamp, then the Twirly might be perfect.

This 96″ tall and 36″ wide “light sculpture” is from Studio Lilica, a company that crafts custom architectural lighting and unique fabric sculptures. Their Lightform Sculptures “synthesize light, line and motion to transform conventional spaces into extraordinary environments.” And they look neat too.

You’ll have to contact them via their site for information on pricing.

I must confess: I’m a sucker for sinks with interesting shapes. Sure, those rectangular and oval ones most people have in their kitchens and bathrooms are practical, useful, functional, etc etc etc but there are more fun options out there…

For instance, we’ve checked out heart-shaped children’s sinks, four-foot long cascading sinks, snail-shaped bathroom sinks, and stone sinks with linked upper and lower basins.

Now, does anybody actually neeeed sinks like these?

Heck, yeah. And you need this one too:

“The clean, organic shape of the Fête island sink brings multipurpose convenience and a fresh aesthetic to kitchen spaces. Its unique, upper-and-lower basin design helps you easily accommodate both preparation and presentation, depending on your needs.”

From Kohler

If you’re remodeling the kitchen and looking for some stylish yet eco-friendly options for the backsplash, check out these aluminum tiles, which are made from 100% recycled metal.

They come in mixed finishes to create a little more variety than the subway tile backsplash we looked at a while back. On top of looking good, the eco-friendly tiles are easy to clean and maintain (wipe down with mild dish soap and water). If your kitchen is looking a little too wood-heavy from all your cabinets, these could be a nice way to break up the monotony.

Prices start at $35 per square foot.

From Eco-friendly Flooring

When I first glimpsed the aptly named Triangle sink from Lagares, I was wondering how it kept the water from spilling out onto the floor. Upon a closer look, I realized the sink had a glass front. The overall affect is pretty darned cool (though in a house with kids, you might resent cleaning fingerprints and smudges off the bathroom sink as well as the mirror).

If you’re looking for more interesting ideas for the bathroom, visit the Lagares web site. The company specializes in the manipulation and transformation of solid surface materials such as Corian. They’ve got a lot of unique sinks as well as some shower trays, shower heads, faucets, and a residential urinal that just might have you rethinking preconceived notions that urinals are ugly.

http://www.lagares.com/