Go With the Flow

While the kitchen and bath fields are brimming with creativity of all types, sometimes a shot of fine art is in order. Providing a bit of intellectual escapism—for me—is this powerful installation by Kate MccGwire. In 'Evacuate,' a mass of feathers spews from the cookstove out into the scullery, resisting reality and raising questions about life itself. katemccgwire.com

Design for Grey Days

A compelling yet unhelpful light source, somber colors, and a general sense of foreboding mark this kitchen. Over the weekend, I saw Evening at the Talk House, a dark, dystopian play by Wally Shawn that has me brooding. Hence this design. dimorestudio.eu

Does This Come in Harvest Orange?

'For you, for life': Not my idea of a good thing these days, insofar as a certain president is concerned.

Surface Effective

How different this bath would be if a smooth-faced tile had been used instead of the bubbly, bumpy Frame! The texture puts the wall on an equal design footing with the swoopy faucet, and the metal accent strips help balance the materials palette. [From the Who Knew? department: Today is #NationalTileDay. Let's raise a mortar-filled trowel and toast our trusted installers.] fapceramiche.com

A Higher Plane

The dishwasher is a popular target for reinvention. Over the years, it's appeared as a drawer, integrated into the sink, and as an object of pity: a portable, roll-away appliance deemed unfit for discerning eyes. This incarnation—strictly a concept at this point—is designed by students Mohsen Jafari Malek and Behzad Taheri. Meant to ease the ergonomic difficulty of bending down to load the machine, its racks rise up, allowing above-counter access.

Deep Thoughts—or Not

Arik Levy's design for the Bowl sink has got me thinking. With its shallow, flat basin, it looks more like it should be floating on water than containing it. It's always good when design shakes up one's perspective on form and function. inbani.com

Design Without Borders

So: Many, many people are saying that something very terrible, really disgraceful—and sad!—happened #lastnightinSweden. Happily, this extemporaneous kitchen design was not the alleged transgression, as Ikea fully and extremely vetted the hacking project. At the heart of the system is a versatile metal bracket that enables a flexible framing system to accommodate an ad hoc mix of storage units and appliances. ikea-hacka.com

Heartfelt Design, The End

Today, we might not give a thought to giving flowers to our appliances [even for Valentine's Day], but obviously a more genteel spirit was at work in 1957. The humble, hardworking refrigerator—which the manufacturer boasted featured a 'lavish' use of aluminum—was deemed worthy of a long-stemmed rose.

Heartfelt Design, Day 4

This handcrafted tile goes straight to the heart of the matter. Part of the 'Much Love Me' collection by Ruan Hoffman, it has a charming, quasi-historical appearance—but its message is timeless. cletile.com

Heartfelt Design, Day 3

'A faucet for Valentine's Day?' Dear reader, if this is the disbelieving thought that's running through your mind, I understand your scorn. But allow me to point out that the Ibiza tap can quite literally slip into something more suited to the mood [or your kitchen decor]. It comes with a 'wardrobe' of three silicone sleeves that can be changed whenever you want a different color at the sink. ruvati.com

Heartfelt Design, Day 2

Twining, sensual lines and a torrid red make the Form stool quite the hot seat, indeed. Should your kitchen call for something a little cooler, it's offered in other colors, too. compar-srl.it

Heartfelt Design

For Valentine's week, we'll take a look at some impassioned designs. This room uses color like Christian Louboutin—albeit reversing the accent hue. Just the right amount of black highlights the sizzling scarlet workbench, turning up the design heat in this high-gloss kitchen.

If Only...

In this 1940 ad, there's a definite female majority in this 'administration,' but their sphere of influence seems to be limited to cooking. Of the eight planks in their platform [listed to the left of the serious-looking gent], this is my favorite: 'Adequate Defense against worry, heat, and dirt'.

Kitchen, Contoured

I've just finished clearing a foot of snow off the car. During that oddly meditative [and chilly!] experience, I had more than ample opportunity to observe the effect of the wind on the white stuff; hence, this sculpted cabinet front. sorenrose.com

Fair Weather Fan

Today, looking at its rivulets of silver frosted with white, this ceramic tile reminds me of a snow-blanketed skating rink. Of course, after the predicted blizzard sweeps through tomorrow, I might not think of the lovely Chromium tile in such cordial terms, but that won't change the fact it is an exquisite design. unicaceramiche.com

Door: Number One

With its classic grid, this shower enclosure can toggle between traditional and modern decors with ease. A snappy departure from frameless designs, the Gridscape divided-light door is offered in several styles, including swinging, sliding, and fixed panel. A choice of glass textures and types elevates this typically innocuous bathroom feature into a real design element. coastalshowerdoors.com

A Subtle Space

Despite its assertive teal and brick-red palette, I see this room as a suggestion of a kitchen, rather than a Kitchen with a capital K. The stainless steel acts like a shadow in the room, not so much reflecting light but helping to define it. While distinctive, the cabinets, appliances, and light fixtures step back visually, letting the architecture dominate. uda.it

But Where Do You Put the Skeletons?

Look—it's a kitchen with no cabinets! [Any similarity between this 1932 appliance advertisement and the current political administration is purely coincidental.]

Lateral Thinking

The Monolith console ingeniously restores much of the bathroom  storage space that's often lost with pedestal or wall-hung sinks. Slide-out shelves are concealed in a cabinet that's a space-conscious four inches deep. The unit sports an opaque glass front. geberit.com

Aesthetic Equilibrium

I just noticed that several of my posts over the last week or so have mentioned balance, symmetry, stability...it's that ol' subconscious making itself heard again. This bath fits that pattern, too, with the offset-yet-mirroring design of the vanity. And speaking of mirrors: Of course there are two of them in the room. Balance, you know. stevenvolpe.com