Sometimes pretty pictures confuse

What do people see, when goggling kitchens? House Beautiful has a wonderful archive available, but by far the most viewed kitchens are those of Nancy Meyers in her movies. They get play not only at the local theater, but in the shelter magazines as well. Traditional Home featured the Tuscan-inspired kitchen from the recent Boomer romantic comedy "It's Complicated." Lately, just like in this kitchen, the most featured countertop in kitchens seems to be carrara marble. For a functioning kitchen this has to be the most un-functional choice of materials for a countertop that is used everyday. Unless it is kept meticulously sealed, it will stain in no time. That is why I recommended that Corian® create a look inspired by carrara marble for a much easier maintenance choice. It was introduced several years ago and is called Rain Cloud , a part of the Private Collection. It is the job of designers, architects and retailers to make their customers aware of material properties. Pretty pictures - whether in the movies or magazine are just that, but consumers will have to live in and use their kitchens...theirs are usually not just for show.

Names Matter

For anymore that is still a heretic on the idea that words and names matter watch this spoof from a few years ago on MadTV - iPad. One good reason to have a diverse group involved in the naming process. Can parody be homage even before the fact?

Beauty in Nature's Snowflakes

It doesn't always feel that way, especially when we are shoveling a heavy snowfall, but snowflakes are one of nature's most beautiful creations. See the astounding variety and symmetry of the images taken by Wilson A. Bentley over 100 years ago archived in the Buffalo Museum of Science Collection and available to view online.

Is Color making a return this time around??

After a long decade of beige, and more beige, color would occasionally rear its head, but never for long. Will it stick around this time? Last night at the Golden Globes the gowns ushered in what might become a reign of purples in fashion. It will be tentative at first, but the first shot for color's return in home furnishings was fired by the New York Times today with an article about Hella Jongerius: Daring to Play with a Rich Palette. “'Color can bring richness, beauty and ambiguity to design, if it is used well,” she explained. “But most designers use the same colors again and again, mostly ones that are too bright, too kitschy, too gray, or too cold.'” The problem, or so Ms. Jongerius believes, is that most industrial designers don’t know how to use color. Ms. Jongerius suspects that other designers fail to make the most of color because they weren’t taught how to do so. Another problem, she says, is the influence of color forecasters, who tend to predict future trends (as their clients ask them to) rather than making considered decisions about individual colors, and how they will work together across a company’s products."

20 years ago, when colors were simply out of the paint box, color forecasters color predictions served a definite use, but as materials and textures became more complex and layered, forecasters predictions came to be less user-friendly for most products and manufacturers. I marveled at the hundreds of trend pieces that greeted 2010 with Pantone's predictions of a "turquoise" year. Interesting - but I wouldn't take that to the bank. Color, light and material are so inexorably tied together, that color cannot be considered as an entirely separate entity. The furniture manufacturer Vitra and Jongerius worked together on a color research project to help them understand the use of color in their products. Find a fascinating essay on the topic and images of the process at Jongerius's website.

At Corian, we started looking at the color gaps in the palette in July of 2007. It was obvious at the time that we were missing some of nature's happier hues. I suspect that the recent downturn had something to do with the fact that several of these colors were finally implemented for a 2010 introduction. The image above is of my very first analysis, but we never got past the first iteration during my tenure there as we continued to introduce more and more beige based on focus group favorites. Although neutrals will continue to sell best, color is still one of the best ways to stimulate interest in any product and to stand out from the competition.

Chanel - Gentle Tattoos??

And you thought I was kidding about tattoos becoming a fashion item...well here it is! Forget skulls and crossbones, Elle UK introduces us to the Chanel version of transfer tattoos - elegant even - logo included!