Luxury Kitchens & Bathrooms Issue#15 2016

As a lover of the simple things, I’m sometimes put off by the word luxury — so often it seems to mean pink fluff or glitter! While there’s nothing wrong with a little sparkle (as you’ll find out on page 34), indulgent doesn’t need to mean overly complicated if that’s not your thing. Beautiful design is just as often centred on lush natural elements, out-of-the-box thinking and a feeling of happiness and calm. Nobody understands simple, luxurious living better than the Danish, and on page 48 we discover their design philosophy and the concept of hygge, which means the creation of a feeling of cosiness and warmth that comes from being surrounded by family and friends in a beautiful space. Would a smart fridge break that spell? It’s a question only…

The easiest way to think of the Milan Furniture Fair is perhaps as a festival akin to fashion week — with beautiful furniture replacing the models. We asked our friends at Houzz to talk us through three key trends from EuroCucina, the fair’s kitchen showcase, so you can add a touch of high-end style to your new room. Life in the kitchen With houses shrinking and the Scandinavian influence growing, it’s no surprise modern designers have had to re-think the idea of separate rooms for dining, cooking, eating and relaxing. This year’s EuroCucina saw the kitchen living room come into its own, with loads of designs breaking down lines between some of the home’s most important spaces. “As we continue to blur the boundaries between our kitchens and our living spaces, kitchen manufacturers…

Black and gold These have been trending in tapware for a while now, and Salone Bagno — EuroCucina’s International Bathroom Exhibition — only cemented their dominance, adding rose and pink-hued golds and shinier piano-look blacks, and spreading their influence across the bathroom. Luxury bathroom company Maison Valentina loves to pair gold and black and the company showcased more of the same from this winning combination. Art-like baths, basins and accessories feature everything from koi-like scales to vintage-styled legs and drawers, all in signature matte black and bright gold. Those seeking amazing high-end luxury need look no further! Cerasa’s serene, sculpture-like moon collection was also on display and comes in a range of beautiful colours including a rich, yellow gold topped with a black basin, perfectly paired with dark, moody accessories. For those seeking an…

The internet is the easiest place to find it, although once you start looking, you’ll see it everywhere. Fake designer furniture has become a big industry in Australia, with large chain stores, eBay and other online shops flooding the market with products. Kitchens are especially prone to the kind of fakes that make industry professionals see red. Many of us don’t set aside big budgets for items such as bar stools, pendant lights and dining chairs so it’s very easy to fall prey to so-called replicas — cheaply made copies of high-end designs. According to industry insider Anne-Maree Sargeant, “outside the design industry the word ‘replica’ is not clearly understood”. Anne-Marie heads the Authentic Design Alliance (ADA), a team of independent industry professionals hoping to spread the word about the downside of…

Between family, friends, work and hobbies, for most people the average week has never felt more crowded — and many of us are trying to recapture that feeling of wellbeing and relaxation that seems to have exited our lives. The Danes refer to that wholesome warmth as hygge, and it’s central to every part of their homes — from the way they lay out their spaces to the careful selection of lighting and accessories. As more and more Australians seek a balanced existence and acknowledge the effect good design can have on mood and productivity, it’s no wonder many of us are interested in adding a hint of Danish to our homes. “On an aesthetic level, Danish design is very pure,” says Graeme Metcalf of Dan Kitchens, which has been creating Danish-inspired…

Old-school cool A broad range of kitchen manufacturers are being drawn to the past for inspiration in the present, with Smeg and Kitchen Aid perhaps two of the most famous examples. When asked why he thinks vintage-inspired design is still on the rise, ILVE’s head of marketing, Daniel Bertuccio, says he thinks “hipsters are partly to blame”, but he adds this is more than just a passing trend. “People enjoy a sense of nostalgia in their lives; this could be because subconsciously it reminds them of their childhood and the way things used to be,” says Daniel. “We have also found that more of our customers want stand-out kitchens and don’t want theirs to look like those of their neighbours!” The vintage look is most common in small appliances and tableware, items which are…