The trend for wide-plank wood flooring was overwhelmingly obvious at Domotex 2012, world's leading tradeshow for floor coverings, which took place in Hannover, Germany, earlier this month. Among the new and innovative flooring products showcased by nearly 200 manufacturers, various styles of wide plank, natural looking wood floors were most common. Wider flooring planks start from 5" and go up to 7-8" or even wider, depending on species, finish and construction.
Both concern for the environment and the uncertain state of the economy influenced the flooring trends for 2012. As a result, interest in wider planks goes hand in hand with demand for natural, eco-friendly floors; both are must-have traits for wood floors in 2012.
"The growing trend in flooring is for a wide plank, brushed in order to emphasize the texture of natural wood, and oiled in order to preserve its warmth. This means that the more the floor looks and feels like authentic wood, the better," stated Tatyana Zhigar, principal designer at Coswick Hardwood Inc, regular exhibitor at Domotex. "For many manufacturers, achieving effect of authenticity is done through lowering wood flooring grades, offering products that include a very high number of natural imperfections, swirls and knots - a whole spectrum of natural wood characteristics that make real hardwood flooring so unique."
Coswick's new collection of wide plank hardwood flooring, the Arts & Crafts Collection, was presented at Domotex. The new collection features 7 designer styles oak flooring with innovative eco-friendly oil finishes; it is available as locking 5G engineered flooring.
Aside from producing hardwood floors that preserve the authentic look and feel of natural wood, manufacturers increasingly opt in for using lumber that originates from sustainable forests, formaldehyde-free glues, as well as finishes that contain no toxic VOC emissions. This tendency is expected to strengthen through 2012.
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Coswick Hardwood Inc is a Canadian manufacturer of prefinished solid and engineered hardwood flooring. The head office is located in Mississauga, ON, Canada and the manufacturing facilities are in Zaslavl, Belarus. Coswick dealer network spans globally and includes Canada and USA, EU, Russia, the Baltic Region, Central Asia, as well as countries of the Persian Gulf. For more information, visit our website at http://www.coswick.com
Improvements to the site's architecture have streamlined the search process whilst delivering an even greater number of results. Accessing the info on ArchiExpo has never been so easy. Several extra search features have been added to make the site even more dynamic.
The graphics of the site have been reworked in order to focus more on product visuals. The new graphics give a fresh look to the site and will no doubt contribute further to our ever increasing visitor numbers. The result is more and bigger product images, a more visually exciting display of search results, promotion of the latest news, products and videos and much more.
Don't wait any longer. Come and discover the new ArchiExpo!
]]>VISIT MILLENNIUM WATER DURING THE OLYMPICS!
The Millennium Water Presentation Centre will remain open during the entire duration of the Olympics. We invite you to experience Millennium Water at 212 West First Avenue at Cook. The presentation center is open daily 12-5PM and closed Fridays.
ABOUT EGGERSMANN
Eggersmann – a 101-year-old, 4th Generation German company, is the oldest family owned kitchen manufacturer in Germany. Eggersmann has recently taken modern design to the next level with its UNIQUE collection that features furniture designs crafted in granite, marble, quartz and steel finishes. Eggersmann is also very “Green” with the largest collection of FSC certified engineered wood veneers, and offers lacquer finishes in high-gloss, textured, and matt finishes in unlimited color combinations! Eggersmann enjoys a reputation for its flexibility in custom cabinetry sizing and its award winning state-of-the-art interior accessories.
“Designing with Eggersmann is limited only by your imagination”
For additional information, please visit the Eggersmann USA Web site at www.eggersmannusa.com
Contact
Michael J Soltoff
President/CEO
212.688.4910 ext 303
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Living on the internet for many years as a single page landing site as a condensed version of their corporate brand site, CopperRangeHoods.net is now a destination site with a full selection of range hood designs, a buying guide, information about textures and patinas, and more.
Joe Cain, Marketing Director of Copperworks, proudly states “The site incorporates much of the theme of our main site, TheCopperworks.com, but focuses on one major product line, copper hoods.”
As with most web redesigns, customer feedback drove many of the changes. “We really wanted to consolidate a lot of the options for our hoods and put as much information on one page,” Cain explains, “we make custom products so there are almost limitless combinations, but we have the most popular offerings right next to each hood model.”
Marketing leaders
Copperworks paved a new road in the custom range hood industry in 2004 by being the first manufacturer to offer an online shopping cart for custom made hoods. While their competitors offered information and phone numbers for estimates, Copperworks empowered their customers to choose options, and finalize their order in one session.
The shopping cart option is still available on TheCopperworks.com, but the call to action on CopperRangeHoods.Net is an online estimate request. In response to designers and contractors who often research on behalf of their clients, Copperworks offers personalized drawings and written estimates from the information gathered on the website.
With a competitive market, the marketing innovators at Copperworks may have a few other tricks in their toolboxes. They have recently purchased six domain names and have more updates to their websites planned in the near future. “We can’t divulge any other plans at this time, but our marketing efforts will be very strong in 2010,” Cain concludes.
Copperworks operates a marketing office in San Francisco while all of their custom copper hoods, countertops and sinks are made and shipped from their workshop in Petaluma, California.
]]>It's literally a case of offering the customer the window design option they want, with an expanded choice of window colors, shades or textures.
"You can order anything in glass you want, period," Robert Scott, director of Engineering for MDM said.
Martin's ability to create a unique door for each customer, just took on unlimited possibilities.
Scott says Martin utilizes either acrylic, tempered or laminated glass, all of which offer safety options, limiting the risk of broken glass in the case of an accident or incident.
The engineering director said Martin Door Manufacturing does not use glass that breaks into chards.
The laminated glass sourced by Martin comes with two pieces of glass laminated together with piece of plastic between the layers, similar to a car windshield. This adds a measure of security nearly as strong as if it were solid aluminum.
Some other brand doors simply take a commercial style service station door and convert it into a residential door, with little or no regard to homeowner safety. When Martin designed its all glass door, it did so with safety in mind. Martin residential garage doors come with over 30 key safety and long life upgrades standard.
As part of its expanded offering, Martin is able to offer these specialized options without an extensive lead-time.
]]>The company will begin to make the Avignon (ä-ven-yô) Garage Door, which features a swinging door look, done in aluminum.
"It's a new look and a new approach for the garage door market," Dave Haslam, national director of sales, said of the option.
The door is available in hundreds of potential combinations of windows, colors and styles.
The Avignon is named after a city in southern France famous for being the home of seven Catholic popes in the period from 1305 to 1378. It is located approximately 580 kilometers from Paris.
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John
]]>Since the house is one of the few modern buildings in the neighborhood, DEX mixed its dramatic features with softer touches to maintain a sense of community. The façade is composed of palm green Hardie Plank siding and a butterfly roof offset by a delicate white plaster wall that conceals the main entry. The façade’s strong geometric lines and use of color are balanced by subtle landscaping that includes drought-resistant landscaping, a koi pond, and a custom-designed water feature that channels water through linear slots. DEX strategically incorporated warmer materials, such as wood in unexpected areas like the underside of the roof, and decking, found around the pond. Theses elements give the home a modern presence without making it feel cold or unapproachable alongside the neighborhood’s more traditional homes.
Inside the home, the courtyard works to unite the interior and exterior spaces. On the first floor, the kitchen, dining area, media room, game room, and office create a U-shape that opens to the outdoor space. One story up, the master suite, a series of three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a roof garden navigate around the courtyard to take advantage of the view and cool breezes. Both stories feature a large expanse of floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding doors that face the courtyard. DEX meticulously designed the spans of windows and doors to align with each other forming a geometric grid of glass and steel.
The courtyard is ideal for entertaining Vasquez’s family, as it features a pool, spa, firepit, built-in benches, barbeque area, and bar. Following DEX’s aesthetic, the Studio added garden spaces outside the sliding doors and on a visible 1st story roof deck, a custom-designed cement-block wall that acts as the backdrop to a series of screening plants, and a sunscreen made of twisted white and chocolate vinyl strap.
The courtyard bar’s connects to the elevated, eat-in kitchen through a series of counter-height sliding windows, allowing guests sitting at the outdoor bar to remain physically connected with those inside. The arrangement works well for anyone cooking because they are not separated from the outside activities. The kitchen features commercial-grade appliances, Caeserstone and stainless steel countertops, glossy white cabinetry, and end- grain bamboo flooring. This combination of materials makes the kitchen feels both sleek and inviting.
Opposite the U-shaped kitchen is the dining area and its focal point—an expansive fireplace. To anchor the space, DEX designed a fireplace that provides a transition space between the entry and media room. Stacked brick floats over a long polished concrete hearth that stores firewood, leading into the media room that contains elaborate dark walnut millwork. The arrangement of shelves and cabinets showcase Vasquez’s collectables and discreetly hide all media components.
Beyond the variety of visible design elements, DEX also sought to minimize the home’s footprint by designing the to be energy efficient. Since the lot receives strong Southern sun, Bell designed a variety of passive cooling techniques to reduce the home’s mechanical cooling needs. To keep sunlight from overheating the home during the day, Bell developed a series of overhangs and sunscreens to prevent solar heat gain. DEX also designed two roof gardens and a thoughtfully landscaped front yard with low-water consumption plants in place of a standard roof system and water-hungry grass lawn. Inside the home DEX created natural ventilation systems to utilize the coastal breezes that sweep through the neighborhood. Above the double height staircase there is an electronically operated skylight that releases hot air when open, creating an immediate cooling effect. Beyond passive cooling techniques, the site is also ready for solar panel installation, which will serve to make the home even more energy efficient.
With their first Orange County home complete, DEX continues to set the standard for warm, modern spaces that combine thoughtful design with coastal living.
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