New Ravenna + Gracie = Gorgeousness

I just came across a collaboration between Exmore, Va.-based mosaic tile manufacturer New Ravenna and venerable wallcovering manufacturer Gracie (since 1898!). New Ravenna is creating glass mosaic panels based on Gracie wallcovering patterns and the results are amazing. Together, they have created five different offerings, each in two colorways.

Blythedunes, a hand-cut jewel glass mosaic shown in Lapis Lazuli, Iolite, and Covellite, with Sea Glass™ Absolute White, is part of the Gracie collection for New Ravenna.

Here it is shown in jewel Agate, Quartz, Amber, Alexandrite, Tiger’s Eye, Sardonyx, Garnet, Ruby, Carnelian, Covellite, Rhodolite, Olivine, Schist, Tortoise Shell, and Obsidian with Sea Glass™ Tanzanite. It is clearly handmade in bespoke sizes.

The French Deco pattern feels vaguely Asian, shown in jewel Absolute White and honed Dawn Mirror. It is also availabel in a more naturalistic colorway using Peridot with Sea Glass™ Absolute White.

Linda's Garden , named for an ancient frescoed Roman villa Linda Gracie admired on her travels to Italy uses jewel Agate, Amber, Citrine, Peridot, Alexandrite, Jade, Schist, Lavastone, Tourmaline, Labradorite, Zircon, Jasper, Champagne, Opal, and Moonstone with Sea Glass™ Serpentine. A warmer colorway uses Citrine, Quartz, Agate, Amber, Tiger’s Eye, and Tortoise Shell, and Sea Glass™ Ruby.

Wave and Blossom, a pattern that feels even more Deco than the French Deco above, uses some pretty lixe colors and materials: Tortoise Shell, Amber, Tiger’s Eye, Jasper, Obsidian, 24K Gold, Dawn Mirror, Moonstone, Alabaster, Champagne, and Rhodolite with honed 24K Gold. The cooler colorway uses Lavastone, Mica, Pewter, Amber, Champagne, Marcasite, and Opal with Sea Glass™ Absolute White.

Finally, a pattern based on the classic Japanese wave design by Hokusai features  realistic and sepia-toned colorways with Marcasite, Zircon, Mica, Pewter, Opal, and Moonstone with Sea Glass™ Moonstone and Absolute White.

These stunning mosaic panels deserve pride of place in a grand walk-in shower or surrounding a luxurious soaking tub. I can't wait to install one for a client...maybe it could be you?

Happy designing!

A Light, Airy Kitchen by Fiorito Interior Design

Acquiring a new house is an exciting occasion but often has many challenges. So when my clients moved here to California from the east coast and purchased a home that was built in 1967, they came to me to help modernize and update the house that clearly had not been touched since the 70s. For the kitchen, we removed the dated orange oak cabinetry, tile counter tops (with pesky large grout lines), and cracked terra cotta flooring. This enabled us to start from scratch so we could create a light, bright kitchen in the soft fog and forest colors of the coastal mountain region of our area here in Northern California.

White cabinetry and light neutrals in the space create an airy, open feeling. European white oak flooring contributes to the organic feeling and grounds the space. New appliances (including a French-door Sub Zero refrigerator and a Wolf oven with coordinating microwave), hand-forged iron light fixtures, and a luxurious Crema Marfil marble counter and mosaic backsplash elevate this kitchen while the custom drapery panels, trestle table, and custom chairs in the dining area allow the kitchen to retain a casual, contemporary-California atmosphere.

All after photos by Bernardo Grijalva

Here is what it looked like before we gave it a new lease of life!

And here is the empty kitchen, just in drywall and ply sub-flooring, waiting to be made beautiful.

Do you have a dated kitchen that needs a lift? Call me!

Happy designing!

Slab and Template: Together Forever

I am currently working on a whole-house remodel for a client and we are in the kitchen phase. After we picked out our color scheme for the cabinets, counter, and backsplash, we set about choosing materials. I found a gorgeous backsplash made out of crosshatch pieces of light cream marble punctuated with decorative squares of variegated Dream Stone.

Since the feeling of this house is light, open, and calm, I wanted a counter material that would have very minimal movement in terms of a pattern so as not to compete with the texture of the backsplash. My clients prefer natural stone and one of the prettiest out there is Crema Marfil. This stone is a marble, and while I generally try to steer clients away from using marble in a kitchen setting as it can etch from acidic foods like vinegar and lemons, Crema Marfil is a little heartier. If properly sealed, and if you are the type of cook who cleans up as you go, then this marble could be for you. The cream color has beautiful clouds of tan and warm grey, making it a soft visual statement.

But choosing the type of material is only half the story. When buying slabs for a kitchen, I always like to bring clients to the marble and stone slab showroom so we can choose the exact slabs we want. Stone is a natural material and variation in color and pattern is an inevitability. So it is wise to have the slab warehouse open up what is called the "packet" (the bundle of stone slabs in their order of how they were mined from the quarry) for your inspection. After all, the sample you saw might be from a packet or bundle that was quarried years ago and the material being quarried now might not look the same in terms of color or veining.

My client and I went to the slab warehouse where they used a special mechanized crane to lift and lay out seven slabs for us to review. Only three are needed for the kitchen so we had a nice selection to choose from. Below you can see the rows and rows of slabs under the movable crane that travels up and down the aisles.

It's a delicate and dangerous operation as these slabs can weight upwards of 800 or 900 pounds each.

And here are the slabs, in sequence of how they appear in the packet, laid out for us to inspect.

After we chose three slabs, they were shipped to the fabricator for a template review. Larger marble and stone warehouses often only sell the material and do not act as fabricators (the ones who will cut the slabs up into counter shapes with properly sized holes for sinks and faucets, etc.). In this case, the fabricator is nearby so transport was relatively simple. If you choose your slabs from the fabricator, this step will obviously be eliminated.

Here are photos of the templates on our chosen slabs. A template is a pattern that is made by the fabricator of the exact dimensions and shapes of the counter top. Sink and faucet holes are cut on site to guarantee precision.

These are just a few of the many thousands of steps and decisions involved in a kitchen remodel. If you're thinking of a new kitchen but feel overwhelmed with the prospect, give me a call. I'm happy to guide you through it all to the kitchen of your dreams.

Happy designing!