Dear Lovers of good taste and great interiors,

Today we will open a discussion on an essential and complex aspect, which is COUNTERTOPS! Foremost, it will regard the selection of countertops for kitchens and bathrooms: which are the best materials on the market today, visual aspect and durability, colors and composition, country of origin, costs, and maintenance. 

All of this we will see in this post, one at a time. Moreover, if you are more of a listener than a reader, then check out my video on YouTube dedicated to this topic, the link you will find here on my blog. 

This topic is a very complex one; I would like using fewer words and more facts, going straight to describing general aspects you must consider, and then detailing every type of countertops, emphasizing its characteristics, individuality, pros and cons, colors, price range, and maintenance aspects. 

KARTELL is a beautiful Italian company, where at its heart were always merged innovation, design, and technology. Since its beginnings, the company has collaborated for over 70 years with big names in Architecture and Designs, such as Alessandro Mendini, Patricia Urquiola, Philippe Starck, Tokujin Yoshioka, Antonio Citterio, and more. From these unions were born many unique design objects, today available to the broad public.

The creation of the armchair Grand Confort LC2 was possible thanks to a powerful, although a short union, between Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand, that gave birth also to the Chair LC1 and the Chaise longue LC4. 

This gracious chair was born when Ludwig Mies van der Rohe received the engagement to design the German fair pavilion for the International Exposition in Barcelona from 1929. To complement the vertical and horizontal lines of the building, covered with beautiful marble and had onyx walls, colorful glass, and chrome columns, Mies designed the chair Barcelona in a way to give an elevated and a not too solid structure to not interfere on the dynamics of the space.

The beauty in decorating spaces is that you get the opportunity to express yourself through a range of colors, shapes, styles, and textures. These are all instruments in the hands of an artisan who can use his knowledge, creativity, and imagination to shape a functional and pleasant living space for its inhabitants.

It is up to the designer to make wise use of every free space in the house. There are many ways to do that: there might be structural niches you have inside the walls or open space that usually remain under the staircase. Apply on the walls a deep boiserie creating shelves units and even modules, or placing entire units all over the wall made, that secretly holds multiple-purpose divisions.

In 1924, Caran d’Ache was a small factory producing pencils in Geneve, Switzerland. Today its name is associated with high-quality instruments for drawings and arts.

Its reputation is well-deserved and is based on the constant process of introducing to the market innovative products, among which is the “hero” of today’s story, the Fixpencil. It was designed in 1950, and it was an upgraded version of the original product released in 1929. Although it was similar form the technical point of view, it also incorporated significant improvements, among which a slim hexagonal body entirely made in black metal that carries inside the pressure mechanism with the press button on the top.

Ink blue and warm whites get together for a chic and classic color scheme

A warm white is perfect to balance the intensity of dark blues, bringing a warm base to these cold tones. You may use this color scheme for a living room, dining room, or even for the entrance. This combination is welcoming and relaxing. The cold blue eliminates the risk of too much femininity that details in gold, brass, and warm earthy leather colors bring to this overall masculine atmosphere. 

This color scheme was inspired by nature, by springtime awakening in colors of soft green and soft brown tones, with details and spots of golden sparkles

Circular prints and flowing shapes add a humorous and classical note, while simple soft padding items completes this neutral scheme of retro style