Luxury Interior Design Journal » Furniture

Reception Desk Inspiration

Laura Bielecki — Mon, 16 May 2011 06:07:20 +0000

A the Milan Furniture Fair there were a lot of inspiring ideas that came not only from the products on display but also from the booths they were in. Here are some of my favorite reception desk designs from the show.

Alf Da Fre glass and wood reception desk. Image: Laura Bielecki

Glass Reception desks seem to be very popular. Many are beautiful glass boxes with a solid form floating within. This one above at the Alfa Da Fre booth had a beautiful medium tone wood to complement the delicate glass box.

Glass and Lacquer Reception Desk. Image: Laura Bielecki

Office furnishings company Lafano had a stunning Glass and Wood reception desk. Image: Laura Bielecki

Beautiful white contemporary reception showroom name unknown. Image: Laura Bielecki

Another trend seemed to be playing with natural and rough woods to showcase the grain, knots and roughness.

Tre-P & Tre-Piu wood reception desk Image: Laura Bielecki

Knotty wood reception desk - booth name unknown. photo: Laura Bielecki

Smania had 2 great reception desks one was for press and the other for showing off what the company does best- pulling the whole package (walls, texture, signage, lighting and furniture) together. Check out how the table lamp hold up the table! what a beautiful detail. The only thing I would do to perfect this piece for the function of a reception desk would be to add a modesty panel, nothing is racier than seeing a receptionists legs under the table. Also, that padded reception desk is yummy… makes you reach out to pet it. I wish they had designed it with a concealed work surface however so you didn’t see all the staffs junk all over it!

Smania reception desk photo: Laura Bielecki

Smania fabric and marble padded reception desk

Some of the desks were very simple but make bold statements.

Ligne Roset reception desk image: Laura Bielecki

White and black reception desk booth name unknown. image: Laura Bielecki

Simple forms in LED booth name unknown. photo: Laura Bielecki

Incanto metal reception desk. image: Laura Bielecki

Metal Reception Desk booth name unknown. image: Laura Bielecki

Logica reception desk. image: Laura Bielecki

Sometimes its not about whats going on with the desk but more about the wall behind it. Here are some great examples to showcase a brand.

Presotto reception desk image: Laura Bielecki

Jesse reception desk. Image: Laura Bielecki

Giorgetti Showroom reception desk. Image: Laura Bielecki

And one more great detail on a fabulous reception desk to keep you inspired and bursting with design ideas…..

Moltoluce Reception desk detail. Image: Laura Bielecki

Kids furniture, mats and indoor playgrounds

Laura Bielecki — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:27:07 +0000

Adrenalina Italian Play Furniture

I have been searching for a while now to find cool, fun and unique furniture for a childcare centre I am currently designing for infants, preschool, kindergarden to 13 year old development and care. Through my research I have found a couple of favorites outside of the basic Ikea kids section that I thought I should share. Please let me know if you know of any other great companies that have inspiring product and I will be sure to look into them and add them to my post. Thanks to all my twitter friends who helped me find some of these cool lines!

Adrenalina is an Italian furniture manufacturer who’s products are for big and little kids alike. These pieces are unique, colorful and entertaining and a GREAT way to add playfulness and character to a childs space. These fun shapes and bright colors are stimulating and original. I wonder if anyone in Canada sells this line?

Fatboycanada.com bean bags

Fatboy furniture has evolved over the last few years. This high end Italian fabric bean bag company offers many variations of their original including an outdoor option in rain, stain and uv resistant coatings. They also have some cool partnerships with Marimekko and even a line of metallic finishes. The Junior sized bean bags (40″x55″) are $198CAN the full size original (55″x70″) $298CAN and the Marimekko (55″x70″) is $378.00CAN. In Edmonton you can purchase Fatboy products at Dwell Modern .

Feelmorehuman.com Eco Friendly children's furniture

Feel More Human is a great company that supports a modern lifestyle. The target of the products they carry is to have a cleaner, healthier and less cluttered life. I commend them on their statement to have responsible business practices and I fully support both their mission and product. Amongst all of their home, gift and lifestyle products they have a great collection of well designed modern kid and baby products. Some of the lines they carry include: Spot on Square, Oeuf, Pixel Organics, notNeutral, OFFI and KLT Works

Wesco Childrens play mats and furniture

Wesco N.A. is an International children’s soft play manufacturer that creates developmental play products for childcare facilities, airports, museums, malls and anywhere else you need to keep a terrible 2 occupied and happy! These indoor playgrounds are great for any scale of space and can all easily be stored if they are for seasonal/occasional use.

sittingbullusa.com - bean bag chairs

Sitting Bull has some cool bean bags, pet bags and other fun lounge furniture. The products are made of a great washable, durable fabric in fun and original designs. The latest collections patterns were designed by Michael Sieger a product designer at Sieger Design in Germany. The polyester beanbags cost $219US and are 71″ x 55″ x 12″

ellaandelliot.com - Canadian Kids Furniture

Ella and Elliot is a Canadian supplier of fun juvenile kids furniture. Cribs, gliders and rockers, change tables, loungers, beds, storage, desks and miniature modern classics like the Barcelona chair, Diamond chair, Panton chair, Womb chair, Eames molded plastic rocker and Kartell Ghost chair all kiddie sized! The have some great eco-friendly lines particularly in cribs and dressers and a fantastic line of kids accessories.

feelgood-designs.com - Soft play spaces

Feel Good Designs is dedicated to development, learning and quality of play for young children through good design and eco friendly choices. Their products are the outcome of the children, spaces, relations research project and are made in Italy. These products are the result of ongoing collaboration between designers, architects and the world-renowned schools. They also provide custom services and interior design services for public space projects. The two main product lines are Play+Soft and Atelier 3. Here is a slideshow of their product offering.

Herringbone Pattern Interior Design

Laura Bielecki — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 06:06:28 +0000

Grey Herringbone Interior

Herringbone, Chevron, ZigZag call it what you want. That fabulous signature pattern of Missoni Home (and even Charlie Browns shirt) is back in a big way. I have always been obsessed with herringbone wood floors for the extra dynamic and luxury touch it can give a room of any style. Herringbone has been used in fabric for ages as a classic mens suit and womens skirt fabric. Pair a grey herringbone with a rich tawny leather and you have a chic style that will fit right in to the Sunday racetrack crowd. The great thing about this fabulous pattern is that you can make many moods with it depending on how much contrast you express the pattern with. For permanent applications such as flooring, backsplashes and millwork details its best to keep the pattern in a one color application where the cut lines, wood grain or grout lines are what forms the pattern. When it comes to accessories go bold and demand contrast between each row of stripes- play with color, tones, varying stripe thicknesses, scale etc to add more texture and visual interest to a room. This look can go from bold and exciting colors in a child’s bedroom to soft and subdued tones for a neutral palette living room. The herringbone pattern is a beloved favorite of the Interior Design profession, use it with creativity!

Charlie Brown and his Zig Zag shirt

Here is what I am showing in the Grey color scheme above :

White marble tile: Ann Sacks Carrara marble tile small herringbone 10 1/8″ x 11″ netted sheet AS2393-10 This beautiful stone would love great as a floor pattern insert, backsplash, washroom floor or wall tile or if you want to do something different you could use it as a bedside table top, a fine for a barrel ceiling or a craft project for trivets, coasters, high end and chic DIY planters etc.
I found this space on Apartment Therapy. This beautiful bedroom could have been ultra drab and boring had it not been for this stunning paint job with a loud and vibrant edge from Farrow and Ball paint in London Clay 244, Railings 31, Hardwick White 5, Mahogany 36 and over Shaded White 201
Pillow: Madeline Weinrib Steel ZigZag. You can find zigzag pillows everywhere these days, this one has a great shade of grey and could be mixed up with any color, texture or pattern in any room.
Mug: Mikasa Grey/Platinum zigzag mug set of 4 for $39.99. These mugs are gorgeous and crisp. I can see them with a pastel or white dainty dinnerware set with silver flatware great for an inspiring shot of coffee in the morning solo or to accompany a great dessert at a dinner party…. can you see it with some bold silver charger plates?!
Stainless Steel Mosaic Tile: You can find these masculine and slick backplash tiles at almost any tile store these days for anywhere from $15-$25/sq.ft. I recommend getting them in a brushed stainless finish to reduce fingerprints and cleaning marks. Great for smaller scale areas like backsplashes, bathroom wall details etc. I woul avoid doing full walls or floors with this as it can be a bit much in larger quantities.
This is a photo of Canadian Interior Designer Emily Walker who works for Canadian House and Home. This is her beautiful and simple kitchen. Her use of the Zigzag pattern is ideal as it shows up in one location and pulls the colors from the room to ground the floor and add texture and pattern to the space.
Fur area rug: Kyle Bunting Basketweave pattern in charcoal color. Im a sucker for anythign in hide and Kyle Bunting is a kind of his domain, his hide art rugs are each so stunning and add volumes of interest, class and value to a space. Need I say more?
Area Rug: Madeline Weinrib Steel ZigZag. Get a rug just like Emily Walkers to spice up your boot room or kitchen!

Traditional and classic Herringbone

Here is a completely different look. Masculine, dark, rich and crisp.

Dark Rough hardwood: LV Wood Floors Antique Oak Herringbone. This is a fabulous floor that I would LOVE to personally use in my whole home, the richness of colors, texture and grain are all fascinating, historic and beautiful. I could easily see this product for retail flooring in a mens store.
Dress: Principles black and White Zig Zag Dress cute, fun and graphic this dress could spice up any cocktail hour.
Wood and Stianless Steel mosaic tile: Mosaico+ DL.0364 Misura op. 3 in Canada you can get this Luxe tile from Julian Tile
Black Marble mosaic tile: Ann Sacks Herringbone Obsidian. This is a gorgeous mosaic great for any wall space or floor detail.
Pouf: Missoni Home in black and white. great as extra seating for company and to add fun pops of color or tecture to any room. All kids love Poufs!
Black leather floor: source unknow but this is one sexy product! Come out reps wherever you are.
Ottoman: Madeline Weinrib Mid Century ottoman

Herringbone Floors

Colorful herringbone rooms

Colorful bold zig zag pattern

Restoration Hardware Edmonton

Laura Bielecki — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 06:28:03 +0000

Its Time… Restoration Hardware is finally coming to Edmonton!!!

Restoration Hardware Gallery Store

Just in time for the Christmas shopping season the store will open its 9,100sq.ft. store this Saturday in its brand new Southgate Mall location. This is the second Restoration Hardware store in Alberta. The first one opened 2008 at Southcenter mall in Calgary with great success. This location will feature their new “gallery” store design with a warm loft look and feel. This Gallery concept showcases higher end products for a designer clientele. These new store pieces all worthy of both the hospitality and residential market.

Restoration Hardware Holiday Dining Room

Restoration Hardware was founded 30 years ago in California and has since become a leading purveyor of fine furnishings for home, hospitality, baby and child. With more than 100 retail and outlet locations across Canada and the United States they offer a broad range of products from bed and bath linens to sink into deep sofas, hardware and rustic to chic lighting.

If you appreciate quality, craftsmanship, design and sustainability and have a decent budget Restoration Hardware will turn your House into a dazzling masterpiece of a home. Their pieces have a Ralph Lauren type quality to them with rich smoky masculine leathers, button tufting and linen which is right in line with my design style!

Restoration Hardware Living Room

The Resto staff are all warm, bubbly and super excited about the company, its values and the great product lines they carry. When you pop in be sure to speak to my great friend Stefannie and the Store Leader Dawn, tell them I sent you!

Restoration Hardware Furniture and Accessories

Happy Christmas Shopping!!

Edmonton Furniture Stores

Laura Bielecki — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 03:45:23 +0000

I have really started to fall in love and appreciate Edmonton for all it is and the great potential it has. Watching the beautiful river valley turn a thousand shades of gold and auburn over the last few weeks has been a beautiful way to wake up everyday from my downtown apartment. The city is growing with new revitalized community’s, the downtown market on 104th, the international city center airport re-development competition, the quarters development, and future downtown arena. I am really looking forward to watching this tight knit and artistic Albertan city turn into a vibrant metropolis on the world map.

I haven’t blogged much about Edmonton or the events around the city and I think its time that I beam in on all it has to offer for design. I have visited numerous furniture stores around the city and am impressed with the traditional to contemporary diversity of product. Below I will share a brief glimpse of some of my Edmonton furniture store faves! If I missed anything else thats fantastic in the #YEG furniture world please make sure to let me know!

In the blooming new corner of Jasper and 124th street lies an array of furniture and clothing stores, art gallerys and my favorite Mousy Browns Salon. Henry’s furniture on Jasper is a little design oasis that feels like home the moment you step in. I was greeted with welcoming staff and the cutest of pooches. They carry many warm, woodsy and designerly lines for the home including Steven & Chris’s line from Decor-rest, Enigma and Van Gogh Designs (which is also carried by the Urban Barn). I love that they carry Sunbrella fabrics, Crown wallcoverings and Planika fires!

Henry's Fine Things

Just around the corner from Henry’s is the grandiose McElheran’s Fine Furniture which boasts a girl next door store with a bright red door that holds all of their sales items. Make sure to check it out for beautiful ready to take home couches (I drool on them each time I walk in!). McElheran’s carries everything from the purely upper-crust old school Americana to trump mattresses to elegant contemporary pieces. These items are all heirloom worthy and can stand the test of time in the right environment. They carry: Sherrill Furniture, Theodore Alexander, Hickory White, Althorp, Sligh, Precedent, Century Furniture, Drexel Heritage, Durham, Hancock & Moore, Thayer Coggin and Maitland Smith to name a few!

McElheran's Fine Furniture

On the more contemporary side Dwell Modern has an excellent collection of Europes finest lines from Jesse Italia to Moooi and Moroso.

Dwell Modern Furniture

29 Armstrong is modern and edgy with thought provoking avant-garde furniture, lighting, wallpaper and accessories from around the globe. Most of their items have an Eco friendly touch and all of their items have attitude. Located right downtown on the 104th street market they are easily accessible and great to throw at cocktail party at. My first experience with this little showroom was for an IDA (Interior Designers of Alberta) meet and greet cocktail party.

29 Armstrong

Le Belle Arti is a high end furniture and lighting store with a contact division to aid Interior Designers. They carry a vast array of brands, my favorite being: B&B Italia, Ligne Roset, Herman Miller, Knoll, Ingo Maurer, Artemide, Snaidero Kitchens, Ecosmart Fire, Agape and Kos.

Le Belle Arti

Posh at Home is a cute little store right downtown on Jasper Ave that has contemporary furniture, lighting, accessories and bedding. They also offer custom services for Hunter Douglas Blinds. Great to check out if you are doing a stroll down Jasper on a beautiful fall afternoon!

Posh At Home Edmonton

Cottswood is a furniture paradise on Mayfield road. Stop by for a long stroll through their residential haven for transitional to contemporary furniture and accessory lines. They carry a large selection of all your residential basics and can make your home warm and at peace. For you bargain finders they also have a clearance center!

Cottswood Furniture

Last but certainly not least is Inspired Home Interiors Edmonton’s only Knoll Studio dealer. They carry Colexion Perez and G Romano from Montreal, Bombast from Vancouver, and Gus Modern from Toronto. They also have the ever delightful Kartell and Tema Home which I am hoping to see this year in Milan for the 50th anniversary of Salone Internazionale del Mobile! Congratulations to owner Alana for her 10th year in business!! Stop in and have a look at their great showroom and be sure to say hi to Alana and Karley for me.

Inspired Home Interiors

Gold Interior Design Products

Laura Bielecki — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 06:00:58 +0000

Kelly Wearstler China by Pickard titled Mulholland

All that glitters should be gold! I have a long hisotry with obsessing over shiny objects, mirrors and other such feminine frosting. Nothing can make a space look more regal and rich than touches of gold. Gold symbolizes strength, health, riches and extravagance. As a precious metal gold represents excellence and praise but overdone it suggests deception, worthlessness and greed. The products I have presented here push the limits of gold without pursuing the negative effects of the metal. It is to be used in a glamorous and/or dramatic setting and can be an effective accent in a contemporary and stark space.

Austen Writing Table by Madeline Stuart

Gold touches speak of character, timelessness, detail and have an exotic quality. Paired with whites the color is feminine and soft and with black is masculine and dramatic. It can also make deep reds, blues and green seem just as rich.

Qin gold vanity

Tulli Zuccari Ameli white ceramic console washstand

Regia Srl Chalis gold sink

Cima Arredobagno Dream sink collection

High Back Sofas and Chairs

Laura Bielecki — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:59:36 +0000

High Back Sofa from Taylor Llorente furniture New York

I love this sofa because it reminds me of Karl Lagerfeld with his sky high collar and rich black textures. I can easily see him sitting here with a martini and a hot model for a photo shoot.

Karl Lagerfeld Design Inspiration

I have always had an infatuation with high back sofas and chairs. I’m not sure if its just because I am tall or that I like the comfort of having my back fully protected but I always manage to spot these great pieces from a mile away.

I love how they can add drama and substance to any hallway, storefront, hotel or lounge and how they can make a room within a room.

Sculpted wing arm sofa design 302 by Taylor Llorente Furniture London and New York

I love this piece for its dramatic curves and stunning color. It would make for a very dramatic entry or a great prop for a photoshoot. I can see it in a high end lingerie or clothing store.

John Hutton Corsica Sofa by Holly Hunt

Such a natural beauty this sofa is both masculine and feminine and can fit into any home both contemporary or traditional depending on the color chosen. Anything by Holly Hunt is a one stop shop to a gorgeous interior if you have the pocket for it. I visited the showroom in Chicago to sit in all of the pieces I have specified through the years and never actually seen, yes they are even more splendid in person.

Suzy Wong Highback Loveseat by Kenneth Cobonpue

Put a few of these rattan sofas next to your pool and you will be the envy of all of your friends. The proportions are beautiful and can frame in some lovely seating areas.

Custom Banquet Sofa by NLP Furniture

Custom furniture is always a designers best friend for Hotels and retail environments. NLP has some great examples of custom pieces on their website. Let your imagination soar and take your concept to the limit!

Calla Sofa by Chinz & Company

This feels like such an Audrey Hepburn sofa, soft and feminine with strong curves and style. It would look lovely perched in my living room or in my future walk in closet.

Shelter Loveseat by Edward Ferrell

I love this piece by Edward Ferrell for ef-lm.com good structure and not heavy looking. I also have a minor obsession with bolster pillows which most certainly complete this piece. This loveseat also looks lovely in leather!

SG High Back Dining Bench and chair by Taylor Llorente Furniture

Same collection but in two different finishes this piece proves that it can go super feminine or ultra masculine. I love the twisted legs and criss-cross stitching detail. All the white one is missing is my monogram large scale in the center of the back!

Austrian Residential and Hospitality Furniture

Laura Bielecki — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 22:52:21 +0000

Donna Sofa by Hans Hopfer

In 1903 Joseph Hoffman and Kolo Moser started the Wiener Werkstätte known in English as the Vienna Crafts Studio based on quality and craftsmanship. After a long history in 1986 Kapo took over the company and still runs it today. Below are some of their great creations!

Consider using Neue Weiner Werkstaettes moderne and klassik collections for high end residential and hospitality spaces that require quality craftsmanship, timeless details and environmental consciousness. Some of these pieces have been represented through Roche Bobois since 1969. Hans Hopfer was one of the main designers who invented “seating landscapes” like his castell collection.

Walk in Closet by Neue Wiener Werkstaette

Magnus lounger by Annette Hinterwirth

Player sofa by Hans Hopfer

Boheme timless lounge chair by Annette Hinterwirth

Weekend Soft by Jan Wichers Klassik Collection

WW39 wall system by Neue Wiener Werkstaette

Jesse Italian Home Furniture

Laura Bielecki — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 23:29:21 +0000

Brian Sofa by Jesse

Jesse modern furniture from Italy is an ever growing brand with international reach. They were recently at Salone del Mobile in Milan and I cannot wait to see them on my own trip to the show hopefully in 2011. Jesse can be found in Canada in both Montreal and Toronto but has not yet hit the Western Canadian market. They are known for their rich textures, lacquered surfaces, oak and walnut wood veneers and textural fabrics. The company has great sofas, tables, credenzas, beds and impeccably crafted wardrobes.

Jesse Logo

Jesse Home Furniture at Salone de Mobile Milan

Jesse Home at Salone del Mobile in Milan

Jesse Night Collection

Best of NeoCon 2010: Products

Laura Bielecki — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 23:00:36 +0000

Best Of NeoCon Products

The Merchandise Mart is so large in Chicago that it is hard to put my finger on my favorite products from the trip but I managed to pull something together! NeoCon focuses mainly on Commercial interior design with a heavy focus on contract furniture and floor coverings. Most of the Showrooms are year round spaces but some of them were temporary booths.

18×36 Commercial Carpet Tile by Shaw Contract Group. In 4 great patterns: Fade, Overlay, Blur, and Laser Cut. The great selection is produced in eco-friendly Eco-Solution Q nylon on EcoWorx tile backing. This company has truly dominated the market for environmental story and aesthetics. Few others match them for the richness of their colors, quality, customer service (Thanks Celeste!) and the timelessness of their designs. I’m glad that they were the first to bring out the rectangular carpet tile and cant wait for samples to come out in the fall.
Joel Berman’s Heat lamp won Gold for decorative lighting at NeoCon. Heat is a light sculpture for designed interiors. Fashioned from a solitary 2 ¼ in. thick volume of acrylic resin, the luminaire is cast in Berman’s signature Arrigado texture, accented with brushed stainless steel hardware, and equipped with a high intensity LED light source.
Davis has created a great line of residential feeling contract furniture that is fully powered in delightful ways. I was also particularily struck by their bench seating- great form and quite conmfortable! Locally in Alberta you can find Davis through Solutions Workplace Furnishings, have a chat with Todd or Shannon and they can bring back some style to your outdated office space.
Kvadrat Maharam came out with this great vintage feeling nordic pattern in great colors called A Band Apart.
I can’t say enough how much I love Tai Ping Carpets. Their exploration of color and texture in wool and silk has been incredible to watch. Here is just one fine example of hand carving, color and play on textures. I can imagine anyone taking off their socks and shoes to run their toes through this piece. This company also suprised me this year by launching a luxury line of carpet tile called Innuendo.
Halcon came out of nowhere. I had never even heard of the company. Turns out they make high end Commercial and residential office furniture. As you can see by this image Simon was rather excited to see the clothes hanging space within the unit. Each and every element was customizable and teh drawers were all felt lined. The Proximus line was impecably detailed with the sliding workwall, eye height open filing, soft cloding drawers, ball bearing slider. The veratility and efficiency of this piece are well displayed and can benifit both the office piler and filer!
DIRTT (aka. Doing It Right This Time) certainly has blown me away. I had never seen an install until NeoCon and am shocked by how advanced their research and product line is. The clean lines and simple details of their project surely put it ahead of all other modular walls companies. These are truly living adaptable systems with infitite capabilities. I am not a health care designer nor have much interest to go that route but their healthcare display gave me infinite respect for how much work it must be to pull of an aesthetically pleasing, ergonomically correct compact hospital room that feels welcoming and clean. Congratulations DIRTT for opening my eyes!
Designed by Scott Wilson the SW_1 conference table for Coalesse is a great modern adaptation to the way we live and work. The casual work setting begs for comfort and flexibility as well as connectivity. This table allows a person to pull their table pad closer to them to make for a better posture and comfort when working with a laptop.
Jofco presented this piece in all white with a few pale blue accents but when I re-looked at it online in wood and black I was completely drawn. This piece is gorgeous and shoudl be a stand alone in any law firm or partners office. Its simple and uncluttered meant to show off stature and how critical the only desk accessory (the laptop) really is.
I was unfamiliar with Carvart until NeoCon 2010. nearly completely customizable the laminated glass can showcase images, materials, textures, graphics etc. in a sophisticated and elegant way. This large peice shown was of two faces with metallic sheer fabric in between giving the image a subtle and reflective quality to it that cannot be captured in photographs. Their website has some great closeups of what they can do. Turns out that they did Andres Escobars 11 Fulton as well as the Park Plaza in New York.
Poggenpohl makes luxury contemporary kitchens. I have been admiring the Porsche kitchen for a few years but it wasnt until visiting the Merchandise Mart in Chicago that I finally got to explore the design and truly appreciate it. The linearity of the design and integration of lighting as well as the assisted opening drawers and cabinets make you feel the qaulity and craftsmanship of the piece. Cabinets and drawers are divided by 5mm thick dark oak. Th eproporation of cabinet heights and depths is truly unique and ergonomic.
Poliform has a great collection of furniture, wardrobe and kitchen designs all in the same style but different proporations and aesthetics. I have used them in the past on a few projects overseas and am in love with particularily the Matrix collection (as shown in photo). There Grey-Dyed Oak is the most beautiful wood and finish I have seen and would love to have it for both my kitchen and wardrobe.