New Beaux Arts Kitchen Rendering

I was recently asked to execute a SieMatic Beaux Arts rendering for a colleague’s client presentation.  The kitchen was designed, but just needed to be tuned up for the meeting.  I was given elevations and plan, with the rest of the materials and details worked out as we went.  It was just a matter of selecting a view point that would show off the most features and give a good feeling for the overall design.

The cabinets are Magnolia White matte lacquer, with countertops a combination of stone-look composite Caesarstone.  The floor is porcelain with a stone look.  Many of my colleagues are pointing clients towards composite these days; the resistance of stain is a fantastic advantage over natural stone.  Some walnut accents, eggshell-color walls and a Norwell hatbox light fixture complete the room.  Opposite this view is a symmetrical breakfast room which also has some SieMatic furniture.  Should be a lovely project when completed – hopefully I can see some pictures when it is done.

Lighting Project – “The Ice Cube” Sconce

I’ve been quiet on the product design side of business lately, at least when it comes to posting news.  But I have some very rewarding projects going, and one that just came to full fruition: the “Ice Cube” sconce, for Norwell Lighting.

I’ve done industrial design work for Norwell over the years – a great company based in New England that serves the architectural lighting community.  See their website here: http://www.norwellinc.com/  The Kathryn series of bath hardware and lighting is one of my highlights.  Last summer we worked on some concepts for new sconces and some outdoor too, and it looks like the “Ice Cube” bath sconce made the cut.  The object was to use a “standard”, popular shade; a square glass ice cube look.  Here are some concept renderings of the idea, working out the projection arm options and the overall feel.

This was the final concept sketch that I settled on; “flat bar no cups”:

There is a note on the single sconce about the projection arm.  I thought later to simplify the design, but the final worked out as sketched in the end.  So – how did the final product work out?  Here are pages from the new Norwell catalog.

The name was a surprise – look at that – they dropped the first letter of my last name, the R, to get the word “Ice” – it’s awesome!  So, what is the proper pronunciation?  If we are feeling very Italian, it should be said “EEch-a-retto”.  It’s obviously close to my name, which would be said “Reech-a-retto”.  I have a feeling most will say “Ice-a-retto”, which is totally fine.  I love this!  Looking forward to more Norwell projects, and hopefully posting some of my other industrial design projects soon.