Creative Designs and the Latest Home Tech at AD Design Show

A finely curated collection of exhibitors big and small were on show last week at the Architectural Digest Design Show in New York City. Grouped into collections such as “Made” for artists and designers, “Furnish” for home furniture brands, designers, and dealers and “Refresh” for kitchen, bath, luxury appliances, and premium building products, exhibitors presented their latest and greatest products and designs. While it was difficult to pick a short list of favorites, here are some of the cool, innovative things we discovered.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection

We’re big fans of bringing the outside in, but if you have a brown thumb instead of a green one, A garden wall from Flowerbox is the way to go. The preserved greenery is maintenance free. There’s no watering, soil or light requirement. Just install and enjoy. It’s definitely our kind of greenscape.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
Flowerbox also offers in-stock wall gardens that are easily installed.

While there were plenty of great new sinks, we really were drawn to this collection from Ammonitum of Switzerland. The company creates luxury wooden sinks and tubs exclusive yachts and high-end homes. Equisite construction that features the beautiful grain of the wood is encased in a luminous coating. It’s a truly stunning focal point for the bathroom.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
No special maintenance is required for thes gorgeous basins.

Pieces from Bones studio are a collision of modern and organic concepts. The Raleigh, South Carolina studio does all its own manufacturing work in-house. This console is from the Quarry Collection, which features a skeletal construction that curves and intersetcs in a stunning piece.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
Truly like bones, the lines of the furniture are the structure and the design.

In the Refresh section, we found the latest kitchen designs and appliance innovations. This kitchen from True shows the company’s new copper finish – that really looks like rose gold. Paired with a matte black finish on the appliances and cabinetry, it is a very stylish and of-the-moment look.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
The black and rose gold color are a sophistocated pariring.

Bosch presented a number of new appliances including their new coffee machine that has built in programmability with Home Connect. You can remotely tell the machine to start your favorite brew and it’s possible to program in favorite coffee drinks to be made for your dinner party guests.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
The Bosch coffee machine is easy to clean and easy to operate.

All kinds of sleek ventilation hoods were on display for the kitchen but this luxe model from Rangecraft is really attention getting. The shiny black hood and backsplash are accented with plenty of bling in the form of Swarovski crystals. No matter what brand of stove or range you choose, this hood will be the conversation piece of the entire area.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
All Rangecraft hoods are custom.

Many of today’s kitchens include a wine cooler, but we found something that we think is a great addition to the kitchen that is a far healthier addition: the Urban Cultivator. This self-contained unit easily sprouts and grows four trays of microgreens in about a week to 10 days, giving you plenty of healthy greens for lunches and dinners. Larger commercial versions are used by restaurants.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
The unit needs to be plumbed and drained for the self-watering system.

Of course, these days, kitchen don’t have to be inside. Here’s a stylish new outdoor kitchen set up from Brown Jordan Outdoor Kitchens. The ASA-D2 is a collaboration between the company and Dekton® by Cosentino® and Daniel Germani Designs. The stand-alone, modular outdoor kitchen and stand up to all sorts of conditions, complete with a Dekton countertop that has been finished to look like aged steel.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
Consumers can have various appliance options with this unit.

In the “Made” section, The Principals debuted their Prism planter, which can be stacked. It’s a great indoor/outdoor planter by the experimental design studio, which works with clothing brands, hotels and other public spaces to create unique designs.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
The rust color of the planters looks a little like terra cotta.

The right rug can make or break a room’s decor and the ones from Castelluxe will definitely be a design asset. Created from hair-on cowhide, they are durable and amazingly stylish. The company offers a variety of designs that go far beyond the usual pieced-square hide rug.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
Castelluxe rugs are graphic and gorgeous. Pillows are also available.

Almost every design show features plenty of chairs and the Architectural Digest Design Show was no exception. Ara Levon Thorose presented these unique rubber chairs. Tubular Group 01, a playful series of chairs, includes this red design. They are all made from repurposed industrial materials.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
These chairs have been called “artistic abstraction meets function.”

Aptly called the “Glow” collection, Kim Markel’s chairs are a bit ghostly, a little icy. Markel creates her pieces from recycled plastics, including both thermoset and thermoplastic. The objects are created in a mold, cured and then polished to create the glowing appearance.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
Markel says the Glow collection “explores the nostalgia of objects.”

Contemporary furniture design Jason Mizrahi created this unusual chair, called the Loop Chair. Crafted from lacquered ebony, it is as much art as it is furniture. In fact, Mizrahi’s work is known for “blurring the line between furniture and sculpture.”

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
The show was the designer’s debut in New York.

Sossego Modern Brazilian Design showed their Duda Stool by designer Aristeu Pires, made from solid wood. The very comfortable leather-seated piece comes in a variety of colors, both for the wood and for the seat.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
Several colors are in stock and available in a shorter time frame.

Sleek, dark and sinuous, this dark set by Christopher Kurtz has an organic feel because of the legs and leaf-like edge.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
The three-legged design is unusual.

Designer Debra Folz debuted her “Stack” collection. The customizable storage pieces come in closed and open options like these. They can be lined up neatly or staggered like these. The Providence, Rhode Island studio creates a variety of pieces, including this solid wood construction, manufactured in the United States.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
The Stacked collection also includes a coffee table.
Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
The rails between the shelves are the distinctive feature.

This lovely sofa is from Iliad, which deals in original Art Deco, Biedermeier, and Art Moderne furniture. It has a  workshop in Prague, Czechoslovakia and has “evolved from an uptown retail showroom to a downtown boutique design studio.” The company’s Modernist sofa is made of solid walnut with veneered detailing.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
The cushions are filled with an environmentally friendly soy foam material.

Design for children continues to be popular and parents are increasingly thoughtful about how they decorate kids’ rooms. This junior double-size bed started its life as a crib. Offered by DucDuc, it is “conscientiously constructed and eco-friendly modern” and can easily grow with a child.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
DucDuc furniture is manufactured in Connecticut.

These adorable chairs are from Spadone Home, a Kennebunkport, Maine company that produces everything by hand. The original version of this chair was created by their father for FAO Schwartz, which they have tweaked and relaunched. The legs are solid maple, finished with all-natural oil and the paint on the  back and seat are water-based lacquer.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
The fronts of the seat-backs are offered in dot patterns 1 through 5.

Kinder Modern is a perennial favorite for their whimsical designs and reimagined furnishings on a scale for children, and this year, we went gaga for their rugs. Perfect for a child’s room, the colorful design is abstract and sophisticated, not juvenile. The irregular shape is also a unique detail.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
The primary colors are gender neutral and can easily grow with a child.

The Hubbardton Forge booth was a draw and we had a hard time choosing just one design. This Artemis LED pendant from Synchronicity Lighting, is simple yet stunning. The company pulled together a unique team experienced in architecture, sculpture, jewelry crafting and furniture design to created pieces that feature crystals in a new and modern way.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
LEDs make it possible to really highlight the beauty of the crystals.

Among the amazing repurposed metal designs were these stools by artist and designer Joseph Dermody, who also uses repurposed items such as wood in his artworks. Working under the motto “re:use|re:purpose|re:invent” Dermody creates wall art as well as furniture.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
The stools are simple and artsy.

Literally rescued from the trash heap, these amazing tables started life as car hoods that were headed for the scrapyard. In the artful hands of Kiel Arto Design, they are transformed into modern, functional works of art. Whether made into a dining table or a coffee table, they are crazy sturdy. The abstract designs emerge when the original painted surface is artistically buffed away, revealing a variety of colors underneath.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
The company is a collaboration between artist Kristaps Gulbis of Latvia, and construction management expert Peter Kalnins of the US.

At the other end of the spectrum are luxe, glamorous offerings from Koket, which featured this imaginative mirror shaped like a handbag. The opulent piece even hangs from a cast bronze hand. The Art Deco symmetry is a grand wall feature that carries a sens of opulence through the room.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
This very glamorous mirror is enhanced with the whimsical touch of the hand.

Among all the new designs were some grand antiques, like this spectacular armoire from Laserow Antiques. The company specializes in high end Swedish antiques and interior design and is run by a mother-daughter team.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
An armoire like this adds a touch of grandeur to any room.

In the modern realm is the Slice chair from Ligne Roset. The ombre colors are fun and it’s exceptionally functional because you can add as many slices as you want. They can be combined for a long, lounge-style seat or split apart at your next party to offer additional seating for guests.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
This is a classy ombre look applied to furniture.

A renaissance figure embellished with graffiti makes a really different facade for a cabinet. Created by Morgan Clayhall of Canada, the company develops its own hand-done metal finishes. The custom pieces use original artwork by partner Murray Duncan and can incorporate names, birthdays, or favorite song lyrics, for example.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
All the pieces are a bit edgy.

This wall sculpture is art that hearkens back to childhood. These colorful, oversized jacks are just pure fun. Kaiser Suidan of Next Step Studios and Gallery created these as a “study in order and structure, based on the simplest of geometric forms.” Originally only working with clay, his endeavors have expanded to other media.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
It’s an explosion of color and form for the wall.

While you might not be a fan of stuffed heads mounted on the wall, these are a different story! Schoolhouse Gallery presented these works by Breon Dunigan that are upholstered animal heads adorned with horns of furniture legs. Each one has a name befitting the personality of the “animal” head.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
This one is named Hulot.

When most people think of porcelain art, this is not typically what jumps to mind. Meticulous works by Justin Teilhet turn time segments of porcelain into undulating wall pieces that evoke movement and and flow. This piece is made from small tiles and others were made from graduated rods of the material.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
Teilhet also creates porcelain vases and other artpieces.

Curving strips and a variety of woods highlight furnishings by Paulus Fine Furniture. The curves of the legs and base of this Oceana coffee table are really alluring and highlight the masterful craftsmanship of the wood.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
Artist Paulus Wanrooij works out of his Maine studio.

For a truly different coffee table, Green River Stone has what you need: Stone fossils that are more than 50,000 years old. The company creates wall murals, tables, countertops and tiles using stone that contains fossilized fish and plants in limestone. Green River sources the stone from its own private quarry in Wyoming, then builds the products in its Logan, Utah labs.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
The company is known for it museum quality fossils.

The same process that allowed Thislexik to turn a pair of jeans into a table is the same one behind this woven cube. Strips of fabric are transformed into a stool that can easily be converted into a table with the addition of a top. It’s a cool conversation piece that’s extra functional too.

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
An artful piece that would work just about anywhere.

A glossy steel bench like this one from Topher Gent is one-of-a-kind. Gent is an artist, designer and craftsman who creates sculptures and furnishings that “are reflections of life and death which dictate the relationship between humans, objects and forms.”

Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
This is Hedra No. 13.
Zavar design radiator Art Line collection
This radiator is from the Art Line collection.

Most people try to hide radiators but a truly amazing one like this from Zavar Design will be front and center in a home. Zavar has  a wealth of experience with pressure vessels and high-pressure pipelines. Life Lines is their collection of stainless steel radiators that are just as much contemporary art as they are heating element.

This small selection of creative designs is just a sample of the reasons that thousands of people — both from the trade and the public — trek across the city and the country to see what Architectural Digest has to show. It’s a wonderful cross section of the innovation products and artful designs that can be found just about everywhere.