Practice: Materials

These products caught our attention at the Builders’ Show in Las Vegas.

Proving to be a recipe for success for the third time, Design and Construction Week brought together two of the country’s largest trade expos — the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) and the International Builders’ Show (IBS) — at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Whether they were attending one event or the other —…

In this edition of Architizer Asks, architects and interior designers share their current favorite o r go-to interior finishes, from tiles and acoustic panels to metallic surface treatments. Neil BartleyDesign Studio Manager, Studio O+A, San Francisco “Shhh … This one is a secret from Form Us With Love, the Swedish industrial design studio you can’t hear…

Lighting can completely fade into the background — or steal the spotlight, so to speak. Obviously th e latter, these recent luminaires — from a recessed fixture to wall lamps — boast playful personality that enhances even the most buttoned-up of settings.

The Reconstruction Studies is a collection of “tiles” created by artist John Whitmarsh that are eith er composed of or cast from surprising materials — but the results are stunning. Designed for Sausalito-based Clé, the series comprises five styles with individual character — or, even, history — that make them perfect for cladding focal walls where…

The trend of applying more of a residential feel to commercial, workplace and institutional projects is alive and well, and there’s a plethora of crossover furnishings to prove it. While these pieces look as if they can occupy a personal home office, living room or, even, nursery, they’re contract grade to withstand the wear-and-tear of…

When it launched in 2013, Dekton — a universal architectural application material — stormed out of t he gate: the ultra-compact surface already accounts for 10 percent of manufacturer Cosentino’s U.S. market share. No doubt, performance partly explains the surfacing’s immediate appeal. To produce Dekton, Cosentino — who also manufactures Silestone — employs what it calls…

The ability to blur the lines between interior and exterior is in high demand.

IN OUR CONTINUED EXPLORATION OF how architects experience the emotional realm during the process of creation, Michael Brady — founder of architecture, engineering and interiors firm MICHAEL BRADY, INC. — discusses how his emotions ebb and flow during design development with Saxon Henry, the author of Four Florida Moderns. Saxon Henry: I have emotional responses…