Trend Report: Luxury redefined

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by Glen Peloso
Grafus Design Build

New York’s Architectural Digest Design Show in March was a wonderful opportunity to see current interior design trends.

What’s to come is a combination of customization and incredible details that create a totally unique space. One of the predominant trends is advanced technology, which allows some of the elements that used to be part of decor to disappear.

Gold fixtures add instant elegance to a bathroom. Faucet by THG Paris.

CUSTOM REACHES NEW HEIGHTS

The custom kitchen with hidden details is one of the trends to watch for. With differing family sizes and cooking abilities, we have individuated kitchen requirements. To that end, I was pleased to see that JennAir has developed a line of columnar refrigeration. If you want a fridge only as an icemaker, no problem. If you have a large family, you might opt for a two-fridge and one-freezer column. The choice is entirely up to you.

You are able to utilize both fridge and freezer appliances to suit your needs, it’s Wi-Fi feature allows you to makes changes through your smart phone — change the temperature, make more ice, etc. — and should you leave a door open, it will alert you by sending you a text.

Customize the stovetop appliances for how you live. Induction cooktop by JennAir.

When it comes to cooking, the ovens are also Wi-Fi connected. You indicate the meat, the weight and the pan. The probe signals your smart phone when the meat is cooked to your specification.

With stovetop appliances, you custom create, à la carte; an induction cooktop next to a grill followed by a wok cooker or whatever combination that suits your needs. You design the whole kitchen for the way you live and cook. The kitchen IS the party!

Make art the focal point when you're not watching TV. Projection TV by Sony.

NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON’T

For a long time, home design was forced to display functional electronics. We like to look at them but never like the look of them. TVs, speakers, receivers and amps all required precious floor and wall space. Short-throw projects have become the coffee table, a projector and a speaker all in one. When you’re not watching TV there is nothing to see, but when you are, the picture is perfect and the sound emanates from the table. The technology is new and the price is high (currently about $9,000 U.S.), however, the smaller tabletop version is closer to the cost of an iPad.

These projectors return the walls to the home, and the smaller version is completely portable. If the price is a little steep right now, you can consider the reflector TV that is both a mirror and a television. There is little or no room reflection when the TV is on, which is an improvement from the past.

The latest reflector TVs offer little to no reflection. Reflector TV by Sony.

Home automation has helped us remove light switches and the need for house keys and speakers are hidden in lighting, to name just some of the new technology, but more and more these functional elements have a hidden form.

When it comes to the elements that we do see, both the devil and the future are in the details. Mosaics that mimic the Roaring Twenties, three-dimensional tiles that seem to grow flowers through them, hardwood flooring with in-laid metals along with wall coverings with custom images or large-scale wall “tattoos.” You create a space that is as unique as you are.

All of these elements are more and more customizable so your home is truly a reflection of all the things you love. It seems as though the future is as customizable as you would like it to be, and as hidden as the flashlight and calculator, which are also on your phone.