It may still be dark and wintry outside but here’s a way to brighten the indoors: browse the range of contemporary floor coverings now available. Start with the new rugs designed by Los Angeles architect Stephen Kanner, FAIA and his 14 year-old daughter Caroline. These floor coverings give new meaning to the phrase “cut a rug:” the grid of vivid colors seems to float and dance, creating a room-within-the-room.

It, and the elegant runner below, are part of the “Squares” line.

The rugs are part of the Ariana + Kanner Modern Rug Collection, constructed by Ariana Rugs’ Ahmad and Alex Ahmadi, who are third generation Afghan rug weavers from Kabul.

These hand-knotted, hand-tufted cotton and wool rugs incorporate sustainable materials including bamboo silk and banana. The one above is from the “Square Compressions” line. Inspiration for the designs comes from the geometries and color field explorations of 20th century painting, including Russian Constructivism, the Bauhaus, and American Abstract Expressionism.

Stephen is known for sleek machine age architecture — from futuristic homes and a zig-zagging In-’n-Out Burger outlet to the sweeping car-commanding canopy/marquis of his United Oil Gasoline Station,

completed in 2009 (photo by John Linden, courtesy archdaily) and  shown here.  But in the rugs I detect a new found freedom with hue and pattern that must have come from his collaboration with Caroline.

Another product — more a floor covering than a rug — is by a company called FLOR. It’s all about flexibility: you can mix and match the 19.7 inch squares or “carpet tiles” (made of renewable and recycled content) as you see fit. Launched in 2003, FLOR’s offerings keep expanding. We used FLOR in several Sunset Idea Houses and they were very successful.

These blue striped squares are part of the “Stripe It Rich/C Note” line and run about $16 per tile. Or here’s the “Shiny Doodle 2 Rug Kit:”

which includes ten tiles. A special “FLORdot” system holds each square securely in place.

Chilewich is a New York company that has made a name in very contemporary matting made from woven vinyl in a variety of textures, patterns, and colors.

They can add lightness as well as warmth to a room, as the image of a modern dining area, above, shows. Here’s their “Bright” series:

And the more subdued “Dark Neutrals:”

These mats are elegant and practical at the same time: easy to clean by vacuuming, or mopping with a detergent solution.

So now as you take a break from watching the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, you can think about ways to bring a little gold medal design excitement into your home!

At the International Home Builder Show in Las Vegas last week — as I toured kitchen and bath-oriented booths — it occurred to me that plumbing fixtures have come a long way in both design and description. Three companies caught my eye and ear with innovative and appealing products. Take Danze’s 3-inch, Parma Three-Function Showerhead.

Sleek and versatile, it combines regular shower flow, massage (pulsating spray) and what’s called “aerated drench.” It seems to me that an aerated drench is just what is required before or after long hours of walking the show floor with 60,000 other visitors. (And one day everyone received an aerated drench, otherwise known as a torrential downpour/gullywasher, as we returned to our hotels.) Danze is known for its innovative modern — even sculptural — showerheads, like the 8-inch Sunray,

with its radiating arms, or the Danze 305 Low Flow,

resembling a flying saucer, that uses only 1.5 gallons per minute.

High tech and high touch are united in Delta’s new Pilar™ Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet with Touch₂O™ Technology, which won various industry awards in 2009.

Touch anywhere on the faucet and water turns on or off, which is pretty cool; they call it “Proximity Sensing Technology” which could be another way of saying “Let’s shake hands” or simply, “skin.” I also like how Delta describes the unit’s pull down sprayer as a “wand” with “MagnaTite™ Docking” to keep it securely in place. Harry Potter, time to climb off the broom and wash the Dementors’ dishes! Another Delta product of interest is their Zero Threshold Shower Base, consisting of a grill over a “trench grate” (drain grill) instead of a lip, allowing barrier-free

entry that’s also wheelchair accessible. Its prosaic and rather plainly described — though I like the use of  “trench” — but very useful.

The Kohler booth is usually the largest at the show and this year was no exception, with seemingly hundreds of products on display; gushing, spraying, bubbling water everywhere; and enthusiastic and knowing descriptions of flushing efficiency. Though, no doubt in deference to the economy, this year there were no acrobatic or singing acts. Kohler is extremely good at what they do and has been doing it as a private company for 130 years. They pretty much reinvented the modern vanity. I like their newest versions — part of the Persuade line (a very effective, not so subliminal message!)

with its simple lines, space for soap and a water glass on the rim, and drawers that flank and hide the drainpipe or trap. A simpler model in the same line

turns the trap into a handsome object in its own right. For smaller bathrooms where creating an airy feel is especially important, this unit would be ideal. The full Persuade line

includes three vanities and a dual flush toilet.

House Calls

Big news at the show was the fact that for the first time in the 27-year history of The New American Home program, the annual idea house was not completed in time for touring. The builder’s financing fell through. (Frankly, knowing how complicated such projects are, I’m surprised something like this hasn’t happened before.) However I attended a useful press conference showcasing the house’s key sponsors and suppliers. New to me was the eco-friendly building system using Apex Blocks from Lacuna Inc. The blocks are made of 100% post-industrial/consumer expanded polystyrene (EPS) and cement and do not contain formaldehyde, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), or known carcinogens. Here’s how the block system works:

Foundation with rebar.

Stack.

Form the corners; frame window and door openings.

Place horizontal rebar, then attach roof ledgers.

Pump in the concrete.  Cut grooves for electrical and plumbing. Smooth the surface and add stucco or other siding material. It’s a fascinating building system that resembles RASTRA block.

Window Watch

There appears to be more choice in sliding and accordion doors — a market that Nanawall revolutionized some years ago. Marvin’s new Lift and Slide examples

virtually disappear into the wall.  The new S1E Eco Screen by Centor

offers retractable insect screening and solar control.

I attended Sarah Susanka’s informative seminar on remodeling where she talked about features that bring value and personality to a home without adding a lot of cost, like varied ceiling heights to make a room seem more spacious, and window seats to create cozy retreats within a small space — which are good things to look for as you explore new home plans as well. I also saw her elegant round-within-a-square window

designed for Marvin Windows and Doors. It recalls features of her Not So Big House designs, like our Plan 454-3,

with its rounded window

in the master bathroom.

The parking lot at the show usually has a range of model homes to tour and I thought the prefabricated Osprey,

by Eco Cottages was newsworthy: 513 square feet

with living area, galley kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, for a basic house price of $60,000 — though the example shown here had Gaggenau kitchen appliances

(including a sexy floating Lift Oven with trays that rise and fall at the push of a button) worth $35,000.  In short, the show was worth a trip through the storm.

The approaching World Series makes me think about connections between baseball and contemporary home design. Themed decor is an obvious overlap and a brief web search produces a wide array of examples. This novel wall clock by Pachi Paradice from Squidoo

uses baseballs for numbers, suggesting new ways of telling time, like “quarter-after first base” (4:15) or “half-past home” (6:30). I think the  hands should be centered on the pitcher’s mound, however, not second base, because time and the game really begin with every pitch. Baseball wall murals

like this 9- by 15-foot example from Classic Wallcoverings, Inc., might suit a media or family room. (Bring out the garlic fries!) Or what about a baseball bat lamp

made out of a recycled metal slugger from Rerun Productions. It’s an odd idea but the tapered shape seems to work rather well. And naturally every front doormat

is really home base. The one shown above is from Uncommon Goods.

Interestingly, the baseball diamond makes a useful house plan diagram. For example, if I rotate Plan 48-415 slightly,

home base becomes the front entry; first base: bedroom 2; second: the master suite; and third: the kitchen. The dining area makes a good shortstop — for a short stack? — and the great room is a natural infield. Of course the back yard becomes the outfield and maybe the garage is the dugout. (You can’t do this with football.) The point is that a simple way of organizing a home is to think of it as a malleable baseball diamond. The tricky part is adjusting the space between the major rooms, er bases. You can borrow space but there’s no stealing.

Teamwork

Baseball has other connections to home design. My wife and I were in Buenos Aires earlier this year, visiting our daughter on her semester abroad. She had a room in the elegant early 20th century house of a remarkable woman named Diana who had raised three children there after her husband suddenly died. A plant-filled front hall, high ceilings — some a little crumbly and patched but full of character and style — welcoming dining and living rooms, and a roof deck were key features. Diana spoke very movingly of the house as “my partner in raising the children.” The roof deck was especially important as a protected place for them to play in that particularly dense section of the city. In other words, like a dependable catcher, a good house is a team player, working with you as life throws new challenges, allowing you to live not just more comfortably, but more fully.

Outfields of Dreams

The roof deck-as-team-player is worth considering for houses on tight lots with little yard space. The deck can be at the top of the house

as in Gregory La Vardera’s Cube House, Plan 431-8, or to one side

shown here over the carport in Plan 472-7, or

above a detached garage as Plan 64-195 shows. In all of these cases you just have to be sure your decking is over a gently sloped, well drained, and permanently sealed (often with an elastomeric membrane) roof.

Another way to to make sure your chosen plan is a team player is to customize it by building in a little flexibility; for example, by making sure there’s a ground floor bedroom and bath for when stairs become a problem. A good house plan can accommodate the seventh inning stretch.