Cooking in Style

Kitchenware design has always interested me, because it must be quite a challenge to make something beautiful out of such a functional everyday product.

Pots and pans are taken seriously by cookery fans - you can't push too many boundaries for fear of affecting the quality of the food. But that doesn't mean there aren't opportunities to make a difference.

The best examples are probably the traditional kitchenware brands that have embraced new technology, because this way they can use their experience to strengthen forward-thinking design ideas.

Prestige pans seem to do this quite well. Having been around for over 50 years you know you are going to get a long lasting product with great results at dinnertime (taken you can cook) - but you can still enjoy an attractive piece of design on a daily basis. Naturally I choose the chrome set.

You might not realise it but lots of product designers are becoming experimental with kitchen design. Some makes things more efficient, but some just make things look nicer. I think the best way to approach this type of design is to look for modern solutions for classic pieces - that way everybody wins.

Chrome all the way round

Chrome's not just for appliances...

Furniture and storage thoughts (un-Chrome)

In a quick break from Chrometastic tradition today I want to talk about other materials - while the Chrometastic predilection endures it doesn't mean that orther materials aren't also highly valued - steel, leather, oak, wool, loads of things. Even (whisper it) some plastics are good enough for Chrometastic.

But after chrome, it's gotta be glass. Great for storage and making windows out of, glass really is a wonder material:



I've recently looking around the net for furniture online outlets - there's also quite a lot in the way of homewares and kitchenware as well. Still not chosen the sofabed I'm looking for yet - hopefully get a chrome one!

Furniture Calligaris

It's always our mission here at Chroemtastic to seek out the best designs for the home in our own style. For chrometastic has its own set of aesthetic values.

We came across this collection of furniture by Calligaris while surfing the web, and have to say it is very cool. Loving the woodpecker logo. Is it just me or does all the best stuff right now have avian logos? Am thinking Carhartt duck, Penguin clothes, Puffin books. All smart stuff.

design of websites

This blog is mainly about interior design, but design itself is an overriding interest here at Chrometastic. Especially now that there's even a browser called chrome. And yes, that is my favoured web browser.

The interesting thing about websites is that there's never been an accepted or standard way to do things. This has led to some incredibly inventive sites, and to things like blogging becoming big, then social networking taking off.

With smartphones now the norm, and tablets taking off web design remains at the heart of innovation.

Was it really only ten years ago that websites had that unmistakeable Y2K look? It feels like it was a different century.

Now that the old type of light bulb is on the way out and the long life low energy bulb is king, it means that it takes a bit more effort to light a room. This is probably no bad thing, as two or three soft light sources is better than a single 100 watt bulb. Does it save any energy? Probably not, but hey.

Especially important are directional, concentrated lights sources. Have a browse through furniture online and see what would help light up your living room.

Anish Kapoor chrome sculpture

Anish Kapoor's sculptures are often simple shapes made of chrome. Interacting and reflecting with their surroundings, they show changed perspectives and interrogate the nature of perception.

Picture: Oren Rozen via Wiki