8 Uptown, Hip & Pop Ways to Turbocharge Kitchens and Baths

Looking for unique ways to spice up your kitchen or bathroom? Here’s a collection of products that will take your remodel to a new level. From the dazzling crystal-studded Satis toilet to futuristic kitchen furniture rivalling the Jetsons’ and pop art wash basins worthy of Claes Oldenburg, these furnishings, fixtures and materials are guaranteed to be the star attraction of the house!

Toilet covered in Swarovski crystals
This bespoke plumbing fixture will guarantee a dazzling experience that befits the Throne Room!

Covered with 72,000 Swarovski crystals, this sparkler took Japanese designer Ginza Tanaka over a month to make. The $105,000 creation rounds out our offerings on glitzy plumbing fixtures of Swarovski encrusted dog baths (which looked positively paltry at $6,995.00!) and semiprecious stone-studded oversized bathtubs.

A contemporary soaking tub
The sculptural soaker is the result of an unusual marriage between high art and sanitary ware.

Fl’eau is the brainchild of Joel Roberts who also brought us the Eaux Eaux sink. Joel exploited the post-forming ability of sheet Corian to create a soaker that looks like frozen water but is also structurally sound. He certainly has a wicked sense of humor – the bathtub looks like it’s in a constant state of overflowing when viewed from the sides!

A translucent counter and backsplash material from recycled glass
Here’s an eco-conscious alternative for counters and splashes that is not the same old same old…

Tired of all the recycled glass that looks ever so similar with color speckles in an opaque substrate? Bio-Glass by COVERINGS ETC is made from 100% recycled glass that is devoid of colorants or additives and have no cement content. The textured slabs give off a soft, translucent sheen that adds an extra dimension to any counter or backsplash. Available in a variety of colors, the material can be used for interior and exterior purposes: it is stain resistant, frost resistant, chemical resistant and fire resistant.

A wall exhaust hood that can be finished with paint, tiles or plaster
Check out this chameleon of cooker hoods – it can be the focus of your kitchen or part of a disappearing act!

Nuage by Elica is a unique hood that is designed to meet all your aesthetic requirements. The highly customizable hood comes in 2 models: paintable steel or 6 mm plasterboard panels, allowing the product to be finished in paint, tiles, or plasterboard. This is a continuation of the trend to integrate appliances and cabinetry into interior environments as seen in this ghost of a sink.

A futuristic kitchen island pod with lid closed
Perfect for urbanites, this futuristic cooking pod is designed by Xavier Bonte and called The Sky Is The Limit.

In the closed position, this kitchen island looks like a jelly bean shaped bar counter.

The cooking pod with lid raised to show exhaust & lighting under lid
It slices! It dices! But more importantly, it commands a small footprint – something city slickers would appreciate!

Opened by remote control, this Swiss Army knife of a cooking island touts an extraction hood with task lighting tucked into the operable cover. Yes but wait there’s more! The base unit houses an induction cooktop, telescoping faucet, two sinks and four drawers. Check out this BBC video to see for yourself:

Wall cabinet that encloses appliances and storage behind decorative bifold doors
The Sky Is The Limit has a companion piece that neatly hides the rest of the kitchen from sight.

The wall cabinet accommodates a fridge, dishwasher, steam oven, coffee machine and general storage. The sculptural doors cleverly create stylized silhouettes of a champagne flute and bottle when folded back.

A sculptural kitchen island with curved stainless steel supports
A gravity-defying masterpiece that elevates the kitchen island to new heights.

Through ingenious use of stainless steel and jesmonite, Splinterworks is able to turn kitchen furniture into a veritable piece of art while providing full functionality for the cook. The sculptural island packs in a gas range, oven, extractor and storage drawers on one side, with ample work surface to prepare food & libations on the other.

Close up of the extractor and task light hidden under the stainless steel arch
Close up of the extractor and task light hidden under the stainless steel arch.

I like the slight tilt of the arch to allow the lighting and exhaust system to be deployed most effectively for cooking tasks.

A coffee cup shaped pedestal sink
A tongue-in-cheek collection of wash basins to start turbo charging your day!

As a testament of the Italians’ devotion to their daily grind, Artceram is offering a line of sinks that allows anyone to commune with their mojo in the bathroom, if only by association… At least the design of this pedestal sink has a practical side!

A counter top version of the coffee cup wash basin
Just like the real thing, the sink is available in stark white or a black and white combo.

The countertop version offers a rectangular base with a built in towel – or cup? – holder option, if you still have your cup o’ Joe in hand!

Hand Washing Machine inspired by Audi
Meet Hudōr, the Ultimate Hand Washing Machine!
Close up look of Hudōr
Close up look of Hudōr
Hudōr hand washing instructions.
Hudōr instructions

Inspired by Audi, designer Fraser Leid’s automated mixer does a whole lot more than wetting your hands! Encased in the circular tempered glass faucet are 2 aluminum rings which dispense water, hand soap and black light as needed. Water temperature controls are in the front of the base.

Activated by a motion sensor when hands are in the circle, the mixer springs to life and goes through a 3-sec rinse, 3-sec dispense and 3-sec rinse cycle, or till the hands are withdrawn from the faucet. The black light supposedly disinfects your hands in the 9 second process, but effectiveness probably depends on how long germs are exposed to the UV radiation. Regardless, Audi will certainly be pleased by Hudōr’s efficiency!

 

 

 

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