Reality Augmented
It's hard to design a deck on the fly, but not with AZEK's
3D Visualizer iPad app. Contractors or customers can download the app, place a
printable marker on where they'd like the new deck to be, and start customizing
finishes and choosing railings. The app uses augmented reality tech to display
the virtual deck as though it were really there. www.azek.com.
No Ordinary Shower Pan
Best Bath Systems is rethinking the shower pan. Designer
Series composite pans incorporate inset tile and trench drain elements in a
range of patterns and configurations to elevate the lowly pan to an
easy-to-install design element. The pans work with Best Bath's new composite
walls featuring a 90-degree corner and no hint of pre-fabricated shower wall. www.bestbath.com.
California Dreaming
Boral Roofing's new Gemstone Collection is composed of six
new colors derived from earthy southwestern hues. For now, the company plans
only to release the roof tiles in California, but says more states may be on
the way in the future. www.boralamerica.com.
Good Things in Small Packages
Bigger isn’t always better: Bosch’s new compact 800 series
washer and ventless dryer is designed to bring high functionality to small
spaces. The 24-inch units save on space, but still provide a drum large enough
for sheets and towels. It’s time saver too; the 24-inch units each feature
15-minute cycle options, so that a small load of laundry can be done in only
half an hour. www.bosch-home.com
Make It Your Own
Clopay's Custom Wood garage door platform offers limitless
possibilities for garage door design, letting designers and their clients layer
textures and materials. Incorporating wood, metal, and glass, from traditional
to contemporary designs (like the wood and aluminum design shown here), if you
can draw it, you can have it on your home. www.clopay.com.
Good Enough To Eat
Feeney's vibrant new colored railings are suitable for
stand-out designs or sports team themes. Part of the DesignRail collection, the
railings come in colors like "Red Hot Red," "Margarita Green,
and "Not a Mellow Yellow," and are made in part with recycled
materials. www.feeneyinc.com.
How Touching
Security gets an extra boost with Kwikset’s SecureScreen
technology on touchpad locks, which displays two random numbers that must be
touched before the full screen display is enabled. The innovation ensures that
each number on the screen is frequently used, dispelling any fears of intruders
using fingerprints left on the screen to tell which numbers are used in the
home’s access code. www.kwikset.com.
Just Chill
Store wine in style with Liebherr’s under counter wine
cabinet, which has a touch open feature and closes automatically if the cabinet
isn’t fully opened. The cabinet features two separate temperature zones and a
charcoal filter, along with LED lighting and fully extendable shelving.
Electrical components are all integrated in the bottom of the unit to minimize
vibration and ensure wine stays undisturbed. www.liebherr.us.
Home on the Range
Cooking is made simpler on Miele’s new, user-friendly range.
The touch control panel lifts to make the display easier to navigate and scroll
through different cooking options. We love the MasterChef feature, which drills
down to specifics about your food items—from poultry to baked goods—to optimize
the cooking settings. You can also opt to delay the start of cooking, or select
a “ready at” time so dinner is waiting when you walk in the door. www.mieleusa.com.
Nice Nail Color
The Teco Nail brand is re-emerging under the Mitek umbrella
with a new color-coded series of joist hanger fasteners that also feature
self-identifying head stamps. Both the colors and head stamps help framing
crews ensure they choose the fastener that corresponds with the component.
Building inspectors can also easily spot the head stamp and confirm use of the
right components on site, by sight. Look for the launch in Spring 2015. www.mitek-us.com.
Counter Attack
Long known for its realistic granite-patterned laminates,
Wilsonart is entering the stone surfacing market with new quartz offerings. Of
50 planned colorways across four series, 21 of them are available now. Look for
the rest coming later this year. Wilsonart is encouraging designers to blend
all three of its surfacing options – quartz, laminate, and solid surface – to enhance
their projects. www.wilsonart.com.