Who's Hot in the World of Windows, Doors, Fire Pits and More

Lake Tahoe Architect James P. Borelli Shares Favorites For New Home Products.

Multi-slide patio doors or glass pivots? Fire pits with gas or fueled with e-NRG bioethanol? Italian glass, brass or re-purposed Wyoming wood?

Whether one chooses to build a home at Lake Tahoe or remodel a home in Truckee, California, or anywhere else in the world, there are endless decisions that need to be made when it comes to selecting the ‘accessories’ for one’s home.

As such, I’ve dedicated this month’s blog to some personal insight to help my clients at Borelli Architecture sift through some of the incredible new products that got my attention when I attended the very prestigious “Dwell on Design” design event in Los Angeles this past May.

(Note: If you are not familiar with Dwell, it’s an outstanding magazine with a slew of contributors that are champions of great design and pride themselves on indentifying and exploring design concepts that are idea-driven, modern and sensitive to social and physical surroundings.  I recommend this up-scale design publication to all of my clients.)

So what’s new and hot in the world of home windows, doors and more?  Here are some highlights of the companies and products that opened my eyes and that I will recommend to my clients who seek my company’s assistance for architectural design and custom interior design for their mountain or lake home in the near future.

Fleetwood Windows and Doors

Very cool clean, contemporary windows and doors. I especially admired their multi-slide patio doors and interesting glass pivot entry door units. I really liked the option of curved panels which I have made a point of remembering for my next modern home design that I am working on for a client in Incline Village, Nevada. I was impressed with the wide variety of standard colors – most of which will be ideal for a mountain home design.

NanaWall

Many of my clients to request designs that allow for maximum openness to the exterior of their Tahoe mountain home. NanaWall has some nice options that include large sliding and folding window walls with wood or aluminum frames with a very impressive selection of sizes and materials.

Brown and Jordan Ecosmart Fire

It is not uncommon for my clients who seek my advice on luxury vacation home design to request several design features that include outdoor and indoor fire places. From the fire pits and decorative accents to fire tables and build-in models, Brown Jordan Fires are my new favorite as an “eco-smart alternative” to traditional wood burning or gas outdoor fireplaces; they specialize in clean burning e-NRG bioethanol.

Centennial Woods

There’s no question that the subject of re-purposing is one of the hot topics in today’s architectural and design world; and with good reason.  Reclaimed wood can be the ideal pick for those who appreciate its purpose and position in home design.  Centennial Woods got my attention when they displayed a variety of new options for interior and exterior use.  My favorite was the snow fencing wood from Wyoming and the company’s ability to provide FSC Certified products for LEED points on LEED projects.

Raydoor Sliding Walls and Doors

If you like the sliding “barn door” look, I’d recommend Raydoor’s “BarnDoor” product that can offer an all natural or very contemporary look to a home or commercial business design. It’s a great design option for an interior sliding door that provides not only large openings, yet a wonderful design element.

Best Range Hoods

Whether one needs a hood for their personal or commercial range, Best Range Hoods is the place to start to pick and choose what I think are some of the classiest products on the market today.  Be it Italian inspired modern designs, brushed or polished stainless steel, black or white glass, powder coated and baked on color finishes – Best Range took the best prize for range hoods at the Dwell on Design convention.

In closing, it was a great experience to attend this annual show that is organized by Dwell magazine and the American Institute of Architects – within which I am an active member.  The association overflows with professionals like those on my team at Borelli Architecture and Design who are passionate about design and purposeful in their pursuit of their clients’ dreams.

So there’s my short list.  Happy shopping – and feel free to reach out any time for insight as to what’s hot and what’s not in the world of design for windows, doors, fire pits and more!