Durinox: My New Stainless Steel Friend With Benefits
May 5, 2014 by Robin Plaskoff Horton
Having recently returned from an amazing design-infused trip with BlogTour Milan to Milan Design Week, I am now beginning to process and absorb the myriad design innovations and cutting edge trends I experienced there.
Futuristic Spaces
The hub of Milan Design Week, Salone del Mobile–aka the Milan Furniture Fair–is the world’s largest trade fair of its kind featuring furniture and design from over 1200 international brands. This year’s fair also included Eurocucina where prototypes and ideas for the kitchen of the future–indoors and outdoors–also included lots of what was not new: a return to the simple life where one grows some of their own food and the kitchen, whether inside or out, remains the social center of the home.
Photo: Robin Plaskoff Horton, Urban Gardens
Here’s the Skinny
I saw new a number of great new materials unveiled that will soon make their way stateside. One trend was solid surfaces and other new smoothe surface materials available in varying thickness, including very thin ones. These durable materials enable thin surfaces, like Durinox, BLANCO’s new stainless steel countertop material that really knocked my socks off (had I been wearing them.)
Photo: Robin Plaskoff Horton, Urban Gardens
Designing for Indoor-Outdoor…With Benefits
Of particular interest to me are those new materials which offer exciting possibilities when designing for the current indoor-outdoor living trend–one that I predict is here for the long haul. Durinox is one of those exciting new materials. Because it’s more than twice as hard as traditional stainless steel countertops, Durinox is more resilient and its velvety-matt finish makes it extremely resistant to scratches and impervious to fingerprints. Not the stainless steel of my mother’s house.
Photo: Chasen West
New Materials: From Thinking Outside of the Kitchen
So let’s take this innovative material outside. Although using stainless steel outdoors is nothing new, BLANCO’s Durinox countertops are. According to the company, Durinox was “inspired by the stainless steel finishing process used in the automobile and aviation industries, where the material is given a certain shape and finishing.” That alone says this stainless steel material is not just strong and durable, but can live outdoors impervious to the elements just like a car. I’ll be looking for future outdoor applications.
Sustainable and Stylish
This brand’s design sensibility is not new to me. I have been a fan of their clear, contemporary, but functional aesthetic since discovering the company’s SOLON in-counter compost system. If you’re like me, you want the easiest solutions for everything. And it’s just as easy to toss the scraps into this composter as it is to put them in the bin or down the disposal. It’s a win-win as you end up with some rich compost for growing more of your own veggies.
So moving forward, I can envision my dream kitchen. It may just have a silky-smoothe Durinox countertop with a Solon composter and one of BLANCO’s water-saving faucets. A girl can dream.
This is just the tip of the design iceberg: stay tuned for much, much more about Milan Design Week and a side trip to Venice. Ciao for now!
Nota Bene: My trip to Milan with the Modenus BlogTour was made possible by the generosity of BLANCO and the following sponsors: Modenus, Clever Storage by Kessenbömer, Dekton by Cosentino, National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), and Gessi. All opinions exressed herein are uniquely mine and not indicative of any sponsor opinions or positions.
Unless otherwise noted, photos from BLANCO.
Review: Delfield ST4560N 60″ 2 Door Worktop Freezer | 15.7 Cu. Ft. Reviews | Chest Freezers Biz Pingback said:
[…] Work Top Freezer Base, 2 section, with doors, stainless steel top with back splash, stainless steel front, rear-mounted self-contained refrigeration, cord and […]
— May 8, 2014 @ 14:52
Hot Deal Waring Commercial 700S Single-Speed Food Blender with Stainless Steel Container, 32-Ounce Review | Countertop Blenders Biz Pingback said:
[…] stainless steel container with stainless steel […]
— May 11, 2014 @ 05:29