Brooklyn | Blogtour NYC

Visiting Brooklyn during BlogtourNYC was one of the highlights of my week in New York. I just loved the atmosphere and still regret I did not stay longer and see some more... on the other hand NYC is not that far and I am sure I will be back one day! I found some last pictures that I wanted to share I made walking towards one of the workplaces we visited.

I spotted this guy and his dogs turning into the street and waited till he passed to make a picture of him... I stayed pretty much behind the group in Brooklyn as I kept seeing things I liked and wanted to make pictures of. Here's a little impression of Brooklyn - Dumbo.

Bricks and concrete

Workplace of Eric Manigian - clean minimalist design
Thinking of Brookly I also thought about this concrete Musical Platform I saw. I never showed the pictures because I was planning a top 3 of the AD Home Design show. But I was really impressed, and in love by it. It's designed by Brooklyn based company In Sek Design. An Industrial Design/Build company started by Ashira Israel. Used materials:Concrete, Resin, Steel, Walnut Veneer, Ebony

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BlogtourNYC | Day 4 | Brooklyn Bridge and a beautiful sunset

After our night off, a delicious dinner at Buddakan and a walk through town, we had a free morning and Ricarda, blogger at 23qm Stil, and I had our minds set on a healthy fruit breakfast and buying a mini IPad *Love it*.

We walked a bit through Soho and walked towards Design NYC where we were meeting up with the rest of the bloggers for a tour through the shop and a lunch. I loved this sneak peek behind the fences of this building ... It's a bit of a mess but I love the lines and the staircases...this is also so New York as we know it from the movies! Such a fabulous sunny morning and the best had yet to come as we were off to Brooklyn today! 

A walk on Brooklyn bridge is one of the things one must have done when visiting New York they say. And I was really glad this was one of the things Modenus organised for us. So after a ride in our cabs and a short walk we reached the bridge and I thought it was a really beautiful and very impressive walk. There was so much to see and so many beautiful views on Manhattan and Brooklyn. 

And there we were on the other site... Brooklyn was love at first sight! We walked around and visited several really cool workplaces in Dumbo, I will show some pictures of it in a separate  post... hope you still like it ;)

After our tour around Dumbo ... We headed to the pier! Sponsored by Modenus and the lovely ladies from Mr Steam we were surprised with an amazing boat trip around Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty whilst enjoying champagne, food, music and most of all the company of fellow and former Blogtour friends. It was freezing cold outside but I will never forget the beautiful sunset, the reflection on the buildings and the moon that was shining over Manhattan especially for us that night, as I truly like to believe ;)

 

BlogtourNYC 2013 is sponsored by Miele USA - Silestone - Poggenpohl - Victoria + Albert - Barber Wilsons - Blanco - Du Verre - Mr.Steam -NKBA - Jenn-Air

Black - copper & bronze | Blogtour Sponsor Barber & Wilsons | NKBA

During Blogtour we stayed at city boutique Hotel 'On the Ave'. I loved the hotel and had a wonderfull room with a huge bed on the 8th floor. I really enjoyed the bathroom, there was a huge bath! But I especially loved the stainless steal sink and shelves.Maybe because at home I have this boring white sink in my bathroom and ditto tiles. 

To be honest I only love my shiny white cabinets and the huge mirror and I would love to update it a bit.... more black and for a totally different effect a copper or bronze sink and copper faucets to give it the hotel feel I love. I remember how we always tried to hide the copper pipes in our kitchens. But nowadays it is totally hip and trendy to keep them in sight as an industrial future. If you are not into this industrial look,  this weathered bronze tap  by Barber&Wilson might be something for you. Many more taps on the Barber&Wilsons website

During blogtour I learned one thing... there are some really great design professionals out there! Through the presentations we got from our sponsors and the talks we had with them during the events, I got a different look at the process of designing in this industry. Special thanks goes to Barber & Wilsons for being one of the kind sponsors of BlogtourNYC. Barber & Wilsons is a Family-owned independent company with 100 years of experience in the manufacture of water fittings. 

More copper in this picture found on the Pinterest board of the NKBA, The National Kitchen and Bathroom Organisation. NKBA is a not-for-profit trade association that owns the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show KBIS.

With nearly 60,000 members, the NKBA has educated and led the kitchen and bath industry since its founding in 1963. Their mission is to enhance member success and excellence, promote professionalism and ethical business practices, and provide leadership and direction for the kitchen and bath industry worldwide.  

In 2013 NKBA was involved in #BlogTourCGN #BlogtourNYC and will be again for #BlogTourNOLA. NKBA is also celebrating its 50th year! Happy birthday and thanks so much for sponsering BlogtourNYC

BlogtourNYC 2013 is sponsored by Miele USA - Silestone - Poggenpohl - Victoria + Albert - Barber Wilsons - Blanco - Du Verre - Mr.Steam -NKBA - Jenn-Air

Blogtour Sponsor | Du verre Hardware

I like my kitchen to be a bit tough and industrial in combination with white cabinets. An industrial table with some shiny white tiles and something a bit different and unique like my big black metal star. After showing the latest kitchen and appliances from our Blogtour Sponsors and the beautiful grey velvet counter top in fellow blogger Macarena's loft. I would love to introduce  Du Verre Hardware to you. I was happy to take some of the knobs and pulls on a little trip during our blogtour.

When wandering around at the Diffa for design exibithion I discovered some raw corners between all the shiny styled tables. An excellent backdrop for Du Verre cabinet hardware I though! Because when I say I took the hardware on a little tour with me I literally mean I had them in my bag. Du Verre was one of our lovely Blogtour sponsors and I loved to meet Gina Lubin, who leads the company with great enthusiasm and to hang around and chat with her during our blogtour. 

Du Verre is a leader in quality and original design for cabinet hardware. Working with highly respected designers from all aspects of the design world, they created unique design-driven collections of knobs and pulls for fine furniture and interiors. To be honest it is different from everything I have ever seen in Europe.

The die cast hardware is manufactured entirely from recycled aluminum. I think it is a big plus to use recycled material So if you are looking for an environmentally friendly choice this is another reason to have a look at the Du Verre website when looking for knobs or handles.

All Du Verre items are finished by hand, in stock and can be shipped worldwide. Du Verre is currently looking for an European/ UK distributor so you might be able to shop them in your own town soon.
  

BlogtourNYC 2013 is sponsored by Miele USA - Silestone - Poggenpohl - Victoria + Albert - Barber Wilsons - Blanco - Du Verre - Mr.Steam -NKBA - Jenn-Air

BlogTour NYC Sponsor | Jenn- Air

In one month we will have a new King in the Netherlands and the whole country will turn into Orange. Orange being the color and the last name of our Royal family! When visiting the exhibit of Luxury appliance maker Jenn-Air, who's one our Blogtour sponsors, I thought about on how to write this blogpost and doing something with the sparkling color they used in their booth.

This.... until I noticed and got a little demonstration, of the the new ventilation system. A stainless steel hood elegantly rising from the countertop when cooking begins and retracting back into the countertop to maintain open sight lines when not in use. Thought that is much more interesting to show you then me talking about the color of the Jenn-Air booth! On their website you will find all information about this latest design in ventilation: 36" Accolade™ Downdraft Ventilation System

I tried to film the hood coming out and back in but I guess I kept my IPhone in the wrong position.... so yeah have a look at it if you want to see how it works or watch the professional video on the Jenn-air site. Here is a link to mine: Jenn-air video

This years exhibit showed the complete collection of Jenn-Air appliances, including the industry’s best performing wall ovens, top-rated built-in refrigerators and high-performance dishwashers. Jenn-Air® appliances are known for their sophisticated styling, innovative technology and exceptional performance. All designed to help you create a beautiful kitchen and take your cooking and entertaining to impressive new levels.

BlogtourNYC 2013 is sponsored by Miele USA - Silestone - Poggenpohl - Victoria + Albert - Barber Wilsons - Blanco - Du Verre - Mr.Steam -NKBA - Jenn-Air

Blogtour NYC | Day 2 | At the AD Home Design Show

Hope you enjoyed reading my former post about Day 1 and on what we did in New York during Blogtour! At day 2 we were up early already and after a good breakfast on our way to the AD Home Design show. Starting at ten with the annual Mary's and Mimosas event where we met and mingled with the NYC design Media. This networking event, was originally started in 2011 by Veronika of Modenus who had this idea of bringing interior design bloggers she knew together with the Media and designers. Today it is a must-attend event for the New York Design scene. 

Later on after lots of coffee's and a first look on what ADHD show was about we got to have a look at DIFFA Dining by Design tabletop ideas. Barry Dixon of Arteriors gave us a little tour and we had  look at all the table settings. If you are into table settings you would have loved this and I had to think of some of you other bloggers seeing this! Here is a small impression of things that caught my eye!

The table setting on top is an Inspiration Statement: Beauty represented by the image is distorted by voids representing HIV/AIDS. The void in the tableware is for everyone to remember what needs to be done. Images below are of the table setting of the New York school of Interior Design. Mentor : Marc Blackwell

Table setting by Marimekko

No black Paola Navone dots on the paper lamp but black circles for a change - Clarcksdale openwork screen by Barry Dickson for Arteriors

We spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the show and I will show you some more of my favorites in another post later!

Loved The Miele USA Booth and not only because they were one of the sponsors of Blogtour! Even the fruit and food in the huge fridges was styled and the hanging garden was pretty amazing!

After a long day we were still chatting, writing and enjoying ourselves.... As Tim said we are a fun bunch to have around! We headed home in some taxi's that were waiting for us ... Thank you Modenus for not having to queue up in  that long line of tired people ... we ended the evening close to the Hotel in a Hamburger dining with, for me, a delicious Vega Burger. 

Pictures by Vosgesparis

BlogtourNYC 2013 is sponsored by Miele USA - Silestone - Poggenpohl - Victoria + Albert - Barber Wilsons - Blanco - Du Verre - Mr.Steam -NKBA - Jenn-Air

Blogtour Sponsor | Silestone by Cosentino | Blogger Macarena Gea

 

Countertop  Silestone natural quartz in "Unsui" with Suede finish

Silestone by Consentino is one of the next Blogtour NYC sponsors I would like to introduce to you. Not only are they sponsering Blogtour |read about our Media breakfast here| they also have chosen a blogger to be one of the five faces in the new Silestone campagne for 2013! How cool is that!

Macarena Gea is one of Spain’s most influential bloggers on fashion and architecture. One of the ads features her in a workplace that mixes cool and vintage elements and where Silestone’s® Unsui colored elegant countertop with Suede finish is perfectly integrated thanks to its top quality design and versatility. And even incorporates a Silestone Integrity® DEUX kitchen sink.

Being a blogger myself, I thought lets ask Macarena about her experience on being selected and shooting the Silestone campaign!! 

Silestone choose you as their face of the 2013 campaign, how did they get in touch with you and why do you think they asked you?
When Silestone called me I even didn't believe this could be true. It's one of the most famous Spanish companies and I have lived (and worked) among Silestone pieces for many many years. So it was a big surprise and a huge honor they chose me as their 2013 campaign face. 

Can you tell us something more about your blog, do you blog full time?

I am a Spanish architect & interior designer and I blog on Macarenagea.com since 2007 It is where I share with my readers a daily dose of inspiration about things I love the most: fashion, deco, weddings... 

I am not a full time blogger since "in my real life" I also work as architect and wedding planner but blogging is another of my huge passions and I think it would be really hard living without it.

What do you think of Silestone products and do you, or would you, use them in your own home?

I am a big Silestone fan and i'm used to introduce their products in my projects but also in my own home. I like its huge range of colours and textures also as its usefulness & hygiene.

The loft in the ad campaign is not my own home since the shooting was due to take place in Barcelona and I live in Valencia. Nevertheless, the art directors based the set in my own personal style in order to transmit in the most real way my day to day life. I think that the result was just perfect. When I first saw the whole set I said: "It definitely looks like my own house!"

How did the photoshoot go, was it your first photoshoot?

As fashion & lifestyle blogger, I am quite used to photoshoots but I had never worked before in such a big campaign like this one for Silestone and it was a big responsibility for me. At the beginning I was a little bit nervous but all the Silestone team was so so kind and professional and they made everything so easy. I really enjoyed the experience!

What is your favorite product from Silestone / did you get a tour through the company showroom?

Due to my job, I already knew Silestone products but thanks to this collaboration I had the chance to know much more about the brand. I've always liked the classic Silestone polished quartz surfaces but, lately, I am in love with the "suede" collection and its soft and natural touch. It's cool to have plenty of possibilities in order to choose the ones that really fit in each project. It's the best way to see how the ideas in my mind become true.

Thanks so much Macarena!  Visit Macarena's blog at www.macarenagea.com 

BlogtourNYC 2013 is sponsored by Miele USA - Silestone - Poggenpohl - Victoria + Albert - Barber Wilsons - Blanco - Du Verre - Mr.Steam -NKBA - Jenn-Air

Blogtour NYC | Day 1 | Media Breakfast and Jetlags

After the first night of meeting up with the other bloggers and a dinner around the corner, where we met some of the sponsors over a drink and a delicious meal. Most of us European bloggers went to bed early, being awake just after 4 o'clock again! As the city was calling like mad, we text-ed over Twitter [Being our contact line during the whole week] and had an early morning walk through Central Park. I felt so being in New York when I saw lots of people running in  the early morning sun.

Then of in the cars to a Media Breakfast, sponsored by Blanco, Poggenpohl and Silestone Consentino downtown at the Poggenpohl showroom where we had the chance to look around, chat and make pictures. It was a sunny day and It was nice to walk to the next stop... leading us through W 18th Street, where my eye spotted an amazing restaurant, where I went back later to photograph the interior and to drool over he concrete walls I spotted before.

Next stop was Michael Aram Flagship Store located in a 19th-century carriage house in the Chelsea neighborhood. We had a glimpse into his studio where he sketches and paint ideas before bringing designs with him to India to handcraft samples with skilled artisans. Michael talked with passion about his travels, his work and design. He took us upstairs and gave us a sneak peek into his future collection. I had a lovely talk with him afterwards about the beauty of imperfection, he truly is a very inspiring person.

We then had a little tourbus waiting for us that took us on a Luxery Real Estate tour - Sponsored by Miele and Corcoran Real Estate - We saw some amazing apartments that you normally do not get to see, unless you can spent a 7 million dollar for your apartment! I went out and step on the balcony.... I was terrified to be honest ... But what a view! 

We ended the day at the Miele Showroom at the Architects & Designers building for drinks and a special blogtour dinner event. Chef Joey Campanaro of Little Owl, prepared a local, seasonal menu using Miele appliances. A great meal and great night that we finished at the bar with some, how else could it be, interesting talks about blogging and work. 

All pictures (C) Vosgesparis

BlogtourNYC 2013 is sponsored by Miele USA - Silestone - Poggenpohl - Victoria + Albert - Barber Wilsons - Blanco - Du Verre - Mr.Steam -NKBA - Jenn-Air