Thursday, February 27, 2014

Tour of Cosentino Showroom in Almeria, Spain!


Greetings from Spain!  I am excited to share photos from the main event of our trip, a tour of the Cosentino showroom in Almeria, Spain!  The Cosentino Group oversees a variety of incredible brands, including Silestone. Silestone countertops consist of 94% natural quartz, and are the only quartz countertops with bacteriostatic protection. Here are some snapshots I took during the tour!  Enjoy!


Silestone color samples

Our group at the Cosentino showroom!
Sculpture: "Beyond the Wall",  Inaugurated February 2, 2014 in honor of Cosentino's Dekton line by Daniel Liebeskind
Raw marble is cut into blocks 6'x11' in size.

The marble is then diamond cut in water and sent to be polished and shipped.


Fun at the warehouse!
It was such a great experience to see exactly how the Silestone products are made, from start to finish!  This is a wonderful product with the utmost attention to detail and quality during every step of production.  If you are thinking about a kitchen remodel, I definitely recommend these products.  Contact me at rosa@rosadestinteriors.com for a consultation and we can get started as soon as possible!

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Adventures in Spain!


My trip thus far has been full of adventure and design inspiration!  I am very excited to share my experiences with you!  Here are some photos to give you a glimpse of what I have been up to in Spain!


We went to Materfad, a cooperative design center that house designers of all types.  They share resources of new materials found in the market!
Patterned glass samples

Plastics

Laminates

Laminates

Beautiful wallpapered walls


Different types of glass

Plastics used in rings and squares



On our way to Cosentino we stopped at the marble quarry below.  This is the location where they drill the quarry for marble and extract it to cut.  Very fascinating.

Cosentino Marble Quarry


Breezy and freezing!

Our group from the US at the marble quarry! 
We also went to the grand opening of a new kitchen showroom, Kook, debuting contemporary sleek kitchens.


Dekton countertops

Old blue matte lacquered doors

White Mica-like lacqured doors


Check back for more pictures from our tour of Cosentino's Silestone showroom in Almeria Spain!

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Pack like a Pro!


I have some very exciting news!  Tomorrow I am leaving for a 2 week adventure in Spain and Morocco!  The trip will consist of both business in pleasure!  Tomorrow I fly to Barcelona, then Monday begins an exciting professional opportunity to visit the Cosentino headquarters and explore Spain with other interior designers!  We plan to spend time in Macael, Granada, and Canena and get inspired by some very unique sites (stay tuned)!  Once the design trip comes to a close, my husband and I are flying to Morocco to do some exploring of our own!

I will keep you updated with posts via my Facebook and blog, so be sure to check them out during my trip!

Over the years I have learned some great trips for traveling with ease!  I want to share with you one of my most impressive packing skills- how to pack for 2 weeks in a carry on bag!  It sounds difficult, but it reduces travel stress and simplifies the trip!  If I plan to shop, I include a roll of tape, sharpie, and bubble wrap.  This way, I can purchase a box, and am prepared to safely wrap my purchases, tape up and label the box, and check it at the airport!  A Vera Bradley duffel bag can also be rolled up in a carry on to accomodate travel purchases.



Here are some snapshots of the items I pack-  I build outfits around the shoes.  Next I choose clothing essentials that are dark or neutral to hide stains, and simple to be easily repeated and matched.  Sticking to neutral colors allows you to create multiple outfits with the help of some fun jewelry.  Here are my packing essentails:

1. Shoes:  I build the outfits around shoes.  For this trip I am focused on comfort, so I am bringing 1 pair of walking shoes, 1 pair of booties, and 1 pair of flats.

2.  Rain jacket:  This is extremely important as it can be layered with a sweater for extra wind and water protection while still being very easy to roll up and pack.  Jackets and coats are too bulky to pack or even carry around while site seeing and exploring.

3.  Bags:  I am bringing 1 small black airport purse, and 1 brown everyday purse that is great for walking around, can hold a substaintial amount of items, but is unstructured so it can be rolled and packed easily.  I am also bringing an expandable Longchamp bag.  Longchamp bags are great for travel because they are convertible for multiple uses.  This bag can serve multiple purposed during my trip and can also be expanded and used as a carry on for the flight back to hold purchases.
                 
                   Airport bag
Everyday bag

                
                                   Longchamp collapsed
Longchamp expanded


4.  Pants:  2 pairs of jeans and 1 pair of leggings



5.  Tops:  3 Simple and neutral tops, 2 slightly nicer tops
                   



6.  Jewelry:  Fun jewelry allows you to accesorize and create different outfits!


The key to my packing philosophy is minimizing everything!  If you really strip it down to the necessities, packing for 2 weeks in a carry on can be done!  I am so excited for my trip and to share my adventures with you.  Be sure to check my Facebook and blog for updates and pictures from the trip!

Have a great weekend,



Thursday, February 13, 2014

Love is in the Air!


Happy (almost) Valentine's Day!  To get in a festive spirit we thought we would share some great red a pink rooms featured on ElleDecor.com!

Enjoy!











Have a great Valentine's Day!