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LAVE & CO. #5

Dear Designer, Dear Architect, Dear Reader,
Because the kitchen, its layout and décor are for many of you an area of excellence, and because it’s in our DNA at Pyrolave, or rather that’s where it all began…. Lava & Co No. 5 shines the spotlight on the kitchens that must definitely be seen.

Lava and disproportion…
Private visit in California

In the South of the San Francisco peninsula, the charming and low profile little town of Los Altos sets itself apart by its villas worthy of the richest owners in the United States and in Silicon Valley. And there you’ll find one of the most prestigious in the history of Pyrolave.

Ultra-modernity, unrefined materials and augmented volumes are the very essence of this project that is truly off any beaten track. Our partner StudioBecker by Troy Adams in Los Angeles opens the doors of this bewitching project to us. The duo Tim Komo (Timothy Komo Construction) and Jasper Bote (Designer for the StudioBecker San Francisco) responded with panache to the project specifications, as ambitious as it’s possible to be for an owner in the area, specifically an ultra-modern and exceptional villa fitted with a quite remarkable and user-friendly kitchen.

One’s gaze is instantly drawn to the cylindrical shelves in glass, floating above a majestic central island, 7 metres in length. Enamelled lava, solid wood and steel comprise the main component. The designers have imagined and designed this totally innovative island both in terms of design and technical excellence by inserting an IPN steel beam in its centre that extends along the entire length. This allows for a perfect alignment between the lava on the entire upper part and the wooden cabinetry on the lower part, on either side of the island.

Applauded for its rarity, its authenticity and its durability, Pyrolave enamelled lava has won the favour of project stakeholders thanks to its very large dimensions and its almost-invisible joints. Surfaces in lava break down into 6 parts. Technical prowess is located on the 1st work areas and consists of the production of a single and unique piece ranging from the ultra-slim to the most massive and integrating a sink, also in lava. The eye visualises an extra-fine 1cm part, which results in fact from a reversed bevel of 2cm marrying perfectly with the drawer fronts, and immediately with a more massive 17.5cm overhanging part.

The colour used is the Signature “Blanc de Chine”. An almost pure white, with iridescent tones that achieve this modern and understated dimension, in perfect accord with the other darker and unrefined materials throughout the villa. This white is also the ultimate colour of the chromatic palette available starting with the black of the IPN – core piece spread across the residence – along with exposed concrete, transparent glass and wood for its warm character.

A successful gamble, and recently rewarded by the California Home & Design magazine, offering its most powerful testimonial of modernity to raw materials and the enamelled lava Pyrolave…
Who still thinks that it’s “old-fashioned”?!!!

Photo credit : BeckerStudio

French flair in this
London kitchen

Jérôme Faillant-Dumas – renowned artistic director for the biggest names in haute-couture such as Chanel or Yves St Laurent just to mention a couple, and an exceptional designer – and his family, have opened the doors of their peaceful haven at the heart of London. It goes without saying that it’s bound to be beautiful…

Colour and an obsession for detail are the key words in décor for the Franco-British couple. Hand-painted woodwork in the master bedroom, trompe l’œil, baroque furniture and work surfaces in Emerald colour enamelled lava for the living room. An extraordinary rendering.

In the kitchen, the size of the island is impressive. Conceived as a single block, the piece weighs over 200 Kg. The installation was the key phase of the project and the installation team knew they had to be very careful, explains Geoff Leach, the Pyrolave representative in Great Britain. Fitting the splashbacks was the most delicate part. For the occasion, Pyrolave Architecture suggested dry installing the work surfaces first and creating a steel support fixed to the wall for fitting the splashbacks in place in order to minimise the breakage risk as much as possible.

On the appearance side, the work surface and full height splashbacks offer a perfect echo of the island in the back part. The water point in the middle of the centrepiece is enhanced by a chic and understated gold-coloured tap fitting, and a fitted sink integrated below the Pyrolave work surface contributing to the “retro-chic” style of the room. The cut striations in the Volvic stone make the work of the Pyrolave enamellers even more sublime by playing on the nuances like tie-dye, and adding a touch of disproportionate authenticity to this finely created living room.

Photo credit : Pyrolave, Architectural Digest Magazine

A salt-spray destination
with a doubly-starred chef…

Yes we say to the Nordic detour that the Söl‘ring Hof restaurant proposes! Nestling on the Isle of Sylt, the northernmost of the German islands, on the border with Denmark, the restaurant takes its name “Sol’ring” from the unique dialect of the North Frisian Islands. A real invitation to travel, to tranquillity and to a complete change of scene, the restaurant is there, among the wild dunes, with the view riveted on the wind-swept beaches and the Wadden Sea.

Thatched roof, white façades, the iodised elegance is magnified even further in the interior through the creations of the talented chef Johannes King. Tested, adjusted, tasted, … then set down; no fewer than 35 Pyrolave enameled lava pieces host the dishes from chef Jan Philipp Berner, and sommelier Bärbel Ring.

Open islands feature prominently in creativity, sharing and experience. Some of these are fitted with an “upper deck” also in enamelled lava and with integrated lamps ensuring temperatures of the prepared dishes on the lower work surfaces are maintained.

Pyrolave was the ideal material for this Michelin 2-star restaurant” the architect, Klemens Huls, tells us. “Firstly because of its beauty with its deep colours and its so-characteristic and authentic “crazing”, but also because a hygienic surface, highly resistant to heat and scratching, is guaranteed.” “Decorative surfaces that are optimal for work and even for work surface, whatever the foodstuffs and after 20 years of use”, adds chef Johannes King himself. The “Ivoire” colour from the Pyrolave “Les Signatures Collection” was chosen as a visual echo of the white sand of the surrounding dunes.

So many delicious reasons to go and explore the island of Sylt and its treasures.

Photo credit : Söl’ring Hof

Carrot
or Mandarin?!

Spontaneously we’d say both are orange! But when it’s in Pyrolave, the range of colours no longer has any limit…

A charming couple from the South West of France recently shared some shots of their renovated kitchen. And how daring! They chose the Mandarin tone for their work surface and island, perfectly matching the parquet flooring of untreated and dark woods. An atypical and truly dynamic colour scheme which reveals all the atmosphere of the room and of the ambient good mood.

The product benefits? The sink is also in lava, carved from a massive block, and accompanied by understated design striations for an amazing signature look.

Discover a selection of our contemporary palette of colours or even more quirky shades, and above all don’t limit your creativity as anything is possible. Anything, such as thicknesses and edges. To enhance the work surface or island, Pyrolave offers various types of finishes such as here an edge with a hammered appearance. The effect of the raw material is revealed and gives unique distinctiveness to the work surface and to the entire kitchen.

Photo credit : Cuisine Raison Agen, Fabre à Robion