Kitchens - from manual to automatic.
AI and tech innovating the kitchen remodeling process, a viral croissant lamp that's..edible?, and can someone use our kitchen moodboard for their house?
Good Morning! Taking a moment to celebrate our dear friend and designer, Dan Mazzarani of BHDM Designs on his new brand ambassador partnership with Jaipur Living. Always a great party ;)
NEWS?
TEMU CROISSANT LAMP THAT IS LITERALLY A REAL CROISSANT LOL. Haven’t laughed this hard in a while. The internet is going insane. Some amazing comments:
“R u ok babe? You barely touched your TEMU croissant lamp 🥺.”
“Oh no you didn’t just eat a temu croissant 😭”
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The artist Donald Judd didn’t hold back his criticisms of the furniture industry. 'It’s impossible to go to the store and buy a chair,' he lamented in a 1993 essay. Donald Judd Furniture, a stunning new book from the Donald Judd Foundation and MACK, at $70, is far more accessible and is next best to the real thing. mackbooks.us and Amazon
Anthropologie opened its Holiday House showcase, on the Upper West Side. Seems shoppable “house museums” are not going anywhere as we keep commenting. The shoppable space will include QR codes that link to product pages. The space will be open through September 22, by appointment only and exclusively to AnthroPerks members.
Kitchens - from manual to automatic.
It’s refreshing to see some real tech innovation in interior design, an industry that’s been notoriously manual for too long.
This week, we attended the launch of Isla Porter, a new cabinetry company making waves with its tech-forward, user-friendly approach, and a wider range of interesting styles than the usual bland, glossy cabinets we constantly lament over…
Their Tastemaker project, hosted at Mayo Studios, featured full kitchen buildouts designed by Anne McDonald, Chused & Co., and The Misfit House, each using Isla Porter’s cabinets. They all did a really stunning job and especially loved Anna McDonald’s design with beautiful marble molding details.
The brands winning today understand that consumers crave honesty and transparency—two things I’ll have you know, we pride ourselves on at Cola Studios. So what really stands out about Isla Porter? They’re not hiding their prices, materials, or processes, and they’ve made it all easy to navigate using AI and an app that lets clients visualize their choices from the start.
How much will my cabinets cost?
Pricing will vary greatly based on many details, including design, finishes and storage inserts. You will receive a quote for your cabinetry after your first design appointment, but on average our cabinetry is $1800- $2500 per linear foot. If you’re a trade member, you will receive an exclusive discount. For reference, the average order value for cabinetry is about $65,000 for a homeowner with 30 linear feet of cabinetry or roughly a 200 sq foot kitchen with an all in renovation budget of around $150-$200K.
Their dual program offering — one for homeowners and another for interior designers—feels like a well-thought-out strategy to make unique kitchens more available to homeowners, and more streamlined to help Interior Designers. Let’s break it down.
If you’re a Homeowner, this is for you.
If you’re a homeowner tackling a kitchen reno without a designer, Isla Porter’s service is pretty straightforward. For $3,000, you get a detailed kitchen layout and 3D rendering of your design, which goes toward the cost of your cabinets later. It’s an easy, upfront deal that takes out the guessing games of “Will this work in my space?” Sounds pretty amazing, yeah?
If you’re an Interior Designer, this is for you.
For interior designers, Isla Porter offers an annual membership at $1,500, which at first felt steep but you make this back in trade pricing and time saved if you purchase one kitchen! That fee gets you
Trade discount pricing
their full cabinetry configurator (the kitchen companies that do offer some kind of support/rendering is usually a very crude software and definitely not client presentation ready!) and catalog
plus rendering and technical support to smooth out the process.
You’re basically getting an AI-powered design assistant that lets you spend more time being creative and less time on tedious back-and-forth with clients.
Why Not Just Use Isla Porter and Skip the Designer?
Good question. While Isla Porter offers full customization down to the cabinet paint, hardware, countertops, and lighting, the initial design concept is entirely up to the homeowner. Isla Porter is a tool, they are not there for endless design concepts and exploration that happens at the start of a project.
And that’s where designers come in. We’re not just picking finishes; we’re making sure your entire home feels cohesive, from managing project timelines to sourcing materials, installation, and even the tiny details like accessories. Designers keep your project from spiraling into a Pinterest rabbit hole of mismatched ideas.
So, the sweet spot? Isla Porter + A Designer = the dream team. Their technology streamlines the logistics, but a designer makes sure the whole vision comes together seamlessly. And trust us, it’s not just about saving time—it saves you from spending money in the wrong places.
Get time back for experimentation and play!
We want to be clear that just because they have technology streamlining the process, the role of the designer, and the craftsmanship we see in other high-end custom kitchen companies is not lost. It’s not about replacing craftsmanship but speeding up the path to a beautiful, bespoke kitchen. As designers, experimentation often takes time, time we don’t have, and so this allows us to spend more time on creating and playing than on logistics. Bravo, Isla Porter..so excited to test out the tech.
Shop Where We Shop
Moodboard by: Cola Studios
Shop our selections below!
Shop Where We Shop
Breakfast Nook…
Barry Round Table designed by Alain Gilles for Miniforms is available in a variety of lacquered color options
The vintage architectural dining chairs, circa 1970s, are constructed entirely from cypress wood with seamless connections, giving them a smooth and uninterrupted appearance.
Arjumand rug in Aruba Blue by Jaipur Rugs, inspired by the Bid Majnun motif, weaves together three concepts the classical love story of Layla and Majnun, traditional Chinese scroll paintings, and the idea of a stairway of clouds from Persian art - to create a carpet that celebrates the celestial beauty of a blooming garden.
Vintage Bigo floor-to-ceiling lamp by S.T. Valenti for the Italian manufacturer Valenti Luci, circa 1981.
What’s Happening
What’s to see…
We went to the opening of the beautiful new R HUGHES showroom at the New York Design Center. Its 7,000-square-foot showroom features a curated, fashion-forward mix of contemporary brands.
