Best New Residential Home Products: Lighting, Windows & NanaWalls
Morgante Wilson Architects
Mar 2, 2023 - 5 min read
The pace of innovation and technology in the residential architecture and design worlds is truly amazing. Keeping abreast of all that’s available to us as architects and designers is, to put it simply, a blast! We love learning about new residential home products and materials and devising creative, functional ways to utilize them in our work.
Here, our partners each weigh in on one new thing they’re really excited about:
Fred Wilson: Floor-to-ceiling glass
You’ve heard me talk often about MWA’s dedication to bringing the outside in whenever possible. One of the best ways to do that is by opening rooms to a view. Windows accomplish that goal quite nicely. But for the greatest impact of all, nothing beats glass that stretches seamlessly from the floor all the way to the ceiling. Rooms with walls comprised of glass are the ultimate in blurring the distinction between indoors and out.
The kind of glass I’m talking about isn’t available in the United States; we get it from a vendor in Quebec, who imports it from Italy. In my view, it’s totally worth the cost – and the lead time – in situations where we’re able to make occupants of a room feel as though they’re actually outside (but in comfort and style, regardless of the weather!). I mean, who wouldn’t love waking up to this enormous beachy view every morning?
Elissa Morgante: Bocci Lighting
I’m crazy about Bocci lighting. For this townhome project in downtown Chicago, we employed a sea of sparkling balls. It’s like a functional art installation. It’s sculptural and completely unexpected, yet it also accomplishes the necessary goal of illuminating a staircase and dining area. Any time we’re able to incorporate products that act as jewelry while doing their job, it’s a fantastic win for the overall design.
K Tyler: Art TVs
I love art TVs! It is such a huge lift to any interior not to have the usual big black rectangle on the wall. My personal favorite is The Frame by Samsung. It offers a multitude of frame, mat, and mount options to fit any room’s décor. It also comes preloaded with thousands of images you can choose from – or you can upload your own custom images. The end result is that instead of looking at an unsightly television, you get to look at what appears to be a framed piece of art. Best of all, it’s very reasonably priced, making this design indulgence pretty attainable. It’s become such a staple for us we recommend it to nearly all our clients.
Bob Zuber: NanaWalls
To me, there’s nothing more impactful than a NanaWall moving glass wall. NanaWall allow you to easily open up a wall (or two, or three!) to the exterior, providing access to the outdoors and an easy flow for entertaining, pool parties, cocktail parties, or just relaxing. They’re available in a wide variety of sizes and configurations and can even wrap around corners. Add roll-down screens inside your wall, and you can go from the interior room to screened porch in just a few minutes. We use them a lot by pools, but they’re versatile products in other situations, too.
Think about a room that’s enclosed in winter and used as a solarium but then opens up in summer and gets used as a screened porch. What could be more versatile than that?
John Potter: The Galley Sink
In my opinion, The Galley sink is a total game-changer. It’s not a traditional sink by any means. Most sinks, while functional and necessary, have the unfortunate side effect of causing you to lose workspace at your counter or island. Not The Galley sink. It’s more like a workstation that enables you to do way more than just wash dishes. It utilizes cutting boards, drying racks, colanders, mixing bowls, and other tools that are layered into the sink vertically and ergonomically so you can prep, serve, entertain, and clean up all in the same place. The end result is that it actually maximizes space in your kitchen, which is something everyone wants no matter how much square footage they may have.
To see these products and more employed in our designs, follow us on Instagram and check us out on Pinterest!
Morgante Wilson Architects provides architectural and interior design services in Chicago, Deerfield, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Kenilworth, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Northbrook, Northfield, Ravinia, Wilmette, and Winnetka – along with Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Utah, Wisconsin, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.