FrancoisWho?

The Holiday 2009 issue of ‘Traditional Home’ features an exquisite Toscany range hood by Francois and Co.

This Toscany range hood was chosen by Atlanta designer Kim Nielsen for the stunning kitchen of her Federal-style brick home. The Toscany hood is featured here with a Provence stack and is hand-crafted in Scagliola Stone.

Scagliola Stone is an environmentally-friendly material that has the look and feel of quarry stone; however, it is actually a blend of crushed travertine, limestone and marble fragments that come from waste streams. They are formed into a paste and then hand layered into detailed molds.

While perusing a kitchen design book recently —looking at pictures of magnificent kitchens in different styles I started wondering what was it that made them all so unique and special, no matter their particular style or feel.

I guess part of the secret is that all the individual components used in those kitchens –from cabinets, to flooring, from appliances to range hoods, from hardware to backsplashes –are exquisite pieces of their own. Each and every one of them has a strong aesthetical identity. But what really sets those kitchens apart and makes them truly extraordinary is the actual “synergy” that bounds all the individual parts together while transcending them. Each component is uniquely alluring, but assembled together they become a cohesive work of art, an engaging masterpiece.

In this kitchen rich in surface beauty the brown-colored “Neo” custom mosaic contrasts beautifully with the golden hue of the Toulouse stone range hood. The light and dark contrast brings the eyes in, thus creating a striking focal point above the stove. The plain soft lines of the range hood are off set by the intricately floral motif of the mosaic, thus creating even more contrast. The light and dark contrast is also repeated beneath the cabinets with a black mosaic ribbon running along the backsplash made of natural limestone laid in a brick-pattern. Individually, both the mosaic and the stone range hood are exquisite pieces handcrafted from coveted materials. Paired together they become a cohesive work of art.

The overall feel of this kitchen is opulence: richness of texture and color. The intricacies of the carvings on the Marie-Antoinette stone range hood are reinforced by the arabesque pattern and warm red tones of the “Sousse” custom mosaic. The juxtaposition of these two heavily ornate pieces creates an “echo” effect that amplifies the luxuriance of the space.

This kitchen has a “jewel” quality to it thanks to the beautiful light flowing through the window and the shimmery finish of both the pewter stack above the Tuscany range hood and the “Wolfgang” custom mosaic. The delicate serpentine motif of the Mosaic offsets the impressive stature of the range hood.

The light sheen of the hand-polished finish of the Mosaic highlights the antiqued finish of the limestone range hood. The result? A sophisticated, yet joyful kitchen.