The HOME Page

Our Atlanta Magazine’s HOME crew had a fun morning shooting a few portraits of Richard Blais for our fall kitchen & bath issue. Blais is currently a hot contender on Bravo’s Top Chef. The man himself was mum on whether or not he won, but our money’s on the Atlanta guy! Blais is currently the chef at Tom Catherall’s Home restaurant, formerly Posh, formerly Seeger’s. The concept is contemporary comfort food. Think fried green tomatoes with ranch ice cream or raw oysters with frozen Tabasco “pearls” (sort of like Dippin’ Dots). The master of molecular gastronomy earned a name for himself in Atlanta with the likes of foie gras milkshakes and bacon ice cream at One Midtown Kitchen and his own short-lived eponymous restaurant. In case you haven’t guessed, he likes to freeze things. Today he was pouring liquid nitrogen all over Poggenpohl's fabulous quartz countertops.

Blais is an eloquent spokesman for technology in the kitchen. Though he loves simple, classic foods, he likes to up the ante with cutting-edge preparation techniques. The results have amazed diners, critics, and restaurateurs all over the country. In addition to Home, he’s developing Flip, a “super-hyped” burger joint set to open on Howell Mill Road this fall, and spinning his ideas around the world through an active consulting business.

We did the shoot at the new Poggenpohl Kitchen Design Center in Terminus on Peachtree Road. What a perfect setting for the avant garde chef! The showroom’s grand opening is June 5. Check it out, or at least look through the windows at the color-changing backlit backsplashes.

The best part about a blog is getting the word out fast. As much as I love magazines, it can be frustrating to wait for the next issue to announce a great find. So, let me tell you about this great new tile showroom in Alpharetta. Florim is an Italian manufacturer opening its first store in the United States right here in the metro area. Other tile showrooms have carried Florim products, but this is the firm's first flagship venture. Located in an ordinary industrial park, the showroom itself is anything but ordinary. They produce cutting-edge large format tiles that mirror lava, wood, and rare marble and stone. Shapes range from tiny squares to long strips to L-shaped pieces that can be assembled like puzzles.The CasaMood line is particularly design-friendly, with textures ranging from earthy clays to iridescent glass. There is even one group of large-format tiles that resembles toile. On a recent tour of the showroom, Marketing Director Melodie Nakhle explained to me, "Our product is art. We don't want you to think of it as tile." Lots of white space and concept boards provide plenty of ideas to inspire your artistic imagination. Definitely worth the drive out to the suburbs! The showroom is located at 155 Bluegrass Valley Parkway, Alpharetta, 30005, 678-393-8050.