Zinc Details – From Stylish Interior Designs to popular Retail Brand
TasteTV chats with style guru Vas Kiniris, founder of the retail furnishings and furniture boutique, Zinc Details, about what’s hot in the world of design.
TasteTV: How are Scandinavian, Japanese different than other kinds of designs in the home?
VAS: After studying and working as architects in the Bay Area,Zinc Details was founded over 20 years ago by me and my wife, Wendy. At that time modern design wasn’t valued and people were looking to postmodernism for inspiration. Most design was decorative and overdone. Think fleur de lys, porticoes and colonnades everywhere… We were interested in a parred down aesthetic that promoted a “less is more” aesthetic but with soul! We liked to showcase the beauty and integrity of the natural material, and the clarity of the design. Also true innovation without being gimmicky or kitsch! For us, the Scandinavian and Japanese aesthetic clearly exemplified these design points. Both cultures appreciate the natural beauty of the materials and clarity of design. Also both cultures draw inspiration from their long history of design and crafts! These days we look for these qualities in all cultures and we are constantly inspired by all the countries and communities we travel to, near and far!
TasteTV: What about housewares such as dinnerware and tea-ware?
VAS: In addition to our ever evolving range of national, international and local furnishings, we also carry a select curated selection of housewares. Again we take inspiration from the Scandinavian aesthetic of well made timeless and versatile design classics, new and old! We also carry a select range of vintage accessories which, in our opinion, really make a house into a home! We encourage our customers to mix and juxtapose products from all over the world, and different eras too! So a vintage Japanese teapot can mix seamlessly with a set of Finnish tea cups and presented on an Italian tray!
TasteTV: What drew you to focus on this theme?
VAS: We love design and we love to seek innovation and integrity of materials in our lives! We are also contemporary American designers living and working on the West Coast. This is important because we are multicultural and constantly inspired by the world around us. It’s second nature for us to mix seemingly disparate cultures and eras into our lifestyle. This is what we are constantly showcasing in our store.
My wife and I are also come from different cultural backgrounds and we bring our rich cultural backgrounds and experiences to Zinc Details. I was born in Greece and raised in the Bay Area and Wendy is a third generation Japanese-American who was born in Boston and grew up in Texas!
TasteTV: Is the design community doing anything that you find particularly exciting?
VAS: I am particularly excited by the design community’s movement toward design that isn’t based on meaningless consumption and non-trends. Many designers are now drawing inspiration from ago old crafts which are indigenous to their culture or country. So there’s a cultural foundation to their products! The worlds of craftsman and designers are finally coming together!
TasteTV: What about the younger designers, how are they getting their names out there and their foot in the door?
VAS: When we first opened our store, we only carried products by local artists and craftspeople! These days there is a strong community of designers who are crafting and producing products right in the Bay Area! Designers are getting their names our there by forming groups and associations which give them a louder voice in the design community. IE Renegade Fair and the American Made. They are also using pop-up shops and social media to get their names out to the public! They are definitely more innovative and resourceful bunch!
TasteTV: Have you noticed any trends since you opened the store?
VAS: The local movement has finally hit the design scene. There’s an awareness and pride in the local design/artist scene. People are looking for an authentic design that speak to the local design scene.
Slovoed App helps translate recipes
Paragon Software Group has created a new dictionary app that would helps non-native readers and food enthusiasts to follow more easily a recipe or an article posted on a site.
Comprehensive Slovoed dictionary apps contain translations for food and cooking terminology, and help gourmands from all over the world to follow instructions more precisely.
Per Paragon, “No doubts that many readers are deeply fond of culinary but due to lack of the language are limited. It takes too long for them to google for every new ingredient while preparing a dish. Slovoed dictionary apps (available for 35 languages, with premium content from the world’s leading publishers and lexicographers, such as Berlitz, Duden, PONS, Oxford UP, Cambridge UP, Le Robert, etc) make any translation task easy!”
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Entertainer Christina Milian supports New App that Deters Personal Attacks
The world can be a dangerous place, and it’s always good to be prepared, just in case.
That’s why a new IOS and Android app called STOP-ATTACK can be your new BFF, along with its Brand Ambassador, Christina Milian.
STOP-ATTACK is an assault-response app that when activated, it becomes a virtual witness to assaults (whether verbal or physical).
Per the developers:
The app captures moment-by-moment details through video and audio recording. The recordings are sent real-time to a secured cloud storage area to be accessed when needed and used as evidence. With the Panic List feature, your phone will send email and text message links of the recording and your GPS location to your trusted emergency contacts. There is also an option to notify the authorities from the STOP-ATTACK app when you need immediate police assistance.
The STOP-ATTACK app can be an essential technological support tool to deter, capture and assist you during a crisis. The application is supported by the user-friendly STOP-ATTACK.com website. From the members section of the STOP-ATTACK.com website, you can manage your incident recording, download it, delete it or save it for future reference.
Napa Wine-Tasting Passport launched for Yountville Wineries
If you are heading to Napa this year, and planning on doing some serious wine tasting, be sure to check out the new Passport Program in in the foodie-mecca of Yountville.
The new tasting room Passport Program is organized by the Yountville Chamber of Commerce, and invites wine-lovers to taste at six participating Yountville wineries for one price. The year-long “Taste Life Here” Wine Tasting Passport Program runs July 1, 2015 into the future.
Guests who purchase a $59 Passport may use it to receive one complimentary tasting at each of the six participating wineries. The participating tasting rooms include Jessup Cellars, Priest Ranch, Cornerstone Cellars, Hill Family Estate, Hope & Grace and Hestan Vineyards. Tasters who visit all six Yountville wineries will be automatically entered into a drawing for a chance to win a two-night stay at Yountville’s Napa Valley Lodge or the Napa Hilton Garden Inn. The $59 price represents a significant discount — roughly saving passport holders 55% off regular tasting room prices. If participants purchase before Aug. 1 they qualify for the Early Bird Special and receive an additional $10 off the Passport Program.
“We’re very excited about the launch of Yountville’s ‘Taste Life Here’ Wine Tasting Passport Program,” said Joel Quigley, Vice President of Marketing Communications at Jessup Cellars, one of the six participating Yountville wineries. “Powered by Cellarpass.com‘s integrated technology, visitors can access the passport system via smart phones, tablets or desktop. As a tasting gallery, the online and smartphone check-in and backend management opens up a new channel for reaching new consumers without overburdening staff like other paper-based passport programs. This is a new day in wine tasting!”
Passports will be sold online through a special URL link that is unique to each participating winery, enabling the program to track sales by each tasting room. To purchase tickets, visit www.yountville.com/passport.