Creators Series: Talia Laconi Explores Alternative Surfaces
In our Creators Series we chat with Talia Laconi, owner of Los Angeles Design firm carbon & bone and founder of kinney block — an innovative and eye-catching new surface material born out of an unmet need in the tile market.
In our Creators Series we chat with Talia Laconi, owner of Los Angeles Design firm carbon & bone and founder of kinney block — an innovative and eye-catching new surface material born out of an unmet need in the tile market.
The original Abbott Kinney location where the 1729 made its debut. the job site location of abbott kinney blvd. inspired the name “kinney”.
Hi Talia, so first off can you introduce yourself and what led you to create the Kinney Block?
I’m an interior designer and I’ve been working in the industry for the past ten years. In 2019, I took on a project that called for a unique vertical surface material and it was challenging to find an existing product that fit the inspiration that we had in mind. We ended up creating a custom product for that commercial project (the 1729). Since the bulk of my design work is for residential projects, I knew that the dimensions of the 1729 wouldn’t work there so I developed four other styles with more shallow profiles to round out the collection.
What is the Kinney block and tell us about its application(s) and inspiration(s).
kinney block is a vertical surface material that can be used in both indoor and outdoor applications. The blocks are made of premium concrete and were inspired by Spanish thermal bricks.
Tell us a little bit about the name?
We landed on this name because the product was first installed at a job site on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice, CA.
What was the process of creating the Kinney like?
The whole process of creating kinney block has been one big learning process for me. While I consider myself very experienced in sourcing and creating a brand from running my design business, there are a lot of things about manufacturing, marketing, and development that I’ve had to learn along the way.
Who would be your dream designer to have implement your product in their design?
Kelly Wearstler
Do you have a favorite Kinney colorway and style?
Right now I’m loving the Reeded in Umber — a new color that we will be launching very soon!
What’s next for Kinney?
We are still very new to the market and pouring a lot of energy into getting the word out about our product. But let’s just say that we may or may not be expanding to include horizontal surface materials in the near future.
the 1729 on an exterior facade.
founder of the kinney, talia Laconi
Now time for some rapid fire questions to get to know you better!
Design destination you’re dying to visit.
Portugal
Design trend you’re loving at the moment.
Curves!
Who’s on your playlist.
Ry X is my all time favorite
shop kinney block
