Archive for residential design

What Is The New(est) in Kitchens?

bath design, color, Interior Design, kitchen design, residential designon June 26th, 2011No Comments
Thermador Steam Oven

Thermador Steam Oven

The recent Kitchen & Bath Show provided manufacturers an opportunity to roll out their new products for industry professionals to see…and, oh boy, was there a lot to see, and touch and…oh, well, see some more!  In it’s most recent issue, K+BB takes a look at the new hot trends for both kitchens and baths…but for today, let’s focus on kitchens.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love to watch The Food Network.  Each episode of any of the episodes always has a happy ending and I really like my happy endings!.  While I have learned to love cooking because of Ina, Paula and Giada, I only cook a couple of times a week because I am so busy that I have no time to do it.  I might consider entering the kitchen more often if I had some of the newest products available…the first being Thermador’s new Steam Convection Oven.  With 40 automatic food programs and 9 cooking modules, I could quickly prepare healthy, low-fat meals for the hubby with either steam or convection or a combination of both.  This is a seriously fundamental addition to the serious cook’s kitchen!  Wolf will have such an item available this summer, too.

A good kitchen sink is critical to food preparation and clean-up.  When you think of the term “farmhouse sink” one rarely thinks of contemporary…until now.  Native Trails makes a contemporary looking farmhouse-sink (named “Zuma”) that would be a beautiful addition to any contemporary kitchen with it’s hammered front, sleek lines and 10.5″ depth.  Paired with Kohler’s “Elate” pull-out faucet one would have the perfect sink-faucet set up.  The Kohler faucet features “ProMotion” technology to ensure a smooth function of the pullout sprayhead that sports features like an aerate, spray and pause option.  (Bella, the “mahuahua” puppy, would appreciate the pause option during baths…alright, I confess that it would be me to appreciate the pause option…while I am wrangling the puppy.)

Native Trails "Zuma" Farmhouse Sink

Native Trails "Zuma" Farmhouse Sink

Dacor has expanded it’s line of appliances with the Energy Star qualified Epicure 36″ freestanding French door cabinet model.  With more precise temperature controls, LED lighting and front-mounted electronic controls, this refrigerator has the optional integrated panels to blend with your kitchen cabinetry or the stainless steel look.  I can finally put a full tray of fruit in this baby for parties!

Edgewater Studio

Edgewater Studio Glass Mosaic

Finally, no kitchen is complete without some big bling and Edgewater Studio provides that in a big way with it’s beautiful non-traditional shaped art glass mosaics!  I love the mosaic pictured and the fact that I can custom color the glass makes me very happy.  This company also offers stone and coated glass collections…the little synapses in my brain are clicking fast right now.

These products are just a few of the offerings seen at the KBIS Show and more are available at kbbonline.com including the Best of Show products.  Remember your interior designer when you are contemplating a kitchen renovation or building your new kitchen.  As professionals, they can easily design the layout of your kitchen with an eye on function, beauty and especially an eye on your budget.  Maybe one of these products will be yours soon!…and maybe my husband will be eating something besides popcorn for dinner tonight.

 

What Color IS White?

color, residential designon August 3rd, 2010No Comments

Many years ago I attended a color seminar that featured an expert in color theory and color trends.  His question for the participants was, “What color is the most popular or favorite color in the United States today?”  The speculation and answers to his question waxed poetic…after all we were designers who knew how to sell our colors.  As he began to nix all the answers, the enthusiastic crowd became silent..what was that favorite color?

The answer was “brown”.  Seriously??  BROWN??  Well, his answer taught me something.  The most popular color that year was “Navajo White”…which is a very, very, VERY light color tint of BROWN!  I’ve never forgotten that answer.  This memory was conjured up today as I was preparing for a meeting tomorrow regarding the selection of a color palette for a home being built for a young professional couple.  read more

10% Inspiration (FUN) vs 90% Paperwork (UGH)

residential designon August 2nd, 2010No Comments

I remember the very first day of classes to become an interior designer, my favorite instructor, Sherry Shroyer (now gone but not forgotten) uttered this phrase, ” Design is 10 % inspiration and 90% supporting that inspiration with paperwork.  If that doesn’t sound like fun to you, there is the door!”  Seriously?  What had I gotten myself into?  Frankly, I had chosen to be an interior designer because law school would take too long, in my estimation, and I was no spring chicken then.

At forty-two years young I had decided that I needed to make a living for myself  facing divorce and having been a former award-winning artist, I figured interior design was my thing….after all I had been helping all of my friends for years with advice.  Now, theoretically, I could charge a fee for what I had been giving away for years.

All these years later I can say that what Sherry spoke that day was prophetic.  For all of those out there who think that fun or glamour plays a big part in this business must know that this is business and glamour, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. read more