The Best of KBIS 2016

Bam!  Another show is in the books and although it's been a busy week "back at the ranch", I've been dying to share my finds with you right here on Artful Kitchens.Las Vegas was host to three days of networking and education for the best of the Kitchen & Bath industry.  As a member of the Kitchen & Bath Business Magazine's Advisory Board,  I had the pleasure of appearing on the KBIS Next stage as a part of the panel discussion entitled Trials & Tribulations-Solutions to Your Biggest Kitchen & Bath Challenges. It was an exciting exchange of ideas between both the pros on the panel as well as a savvy and engaged audience. I also had the opportunity to spend some time in the Las Vegas I like best, off the strip! I hiked in the Red Rock Canyon and visited my friends at Retro Vegas on Main Street. My digs for this trip were with my dear pals Karen, Barry & Wink.  They live in a midcentury modern gem that, rumor has it, was briefly home to Lucille Ball!  They are avid Airbnb'ers and wonderful hosts.  Check it out if you find yourself in Vegas. This location is so convenient to the Convention center I could walk, which I did, once.  Mostly I Ubered. Enough walking happens on the show floor!  So without further ado, here's my recap of the biggest and most notable trends and products that caught my eye at KBIS2016. ColorWhite still reigns.  In fact paint giants Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams have both selected shades of white as their color of the year.  You know I am a huge white fan. It is always the best backdrop for art and design. It also continues to be the favorite cabinet color in my area.  Remember white is not just white, there are an infinite number of varieties you can have fun with.  If you need more punch in your kitchen you could find some great options at the big show.  I saw bright saturated colors in several appliance brands including Bertonazzi, Viking and BlueStar which offers 750 colors!  Grey has not left the stage.  The newest versions are warm, venturing into taupe territory. Textured wood grains such as cerused oak are really popular. Wood-Mode showed both traditional and contemporary versions of ribbon Mahogany. The Perfect TouchTouch latch technology was EVERYWHERE!  If you prefer a sleek, uninterrupted look for your cabinets and appliances this is for you, a gentle nudge will open your cabinets. This is nothing new but it's taken off.  I also loved the button that allows you to close this cabinet when you're done without resorting to dangerous acrobatics (I'm short).Feeling BrassyActually brass, copper, bronze and myriad versions are hot for plumbing fixtures and hardware.  My favorites were the new BauHaus inspired Litze collection by Brizo Faucets. and Kallista's Vir Stil collection.Not Your Grandma's CorianIf you're like me Corian has been dead to you since about 1998.  That sentiment has now ended in my book.  I saw a 2"thick sleek contemporary version of Corian that was perfectly at home in The New American Home.  The other exciting thing I saw in counter tops was this quartz by Silestone.  Yes, it's GOLD!  I just wish the photo could capture it's sparkly beauty.Thrills from ThermadorAppliance brand Thermador held a press conference on the show floor to introduce a couple of impressive new products, the 60" pro range available with steam and a double oven featuring steam and convection.  These are firsts in the industry.Organize ItJust when I thought we had it all the category of organization it goes to the next level. There was a great representation of brands ranging from Hafele to Rev-A-Shelf to Hardware Resources but Glideware is taking the market by storm.  If you've got a mess lurking somewhere I guarantee there's a way to make it neat and accessibleTile StyleMy two tile favorites were Michael Berman's Collection from Walker Zanger and, of course, Ann Sacks who are featuring a new line by L.A. design maven Kelly Wearstler. Love!I can IKONIf you read my blog you know I love me my Silgranit sinks, meet IKON the apron front version which easily works in any style kitchen from Traditional to Contemporary. Their Artona  faucet perfectly complements the Silgranit sink.Stikwood Rocks!

Stikwood’s line of lightweight, real-wood planking offers designers and DIYers a peel-and-stick solution to achieve that perfect, sought-after blend of rustic and modern. It can be used on walls and ceilings and comes in tons of colors, even prints! I'm thinking this could be great on the back of a kitchen island.

Believe me, all this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.  There was so much more to see and learn about at KBIS 2016.  Check out this year's winners of Best of KBIS for more info and of course if you'd like any more info on what you see here email me at artfulkitchensbyglo@gmail.com

5 Elements of an Artful Kitchen

Summer projects are underway in South Florida!  In fact, it's the height of the busy season for most design professionals here.

I don't have to tell you that a new kitchen is a big investment, in fact the kitchen is the most expensive renovation you're ever likely to undertake. It stands to reason that you'd want a kitchen that is tailor-made for you whether you can afford custom or not. This is what we're all about at Artful Kitchens.

The concept of an "artful kitchen" has many different facets.  It is not just about budget or the amount of space you have but the skill you employ using what is available to you. Here are five tips to consider along with some visual inspiration featuring products I saw this year at the Kitchen & Bath Industry (KBIS) trade show in Las Vegas. Implement these with style and confidence and you will be the proud owner of an artful kitchen!

1. Flawless Function

I'm all about artistic expression but a major part of creativity in the kitchen comes from devising flawless function. This quality is not something you see but something you can experience if artfully accomplished.  When I say function, I mean work centers comprised of cooking, clean up and food prep areas.

Those are the basics but you could have more such as a beverage center (think coffee, tea, wine), a computer station or a baking center.  If you have a two-cook kitchen, your layout should be designed so that any one of the major functions can be performed without anyone getting underfoot.

Following the guidelines set by the NKBA is a must to make sure all clearances are adequate. Sometimes we don't have a lot of choice about where to locate our sink or appliances but we can organize our utensils, dishes, pots and food items in a more efficient way.  Don't forget the more flawlessly your kitchen functions the safer it is. You don't have to be an expert at this, just think about how you use your kitchen so that you will be a good collaborator when it comes time to work with a professional.

2. Personalization

This is, without a doubt, the biggest movement in the design world.  An artful kitchen is your own personal statement customized to the way you live.  It could be a steam oven because healthy eating is your passion or it could be a lovely furniture piece with glass doors to display your grandmother's china. Include the colors you love.  Even though you must be mindful of your budget (everyone has one), strive to retain the essence of what you see as your dream kitchen.

3. Harmony

Harmony is one of the principles of design and a must for your kitchen.  Whenever I design a two-toned kitchen I like to ensure that different finishes and details are carried through the space to create a cohesive whole.  It's about how the floor relates to the cabinets and  how the cabinet hardware relates to the faucet. You get the picture!  It does not mean that everything has to match perfectly, it means elements should relate to and complement each other. It also does not mean that every element has to be perfectly symmetrical.  In fact, consider this permission NOT to be! I find that the best rule of thumb is to follow the architecture and style of the home you're in.  If, for example, the kitchen window is way off center you should work with that not against it.  Never force solutions by sacrificing function.

4. Focal Point

Every piece of great artwork has a focal point.  It is the "star of the show", so to speak.  In a kitchen it can be a sculptural range hood, a granite counter with big bold movement or actually a piece of art! It is the item that makes you say WOW when you enter the kitchen.  Just remember less is more here.  One great focal point is probably enough.  Too much and the statement gets lost. Less is definitely more.

5. Texture

The element of texture involves at least two of our senses, touch and sight.  The textures you are likely to come across include the glossy finishes popular in contemporary design, prominent wood grains which can be traditional or modern and smooth honed surfaces that are more matte.  A flat slab cabinet door is a great choice if you plan to use a wood with a lot of pattern and graining.  In this case the material is the decorative element of the cabinet.  On the other hand, if you are traditional and you are using white cabinets you can select a door with some molding or detail.  Also let the wild patterns either be on your cabinets or on your counter, both would be busy and distracting.

This is only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.  There are many more tricks and methods to create an artful kitchen. What are yours?  Please keep in touch and contact me. Whether you need a quick consult or a full design layout I can help in person or virtually.

I'm located in the West Palm Beach area, so if you're local I can also help you shop for your kitchen products.

Getting Personal with Thermador

The Kitchen & Bath Industry show (KBIS) is like Christmas morning for a designer, full of excitement and new discoveries.  That's exactly what my experience was like this year as a member of  the Modenus Blog Tour.  Not only that, I also had the opportunity to meet and mingle with some truly awesome designers, the rock stars of our industry.  Before we get to that, on Monday our group visited the Las Vegas Market located in the World Market Center, also the location of Modenus Talks, a meeting of the minds where the topic of the day was: The Power of Great Design - Improving Well Being at Work and at Home.So awesome to think that the way we design our homes and work spaces impacts our health and well being, including mental health!  Combine this with personalization, a significant trend across brands, and you have a winning recipe for client and designer.Personalization means  more options and choices to suit your individual needs.  One example of this is the innovation at  Thermador.  Zach Elkin, Director Luxury Division at Thermador, spoke about how the brand embraces the culinary enthusiast.This year, at KBIS, they introduced a new 30” professional style range with innovative features that provide more design possibilities.  Sister company Bosch also introduced a line of smaller appliances proving that very good things come in small packages Another big healthy trend is steam cooking.  Trust me, you are going to be seeing much more of this.  You can cook ANYTHING except popcorn in a steam oven and it comes out great, even pizza, crispy too!  Steam is not just for veggies anymore.I can't leave without telling you about Thermador's new Freedom Induction Range, the first full-surface induction appliance in the luxury appliance category.  That means that there are no "burners", in fact the whole thing is one big "burner"!  It has sensory technology that "just knows" ;) Next up:  The Perfect Party Mix: Blanco & Poggenpohl

The Best of Jenn-Air: My Top 3 Picks

It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks in my little “kitchen designer world”.  Earlier this month I made a quick trip to the World of Whirlpool in Chicago to learn, in depth,  about  their premium Jenn-Air line of appliances.  Jenn-Air has been around a long time but has recently been reinvented to compete with the luxury brands.  Overall the line is very impressive and I could go on and on but today I thought I'd share with you my top 3 favorites. Jenn-Air appliances are all made in the USA, other than that I was interested to learn what sets them apart from the competition.  What I found out is, for cooking, many of their appliances lead the pack when it comes to power and variety of power.  For example, a high BTU like 20,000 will give you hot quick high heat and a low one like 650 gives you excellent simmering capability.  The Jenn-Air cooktops whether gas, electric or induction have you covered.Jenn-Air is also a pioneer in downdraft technology (since the 1960s).  It used to be that you couldn't use down draft ventilation unless your house was built with ductwork in the slab under the floor.  No more!  The JX3 downdraft cooktops can be purchased with a duct-free accessory kit.  When you consider that the average family expels 1 gallon of cooking grease into the home every year, ventilation becomes an important consideration.The buzz around induction and steam cooking continues and these appliances impressed me enough to make the top 3. If you know me you know I predict induction cooking will rule the world (almost) in the next decade or so.  Induction means cooking with electro  magnetic energy so the pot, not the cooking surface, is your heat source.  It is 90% efficient and you won't get burned!   Surprisingly electric cooking is only about 65% and gas is last with 45% efficiency.  Your pots are probably not going to be a problem.  If a magnet sticks to the bottom you're good to go.  This cooktop is also modestly priced compared to the competition and retails for $2,199.ooThe Jenn-Air appliance I would want the most for my kitchen would be the steam and convection oven.  It's a lot of cooking capability packed into a 24" oven! Steam cooking is not just for veggies but also great for cooking eggs, bread, meat, desserts and heating leftovers.  The best thing is that you can combine steam and convection cooking so that things like meat and bread brown on the outside.  If you just want to bake you can use convection bake mode without the steam.  Convection gives you uniform cooking, a must for baking.No plumbing hook up is needed.  The reservoir on the right holds the tap water you'll need to get steamy.  You also won't need a 220 outlet, 120 is all it takes. Another impressive  fact is you can cook several different foods together such as salmon, green beans and creme brulee' with no flavor transference! See more photos and commentary from my trip at Kitchens for Living On the Road and thank you Jenn-Air for the royal designer treatment :)

FTK: Latest in Appliances on Show at EuroCucina

Let’s see.  Where were we?  Ah, yes.  I was going to tell you about FTK at iSaloni.  If you don’t know about my trip to Milan with the Blanco Design Council during Design Week, you’ve got some catching up to do!  Anyway, FTK, or Technology for the Kitchen, is a showcase for innovation in the category of domestic appliances.   The focus is on the seamless integration of cooking and refrigeration technology in the kitchen.   It is a world event so I saw names I am familiar with such as Miele, Electrolux and for the first time at this show, Subzero Wolf (above).  I also saw many unfamiliar brands such as Turkey’s Arcelik (Beko) Group which was also making its debut at EuroCucina 2014. In Europe we Americans have a reputation for embracing BIG! This includes cars, portions and, yes, refrigerators.  Did you know  what we call a standard refrigerator is referred to as an “American Refrigerator” in Europe?  This is a misconception as there are many  NYC apartment owners who I'm sure would warmly embrace their kitchen luxury a bit scaled down! Am I right?  Compact sizing was a popular offering along with ease of operation and low energy consumption. I saw new color choices for appliances such as the return of black and white for high end appliances, as featured at Miele. Ventilation was perhaps the “design star” at FTK with all kinds of sculptural sexy hood choices on show.  All the appliances were design oriented as well as efficient, offering consumers products that meet technical demands while holding their own in the “looks department”.  This means appliances for the home have taken on new shapes, colors and materials in addition to being light, compact, ergonomic and extremely appealing.  Steam and induction cooking continue to take the industry by force.  They’re not going away peeps! Contemporary lifestyles and increasingly open floor plans require versatile, multi-purpose solutions. In some areas of the globe, not only is fresh water a precious commodity, but so is fresh air.  Check out these interesting air purifiers.  Next up:  What's going on in the bathroom? Salone Internazionale del Bagno.  If you'd like to see all my photos from Design Week Milan, I've got you covered.  Just click here.

Talkin Turkey and Combi-Steam Ovens

Sometimes my job comes with perks. I cannot lie. This week I had the pleasure of attending the annual Thanksgiving “lunch and learn” hosted by Florida Builder Appliances, the dynamic go-to resource for all types of appliances from GE to the uber high end including Subzero-Wolf, Miele and even La Cornue. This little gathering for us peeps in the business is quickly becoming an annual ritual we look forward to.

  We get to experience the amazing Chef Rachelle Boucher in action.   She has cooked for the rich and famous including Catherine Zeta-Jones and George Lucas among others.

 We enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving fare including turkey, stuffing and cranberry relish, served each year with a new culinary twist.  In addition we learn all kinds of interesting expert tips.

Chef Rachelle recommends the “butterfly method”  where she actually spreads the turkey, breast down for cooking.  This is so that the white meat retains moisture.Perhaps the most impressive take away this year was learning about the combi-steam oven.   You know I tout the induction cooktop as the future of cooking, now you can pair that with the combi-steam oven.  This gem combines steam cooking with a convection browning/roasting function.Everyone knows you can steam vegetables to retain flavor, nutrients and moistness but you can also reheat pizza in this bad boy!! Yes, and you will enjoy a crispy perfectly browned crust.  The 14lb turkey at the top of this post was cooked entirely in a Thermador Combi-Steam Oven.  It was steamed for one hour and 15 minutes followed by 30 minutes on browning mode (no basting needed) and voila'!Commercial combi ovens have been used for years in the restaurant industry.  Now the same technology is available for your kitchen.  In addition to Thermador, you can get your combi oven from Miele or Wolf.  Bosch makes one too but it's not available in the US :(If you're eager to sample the benefits of steam convection cooking but don't have the space or funds to invest in the high end brands, you're in luck.  Williams- Sonoma sells a smaller counter top model for around $300.  It looks small but can hold a whole 5lb chicken or 12" pizza. Next up:  Is your kitchen tired, decrepit and outdated?  You can refresh, renew and update without reinventing the wheel.