"People First Innovation" is the guiding principle behind Toto, the world’s largest manufacturer of bathroom fixtures and fittings. TOTO is an un paralleled luxury brand creating beautiful and functional fixtures for the bath. What really impresses me is that at the same time the are heavily focused on water conservation, a leading global concern that needs more attention here in the US.
In 1989, in response to the state’s dramatic drought conditions and the growing need for water conservation, TOTO USA was established in California. Today they operate three manufacturing facilities in the US. I was amazed to know that 80% of all toilets on the Las Vegas strip are, you guessed it, TOTO! The brand first started nearly one hundred years ago in Japan. Today there is still a zen aesthetic to both the design and experience of the product. 
The Washlet is a must have in my opinion. There are lots of choices to make when creating a new bathroom. A few judiciously selected "special items" can make your bathroom awesome and this is one I'd pick. TOTO reinvented the toilet seat by creating the Washlet, which gives people a new way to be cleaner and more comfortable every day. Washlet seats can be installed on virtually any toilet and use pure, clean water –along with several TOTO technologies – to make their users cleaner and more refreshed. Ok we're taking personalization to a new level here but you must admit... In case you're wondering, there are many public restrooms you can visit and see for yourself. Here's where they are. If you do, get back to me. It would make a great blogpost ;) Speaking of blog posts, I also found this great post by engadget.com A Westerner's Guide to Japanese Toilets .In addition to this, TOTO uses a lot of technology designed to preserve both the environment as well as your water and energy bill. This even includes something called SanaGloss. TOTO’s patented, super smooth glaze that repels visible and invisible waste, making it difficult to adhere to porcelain. I'm all for less toilet cleaning!
Accessible design and real showers were a part of TOTO's interactive booth at KBIS2015! 
Up next: The other item not to be missed for your bath, Mr. Steam! You can easily plan it into your bathroom renovation.
Locker Up! Storage, Style and Savings
The more we crowd our environments with "stuff" the more we need to find a place to put all of it! Pair that with a very real need to recycle and reuse (to keep the new "stuff" to a minimum) and you can see that the concept of "used lockers" can be very relevant.
Aside from being cost effective, they can be a very creative storage option. Buyusedlockers.com is the place to go if you want to know more, so that's just what I did. I had the pleasure of interviewing Chance Cook who had some reavealing and insightful things to say about the business of using used lockers. All photos are from their Pinterest page and there are more pics here.
AK: BuyUsedLockers inhabits a very unique niche in the market. How did it come about?
Chance Cook: "BuyUsedLockers is part of a larger, family-owned business named Jorgenson Industrial Companies. Jorgenson Industrial Companies has many divisions specializing in machine tools and material handling—one of which is a very successful division named SchoolLockers.com. Several years ago after doing a very large install of brand new lockers here in Salt Lake City, Utah, the owner purchased the used lockers he was removing that were heading out to be sold as scrap metal. Instead he bought them. After looking on the Internet late one evening, he found there was a huge need out there across the country by people looking to buy used lockers over brand new lockers. He quickly assembled a business model, began buying used lockers from just about everywhere, and built a website that specialized that focused on buying and selling just used lockers."
AK: Who is your customer and are you noticing any clear trends?
Chance Cook: BuyUsedLockers.com finds our customer base ranges from someone looking for a DIY project in their home (such as a mudroom or laundry application for locker storage) to any other client that would need new lockers for their business facility. Savings over new lockers can be upwards of 40%.
There are in fact trends with many of the home applications as well. Currently we find that for home applications, people are looking for the really cool aged, vintage lockers for their studio apartments, mud rooms and just about every other corner of a home. Most of these are being done as a Do It Yourself (DIY) décor project. Look around on eclectic boutique shops and especially Pinterest and you’ll see that all things vintage are commanding high prices as people are enjoying that retro, vintage and rustic look for their homes.
AK: What is the best way for homeowners to incorporate your product into a residential design?
Chance Cook: Of course color is the best way to incorporate our product into a home. A vintage locker that you paint and age works as a great way to add accent colors along with storage into your home. If you go onto our Pinterest page you can see the many, wonderful ways that normal, everyday people have done this in their own homes. By using a vintage locker, you can add that awesome hint of color you are looking for to further accentuate an accent wall, or even add the sole accent color a home’s otherwise neutral color scheme.
The ideas and ways to incorporate a used locker into a residence are as endless as the imagination desires. People have turned lockers into tables, rolling storage units, laundry hamper storage cabinets, mud rooms, dressers and so forth. Plus the additional storage capacity makes them perfect for any room of the house where any other piece of furniture can be set up. We even see people who have added chalkboards to the locker’s exterior doors to make ‘quote boards’ and ‘dream walls’ for the home, and I have even seen resourceful people take the doors off sections of the lockers and turn them into chic bookcases for living rooms and dens. It's anything you can dream up.
AK: What do we need to know about sizes to work lockers into a design plan?
Chance Cook: That is the great part about using used lockers in your home. Most people think lockers only come in the tall, single tier style they used in high school. But little do they know there are MANY styles and designs to choose from! Box lockers for instance are essentially small cubbies that can stand upright or even come as a bridge; with two locker columns as bases and then a horizontal locker across the top. This currently popular style further adds to maximize a garage or mud room’s limited storage and design. There are 2-tier, 3-tier and many other styles and all have shelves which you can easily adjust, remove or add all depending on your needs.
AK: How about color, can they be painted as needed?
Chance Cook: Any locker can be stripped, sanded and painted any new color you would like. It is surprisingly easy and since lockers are built from quality, cold rolled steel, you don’t have to worry about breaking or harming the locker! Our BuyUsedLockers.com blog has many detailed and helpful tutorials on how to paint a used locker and a list of supplies you will need, but suffice it to state that painting a locker is just like painting something like a metal vase or rustic home décor items that are made from metal and need a new paint job, aging or just refinishing.
AK: How much can one expect to invest per lineal foot?
Chance Cook: There are many many variables. The closest I can get, depending on the style, it could be anywhere between $45.00 to $200.00 per linear foot.
Thank you so much to Chance and the folks at buyusedlockers.com for taking the time to visit with me at Artful Kitchens. If you are rocking the "used locker look" I'd love to see it!
NATURE OF BATHROOM LUXURY
Today "call of nature" takes on an entirely new meaning when it comes to bathroom design. As the Green Movement gains momentum, we turn our attention towards nature and the beauty of organic elements. Nowhere is that more appropriate than in the bath, today's sanctuary, a place to get away from it all. Two products that stand out to me in this regard is the Vesi Channel Faucet by Brizo and the beautiful vanities at Stone Forest.The Vesi Channel Faucet by Brizo, inspired by a real life experience of nature takes it to the next level. Check out this brief video featuring Judd Lord (badass name and creative hot guy all in one), Director of Industrial Design for Brizo.Stone Forest, based in New Mexico, has been crafting design elements for kitchens, baths and landscaping since 1989. For the most part, the lines are straight and simple allowing the natural beauty of the material to take center stage.
Check out their website as well for a whole lot more natural goodness!
Dream Kitchens Made In Italy
Daniele Busca lives for Scavolini. After spending an hour chatting with him and touring the showroom and US headquarters in Soho I can understand why. Daniele is the Manager and Creative Director who makes it all work on this side of the pond. The new location which has been open since last October is enjoying a brisk business and I think it's largely due to Daniele's knack for tweaking this Italian product for an American market. "American kitchens are generally bigger", he says, "and where you would have an island in America we might have a kitchen table instead in Italy." Another major difference is the appliances. American refrigerators are almost always bigger." White still reigns.
I thought it was interesting to hear that home owners are requesting glossy finishes and architects prefer the matte look. A artful mixing of textures, both tactile and visual, is also important. I asked Daniele to define a trend. He says, "in the end a trend is what sells." The showroom spans two floors. Displays were designed in Italy and re-designed by Daniele for an exact fit both in size and taste for the US market. "Americans also tend to prefer symmetry in kitchen design," he added. Scavolini is a family business based in Pesaro, Italy and has been the largest cabinet manufacturer in Italy since 1984 with 40 dealers in the US. This year marks the company's 50th anniversary. Clientele for the New York location is largely an international group who keep an apartment in New York City as well as elsewhere. This year Scavolini will roll out seven new models. Four new displays are already in the works for this new showroom. The Tetrix line, as seen at IDS, designed by internationally-famous British designer Michael Young, is also being featured. Tetrix is not yet on display here but Daniele's sending me some pix to share with you. Designers may be interested to know that Scavolini has developed their own design and pricing program. Scavolini is very involved in the Green movement. I was surprised to hear that the manufacturing facility in Italy is 85% powered by solar panels and they are planning to make it 100% by the end of the year. All cabinet boxes and door panels are made from 100% recycled fire retardant and water resistant wood. All lacquers used are water-based. Scavolini is involved in the local community offering the showroom for fund raising events organized by trade associations and design schools. Generally speaking, a Scavolini kitchen can be yours for from about 10K to upwards of 90K.
Thank you to Daniele for hosting my visit. I really enjoyed chatting with him. I asked a million questions and he was up to the task, warm and most gracious. If you're ever in Soho stop in and see for yourself. Tomorrow I will be back with more from New York.
SPIRAL WINE CELLARS?
I received an email from one of my fave clients the other day. She is contemplating a dream kitchen for 2011 (Maybe you should too!) Anyway she sent me some of these amazing photos. Check out this dreamy spiral-trapdoor-otherworldly-cool wine cellar! Was this an internet hoax, an urban legend, I wondered?
NO! It's for real and you can check out the UK firm that builds them here. The appeal is not only novelty but efficient design. The concept was designed in 1978 by a Frenchman (of course). It's not a basement, as I first thought, but an actual hole in the ground!
It's not only space efficient but it's Green as well. They claim the temperature stays constant at 55 degrees. Ok, so it's probably still only a dream for us in Florida. If you dug that deep under my kitchen you'd have an undersea wine cellar. Now there's an idea!
THE KENNEDY GREEN HOUSE
For many years I have been pleased to work with cabinetry by Holiday Kitchens, Inc. The Robin Wilson Home Custom Cabinetry by Holiday has been incorporated in the renovation of the private residence of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The cabinets are featured in three spaces including the kitchen, kitchenette and main laundry room. The Kennedy Green House includes maximum energy and water efficiency fixtures, low VOC paints, reclaimed building materials and durable goods with low impact on the environment and indoor quality. Robin Wilson is a bright and innovative designer who I had the pleasure of meeting at last year's Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS). She has written a book about the experience called Kennedy Green House: Designing an Eco-Healthy Home from the Foundation to the Furniture
