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.oo
The 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 :)
Hip To Be Square, Or Not
I've heard the saying " it's hip to be square" but that’s not always true, sometimes curvaceous qualifies. Here are three of my fave new products that sport some cool contours and are far from square. 
Sometimes just the slightest suggestion of a curve is enough to soften a silhouette. This beautiful faucet by THG Paris is available in, get this, 35 finishes! The French excel when it comes to subtly, oui?
This is what you would call a "statement refrigerator"! Smeg is an Italian company largely known for these cool retro-style fridges. The other new colors just introduced are white and a highly anticipated Union Jack pattern (who knew?). The soft rounded corners are all about the 1950s. The 9.22 cubic foot capacity is a little more Euro than American but who can resist those sinuous lines and vibrant colors combined with cutting-edge technology?
I even found you a sofa to partner with your new yellow Smeg :) Not bad, I must say. Last but in no way least is Infiore by Estiluz. It's a beautiful stylized flower sculpture masquerading as a lamp. This one is a pendant but it also comes as a floor or table lamp. The petals are available in different colors and sport a collection of bi-injected polycarbonate petals. I have no idea what that means but I do know it means the lamps feature an interesting two-color lighting effect. These are available at LightingbyGregory.com
The organic curves of Infiore add a whimsical softness to this very linear contemporary kitchen (which I love) The larger-than-life scale also makes these flowers fun! I rest my case, curves are a beautiful thing ;)
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.
Kitchen Case Study: Update and Integrate
One of the perks (not twerks) of my job is that I get to work in lovely homes on the beach. If I'm having a "design panic moment" all I have to do is look out the window at the ocean and all is well. This townhouse project came to me as a referral and is actually a winter home on the ocean in Delray Beach. This homeowner is a potter with a keen eye for design and finishes.The kitchen was outdated and not very functional. My client enjoys cooking and entertaining and was seeking to integrate her open kitchen with the stylish and artful adjacent dining and living room.
My first thought was that even though we would lose cabinets, the soffit structure had to go. We could make up that loss of storage by going higher with the cabinets and by adding a tall cabinet to the left of the refrigerator. I wanted to open up the space yet ensure that it was integrated with adjoining areas. The ceiling is so high we were able to increase the height of the cabinets without having to go all the way up which would have disrupted the existing crown molding. We also gained storage by adding the two end cabinets on either side of the seating area. The cabinet to the counter is also great storage and the open shelving to the right was included to showcase some of my client's pottery pieces. Scroll down to see the solution.
We used a warm stained bamboo with a subtle blue-green tint for the cabinetry. The back wall is aqua glass tiles to reflect the ocean. There is a pantry with touch latches to the left of the built-in refrigerator. An appliance garage conceals toaster oven to the right of the sink and open shelves feature my clients beautiful pottery creations.
My design was custom built by Brendan Donovan Furniture & Cabinet Co. Cabinet hardware is Top Knobs Sanctuary Collection in German Bronze. Refrigerator is Subzero with flush installation. The rest of the appliances are by Jenn Air. For this project we selected the Blanco Quatrus medium single sink because it fit the space as well as the styling of the kitchen so well. The faucet is Blanco Kontrole. Again this stylish Blanco faucet provided the look and pull out functionality we needed. In addition, the scale was appropriate for the space. Counter tops are grey granite from Cavastone fabricated by Stone Palace. They feature a contemporary "waterfall" detail at the end of the peninsula.All in all I would say mission accomplish and my clients agree!
Mad For Mid Century
If you're a Mid Century product of Florida, like me, you probably grew up in what's fondly known as a "ranch style house". Our friends over at Wikipedia define the ranch abode as " a domestic architectural style originating in the United States. The ranch house is noted for its long, close-to-the-ground profile, and minimal use of exterior and interior decoration. The houses fuse modernist ideas and styles with notions of the American Western period working ranches to create a very informal and casual living style." In addition to the above, the Florida ranch house usually came in pastel colors with what we call a "Florida room". This is kind of like a family room with lots of windows.
Although not as grand as the house above, my childhood home shared several elements. Our Florida Room ceiling had a similar wood treatment and it also had a stone feature wall. We had lots of green and brown and that EXACT furniture. The authentic flooring would have been terrazzo, like ours. I never knew it was cool then but now it's all the rage. Think about it, there are lots of these houses still around! Mid-Century has firmly established its niche in design history and has left its mark on our culture. We've got MadMen, Modernism Magazine, the website Atomic Ranch and numerous blogs. 
If you're looking for that 50s vibe in the kitchen, keep it simple. Door styles were just flat and were either a warm wood finish or painted. Guess what? Wall ovens with a separate cook top were much more common in the typical Mid Century kitchen. Today most homes have ranges.
Throw in a little atomic patterning and you're there. If you are really embracing this you can get the vintage look for your refrigerator.
Elmira Stove Works has introduced the latest addition to its retro Northstar collection, the French-door refrigerator. By combining iconic 1950s-style with the modern amenities of contemporary appliances, this new model is larger capacity than previously available in the line. It comes in a full-depth model as well as counter-depth. You don't have to get red. It comes in nine standard colors OR you can even get it custom-colored (for a price, I'm sure).