One week ago I had the pleasure of attending the first South Florida Chapter NKBA meeting of 2013. I was fired up by motivational speaker Dawnna St. Louis and her presentation about how to give your clients what they really want. I’m looking forward to more great events this year and to working with the enthusiastic board on the communications committee.Not only was it fun to get together once again with all my old kitchen friends but the beautiful venue was an added treat.We met at the amazing Walker Zanger showroom in Coconut Creek Florida. Walker Zanger is filled with designer eye candy! As soon as I walked in I felt an irresistible desire to explore every nook and cranny. Then I decided, if I were to do that, why not nab a tour guide? I found just that in Branch Manager, Drew Rust.He explained that Walker Zanger has been around about 61 years beginning as a maker of marble tops evolving into a chain (15 ) of designer showrooms offering all types of tile and stone slabs from around the world. Their products can be seen at the Bellagio in Las Vegas as among many other notable locations. The showroom featured beautiful examples of glass, marble and all the usual materials we’re used to seeing tiles made out of. So I asked him, “what’s new”? He promptly introduced me to the AnTeak Collection which is, you guessed it, tile made out of teak! It’s new, gorgeous and can be used in both flooring and wall applications. In addition to this they are working on a surface treatment that will allow it to be used on shower walls! The offerings at WZ are upscale to be sure but the nice thing is that often a little goes a long way. Consider a border or an accent tile and you could get a lot of bang for the buck. Sometimes less is more. Speaking of budgets, WZ does offer some more affordable options as little as 2.50 per square foot. Hours are Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30. You are welcome to have a look around but bring your designer if you want to seal the deal. I'm sure Showroom Manager Deanna Dolfi would be happy to show you around!