That's right. Today I'm back in the BA (big apple but you should know that). If you recall, I was here only 6 months ago during fashion week courtesy of Brizo Faucets. Click here for a journey 6 months back in time. Wouldn't you know it, the amazing exhibit Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen at MOMA opened within days of my departure necessitating a return trip before it closes on March 11th. Some savvy bloggers wrote about it on the front end so I'm going to wrap it up for you and send it out with a bang. I'll be there on Sunday. Tomorrow I'll be visiting the new super slick Scavolini showroom in Soho. I hear it's not to be missed so I will also be bringing you the latest in Italian kitchen design from this progressive cabinet manufacturer. Now if you know me, you'll know I have to fit in a little art and guess what's happening this weekend? Yes that's right, the Armory Art Show. 
NEWSFLASH!!! You can now subscribe to Kitchens for Living on your Kindle! Check it out here.If you're paying attention you'll notice yet another badge on my sidebar. I am now officially an "expert" at EzineArticles.com with one published article and loads more to come, as soon as I have time. More from New York tomorrow.PS. If there's anything you think I should check out while I'm there drop me a comment and I'll try to squeeze it in. Cheers! 
SHOW SOME SKIN IN YOUR KITCHEN
Don't get excited. Skins are what we sometimes call wood veneers, or super thin sheets of material used to cover cabinet doors or panels instead of using solid wood. As clean lines and contemporary styling continues to increase in popularity, surfaces themselves become the ornamentation and focal interest in a kitchen. The use of interesting wood grain veneers which are both beautiful and unique, is an excellent way to make a simple slab door stand out.
Many of my clients are surprised to learn that this is can actually be a more expensive option compared to a solid wood door. There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that these veneers, or skins, are often made from exotic wood and secondly this can be a labor intensive process, thus the increased cost. The advantage being you can "control" the wood grain, so to speak, creating patterns that match up with each other. So if the unexpected randomness of natural wood grain makes your pits sweat this could be a good alternative for you.Another option if exotic wood veneers are too rich for your blood is something called "engineered wood veneers". These are man made skins that replicate the exotics using not-so-exotic woods. The material cost is a lot less and in many cases it's hard to tell the difference.
If you still love more traditional styling, veneers can still be useful for you. A traditional 5 piece door benenfits greatly from a center panel that is veneer rather than solid wood. The reason is that the veneer is applied to a dense MDF substrate that will not expand and contract the way solid wood does, thus the center panel will not ever swell cracking open the seams or shrink resulting in a lose rattling center panel.One of my favorite traditional doors made here at Brendan Donovan Furniture & Cabinet Co. is this Sapele Mahogany door with a Rosewood veneer center panel.Another way to get the look without blowing your budget is to mix it up. Just use the veneer on, for example, your upper cabinet doors. The more intricate the graining the stronger the statement. In other words, a little goes a long way. Too much and it becomes busy and you lose the concept of focal point.
If your kitchen design involves round radius shapes it's going to involve wood veneer which can be bent and moulded to conform as needed. Another beautiful effect can be achieved through the use of marketry, or inlay. In researching this post I came across the amazing work of Juli Morsella. Talk about adding a little art to your kitchen! In addition, Juli is committed to using reclaimed woods, eco-friendly materials and she donates 10% of her earnings to environmental causes.
If you're interested in using wood veneers (or not) for your kitchen I would love to hear from you! Congrats to Amy Parrag of Eye See Pretty. She is the winner of the Orgaline drawer organizer giveaway!
G.E. HELPS YOU FIND YOUR DREAM KITCHEN
As a kitchen designer and writer, my inbox is always filled with news of all the latest products, websites and all manner of things to do with our favorite room, the kitchen. G.E. has always been known as the bread- and- butter of the appliance world. Not only have they been around forever but they have evolved with the times. Today they still offer the basic affordable options as well as higher end appliance packages under the names G.E. Profile, Monogram and the new Cafe' Series. These offer a wider variety of functions and integrated modern styling.
Another thing that really makes them a 21st century contender is their state of the art website. There is a wealth of information here whether you aim to use their products or not. Of course they hope you'll be seduced once you have entered their "web", so to speak.
One of my favorite features on the site is the kitchen design function. Simply choose a kitchen which is similar to your own space. Then simply click on the various color choices. It's a lot of fun and a great way to start to narrow your choices and make the big decisions like dark vs. white cabinets, black vs. stainless appliances. You get the picture (literally). You'll also find lighting ideas, safety tips and even recipes. Oh, and the "must have' G.E. product in my book is the Advantium Microwave Oven. My clients love it. You can use it as a regular oven or as a microwave, so it's like two ovens in one!
FLORIDA KITCHEN CHARM
Thank you for the out pouring of love and concern for our family. No matter what happens the sun always rises again and we begin another day.
As you guys up in the northern regions are beginning to crank up the heat, I thought I'd share a little warmth from down here in sunny Florida. If you love warm tropical beaches, even when there's snow (instead of sand) on the ground, here's how you can bring this ambiance to your "anywhere" kitchen.
Blue & White will give you an instant feel of sun and surf. White cabinets are hot! Blue calls to mind the ocean and may be added to your backsplash, walls or even used as accent color for an island or hutch cabinet.
A sea view is a must and you can have one even if you don't live by the sea. Think art! That way you can choose the sea view of your choice. It can be a painting, a photograph or even something more abstract like a mixed media work of art.
Gifts from the Sea are fun ways to add a beachy feel. Shells, starfish or even bits of beach glass are great accents. Try using a shiny glass tile backsplash for a watery feel or tiles with more of a honed finish look like glass that has been eroded by the sand over time.
- Burled Beach Corian countertop by Dupont
Throw some sand into the mix with solid surface counter tops in colors like Dijon from the Elements collection by Denova or Burled Beach by Dupont's Corian.
The nice thing is you can add a little or you can pull out all the stops. If you have "Floridified" your kitchen sent me pix. I would love to show and tell. Oh, and by the way, it's nice to be back!
Happy (Kitchen Design) Endings
It's been one of those weeks. I'm happy to be busy but struggling to keep up! I have been working on a big traditional kitchen design for a client trying to recreate her favorite kitchen back in Toronto. Since lots of walls are being removed to create a large open space we ended up with a situation which will locate the end of the refrigerator in the hallway! One of the most unsightly kitchen endings would be the side of a refrigerator. Who wants to look at that?
With the enduring popularity of the open kitchen plan we are faced with including a seamless transition between the "kitchen proper" and the adjacent living area. Even if you opt to spend a little extra for a decorative finish to the sides or backs of cabinets that are fully exposed there are some other creative solutions. This got me thinking about how to end it all, in a happy way, of course. I decided to employ a technique I have used previously.
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| We accomplished this fine ending with less than 12" of space. I will use this solution in my new design |
If you're short on space, you can implement this solution with only 6" of extra space. Make the top doors glass for a place to display a collection or if you can squeeze out 12" in depth, use solid doors and you have a handy pantry. Don't forget you'll have to finish side of the end cabinet so it looks great from the front too.
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| Photo courtesy of Holiday Kitchens |
This traditional example by Holiday Kitchens, becomes warm and inviting with the addition of an attractive end unit which, not only creates a beautiful spot to display that special something, but it's also a great way to transition from kitchen to living area.
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| Mini peninsula placed at the end adds counter, storage and visual appeal |
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| Easy access to BBQ tools from porch |
Here's a handy solution for a client with a smallish kitchen who was looking for a little extra counter space as well as a handy place to store his barbeque paraphanalia. The back of the cabinet opens right at the opening to a sliding glass door leading to his barbeque on the porch. It also visually defines the end of the kitchen.
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| This solution by Holiday Kitchens uses 12" deep cabinets and offers a little extra counter space |
WHAT'S IN THE SHOP?
Today the guys are assembling a new kitchen from River Run Cabinetry. My client originally approached me requesting a reface of the existing cabinets. Cabinet refacing involves replacing all the doors and drawer fronts. Sometimes it's just the face lift you need especially when you have expensive countertops that you DON'T want to replace. In this case the counter tops needed replacing as well. After exploring the price options we found that for just a little more I could offer my client these all wood cabinets from River Run. In addition, new cabinets offered us the opportunity to tweak the existing layout into something more efficient for the customer's needs. If you are looking for quality and great value these are the cabinets you're looking for. You can even assemble them yourself if you prefer the "I did it myself" approach. Just click on the "Assemble Your Own Cabinets Link" to the right. My clients selected a birch wood door with applied moulding. It has a warm stain and a dark glaze. New black appliances will fit right into the color scheme. These are being installed next month. Stay tuned for before and after photos. Next Post: What is the heart of the heart of the home?