Now that I'm back and basking in the sun once again, I'm busy creating a whole new Flickr site with all those photos I took to share with you. Here are just a few to get you warmed up.

Look for the link right here at Kitchens for Living where you can view all the photos and commentary. As soon as I post you'll be the first to know. Just to get us started I thought I'd show you some of the faucet fashion at IDS11. Incidentally this is the 13th IDS show and it's Canada's largest contemporary design show. This year's event featured 300 exhibitors. As an American designer, it was interesting to see the differences not only in taste but in product offerings just over the border. Products and styling appear more progressive. When I question why so many of these products are not available to us here in the USA I am told that it is not our market. I hope they are wrong. If we can't get it we can't buy it. Right?

Plumbing faucet manufacturers from Moen to Riobel to Brizo showed a dazzling array of faucets of all types with one thing in common, a polished chrome finish. Fellow bloggers who had the opportunity to visit Cologne, Germany last week for the "Living Kitchen" event tell me that polished chrome is the choice in Europe as well.

Next post: The Sink of the future is here today!

Don’t forget to enter your chance to win a free Orgaline drawer organizer by leaving a comment on any post between now and February 15th! Click here to read January 14th post for details

One of the top ten trends revealed from the 2010 NKBA Design Competition was reported to be the concept of the "concealed kitchen". As the preference towards the open kitchen floorplan increases in popularity, so does the homeowner's desire to blend the heart of the home seamlessly into the surrounding living areas. Think appliances that are fully integrated into surrounding cabinetry through the use of matching panels and cabinets that more closely resemble furniture. This refrigerator/freezer duo by Subzero sits flush with adjoining cabinets. Another homeowner chose to take advantage of dead space on the backside of her kitchen cabinets by adding almost invisible drawers. The need for handles is eliminated by the use of touch latches allowing the drawers to spring open with just a gentle push. Smooth transitions also make for greater harmony and a restful respite for hectic days outside the sanctuaries we call home sweet home. Stay tuned as I reveal more top ten design trends for 2010 in upcoming posts.

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