After a long election I’m sure you’re in the mood for something TOTALLY different. Me too. Congrats to the winners and may we mend our fences and make up with all the friends we temporarily (hopefully) blocked on Facebook. As someone who is passionate about art, I am always looking at color and the effect it has on our environment. As a nod to the red and the blue states today I’m showing what they can make together, purple! Is purple a viable color in the kitchen? If you love it, here are some ways you can incorporate a little lavender, lilac, plum, fuscia or just plain ole purple whether you are conservative, transitional or uber modern. If you hate it, at least it’s something completely different!
Just a note to say our thoughts and prayers are with those so heavily hit by Sandy. Wishing a quick recovery for all. Please take this opportunity to help out by making a donation to the Red Cross.Happy Halloween and welcome to today’s edition of Kitchens for Living (or Non-Living as the case may be) . Last weekend we went to see Paranormal Activity 4. Interesting that the kitchen is a pulse point in all the versions. This makes sense since the kitchen is probably the room of the house most connected with emotions and memories. If you’re a fan of the movie series, or just curious here’s an insightful blog post for you from btchflcks.com. They don’t call it “the heart of the home” for nothing. Of course these movies are just scary and somewhat creative in terms of film making technique but they are not real. Here’s one that supposedly is. Check it out! I found it while hunting around for haunted kitchens. Who knew? Apparently these people live in a haunted apartment. I can tell you even if there was a chance that an entity was screaming “get out” at me I would be gone yesterday. I hoped they moved! Are you a believer??
As you know, I’m always on the prowl for the latest in the kitchen and bath industry. You may have noticed all the articles lately about the decline of stainless steel as the “go to” finish for kitchen appliances. Everyone from the Wall Street Journal to The Daily Beast is touting the hunt for THE new finish that will supposedly unseat stainless. Yes, stainless steel does have a reputation, and rightly so, for being fingerprint prone and hard to clean.Tip: Never clean your stainless with any product containing ammonia or chloride. For best results use mild soap and water and dry with a dry cloth. For tougher jobs you can also use find stainless steel wipes at your local grocers. Never use steel wool as it will scratch the finish.This said, there have been lots of improvements and attempts to address these issues with special coatings and claims of “finger print resistance”. True or not, we’re ready for a change and several major manufacturers are taking a stab at what will be the next big thing. Personally, I think stainless will continue to be a predominant option but I also believe we’re going to continue to see many new choices. Here is what 5 major players are doing:-G.E. Slate is one of my favorites. I like it because it’s fresh and different yet not SO different that it will clash with existing stainless steel. Brushed metal touch points can also tie a new appliance into the mix in case you’re not in the market for a complete suite. They also claim the Slate finish is fingerprint resistant and easy to clean.SubZero Wolf- The Mercedes Benz of appliance brands introduced the “Black Glass E Series Ovens” a year ago. Clearly not the best choice for households with children! Built in ovens are available in 30” standard or flush inset application, the Black Glass model comes adorned with a black glass tubular handle and, wait for it, a COBALT BLUE interior!In addition to the oven, Wolf also offers black glass trim kits for Warming Drawers and 30” Convection and Standard Microwaves. Glass may be print-prone but it’s also one of the easiest surfaces to clean. No word on if this finish has been popular enough for them to offer refrigerators in Black Glass.Whirlpool White Ice is hot. It’s the new white. I think in general, people are taking another look at white which is also hugely popular as a cabinet finish. Just think how seamlessly it would integrate with white cabinetry. On the other hand a contrast highlights the best of both worlds. I must spill the beans, however, White Ice isn’t really glass, it’s just metal that looks like it. If you want real glass Jenn-Air makes the “Floating Glass” collection & does offer a choice of white or black glass fronts to them. They no longer offer the contrasting stainless tubular handles however. The handles are now a euro curved powder coated finish (that won’t discolor like plastic)Last but not least, my fave appliance maker Bosch featured a line of UBER glass finished appliances just a few months ago at IFA, the world's leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances in Berlin. This is strictly a European offering so far and I don’t believe we’ll be seeing it here anytime soon. A kitchen designer can dream though. Bosch has applied their good old German practicality and efficiency to create a seemingly indestructible and beautiful product. Here’s video filmed on location at IFA Check out this line up, also as seen at IFA this year in Berlin. Can you imagine a purple refrigerator? I hear they also deduct calories, just kidding...
This past week I was given the opportunity, by the nice folks at Miele (rhymes with tequila), to mix business with pleasure. I attended a Miele Table Artist Salon for an evening of culinary creativity. I was not disappointed.Not only were we treated to an exceptional gourmet experience, courtesy of Chef David Whyko, but I also got to learn more about the two most promising and up and coming appliances in the industry. (Trivia: Chef David was chef for Lenny Kravitz for ten years!)
Greeted at the door with a glass of bubbly set the tone. This was followed by a sit down dinner for around 20 people. All food prepared by Chef David was cooked using a combination of induction, steam and speed cooking.Miele, based in Germany, is a family owned business started over 100 years ago. Their guiding principle is to provide “Better Living” with products designed to make one’s life easier. All appliances are tested to last a minimum of 20 years.We’ve been hearing the buzz about induction cooking and, as I have written before, it is a safer, faster and more efficient way to cook. You will certainly be seeing the induction cooktop become a major player very soon. The second star of the show was Miele’s steam oven. Steam cooking is gaining in popularity as more people become aware of the capabilities it offers. For example, you can do anything in a steam oven that you can do in a microwave. Not gonna lie, there are two exceptions to that rule which are popcorn and reheating your morning cup of joe. Here’s how it works. Fill the reservoir with water, set your temperature and in about ten minutes average you should be done. Steam cooking retains flavor and nutrients to a greater degree than with other modes.. A big thanks to the Miele Gallery in Boca Raton for an informative and delish event. The Gallery offers prospective customers a hands on experience so you can see how their products add a little "better living" to your life.
Last weekend was a wet one so I had a good opportunity to tackle something that has been bothering me daily, one of my kitchen drawers! I LOVE drawers, don’t get me wrong. As a designer I hear a lot of clients enthusiastically request roll out drawers. It’s almost become a status symbol in the home improvement community. I say not so fast. I would take a bank of drawers any day over a cabinet with doors and roll outs.Think of it. You can open most drawers with one hand. The roll out alternative requires you to open two doors all the way then slide out the roll out, not very efficient ergonomics. There is also an aesthetic component. A bank of drawers can be a nice visual break from a sea of doors. Anyway, I digress.We have this one nice bank of drawers 30” wide in my kitchen. It’s supposed to house plastic containers and stuff like that. Well with a family of four, including two teenagers, lately it has gotten ridiculous. Believe me when I tell you all this was in one drawer.
Who knew we had so many funnels??
It only took minutes to empty, sort and re pack. A few broken pieces and odd lids went into the recycle basket and here’s what we’ve got now, a clean drawer WHERE I CAN FIND EVERYTHING! Drawers are the best, honestly.
Sometimes I’m called upon to do the impossible, or almost. It's easy for a home owner to blow the budget when purchasing a new residence or fixing up an old one. Trust me, everything always costs more than you think it will! If you're starting out remember to pad that budget. Sometimes I’ll get a perfect storm consisting of a very custom architectural arrangement and a homeowner who chooses to spend a minimal amount. That means custom cabinetry is out. No fear! I had a situation recently in which this exact thing happened. In fact I often have to make stock cabinets work to meet the budget. It’s sort of like a puzzle, a cabinet box rubiks cube, if you will. There are three basic components to a cabinet job and they all have to be friends with each other. They are:1) Design2) Product3) InstallationIn this case I had to come up with a design for a wet bar in this area utilizing stock sized cabinets and then, most importantly, our professional installer had to make it work which did require some fancy bladework. Here’s how we solved this one.We utilized two 30” high 12” by 12” upper cabinets as bases (on the bottom) in order to avoid the nasty angles in the back. These cabinets are fine at 12” deep as they will be used to store liquor bottles. (You definitely don’t need to be losing your booze in the backside of an oddly shaped cabinet!) We used a 24” wide sink base cabinet to accommodate the bar sink and since there is no room for drawers in the layout we’re adding a roll out shelf on the bottom underneath the plumbing.The top is where it gets tricky. We used a standard glass door cabinet over the sink, raised a bit to lend a little more spaciousness over the sink. Our installer altered the two upper cabinets on either side to accommodate those angles and I ordered an extra panel of interior cabinet material to finish the remade interior. Crown moulding and moulding under the uppers to conceal undercabinet lights finish off the traditional look. Yes, in this case the installation is a bit more expensive than normal but the savings from using stock cabinetry more than made up for it. One thing I say is that there is always a solution and this is a prime example. We had to give up a little space by going stock but custom base cabinets would have been an awkward shape and I'm not sure the benefit would have been worth the extra cost. The example you see here included cabinets, assembly, delivery, the remaking of the upper cabinets, installation and glass. The price was $3,400. Counter tops, lighting and plumbing fixtures were by others.
