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 ;)
Mid-Century Cooking at its Finest, When Julia was Queen
Another week has flown by! It's Friday afternoon and since I can't face a serious topic, I thought I'd share these fun pics with you. In case you're too young to know (I almost am). Julia Child was the quintessential "French" Chef and Diva of the Kitchen. I put "French" in quotes because she was actually American. 
Her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking brought that style of cuisine to the US. She was also a pioneer of the TV cooking show genre. Her TV series The French Chef aired from 1963-1973. Although Julia's style of French cooking is not known for being particularly healthy, she did enjoy a long life of enthusiastic cooking and eating. She left us in 2004 at the age of 91!
The kitchen above came from Julia's home in Cambridge, Massachusetts and was donated the the Smithsonian Institute where it is today. She cooked her heart out from the 1940s until around 2001 and everything you see here is from that time period. If you'd like to know more check out the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History website.
Jet Set for the Bath
In my world of kitchen and bath design, just when I think I’ve seen it all, I realize that’s very far from the truth. Luckily, I see all the drool worthy newness hot off the press via the myriad news releases I receive every day. Here is one new product I recently learned about. I think you'll agree it's not to be missed!
Not only do I love the dependable functionality of the Delta/Brizo brand, but I’m always intrigued in the creative process they use in coming up with new design. Brizo Faucets has outdone themselves again with their new Sotria Collection. Think mid-century-jet-set-streamlined-fins-you get the picture. The sleek angular lines call to mind the days when the iconic Pan American World Airlines ruled the sky. At the risk of dating myself bigtime, I'll admit my dad actually worked for Pan Am so I was a lucky enough to be a jet-setting tot! 
Playing off the Sotria collection’s mid-century inspiration, Adele Young, of VDL Interiors, infused colors and shapes popular in the 60’s throughout this space. The result? A beautiful room brimming with modernity while hinting at the retro age of “Pan Am” airlines. 
The New English Kitchen
A bazillion years ago (circa 1994) when I first began my adventure in this business, the “English Kitchen” was all the rage in the high end market. I learned to design, by hand, in metric and things like astragal mouldings (yes moUldings with a “u”) were all the rage. Distressed, fly specked finishes were hot and no one wanted a white kitchen unless it was encrusted with glazing. I learned the English style by apprenticing with a true Englishman and gentleman who I shall be forever grateful to.
Those kitchens looked something like these photos from Houzz.com. Back in those days I did not work for a top notch custom shop like Brendan Donovan's. I worked for a top notch cabinet dealer so we actually imported this type of cabinetry from the UK. This came with its own set of challenges, to say the least. Just think of how long it would take to get a parts order and how expensive it was to transport! Charming and beautiful in their own way, these kitchens are full of detail and working on something like this was good training ground for a budding kitchen designer such as myself. That was then. 
This is now. 
Today ground zero for the latest in high end kitchen design in London is located in the West End, in and around Wigmore Street. It's home to exclusive brands such as Bulthaup, Poggenpohl and the Nicholas Anthony showroom featuring the latest by SieMatic. 
The new English style is exactly that, new! Cleaner more modern design utilizing the latest technologies are now the order of the day. With the advent of the internet I believe it really is a small world. Ideas and trends fly over the web at the speed of light. We all influence each other cross pollinating our designs but there is still an appeal in wanting what the other peeps have. Many of us here want the new, slick, Euro styled kitchen and, dare I say, many Euros and Brits are amazed at our American sized appliances, namely the quintessential 36” refrigerator! 
I feel the advances in technology when it comes to laminates and counter top material lend themselves to these new clean- lined looks. Decorative detail is found in interesting wood grains and the random markings of stone rather than from moldings and corbels. So what do you think? Are you yearning for the "olde world" look again? Do you think it's coming back or are we here to stay for the time being?
A Sound-Off on Customer Service
Customer Service is something I have been practicing and learning about since my first working days in the world of retail. It's been on my mind lately and many of us in business find ourselves both on the giving and receiving ends of it. Whatever your occupation, I don't have to tell you there is a lot of competition out there.
It may surprise you to know how often a potential client will thank me profusely for showing up or even simply returning a phone call. The first lesson in surpassing your competitors is just be present and responsive, it's not rocket science peeps! I understand we get busy at times or there are snafus that we dread confronting clients about but believe me, a little communication goes a long way. It's being in the dark and not knowing that makes people more nervous.Another thought is perhaps we can see ourselves on the "same team". Our goal is for a positive transaction, otherwise known as a "win-win". Don't let a loop hole of corporate policy make your customer a victim causing you to lose all potential future business in the process. In my experience banks, insurance companies and cell phone providers have a lot to learn in this area. For example, let's say you awake at eleven o'clock remembering that your mortgage payment must be in before the witching hour, you scurry over to the lap top, do the deed and fall promptly back to sleep, $35 dollar late fee averted...But it wasn't. So there you are on "phone hell" trying to talk to a human so you can explain the situation and that you really did pay on time, like each and every month. It doesn't work with Ocwen financial corporation, by the way. Sometimes peeps just need to feel like they got a break and that the companies they choose to do business with have their back.
On the flip side I had a great experience recently as well. I made a purchase from an advertisement on line. The item was delivered quickly and although it was pretty inexpensive, I was dismayed to discover it wasn't at all what I ordered. I was ready to write it off but thought I would give it the old college try anyway. To my surprise and delight they were very responsive and apologetic, not the least bit defensive. I thought they would tell me that each item was different and, for the price, wouldn't necessarily match what was pictured. But no, they sent me a new one, express delivery and insisted I keep the incorrect version for my trouble. Now that is customer service and you can bet I will always say good things about Ashley Bridget. They have won my loyalty.
Speaking of the internet, social media gives us a great opportunity to show who we are in terms of customer service not only through positive mentions on FaceBook and Twitter but with negative ones as well. I want to see how a company responds to criticism and if they take it as an opportunity to hone their customer service skills. Thanks for reading my "sound off". Sometimes I must vent! How about you? Do you agree? I'd love to hear your views and experiences. Is the customer always right?