Keeping Up with the Jetsons
Alright, we’re not quite at flying saucers and kids in jetpacks yet, but smart home technology is getting more amazing by the day. Here’s a look at just few incredible options currently on the market you might want to consider:
Smart Appliances
More and more appliances are wifi enabled and connected to your smart phone or tablet by an app. Some even have touch screen access right on the appliance.
This GE Monogram Induction Cooktop isn’t wifi enabled yet, though the Monogram ovens, refrigerators and dishwashers are. This cooktop does have something really cool though – glide touch controls much like using a tablet.
The Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator is not only wifi enabled, it has a screen to interact with it right on the appliance panel. You can create grocery lists, order groceries, see inside your fridge, send messages to your phone, create family calendars, share photos, and even play music or mirror a Samsung TV to the screen, all courtesy of your fridge.
Security Cameras
The Nest Cam Indoor is stepping up the security camera game. It plugs into your power so you don’t rely on batteries. It continuously records 24/7 and stores up to 30 days of footage in the cloud. It can distinguish a person from a thing and send alerts to your phone if it sees a human, or if sees activity in an area you have marked as a watch zone, like the safe or the cookie jar. A built-in speaker and mic lets you hear what is happening at home, and respond. (Just imagine, our parents could have watched and yelled at us from outside the house!)
Motorized Shades
The Lutron Sivoia QS Triathlon Motorized Shades are wireless, remote controlled shades that also work from an app on your smart phone. The come in a variety of colors, fabrics and textures to fit any decor.
Mirrors with Built-In Television
The Stanford mirror by Electric Mirror has a built-in, water-resistant TV hidden behind the mirror surface. It comes in a variety of frame options and sizes, and is designed and manufactured here in the USA.
Foot Control Faucet
Last but not least, check out this foot controlled faucet by GROHE:
For many more cool smart home options, check out our pinterest board. This board has lots of short videos like the one above that show the products in action. What are you hoping they come up with next?
Cool Collaboration
I love to collaborate with other professionals in the industry. I always learn something new and truly appreciate working with specialized artisans to bring beauty and function to my clients’ homes. Recently I had the opportunity to work with Sonia and Olivier Dumont from Atelier Jouvence for a mantle in my client’s Glenview home.
My clients had decided to replace the 80’s fireplace stone wall, lower the fire box so they would no longer have a raised hearth, and looked to me to help determine what the new mantle should look like. Considering that their home has a French Chateau feeling, and knowing that they prefer simpler lines to something more embellished, I suggested a stone mantle. I immediately thought of working with Sonia and Olivier Dumont at Atelier Jouvence as I’ve known Sonia for several years through ASID’s Industry Partners program.
Working with Sonia and Olivier was a breeze for me and my clients. We quickly determined the best design for the space from Atelier Jouvence’s collection, and tweaked it based on my clients’ space. Sonia assisted us in selecting the stone to be used and Olivier consulted with us on the overall sizing, offering great suggestions for the surround and hearth. The finished mantle is absolutely beautiful and it was such a pleasure to work with a local artisan who could communicate with us to ensure we ended up with the right look. Look at this artistry:
To see more of this project, click here to visit “Glenview Renovations” on our Houzz project page.
I look forward to the next opportunity to collaborate with the very talented team at Atelier Jouvence! You can see more of their work on their website or check out our pinterest board of some of their projects.
KBIS 2017 Musings
This year’s show was amazing. It was held at the Orlando Convention Center which is huge. The show actually occupied two buildings as the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) was combined with the International Builder’s Show (IBS). Both shows occupied spaces in both buildings which were conveniently connected via a ped-way, even though they are about a mile apart. So, you can imagine- lots of walking!
Day 1: I devoted day 1 to the educational seminars offered (there were tons to choose from!) and learned about resolving difficult on-the-job problems (some new things I’ll be incorporating to assist clients in understanding the process), attended a seminar from Houzz that gave us trends to watch based on user feedback, and hiring- how to do it well. In between times, I’d run down to the show floor and visit a vendor booth or two. In the evening, there was an event honoring my friend Michael Menn, who received the honor of Remodeler of the Year from Qualified Remodeler Magazine. So cool to know a celebrity!
Day 2: Only 2 seminars today: one that discussed the physiological and psychological effects of color and one that discussed the kitchen of the future. Both were among the best that I attended. The kitchen of the future is fascinating and there will be more to come on that! Again, I spent time on the show floor, looking at great storage solutions, the “Bedroom of the Future” built by students from Virginia Tech, which was fascinating, and listened to a presentation given by some of the guys from “This Old House” about an initiative that they’re cooperating in to encourage people to go into the trades. Sadly, as our industry ages, we’re not getting young people to join the trades and are losing valuable craftspeople to create beautiful homes. This evening hosted a huge party called “The Bash” which went on until really early on Thursday! Yours truly did not attend, as I wisely sought the comfort of a good night’s sleep.
Day 3: Our shortest day- as we were flying back home and needed to get off the floor somewhat early. Just one seminar today about marrying luxury appliances in a luxury kitchen and what pitfalls to watch out for. Always good information to have! More time on the floor where I saw some amazing new fixtures for the kitchen from Pfister- like a faucet that responds to your voice! Also saw some great new options for quartz countertops- they’re getting more and more beautiful! Hope you enjoy these “moments” from the show and I look forward to delving into the latest trends in future posts!
Check out our pinterest board for images from the events.
Beyond the Barbecue Grill
The fourth of July is almost here and summer cookout season is in full swing. Outdoor entertaining used to revolve around a barbecue grill, a cooler full of ice for beverages and multiple trips into the house to utilize the kitchen appliances. Outdoor design options were similarly limited to rustic motifs that evoked camping experiences. Oh how times are changing! Today’s homeowners have options abounding for designing beautiful outdoor kitchens that lack only air conditioning in modern conveniences.
Check out this contemporary outdoor kitchen from Viking Range. It looks like it could practically take flight!
Besides fresh air and sunshine, outdoor kitchens can boast another advantage over indoor kitchens – mobility. If you want your outdoor appliances to be built-in features, no problem. If you prefer the ability to move your outdoor kitchen around, perhaps from patio to poolside, that’s no problem either. Here’s a perfect example from Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet. Have your old-world style pizza oven built-in or portable on a pizza oven station.
Most of us are familiar with the amazing new grills on the market today, but the outdoor cooking conveniences don’t stop there. Warming drawers, refrigerators, freezers, beverage stations, keg tappers, sinks, dishwashers, and even vent hoods are all available to create fully functional outdoor kitchens.
(above left: Viking Range, center: Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet, right: BBQ Guys)
With kitchen options like these, you might never want to cook inside again. Enjoy your summer cookouts! Check out more cool outdoor kitchen designs and options on our pinterest board.
2016 KBIS Jan 19-21 Las Vegas Convention Center
I just returned from a whirlwind trip to this year’s Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Vegas with my friend and colleague Nancy Jacobson. It was 3 days of introductions to new products, educational opportunities and a bit of fun. It has been paired with the International Builder’s Show for the past several years and I was fortunate enough to be able to attend both shows.
At KBIS, I saw a bunch of new and exciting products like great storage options for cabinets, interesting exhaust hoods, fabulous new faucets and sinks and some new technology that I will be implementing in the next few weeks. On the education side, I learned about keeping up with fashion in design, what consumers want from their professionals, and how to continue to make my business better. I was also able to attend a tour of companies that offer options for helping people age in place in their homes, thanks to my friend Michael Menn. Although the days were long (but not nearly as long as the lines to the shuttle buses back to our hotels!), I enjoyed the opportunity to stay abreast of new offerings and ways of enhancing my client’s experience. I’m still working on incorporating everything I learned, but stay tuned and enjoy some of these images of the show! (For even more cool new products, see our pinterest board.)
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- Las Vegas Convention Center
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- Cooking demos
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- These are all countertop options!
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- Finally! Tupperware storage
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- These are vent hoods!
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- KBIS Entertainment
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- Nancy takes a break
The Beautiful New Look of Outdoor Fabrics
Say goodbye to coarse feeling, industrial looking outdoor fabrics. Today’s outdoor fabrics are colorful, soft, versatile, and stunning enough to use indoors. But even as they become more beautiful, they increase in durability. Quality outdoor fabrics from brands like Sunbrella and Waverly are antimicrobial, mold and mildew resistant, sun resistant, water resistant, and hold up well under frequent cleanings.
And just look at the outdoor rooms you can create!
With design options likes these, outdoor rooms are truly an extension of your indoor living spaces.
These outdoor fabrics aren’t just for cushions either. Create gorgeous transitional spaces with outdoor drapery, a shady oasis with awnings, umbrellas, and pergolas, and bring it all together with beautiful, durable accessories like throw pillows, blankets, and rugs.
Here are just a few of the many design options available:
Bring on the sun and fun! These beautiful new looks are ready to weather the elements.
Award Winning Products from 2014
These kitchen and bath products blew away the competition in 2014!
Duravit creates stunning bathroom furniture that is elegant in both form and function. Their products are offered in a variety of real wood veneer options that has been manufactured specifically for bathrooms to be resistant to water and humidity.
Focus, a sleek, modern pull-down spray faucet from Hansgrohe boasts beauty and brains for the serious cook. Features include two jet types, an ergonomic handle that can be mounted for left-handed or right-handed use, and a high spout that creates plenty of convenient space between the faucet and the sink.
Blanco created an award-winning design in their Attika undermount sink. The raised architectural rim is positively stunning while reducing splashes. An optional walnut compound cutting board is available for the 26″ single bowl model.
More gorgeous geometric angles make bold statements in Sonia’s Scalene sink base and integrated top combination. The marine-grade wood available in a variety of finishes is mounted directly to the wall and features hardware-free door fronts.
See more award winners at Architectural Record.
Maya Romanoff Wallcoverings
If walls could SING, they would sing about Maya Romanoff and his groundbreaking innovations in wallcoverings. The term wallcoverings seems far too commonplace to describe the mystique of Maya Romanoff’s creations. His website opts for the term “extraordinary surfacing materials” but even that term fails to encapsulate his genius. Wall experiences, maybe.
Not that he confines himself to walls, any surface can become a canvas for Maya’s creative masterpieces, including mirror frames, support columns and ceilings like this “True Metals” ceiling below.
From his beginnings making tie-dyed shirts after a visit to Woodstock until his death in 2014, Maya was always making a bold statement. He changed his name from Richard to “Multifarious Maya” during a visit to India in 1969 and he realized that every surface was a potential canvas for his art. For decades he has used his unique artistic vision, innovative designs, and drive to always evolve and create new processes to produce high-end, hand-made, designs that simultaneously integrate with paper and push out from the walls.
Maya Romanoff surfaces are certainly not content to sit quietly in the background. They jump up and demand your eye, often literally popping off the background. Never one for the expected, Maya uses such diverse materials as fabrics, wood, gold leaf, bamboo, glass beads, and shells, all laid by hand in groundbreaking production processes.
His designs are never boring, but they do run the spectrum from knock-your-socks-off-WOW to elegant and sedate, from dark and somber to cheerful or barely-there.
Maya Romanoff Corp. is a very warm, people-oriented company based in Skokie, IL where he and his partner and wife, Joyce Romanoff, pursued his artistic vision. Sadly, Maya passed away earlier this year. His wife is now heading up the company.
Thank you, Maya, for sharing your artistic genius with us. For more of Maya’s work, see our pinterest board. You can also see a short video of the Maya hand-coloring process on our Facebook page. Don’t forget to “Like” us!
Smart Upgrades for a Smarter Kitchen
As more of our family’s lives take place in the kitchen, developers are coming up with more ways to make our kitchens as smart as our phones. Here are some intriguing options we found:
- Charging Stations
- Refrigeration
- Cooking
- Faucets and Dishwashers
Built-in kitchen charging stations can now be integrated into the island, under a countertop, or inside a drawer to keep your tablet, phone, and music handy.
Refrigerators are currently offering drawers that absorb ethylene gas to keep produce fresh longer, special air filters that absorb food odors, and automatic sparkling water from the door. Some models offer Wi-Fi enabled touch screen monitors with your favorite apps. In Samsung’s newest model, Galaxy S5 and Note 3 users can mirror their devices to the screen and even make calls from the fridge.
What’s Next: Refrigerators are in development that can keep inventory of the items inside, recommend recipes based on what you have on hand, track items that are about to expire, and communicate needed items to your phone while you are at the grocery store.
Convection steam ovens can cook food on their own do it in less time than conventional ovens. Hot air circulates for browning while steam adds moisture to keep food juicy. Wi-Fi capable options let you preheat your oven from anywhere in the house – even your backyard.
Induction cooktops offer fast, consistent heat without heating up the kitchen. Some models automatically adjust to the size and shape of a pot placed anywhere on its surface. They are easy to clean and can be integrated into your kitchen island.
What’s Next: Whirlpool’s kitchen of the future prototype features induction cooking integrated into a marble countertop with smart sensors and display screens that allow you to cook, look up recipes, and post to your favorite social media sites right on the countertop surface.
Faucet innovations didn’t stop with pull-down and touch features. Newer options include hands-free motion sensors, finishes that resist bacteria, and easy pop-out and change-up fixtures.
Kohler has a new Sweep and Spray design that replaces the standard circular spray with a wide, forceful blade of water. Grohe even offers a faucet with a high-performance filter, cooler and carbonator so you can get chilled, sparkling water right from the tap.
No word yet on refrigerators that clean themselves or dishes that put themselves away. What new innovations do you hope to see soon?
