Appliance Personality? What's Yours?

Here's a quickie, but it looks like fun...take this little test and report back! Tell me what your color personality is! I took it and I'm Type 14 - or, "encased meats" which I'm thrilled with because it means I'm all over the place with diverse interests!  ;)  I suppose it could have been worse, I could have been called plain yogurt.

TWITTER Changes Everything!

I spent much of this past weekend familiarizing myself with Twitter. I had not previously taken the time to take a good look at it, really, on any level. Most of all, I spent time thinking about Twitter and what I could do with it that would be of value to myself and others.

As a result, I'm beginning this week VERY excited about Twitter! SO often I have had a single thought, come across a single piece of information, have a single photo, all of which may NOT be a whole big blog post or, that I simply don't have the time to MAKE into a blog post.

I can now share those fragments of information on all things kitchen related on Twitter! It is the perfect supplement to this blog!

There is SO much design related information I come across that I find interesting, and I hope you'll follow my product finds, my thoughts, musings, images, and whatever else I feel compelled to share with you.

I'm still tweaking my page, so you'll see things change around a little bit, but I already know, this is something I definitely want to use.

Follow me!

Fashion Week Connection To Kitchen Design '09

It's the end of Fashion Week here in New York, and I thought it would be interesting to get a round up of impressions of what's happening in fashion, as, after all, our homes are also influenced by fashion and trends (including current events.)

To put it bluntly, it appears that the carnage in the various financial sectors have brought forth a sort of "bread and butter" reaction from many fashion houses. Toned down, serious, back to basics, UN-wild is what's new. No lack of creativity, but a return to a designer's original aesthetic, and building on those strengths may be what's new for this season. And, that makes some sense. Less risky, and all that.

Nothing wrong with having a safe haven, and being surrounded by trusted friends, right?

As in kitchens for 09, new (post September 2008) thoughts on kitchen design also include a back to basics point of view, back to well designed kitchens, a focus on function, with the home taking on increased importance now more than ever...the ultimate safe haven.

I'll go into much more detail shortly (next couple of days) on where we are in kitchen design in these strange times of '09. Stay tuned.

It's not a fall, it's a correction....right? ;)

Swedish Rag Rugs For The Kitchen

You know what is a great accessory in the kitchen? A rug! Change it when you're bored, change it by the season, by the trends, or don't change it at all - keep it as a faithful companion (well, almost.) I really like to bring in some sort of softness into the kitchen if possible, something of comfort preferably. With so many hard surfaces in a kitchen, something soft, even one item, can impart a relaxed feeling.

I'm focusing today on Swedish style rag rugs because it's my guess that you may not be aware of this distinctive type of rug. It is a style I happen to love, one that will not be found in Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel or Room and Board. For that reason alone, I really want to share these with you.

Most of the Swedish rag rugs you will find are vintage rugs, although some are new, depends on the source. I have 3 and I'm almost afraid that next time I go to some antique shops in Denmark, I'm going to collect a few more (with me, sometimes a collection turns into an obsession!) I had one at the outside entrance to my office and it had been in place for over 10 years with an occasional washing. They wear like iron! Of course, you can also find many beauties at our web shop: Scandinavian Made

Now, in my new home, maybe tomorrow, I'll find the rugs I own amongst the remaining boxes of our belongings and will put one in the kitchen and place the other two elsewhere in the house. The prices are very reasonable, considering they have a wonderful vintage look and are in great shape. I guess I like them because of the texture.I like them better than the typical American rag rugs.

Pairing one of these rugs with a collection of sleek surfaces and another few textural objects would make a strong design statement for a modern point of view. Very cool....especially if you can find one in this year's trendy yellow! However you want to express your style, there is a rug design for you.

What do you think? Do you like them?

Happy rug hunting!

New Green Kitchen Products

Here are a few more new items I'd like to share with you.

Here's a smart looking multi bin recycling unit called the Smart Bin. Available with two or three compartments, the Smart Bin allows homeowners to cleanly and effectively separate their organic, recycling, and waste in an attractive stainless steel push-pedal bin. Made of post-consumer plastics, the Smart Bin makes the task of sorting and recycling a snap. With removable inside containers, this sturdy and attractive bin is a welcome addition to any kitchen, bathroom, or office.

It's good to be organized!

Take a look at what's new at Kichler.

For use inside or below a cabinet or in a variety of other areas, these energy-efficient fixtures use 75 percent less electricity than typical incandescent lighting. Plus, they’re so thin they’re nearly invisible -- just 3/8” thick. In addition, the Design Pro LED discs offer a warm white color rendering and a lifespan of 20 years. A variety of finishes are available to blend into any surrounding.

The new Design Pro Discs can be used individually or in combination with Kichler’s Design Pro LED under cabinet fixtures, which offer the same great energy-saving features and color rendering, to create a seamless flow of light under multiple cabinets and furnishings.

Both products have been awarded the prestigious Lighting for Tomorrow Award, the industry’s highest honor for energy-efficient lighting solutions. Plus, they are ENERGY STAR rated, a distinction given by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy for energy efficient solutions, when used with most power supplies.

Perf Go Green produces Biodegradable Plastic Products that are eco-friendly, non-toxic and food contact compliant. These bags are seen as a practical and necessary solution to the problem of plastic waste around the world.

In 2008 Perf Go Green is launching six Biodegradable Plastic Products including the following:

Perf Go Green 13 Gallon Tall Kitchen Trash Bags
Perf Go Green 30 Gallon Lawn & Leaf Bags
Perf Go Green Plastic Drop Cloths
Perf Go Green Commercial Trash Bags
Perf Go Green Kitty Litter Bags
Perf Go Green Doggie Duty Bags

Perf Go Green products are produced using recycled plastic which reduces plastic in landfills. The recycled plastics are then combined with an oxo-biodegradable proprietary application method to produce the film for the bags. This product, when discarded in soil in the presence of microorganisms, moisture and oxygen, biodegrades, decomposing into simple materials found in nature.

Perf Go Green Bags will completely break down in a landfill environment within 2 years leaving no residue or harmful toxins and have a shelf life of 2 years.

White River Achieves Chain of Custody Certification - Very Impressive!

White River announced its achievement of the Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) Chain of Custody Certification. For the past 18 months, White River™ has been researching the optimal plan for purchasing lumber from certified, well-managed forests for its local manufacture of hardwood mouldings. The FSC Chain of Custody Certification is granted by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), an independent third party, which is accredited by the FSC. This internationally recognized certification verifies that lumber from certified forests is identified, marked, and recognized as it passes thru a "chain of custodians" or "handlers" from the forest to the consumer. This applies to products manufactured at its Arkansas manufacturing facility.

Good work! I've used and admired White River for many years.

New Kitchen Products

Let's look at a collection of products, some new, some not new, but new to you. Get it? I'm confused.

Take a look at Sharp's SuperSteam oven, model AX-1200, a multi-purpose oven that enables healthier meal preparation. Using SuperSteam convection technology, the AX-1200 cooks a wide variety of foods without the addition of oils, fats or sauces while preserving taste and appearance. It also features three other cooking methods – convection, conventional steam, and microwave – all in a single appliance.

I LIKE that idea of combining convection with steam and microwave cooking. Convection mode means that you can heat up that slice of pizza (you know you eat it even though you want the steamer) without heating up the big oven, or worse, using the microwave. OR, those extra oven foods when the big oven is full.

Note the rounded stainless ends. This is a built in kit that is optional. The oven can be used without the built in kit, to simply sit on the counter. Read this.

Here is "wallpaper" that is actually recycled glass tile. By Trend, the Wallpaper collection offers a multitude of diverse styles from richly elegant and serene to playful and funky. The collection starts at $23 a square foot. Depending on the pattern, the mosaic tile is saturated with reflective color, recycled from post consumer glass, veined with aventurine stone, shimmering with iridescence, or hand made 24 k colored gold from Orsoni, a 19th century Venetian foundry. The individual tiles are either 3/4" or 5/8" square and assembled into modules that allow seamless repetition of the design.

A 10x10 wall, at their lowest price tile, will cost $2,300. In my world, if money was not an object, yes, I'd consider this product. I think the look is worth the cost. It makes a strong design statement. I like that. This was the only kitchen image they had on their site, but they have lots of very wonderful motifs.

Now a word from our sponsor...yeah, they should be my sponsor! Humor me please. When this commercial comes on, I stop everything and watch it. I LOVE IT! I've seen it a million times and it just came on again. Have you seen it? You have to watch it a few times to get all the perfect nuances of it. What can I say? I just need to share this. :)

Let's look at even more tile just to give you more difficult choices! I have a conflict with choices. I believe in choices, but they quickly get confusing, don't they? This, from Mandala Tile:

"Many of Mandala Tile's colors (sister company to Oceanside Glasstile) contain recycled material. The combination of materials spawns vivid surfaces, making it dance in front of your very own eyes. The earthy colors merge in intriguing patterns highlighting the beautiful combination of glass and stone. 'Avani provides movement and depth to design projects and the color palette complements a wide range of settings, offering limitless possibilities for creating a masterpiece,' noted Feras Irikat, Design Director.

It is available in 10 mosaic blends and three patterns – Herringbone, Random Matrix, and Ministicks. Each piece is precision cut to provide a smooth, continuous field."

I have more to show you, which I'll do tomorrow. I'm freezing and I'm sick (and I think I'm freezing because I'm sick) so I'll leave it here. See you then!

Downdraft Distress!

I've been meaning to talk about the downdraft behind the cooktop, positioned in a peninsula which separates the living area beyond. The higher than normal ledge behind the cooktop and downdraft serves somewhat of a purpose, if only to disguise the carnage in the kitchen.  

But, my real message today, is that, in my VERY experienced opinion, downdrafts suck, but not in the, um, physical way of drawing in moisture, fumes, odors and various other solid particulates produced by cooking, whether cooking in a heavy OR light manner. I forgot about the downdraft in a kitchen I owned many years ago, before I became a kitchen designer. At the time, I worked WITH a kitchen designer, who, as I remember clearly, never had the conversation with me about downdrafts vs. updraft hoods. What can I say? I was young and naive as well. And the range was against a wall, which should be a no brainer for a conventional hood and conventional advice! I remember, then, the trick of tilting pot and pan lids so that the fumes would move toward the downdraft far more effectively than just turning on the downdraft, even on high.

So, fast forward to my new home and my new (old) downdraft. Let me just simply say this. I would never, and do never, recommend a downdraft as being equal in performance to a range hood. There is, in my opinion, an enormous difference in performance. Of course, yes, much depends on the conventional hood's specs and proximity to the cooktop, but, when a hood is designed properly, the performance comparision between a downdraft and a hood against a wall is night and day in favor of the hood.

I can tell you first hand, the visible fumes and light smoke, even when the downdraft is on high, do not reach the downdraft. Well, maybe some fumes do, but my guess is over half of the cooking extracts do NOT get removed. What happens instead is that much of the fumes move into surrounding areas of the kitchen, or in my case, perhaps the great room beyond, settling into one's hard and soft furnishings.

Rather than making this post full of statistics and design specifications, I'm making it anecdotal (with a professional's knowledge of course!) If you have a choice, don't use a downdraft if you can avoid it. Mine is a high end cooktop/downdraft. The brand doesn't matter, because they all perform the same way. And yes, my downdraft rises about 7" above the countertop surface. Doesn't matter.

Very simply....try to choose a hood against the wall rather than a downdraft situated anywhere. A hood above an island or peninsula as opposed to a downdraft? That does not make much of a difference, as surrounding air currents interfere with the cooking extracts on their way up toward the hood. Either way, in this scenario, you're scr.....d. :( If you:

a. want the toxins out of your home as quickly as possible

b. want the odors out, as opposed to lingering odors

c. want the smoke and moisture out

d. do not want residue on your hard and soft surfaces

then, you will feel like this, I guarantee it!     :)

Cool Scandinavian Kitchens

You all know I'm good for Scandinavian kitchens! I haven't kept up the pace on my (yes, beloved) blog as much as I should have in recent months due to several reasons, but that aside, despite the ongoing miserable economic conditions in our country as well as locally, I'm feeling hopeful and ready for a fresh start. As an optimist, which I consider myself to be, that's my job!!

I think part of feeling ready for a fresh start is the office I'm putting together. I'm thrilled with my new home office, and it's only this past week that it's been set up, really, since Sunday, and we moved December 29! Since moving in, I've only had my computer on a table, and have been very patient as we've spent these past weeks organizing the rest of the house, which we continue to do. We still have about 25 boxes to unpack, probably, out of nearly 200. But, with new countertops in the office since last Sunday, adding artwork (lots of artwork), a Stanley Steemer carpet cleaning, office supplies (it's all about the height of each inbox!) organized, I'm feeling great, and ready to go!

During this time, I HAVE collected a good number of Scandinavian magazines from visiting Danish relatives and from subscriptions of Scandinavian magazines. And, I just spent $300 on new subscriptions for Scandinavian magazines today (good thing the husband doesn't read this blog!) Want to see some?? I really want to share these kitchens with you, which are not so easily available to see and study otherwise (quiz on Monday.) ;) Sure, more varied content will come, but having just organized my Scandinavian magazines for the first time (ever!) I may be on a roll with fresh images in the coming days and weeks.

I think, unlike typically, I'll throw in some comments. Please feel free to comment too. I'd love to know others' perspectives on these kitchens. Images from Rum, Bolig and Bo Bedre.

Wow, this one, below, is pretty amazing. I love analogous color schemes. Perhaps the upper section of the hood projects forward to capture the cooktop fumes, I hope so. Would like to visit, but wouldn't want to live there.

I love this, below. To me, a perfect juxtaposition of cool/warm, texture/smooth. I could happily cook in this kitchen, being among nature and steel...an exciting combination! Bright, textured orange against what looks like flat medium brown? I'm there! The clock? I'd want it larger.

Below, ok, it's bright, but to me, depressing. I'm surprised at my reaction. Tooooo simple/bleh to feel serene (for me.) As an example of minimalist modern kitchen design, it's fantastic. But, I think I may have elongated the hood above on each side to maximize the design concept.

Below, sure it's IKEA-like in its feel, but I love the unexpected introduction of the ribbed white and wood cabinets, the halfway up mosaic tile, which clearly sets apart the cabinetry/shelving above as its own element, and the boldness to position the wood wall cabinet close to the angle of the ceiling, creating an exciting design feature.

Below, no, I'm not on board with this. I see an element of fun. I get the surprise of the ornate brass lamp, but all I really see is a mishmosh!

Below, yeah, I can go down this road, definitely! Another semi-analogous color scheme.

Below, very Scandinavian. Give me a little opportunity for artwork or a sculpture within the space, and I'm good! Definitely has that Hansen feel that is so wonderful.

I have more! What do you think? What's your favorite?

A Snow Day In The Kitchen

The snow has been coming down for hours. My husband is home for the next four weeks due to a work furlough, so he's sort of getting to know our new home by doing a variety of things, including working in the kitchen. We LOVE this house. We say that to each other every day. We can't remember feeling this way about our other homes. I have no idea why, but we feel extra special about this house. It's not perfect, but some of the features it has are wonderful.

Back to the snow! There's something SO cozy about cooking comfort food on a snowy day, I love it! Early this morning, I prepared this meal for dinner. I really enjoy cooking in a kitchen that is part of a great room. I would design the kitchen in a different way, for sure. However, being part of a great room makes me, the cook, feel, I don't know, more valued(?) because it's "ok" to be seen and heard while cooking, among the company of others just beyond the 1/2 wall, as opposed to being not seen and not heard? Is that ridiculous? I'm not even sure it's accurate, but, in some sense, it elevates the cook to, perhaps, an equal status in some way. Yeah, maybe that's it. Or, the opposite....sort of, "like it or not, I'm here, I'm cooking, deal with it!" I haven't cooked this much in years, I'm cooking all the time!

Whatever, it's a nice thing to be surrounded by beautiful furnishings, a relaxing environment, things I love, and to not feel isolated. I love that feeling. The feel of the kitchen design, however, is much too kitcheny for me. It shouldn't be a white kitchen, it should be a wood stain of some sort. I do want to make it more furniture/living room like, and I will do that. I think the entire room will flow even better. What about you...anyone have a kitchen as part of a great room or want one? Or, would hate the thought of it?