Thermador Appliances - Stepping It Up

A couple of days ago I went to an event hosted by Thermador at their showroom in Dumbo, Brooklyn, which, if you haven't been to either the showroom or Dumbo, I can tell you that they are both great destinations (well, you can go to Dumbo without going to the showroom, but you can't go to the showroom without going to Dumbo...I'm confused!) I've included images of the showroom...it's in one of those great, old, waterfront factories, steps away from crazy views of the Brooklyn bridge. 

The event was to showcase a myriad of recent developments...in a couple of cases I'd call them details, but, details are everything, especially to a blogger who is also a kitchen designer. My work is all about the details. No detail is unimportant, I've always said. They build on one another. So, here they are. 

Thermador is reintroducing their star burner (developed 11 years ago by Thermador) by elevating its position on the cooking surface, providing increased btu power with low simmer ability, and a quick clean surface below. Flexible cooking/effortless cleanup. 

The combination of Thermador's Sensor Dome infrared sensor technology and the industry's most powerful induction element, at 4600 watts and an expandable 13" wide diameter triple zone element monitors the temperature inside the pan, cycling it on and off to maintain a precise temperature.

The introduction of a dishwasher is Thermador's entry into high performance dishwashing. A 3 step "Rackmatic System", chef tool drawer, hand wash cycle, extra dry, and a very sexy sapphire glow lighting system (interior blue lighting) among other notable features, make this a dishwasher which must be considered...this is a "finally" for Thermador, to have a strong dishwasher in their line. 

A new easy installation system for Thermador's stainless steel refrigerators is now here. Built in modular refrigeration can now come with framed and pre-assembled panels and trims which offer a speedy installation and a new finished design, once installed. The fully flush collection continues to offer a completely seamless installation and design. It's about design flexibility...one of those details which makes the difference in how your refrigeration system is visually experienced. 

I took a good shot of the Brooklyn bridge while I was going into the city after the event with my iphone...while driving (I couldn't resist) Enjoy!

c/o The Maidstone East Hampton - Scandinavian Design

c/o The Maidstone, located in bucolic East Hampton, is a Swedish design tour de force. For design addicts and design junkies, it is a destination, a lesson in color, in light, in an eclectic historical and modern Swedish design.

At the moment, this post was further down on my list of things to do, but as is true for all of my posts, they come when I am inspired, and I just cannot hold on to these images any longer, I need to share them!

Nadia Tostoy, design director of c/o The Maidstone, desired to create a "Scandinavian cozy" theme, a historical yet modern environment. Inspired by Josef Frank fabrics, color is a foundation of c/o The Maidstone and the turquoise walls in the entrance and beyond immediately reach out to welcome a guest. C/o The Maidstone was purchased by Swedish hotelier Jenny Ljungberg, who injected a Swedish free spirit into the previously typical Hamptons "rustic chic" traditional spaces. I have had the pleasure of staying at the previous Maidstone Inn numerous times and this time we stopped by for a wonderful, lingering, breakfast, and the word "wonderful" is probably understated. This was last Saturday.

As many of you know, I have a passion for Scandinavian design by connection to my own Danish heritage and visits throughout my life to my families' homes in Denmark and Norway, so this visit was eagerly anticipated. As all the guest rooms were booked, I did not have the opportunity to see any of them, but I will in the future. 

As I study the interiors with a critical eye, well, before that, let me say that my first impression was an incredibly positive WOW...gorgeous, exciting, beautiful! I WAS excited (and I certainly still am!) As I take time now to look at my images, as in any interior, the question comes to mind...does it look "designed" or does it look like a natural compilation of pieces, particularly in the sitting rooms? To me, it looks, for the most part, carefully coordinated. For me, the standard for the evolved look is the traditional English interior which always seem to give the feeling of each and every piece having been added at a different time, but it all just blends, all the "lite" eclecticism of it. There is much eclecticism here, but it seems much more controlled. A nitpik might be that I may have liked to have seen a bit less Josef Frank. Not less color, necessarily. 

All that said, there IS much to be said as well for a controlled design perspective in a space like this. Selecting a few prominent threads to play/work with such as color, Josef Frank's textiles, the shade of gray, as themes, create a flow which serves to connect many multiple seating areas and which in this case is very interesting. There is a free spirit running rampant within these design threads as seen in the art installations, gray sheepskin throws over crisp white traditional shelving, and more which, to my eye, break rules in a very positive way. 

The juxtaposition of the dark, dark gray wall color and the extreme white ceilings and walls is, to me, perfection, and note the shiny ceilings. The flooring provides warmth in a lighter tone and within those neutrals, color chaos reigns supreme. To my eye, the antique Swedish rag rugs (I own 3, buy them here and scroll down) play a very important part in bringing a slightly worn authenticity to the space. I may have liked to have seen a bit more of that concept, just a bit. The traditional elements of the furnishings are welcome and their sculptural lines add a sort of friendly feeling. In fact, the furnishings are filled with sculptural lines, often in bright colors, which add a whimsical, yet sophisticated, look. 

For more information on Scandinavian interior design, visit Avolli, and Willow Decor. Also do not miss Emmas Designblog and PurpleArea. 

The BIG question is, what sort of kitchen would you design if we were inspired by this interior?

For Part II on this theme, I'll give you my thoughts...in the meantime, tell me what sort of kitchen you see here, and I promise I won't be influenced!

CLICK ANYWHERE ON EACH (LARGE) IMAGE AND IT WILL GO TO THE NEXT IMAGE

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New Kitchen Products

I'm a bit lax on telling you about some new (or if not new, then cool) products. Here are a few interesting ones.

But, first, within this section is a product which I was asked to personally review. My policy, like many bloggers, is and has been (the one other time that I reviewed a product) that if I like the product, I will review it. If not, I will not. And, I mean, I will not. I do not ask to review products. Example: There is a product which I was approached about and was subsequently sent to me at least 2 months ago, maybe 3 months. There is a small kit which I needed for a certain type of installation in order to review it in a way that makes sense to my lifestyle and I requested it initially. The product functions perfectly without it, I can experience the end result, but it is not how I would normally use the product. I'll review the product if the kit comes unless there is a compelling reason not to. A second example is a colleague of nearly 20 years who sent me her just published book and asked me to review it. I felt the book was poorly written, declined with a diplomatic yet honest assessment, and that relationship declined as well. I have obligations to no one within my industry.

I see nothing wrong with sharing my personal use experiences that are connected to reviewing an occasional product. If I'm extremely enthusiastic about it, that will show. If it's a nice, simple, product that is a generally pleasant experience to use, that will show too. There will be decibels of difference in enthusiasm, so to speak, in my reviews which will honestly reflect my personal experience with a product. Will I say anything negative about a product? Sure. If I dislike it overall, I do not see the purpose of using this platform to make that type of (negative) announcement. In that case, I'm going to assume that it may just not speak to my lifestyle needs/wants. I think this concept serves no ill purpose, whatsoever. In fact, I think it's a positive and helpful service to my readers for a variety of reasons. I hope you think so too.

 MGS T45-DF One spout, two waterways built in, three levers: hot, cold, filtered. Normally, one has an extra spout mounted for filtered water. Made of solid stainless steel, lead free (of course) and NSF certified, it is 100% non toxic. Their own design team has created the faucet, and many others, which MGS calls innovative functionality, with an emphasis on convenience and performance. I am one who likes simple lines. I think simple often = elegance, and I do think this is a very elegant faucet system.

 Studio Italia Design has introduced a MUST SEE lighting fixture. Why? It redefines the single flourescent ceiling fixture in a huge way. Here are their words: "The Inpiega by Italian Designer Marco Ferreri is available as a sconce, table lamp, floor lamp or suspended fixture. It calls for fluorescent lamping and offers both direct and indirect light. With an entirely modern shape with geometric lines, the inner side is available in white, while the outer side can be done in white or raw aluminum."

GelPro floor mats GelPro asked me if I was interested in using their product in my home, and I accepted. I had certainly heard of GelPro when they first introduced their product, maybe a couple of years ago, and I had mild interest, but not much more than that.

Having moved into our new (not newly constructed) home 9 months ago and living with a tile floor (which I never had before) it made a lot of sense to try it. FYI...I did not design my kitchen in the images...it's 20 years old, so a renovation is in my future, for sure! 

I came home after a short trip last week, and my husband had the GelPro mat in place. My initial reaction was WOW! It looked really great. Upscale, cool, designer-y, I was extremely impressed. You must take a look at all of the styles and colors. The selection is fantastic. I was a little nervous, because some of the images to my eye did not look that promising, but it was helpful to see both close up and far away shots, in fact, very helpful. Because of those shots, I decided I wanted something that looked like a visible pattern from a ways away. It was very tough to pick a color, the options are great, but I settled on the deep, rich brown, which I LOVE.

The sensation, once I stood on the mat, was truly a surprise. I did not expect the surface to be so soft, especially given the particularly busy pattern. It looked like, and I expected it to be, a semi-tough top surface, for wear purposes. It was not-it was soft. It's great on the feet, it's not too soft and not too hard. I'm sorry I didn't take a closer look at GelPro earlier. The mats come in special "designer sizes" as they are referred to. In fact, there are many different sizes. The performance and looks far exceeded my expectations, very much so. I'm happy to be able to report this.

Sub Zero UC-15I Ice Maker - Sub Zero introduces an ice maker. At 15" wide, incorporating the flush installation Sub Zero is famous for, this appliance can easily fit anywhere. It makes 50 lbs of ice in one day and stores up to 25 lbs. Best news yet, the ice is produced with filtered water, and the filter even tells you when it needs to be changed! Now, that's good thinking. The controls are electronic, the face is stainless steel, and there is led lighting. This ice maker is approved for outdoor use...see the site for further details. Literally....cool!

A White Kitchen - Tricia's Interesting Design Choice

I'm pleased to show you a blogging buddy's kitchen. The kitchen is Tricia's from Avolli, the online store for Swedish antique furniture. Gorgeous stuff, all different price points, and some of my favorite things are the antique rag rugs. Just love them!

Tricia's kitchen is very lovely, but there is one feature that immediately jumped out at me...a feature that I have never designed into a kitchen, which is a big reason why I find her kitchen so compellingly interesting (besides the red, which I love!) I immediately questioned Tricia on it first thing. Questions surrounding any angle I could think of.  To my surprise, my questions were met with a "huh, should there be an issue here?"

OK, what's the issue? Tricia has her cooktop situated in front of her window.

I know it sounds as if I next expected to tell a story of the kitchen police visiting Tricia's home, but trust me when I say, this is a highly unusual location for a cooktop, let alone a range top.

Tricia reports (after my countless crack designer questions) that there is zero issue with cooking fumes, grease and moisture landing on her windows, woodwork or curtains above, zero. Tricia has a downdraft ventilation system behind the cooktop. I asked Tricia repeated questions all around this issue, and of course, I believe what she reports. Maybe it's a testament to the efficiency of the Viking downdraft.

Here's more on Tricia's kitchen, a Q&A:

What were your original goals? What was most important to you?

When we purchased this house in 1998, the original kitchen had builder made cabinets, which in our case were poorly constructed and designed.  There were no tracks on the drawers, there was dead space in the design, the appliances were outdated, and overall it was unappealing to us.  We wanted a brand new kitchen with top of the line appliances and beautiful details in the overall design but within the existing floor plan.

Were your goals achieved?

In my opinion we did achieve a beautiful kitchen with wonderful details.  The door panels on the cabinet ends, the dentil moldings, columns and plinths that flank the cabinet ends, the built-in hutch with internal lights all contribute to what I find to be quality and beauty.

Tell me about the window behind the cooktop. Did anyone try to talk you out of it? Were you nervous about it?

The windows are part of the original floor plan.  We could not remove them, or change the kitchen footprint, without making major changes to the rest of the house.  I was not nervous about having the cook top there because that is where the original cook top was so it seemed ok to me.  Honestly it never occurred to me to not have it there.  I enjoy being able to look out the window when I cook.

Did you work with a kitchen designer or cabinet maker or what? What was that experience like?

I did work with a kitchen designer and remember it as a good experience.  I had strong ideas and opinions and was highly detail oriented in the process.  It is my understanding that the installer took some issues with the designer though.  Something about designing a kitchen that was nearly impossible to install??? I don’t remember the issues clearly but do remember him grumbling throughout the installation.

What did you want in your appliances? What was important to you?

We definitely wanted high end appliances and felt strongly about an integrated Sub-Zero and dishwasher, double wall ovens and the six burner Viking cook top.  I wanted the double wall ovens because I have a bad back and bending down to put things in or take things out of a traditionally designed oven would not work well for me. We have loved having two ovens and not having to struggle or juggle when planning big meals or for holidays.  My husband wanted the large, single bowl sink for washing big pots, etc. We both wanted the island prep sink which had become quite popular at that time.

Do you cook much? Do you like to cook?

The first part of my marriage I absolutely loved to cook and would read cookbooks in bed at night.  It was fun to created elaborate home made meals to dazzle our guests…and I did all that on an old and outdated kitchen.  By the time we bought this house and renovated this kitchen my children were in 2^nd grade and pre-school and were very picky eaters.  This became disheartening to me because I would create a wonderful meal and they wouldn’t eat it.  As time when by their willingness to try new things did change and I was cooking less and less and resorting to the easy meals that I knew they would eat.  Now that I have one off to college I am starting to rediscover cooking, to my husband's delight, and look forward to the weekends when I can devote an afternoon to creating something special.  

I think it's a very nice renovation, and I love the family room too. Thanks, Tricia, for sharing your kitchen with me! I'm secretly jealous of your cooktop under the window!