I’m excited to share this recent kitchen remodel!
Starting with the floor plans… the clients initially were interested in a “pull & replace” scenario (pulling existing items out and putting new back in the same spot). But because walk-in pantries are often not the best use of space, we convinced them to consider an alternative layout that reduced the pantry closet size. The outcome: a larger kitchen with more organized pantry storage and a bigger island.
Here’s the Before:
And the final finishing touch was the new upholstery fabric for their dining set. We found the perfect fabric from Robert Allen that coordinated with the colors and perfectly accentuated the lines of the dining chairs.
Last week I had the chance to visit the World of Whirlpool in Chicago with a group put together by Mountain Land Design. The focus was Jenn-Air Appliances, and by the end of 2 days, full of food and more food, we all came out with a better understanding of Jenn-Air appliances and where they fit in the luxury appliance market. I’ll confess – I didn’t specify Jenn-Air much before. I wasn’t really sure where they fit in, and couldn’t help associating them with the early downdraft models that I despised (particularly because I have one in my own home). This trip changed my entire perception of their products.
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| The World of Whirlpool is in the top floors of this building (view from the Architectural Boat Tour we took earlier in the day) |
We saw (and tasted) demonstrations of most of their appliance line. A few things that really stood out to me are listed below:
Coffee Maker (not going to be released until early 2014)
- Made by DeLonghi, a company long-established and well-known for its quality coffee makers
- Easier to clean than other built-in coffee makers
- The price point can’t be beat.
- Keeping pace with other steam ovens on the market (also at a great price point.)
- Only requires a 15-amp circuit (others require 20)
- Dual Fan True convection – where “true” means there’s a 3rd heating element behind the fan that redistributes the air temperature evenly
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| Dawnita & Chef Ann |
- Highest burner up to 20,000 BTU’s
- Lowest burner potential 500 BTU’s
- And my favorite – the SKILLET! The chrome-infused stainless steel skillet means no seasoning needed to prevent sticking AND it’s easy to clean! We each made our own omelets on this skillet and were surprised how well it worked.
- Sensor Boil feature beeps when water is boiling, beeps again when it’s time to add the food, and beeps a 3rd time when it’s going to reduce to a rolling boil.
- 2 Bridge elements (where others only have 1)
- Most powerful induction cooktop in the industry!
- Probably the most eye-opening part of this trip: The ventilation. I must confess, for years I’ve been saying that downdraft ventilation was a last-resort, as it wasn’t going to work as well as standard ventilation due to the physics of hot air rising. I was proven wrong. While downdraft ventilation of the past may have been inadequate, that’s changed with more recent re-engineering. After a few demonstrations, I was amazed at how well these vents performed.
- We witnessed first-hand the amazing new Accolade telescoping downdraft, which I posted a video of on instagram:
- A few more photos from our trip:
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| Mark & I were in charge of prepping the apples for apple crisp, which we later ate with homemade ice cream for dessert. |
Cocktails in the clock tower:
Lunch courses:
- Thanks to Jenn-Air and Mountain Land Design for a great trip!
Last week I had the chance to visit Los Angeles for the ASID Leadership Conference, in conjunction with Dwell on Design (that’s me on the far right).
While the conference was filled with ASID seminars preparing us for our leadership roles within our chapters (I’ll be President of the ASID Intermountain Chapter starting in October), we also had some time to wander the show floor for design inspiration.
I had so much to see in a short amount of time, but I thought I would post some of the things that stood out most to me, whether it was for their great design or their colorful imagery.
1. Miele’s limited edition white appliances. I heard rumors of their new white appliances on twitter, and was thrilled to see them in person.
2. Miele’s flush-mount gas cooktop
10. JC Penney is stepping it up with new lines from Jonathan Adler and Michael Graves! (sorry about the blurry photo)
12. If you read my blog, you know that I’m obsessed with outlet and switch cover options . Lutron did not disappoint.
13. Walker Zanger tile never ceases to amaze me. They were a sponsor of our ASID Leadership Conference, and I love my new notebook with the tagline “What will you create?” As noted in the speech given by their rep, they are a company dedicated celebrating and inspiring all designers, which is evident in their social media sites.
How many of you have already given up on your New Year’s resolutions? I’m not typically one for resolutions, but I was definitely feeling that a detox was in order after the holidays, so my husband and I decided to do a 3-day juice cleanse. And this got me thinking about how to encourage better health in kitchen design. Not only does this apply to your own physical health, but also your psychological health and the health of the environment.
I’ve come up with a whole list of things that contribute to a healthy kitchen:
Healthy Appliances
There are plenty of countertop appliances that encourage healthier eating. For example, we purchased this juicer from Breville and have used it everyday since. Whether it’s a juicer or another specific appliance, evaluate your own habits and make sure you think about whether you’ll actually use the appliance before you invest the money (and countertop/storage space).
For built-in appliances, steam ovens are the way to go. Not only do they cook foods faster, but cooking with steam also allows optimum retention of vitamins and nutrients. AND you typically don’t need to add oils or fats during the cooking process.
Eating healthy means buying more produce, and needing storage for more produce. Refrigerator drawers right at your prep surface make veggie storage ultra convenient.
Healthy Aesthetic
Natural Kitchen
Nature plays a role too. Any way you can bring the outdoors into your kitchen will impact your health. The easiest ways to do this are through natural lighting and indoor plants.
Healthy Pans
Many people are concerned about Teflon non-stick coatings, which can release toxic fumes when overheated. (The chemical is polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE). Many new non-stick surfaces are being introduced, including this set recently launched by West Elm Market in partnership with GreenPan.
Composting:
Composting is a great use for all those leftover healthy food scraps, and is an environmentally-friendly option compared to garbage disposals or landfills. I did an entire post about working composting into kitchen design, using anything from countertop containers to full composting built-in units. (See here for a good article about landfills vs. garbage disposals vs. composting).
]]>In this quest for white appliances that don’t look like they belong in a rental apartment, I’ve been surprised how few options there are, especially considering how easy it would be to just add that extra touch of style. Even just replacing the standard white handle with a stainless or chrome handle (or perhaps even brass?!?) would make a huge difference!
Here are a few of the refrigerator options I’ve found. If you know of others PLEASE let me know!
The 2 models from Whirlpool Ice:
By now you may have already seen House Beautiful’s 2012 Kitchen of the Year. And if you haven’t seen it, you must go check it out, NOW. See it here.
Aside from it being yet another amazingly beautiful kitchen by my favorite kitchen designer, Mick DeGiulio (whom I’ve written about several times before), after I got over the overall fabulousness of it all, my next thought was “Whoa – hold on, I see white appliances!”
Take a look at the collection along the right wall. It’s the new Whirlpool Ice collection, and it’s pretty sexy, huh?
I just returned from an amazing trip to Fitchburg, Wisconsin, where I was fortunate to spend a few days looking in depth at the Sub-Zero and Wolf products. These really are superior appliances, which I knew before the trip, but everything I thought before was validated by this experience. We toured the factories for the Sub-Zero BI series and the Wolf ranges, and I was amazed at how clean these facilities were, and how meticulous the process is. Each of these units is tested before being shipped out, and nothing but perfection will pass the inspection.
We spent the majority of our time at the Westye F. Bakke Center, and I am still in awe of the beauty of this building. It’s a breathtaking display of design and function, and a perfect way to highlight the Sub-Zero and Wolf products. Some of the highlights:
