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During a recent trip to London, I had the opportunity to spend some quality time at Poggenpohl’s Waterloo kitchen showroom. This London trip was arranged courtesy of Blog Tour 2011, an idea conceived by Veronika Miller, founder of Modenus, to bring design bloggers to the London Design Festival. Luckily for me, a visit to a Poggenpohl kitchen showroom was on our agenda!
Following are interesting design ideas that I spotted at the showroom – and check out the Blanco sinks!
Below, highly textured wood cabinetry paired with sleek white and stainless steel-take a look at the lucite dining chairs and glass table-cool!
Below, I’m thinking that, after removing the third bottle of wine during dinner, this higher position of the wine refrigerator should prove to be useful!
Below, a crisp/tailored undermount sink and separate drainboard by Blanco. I love the look of the separate pieces and the recycling bins below are perfectly [...]
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It does not take much time, once one delves into the black hole of even thinking about a kitchen renovation, that the thoughts become disorganized, to say the least, given all the parts, pieces, concepts, ideas, not to mention products that are part of a whole kitchen renovation.
There is absolutely NO excuse in 2011 not to be organized when embarking on a kitchen renovation. There are many online management tools to keep track of every single detail. You can be organized in several ways:
in a super simple task focused way where tasks are simpl written down and checked off tasks are attached to projects tasks are attached to tags and/or projects tasks are attached to tags, projects, and a calendar tasks are shared by others in the same program
and those are just a few ways to think of the detail/task/organizing process for a kitchen renovation.
If I told you how many free trials I’ve taken of task and project management programs, based online, I’d be embarrassed to tell you. The program I have kept coming back to over a couple of years, even though I needed to stray to find the greener grass, of which I never found…is [...]
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The Living Kitchen show at IMM Cologne, held in Germany less than less than 2 weeks ago was kitchen heaven, purely and absolutely. The exhibits “told” many visual stories – whole stories, as the displays were large, some, enormous. I was a guest of Blanco (a bigger player in the global sink and faucet scene in terms of design and product presence than I realized) and was invited as a member of the Blanco Design Council. Here are some of the most compelling chapters in the book of today’s kitchen!
Chapter I Overview – The Living Kitchen was a very appropriate name for this show. Lowered “platforms” and varying levels for alternative living in the kitchen, a more “living room-like” aesthetic, the warmth of wood or faux wood, are a few of the specific features which define this movement. Sinks and faucets are going along for the “living kitchen” ride and fabulous examples will follow. It is clear that style and function have met, fallen in love, and are planning for the future. Simply, it’s about living in the kitchen…see how:
Chapter 2 – Cabinetry designed [...]
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 I met Sean Sullivan, author of the (insert wildly positive adjective here) food blog Spectacularly Delicious and Associate Publisher of House Beautiful, this summer at House Beautiful’s Kitchen of the Year press event. After maybe, a 20 minute conversation, probably less, enthusiastically talking about kitchens, including his, I asked Sean if I could go to his home and see his kitchen. I don’t know if that says more about me or more about Sean, but his joy for his kitchen was contagious. Sean immediately said “yes, come!” and I did. This is a three-post story, so herewith Part I.
I knew this: I knew I would find a happy kitchen. See for yourself!
Ten years ago, the kitchen was designed by Sean and his architect. The backsplash tile, with its watery coloring, has an authentic, crafted, look and texture. It has a lovely iridescent glow, a real East Hampton beachy feel. The cabinetry, simple and modern, is a great complementary color/finish to the backsplash tile. The soft (sandy/beachy) beige counter and floor tile adds to the beachy factor! White walls add lightness for that year round summer feel, doesn’t it?
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 “I never thought of myself as a designer.” So says Jeff Lewis, host of “Flipping Out” and designer of House Beautiful’s Kitchen Of The Year 2010, unveiled on Monday, July 19, at Rockefeller Center. Jeff, and his team set out to create a kitchen that reflected his personal aesthetic – a warm, modern kitchen with super clean lines, sleek surfaces and most of all, a minimalist and most importantly, easy to clean, design.
“I really thought of myself living here,” Jeff says. Jeff’s lifestyle is one of often serving drinks and hors d’oeuvres before going out to dinner with friends, or taking in sushi, and when catering an event at home, having someone there to clean up immediately as the kitchen gets messy. The kitchen in his own home is wide open to the living area, and Jeff must have his kitchen “always stellar” as when he entertains, “everyone ends up in the kitchen.”
FLICKR SLIDE SHOW - 9 million pictures!
Jeff talked about it being a challenge to design a contemporary space that is warm. I don’t agree with that as a professional kitchen designer, but it brings up a great issue. Do you see [...]
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The kitchen episode of the 2009 HGTV Design Star was so revealing and the design work so yeesh(!) (I take NO pleasure in this criticism) that I could not let it go after my previous post on this episode. A busy summer allowed my angst to go on hold for awhile, but tonight’s Design Star finale put the pressure on me to share more insight on kitchen design issues from that episode!
My good friend and colleague, Kelly Morisseau of Kitchen_Sync and I have teamed up to deliver the insight. Kelly took the warm modern kitchen, and I took the Moroccan/Italian-fusion-ridiculousness kitchen. I’ve been to Morocco, I love Morocco, but Moroccan/Italian fusion?
 Kelly and I are each equally comfortable with modern and traditional design. Together, we have decided to show our readers that great things can be done with stock cabinets. You just need creativity. Kelly understands this and has worked HER magic to design a better version, in many ways, of the warm modern theme, the second kitchen on this episode.
Here’s another piece of insight: For those who are committed to producing good design, a kitchen meant to last 20+ [...]
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You can cook without a hood or a vent, but moisture, grease, odors, and heat from cooking on a cooktop can damage the rest of your kitchen.
Also, steam from cooking condenses on windows and walls, and in some cases carbon monoxide from the burning of gas can build up.
A range or cooktop hood or vent will remove most if not all of the above problems.
Hood Styles
Hood choices range from basic ductless wall-mount units, to systems with lights, timers, and easy-clean surfaces.
You can buy hidden slim-line hood designs which are concealed under cabinets which slide out when in use. Another kind can be used as a shelf for microwaves with the venting fans underneath. Yet another kind can incorporate a wall-mounted microwave above the range.
Hoods come in many styles, stainless steel, tile, or paneling that matches the cabinetry, for example.
The hood or vent should be at least as wide as the range top.
Hood components
Most hoods have a fan which moves stale air from inside the hood to the outside through ducts. There are two types of fans; axial, which have blades similar to ordinary fans, and centrifugal, [...]
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You’re hearing it more and more…the kitchen is the new living room. The drum beat is getting louder. I think we were shocked by the financial 