Calacatta Nuvo

Caesarstone’s interpretation of natural Calacatta marble, Calacatta Nuvo brings you wide, elegant, cascading, grey veins on a white opaque base.

Calacatta Nuvo 5131, available nationwide this fall, comes in 20mm polished slabs 56.5″ x 120.”

Calacatta Nuvo makes an unforgettable impression and upgrades any interior design into a masterpiece. This latest design from Caesarstone offers the beauty of luxurious natural stone with the ease of Caesarstone care and maintenance.

Its hard, nonporous surface makes Caesarstone simple to clean. In most cases, soap and water or a mild detergent is all that is required to maintain its luster. If necessary, apply common, non-abrasive, household cleaners such as Soft Scrub Liquid Gel with Bleach or Comet Soft Cleanser Cream With Bleach directly on a damp cloth or sponge and wipe the surface, rinsing thoroughly after cleaning.

Caesarstone products come with Limited Lifetime Warranty as long as your material is permanently installed inside your primary residence and not used as flooring. If you prefer your local fabricator add a honed finish to your slab be aware that this could void your warranty.

August 17, 2014

Fifty Fifty Kitchen Concept

Fifty Fifty Room Divider Storage |KitchAnn Style

I came across this interesting room divider, called Fifty Fifty from Florida, an Italian manufacturer. This creative collection of kitchen components and furniture centers on a bookcase room divider with a dining table that slides to create seating or extra work space in the kitchen.

The table comes in incremental sizes from 162 to 272 cm in length or about 63.75″ to 107″. When not in use, the kitchen extension can be retracted and you can’t even tell it’s there.

Versatility is very important in kitchen design. The freedom to adapt our surroundings based on the task at hand makes living easier and isn’t that what everyone wants?

How do you like this concept? Would you prefer this to an open plan concept with a large island with seating?

July 9, 2014

Rustic Plank Inspiration

Rustic plank bathroom wall idea |KitchAnn Style

Using rustic planks can be a great DIY, low-budget way to make a room have more visual appeal. I’ve put together a collection of photos from the web to serve as inspiration.

This simple hallway goes from ho-hum to cottage chic with textured planks on the ceiling.

These stairs would look so boring and plain without the plank façade.

This modern look is kept from looking sterile by using wooden planks for the fireplace surround.

Using coordinating paint is a great way to save on material for this reading nook.

Mixing unexpected materials such as marble with rustic planks makes a room more appealing.

Milling reclaimed planks into countertops will add lots of personality to a kitchen.

Facing an existing wall with wood planks in a great DIY project.

Here’s a great use of reclaimed planks for just outside your door.

Consider running planks vertically on a wall for a an updated feel.

Sometimes a small accent is best used.

I just loved this picture and wanted to throw it in. Keeping colors in mind is so important to themed décor.

June 29, 2014

GE’s New Micro-Kitchen Concepts

There seems to be ever growing interest in Small Living these days. Whether it’s due to pure necessity for tiny apartment dwellers and mobile home owners, a desire to live more sustainably, or for spiritual and health reasons; simple living is a distinct lifestyle.

As many people search for ways to de-stress, de-clutter (mentally & physically) and move away from materialism they begin to practice mindful consumption.

Mindful Consumption: where you have everything you need and nothing you don’t. Mindful consumption restores balance in everyday life leading to less stress and better overall health.

For many Americans, the biggest turn-off from small-space living is the kitchen, or lack thereof. Fortunately, GE Appliances has chosen to tackle this challenge by creating “micro-kitchen concepts that help people maintain or enhance their lifestyle in substantially less square footage.”

GE designers created the monoblock, a fully customizable standalone unit with cooking, cleaning, and refrigeration in a single standalone six-foot enclosure. It’s designed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding cabinetry, and is controlled by a digital panel integrated into the countertop edge.

The monoblock was recently shown at Dwell on Design in LA with a price tag of $15,000.

A second concept presented by GE is a 24″ wide modular drawer system designed to give homeowners more freedom is selecting the appliances and components they need. All traditional kitchen appliances, including a microwave oven, conventional oven, convertible refrigerator and freezer, and dishwasher are drawer-based. The cooktop and downdraft system also are based on the 24″ modules. These units come ready to accept custom panels to fit any decor style.

I saw the prototypes for the micro-kitchen when I was in Louisville at the Monogram Experience Center last fall. I wasn’t allowed to talk about it then but I’m happy to say I was really thrilled to see such forward thinking from GE.

These units of course don’t have to be limited to kitchens, they would be perfect for company break rooms, master suites and bars.

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.” – E.F. Schumacker

FirstBuild

GE built their own microfactory production facility on the University of Louisville (UofL) Belknap Campus, called FirstBuild that will allow them to produce their micro-kitchen concept in late 2014.

UofL, which owns the building where FirstBuild will be housed, will be much more involved than a typical landlord. UofL and GE Appliances have plans to create an Advanced Manufacturing hub where students can conduct research while getting practical training on the latest additive manufacturing and technologies in the micro-factory setting.

More than just a factory, with the launch of FirstBuild.com, GE has created a global community dedicated to conceiving, engineering and building the next generation of major appliances.

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” – Hans Hofmann, Introduction to the Bootstrap, 1993