Kitchen Star

Electrolux is celebrating it’s 90th anniversary by creating a photo exhibit and on-line gallery of 90 customers and their most memorable kitchen experience.

If you’d like to be an Electrolux Kitchen Star, email a picture of yourself preferably with a view of the kitchen appliance with a short description of your Kitchen Star moment to info@electroluxkitchenstars.com.

You could write about when you proposed to your wife in the kitchen or when you cooked your first big Holiday meal all by yourself.

The selected 90 Kitchen Stars will receive the iconic Electrolux ErgoRapido in addition to being featured in a photo exhibition. Good Luck!

October 25, 2008January 10, 2021

Good Design

How will the ongoing recession affect our interest in good design?

This is a question many designers are thinking about right now. Without a doubt we are spending more time in our homes. Our home is where we feel safe in an uncertain world. Staying home and entertaining at home also saves us money.

Trend analyst Faith Popcorn pointed out how people were living in a recessionary climate before the economists would admit that the recession existed.

“The overwhelming reaction is to pair down, to simplify…Nearly everyone is considering opting for a simpler life as we believe there is a real relief in getting off the consumer treadmill.”

Our time is very precious these days and we want our homes to be convenient and help us relax. Good design is critical in helping a person feel connected to their home and insulated from the problems outside their door.

A recession can have a positive side in that it makes us (whether we’re willing or not) re-assess, and chose to do things more intelligently next time. The interest in renewable resources, repurposing and eco-friendly products is at an all-time high level. While it seems only 30% of people are willing to spend more for Green products, the interest keeps pressure of companies to reevaluate their raw materials, manufacturing and packaging.

Instead of “Keeping up with the Joneses”, people are now in a competition to keep down with the Joneses. This battle to see who can do with the least has created a cultural mindset that less is more. As Faith puts it, “it’s cooler not to spend.”

As a designer I am forced to step up my game because people still want and need an emotional link with the spaces I design. The trick is to find and incorporate the one item they are excited or sentimental about. This can include designing an heirloom hutch into a new kitchen or resurfacing the ball and claw tub from the salvage shop for the master bathroom.

The one area where I find people are spending more is in organizational tools and storage aids. One reason is due to families downsizing their homes. With individuals moving into smaller homes, more creativity and organizational skills are needed to store their belongings. Another reason is due to the popularity of minimalist design and the desire to have things put away instead of out in the open.

As a person who admittedly tends to hold on to things too long and live amongst (some) clutter, I embrace this chance to rediscover what it is I really need.

October 8, 2008

Showtime House: Dexter Kitchen

showtime concept design | KitchAnn Style

Metropolitan Home magazine and Showtime Network teamed up to turn a New York townhouse into a modernist masterpiece creating different rooms inspired by 6 of the network’s shows -Californication, Dexter, The L Word, The Tudors and Weeds, plus the soon-to-be-launched United States of Tara.

Johnny Grey Studios designed the Dexter kitchen inspired by the character’s South Florida lifestyle reflecting Miami’s Art Deco architecture and tropical setting.

Grey chose to depart from the typical predictable kitchen. His blog discusses his desire to get away from the typical work triangle and create a space that will appeal to the visitors’ senses.

Immediately upon seeing the kitchen you can’t help but notice the curved walnut countertops. I am reminded of the display Grey designed a few years ago for the Electrolux booth at KBIS. It’s very disappointing there are not more pictures of the kitchen available. I was able to find many photos of the Dexter Dining Room.

Grey used many natural materials including Aspen, Walnut, Blogged Oak, Zebra grain Maple, Bloodwood and Teak Tiles. He used Caesarstone on the countertops, windows and bookcases to give a nod to Miami’s modern architecture. Paints were also inspired by Miami and ranged from ocean blues to spicey hues.

Metropolitan Home’s Showtime House is located at 23 Gramercy Park South and will be open to the public for tours until October 26, 2008. Proceeds from the tour ticket sales will benefit Nemcova’s non-profit organization, Happy Hearts Fund. For more information about tickets and tours at the showhouse, visit www.methome.com/showtime.

October 2, 2008

GE Develops Power Shifting Appliances

General Electric will be testing a line of appliances which can wirelessly communicate with special “smart” electric meters.

The electric meters, in use by many utility companies across America, send signals to the appliances that direct the appliances to alter operations to use less electricity during peak times.

”Now that ENERGY STAR® appliances are recognized by 75% of American consumers, the next step is to reshape when energy is being used,” said Kevin Nolan, Vice President Technology for GE Consumer & Industrial.

For example, the automatic defrost feature on GE refrigerators is initiated by the internal electronics based on the number of refrigerator door openings and other input signals. If the refrigerator can delay the defrost cycle from occurring during peak energy usage hours, consumers will save money by paying for the same amount of energy later in the day when the rates are lower.

The appliance does have the option to override the commands so the appliances can operate at full power during peak times.

GE will introduce the suite of Energy Management Enabled Appliances in the first quarter of 2009. The new “smart” appliances will include refrigerators, ranges, laundry pairs, microwave ovens, and dishwashers.