Jade French Door Wall Oven

My previous post about the French Door Wall Oven from American Range seemed to draw a lot of interest so I couldn’t wait to report the news that Jade Appliances is working on their own French door model for shipment in 2008.

The tandem doors open to 135 degrees on both sides, providing easy access. The doors are also spring-loaded from the 90 degree position to the fully open position to ensure that they never close inadvertently. The oven will have convection bake and broil capabilities with electronic controls and roller racks.

August 6, 2007

HGTV Kitchens Abysmal

I decided I had to watch the HGTV Design Star Sunday night since they were making over two kitchens. The results were not good. The HGTV website tries to gloss over how bad the rooms are by taking photos from a distance and showcasing other areas like the Dining Room that were more the designers’ fortes.

The kitchen below was not finished. The designers did not allocate their budget or resources well. They chose to do a black ceramic tile countertop but they did not purchase enough material and did not even grout the tile they had down. No amount of accessories is going to fix this room – although they tried. The judges commented that they liked the old kitchen better. I’m not sure what the home owners thought, their reactions were not revealed. Other comments on the HGTV site are just as scathing citing the lack of lighting and bad material choices.

The “winning” kitchen was not much better. A heavy crackle finish was applied to the upper cabinets leaving the lower cabinets with only new hardware. The time spent faux painting the backsplash should have been devoted to finishing the cabinets. While the homeowners were pleased with their results, the judges commented that they should have had better.

Their is truth in hiring a Kitchen Designer to get the best results.

June 18, 2007

Microsoft Developing Kitchen Software

Microsoft is beginning work on the first of a family of customized Windows platforms designed for specific rooms around the home.

The “Kitchen Client” software will extend the Windows operating system and integrate with current and future Windows Live services. The software is expected to include a family calendar, recipe center, entertainment features and a shared bulletin board. The Kitchen Client will encompass both customized user interface and middleware that will allow developers to further customize the environment with their own products and services.

Source

June 5, 2007

The Digital Kitchen

Last month the Internet Alliance Home Research Council announced the results of a study citing which technology innovations homeowners want most to add in the future .

A survey of 602 homeowners revealed that the kitchen functions as the nerve center of the house, with most families doing much more than just cooking and eating there. Popular activities in the kitchen include doing homework, paying bills, planning schedules, entertaining friends, talking on the phone and leaving messages for family members.

It’s not surprising that the primary kitchen user is also the person in charge of keeping the schedules. Which is why a digital calender is the most requested item. Respondents stated they want a large screen calendar that allows users to add appointments or post notes that anyone can see from either the kitchen or the internet.

The next most requested item is a recipe projection system. Consumers reported wanting a wireless recipe projection system that would allow them to look up a recipe on-line and then have the recipe projected onto a surface in the kitchen from a small cabinet-mounted device keeping countertops clutter free.

Homeowners did not show much interst in refrigerators or pantries that scan barcodes; instead they cited wanting a control hub in the kitchen. From there they want to be able to monitor and adjust the household systems. Specifically, they requested a screen where they can view the temperature inside and outside of their home, adjust the thermostat on a touch pad and view live video of both the front and back of their house.

Other requested items included wireless internet access and charging stations for charging 3 phones or PDAs at the same time regardless of brand.