Michael S. Smith “Kitchens and Baths”

I recently went to the Ann Sacks Tile Showroom, in the Gramercy Park area of Manhattan, for the book signing of Michael S. Smith’s newly released book, Kitchens and Baths. It was a little chilly that day and after a drive into the city a nice glass of wine at the showroom was a welcoming touch. Including being a world renowned designer, the interior designer to the Obamas in the White House and author, Michael S. Smith is just the nicest person you could ever meet. If I look and sound like a fan, it’s because I am.

Vita Anne Burdi, CKD, CBD and Michael S. Smith, author of Kitchens and Baths... Isn't the Ann Sacks showroom just beautiful?

This is a third book by Michael S. Smith. “The newest book from acclaimed designer Michael S. Smith showcases his exceptional take on kitchens and baths, the busiest yet most personal rooms in a home. Legendary designer Michael S. Smith has stories to tell about kitchens and bathrooms – those he has designed himself, and those that inspire him. In this fascinating and inspirational book, Smith, who has his own line of kitchen and bath fixtures for Kohler, explains how these rooms define a house. ”

Kitchens and Baths by Michael S. Smith

The book is a great inspiration to me, as a Certified Kitchen Designer and Certified Bath designer. The book is also split into different categories like “Beach”, “Town” and “Country”, each bringing the reader into a different but equally stunning experience. I encourage everyone to pick up a copy at the bookstore or online. Share with me your feeling of inspiration, from Michael S. Smith’s Kitchens and Baths book, to redesign the most utilized and most important rooms in your home.

* Vita Anne Burdi, Certified Kitchen Designer, Certified Bath Designer, is the co-owner and vice president of DJ’s Home Improvements, a design-and-build company licensed and insured in Nassau and Suffolk counties of Long Island, NY, since 1990. Her dedication and experience lends her to create and design, innovatively, all projects in home remodeling, including specialties in kitchen remodels, bath remodels, additions of dormers and extensions, decks, basement remodels, and many more upgrades in home improvements. Vita is a leader and designer of award-winning projects and has been featured and quoted in publications such as The New York Times, Newsday, Remodeling Magazine, Remodeling News, and Lowes for Pros. Vita is also an active member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) and the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA). Please visit www.djshome.com for more information and to view some of the awards designed by Vita.

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Ins and Outs: New Kitchen and Bath Ideas

As a Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer, I scour articles on kitchen and bath design every day, looking for innovative ideas and products in our industry. Combined with my on-the-job experiences, here’s a look at a few trends and ideas that are fading out this year as well as other emerging trends in kitchen and bath design currently happening, especially in our area.

Kitchens

Fading Out: Distressed finishes dropped significantly from a year ago, when they were used by 16% of designers, to just 5%.

Emerging: Dark Finishes… Dark natural finishes are chosen over medium natural, glazed, and white painted finishes

Fading Out: Too much effort and budget into the design of the exterior with little thought to the interior where people spend most of their time.

Emerging: DO give some attention to your ceilings by installing a coffered or tray ceiling, and even add color with paint. Treat it like a fifth wall.

Fading Out: Incorporation of wine refrigerators, gadgets like built-in espresso makers, beer tap dispensers, independent ice-makers (systems that take a fair amount of energy and planning but return very little usefulness.)

Emerging: to continue incorporating wine storage into kitchen design, unchilled wine storage is growing in popularity.

Fading Out: Freezer-top refrigerators were only specified by 8% of designers as 2010 drew to a close.

Emerging: According to the NKBA (National Kitchen and Bath Association) french door refrigerators jumped from 67% to 78% as the type most often specified by its members.

Fading Out: Commercial stoves and over-sized exhaust hoods. Oversized exhaust hoods can depressurize a home causing back-drafting down chimney flutes, etc. Bad air can get sucked from your garage or down your chimney.

Emerging: Instead of the commercial stove, try an induction cooktop. It is closer to 85% efficient in terms of usefully applying its input energy into heating your food. Gas cooktops are still the most specified.

Fading Out: Incandescent lighting and halogen lighting, even CFL’s due to poor quality of light produced.

Emerging: Designers are clearly opting for more energy-efficient lighting options. LED (light-emitting diode) lighting has increased from 47% to 54%.

Bathrooms

Fading Out: Using all and any green products. Thoughtful design with use of the right green materials and applications are more appropriate and green.

Emerging: Quartz continues to take away market share from granite in the market for bathroom vanity tops.

Fading Out: Fireplaces in the master bath and master bedroom. They are found to be rarely used when installed.

Emerging: Green bathrooms (the color green). While white and off-white palettes are up, beiges are down as well as browns. Other common color tones include blues, grays, and bronzes and terracottas.

Fading Out: Oversized tubs in master bath. “You get much more use of an oversized shower, especially if it has access to an outdoor private courtyard.” – Ed Binkley, AIA

Emerging: Under-mount sinks continue to dominate newly remodeled bathrooms. however, vessel sinks have become the clear second choice among designers.

Fading Out: Brushed nickel faucets and stainless steel (in bathrooms).

Emerging: Satin nickel faucets, as well as bronze, oil-rubbed bronze, polished chrome and polished nickel are still high in popularity.

These were just a few of my observations from the kitchen and bath design industry. What do you think of this list?

I’d love to hear from you…

– Vita Anne Burdi, CKD, CBD

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A Beginner’s Guide to Updating Your Kitchen – Cabinetry Style 02

Continued from : “A Beginner’s Guide to Updating Your Kitchen – Cabinetry Style 01”…

First of all, Everyone, Happy Holidays! Best wishes to you and all of your friends and family!

Now that we have discussed some of the steps in designing your kitchen and choosing a direction in your style of cabinetry, let’s take a look at some of the cabinet finishes you will be deciding on.

We are using examples from the Kraftmaid cabinetry line, a line I use often for its beauty, durability and affordability.

Line of Kraftmaid cabinetry

* Please click on the names to see an example

Stained Finishes – enhances the inherent beauty of each wood type

Highlighted Finishes – a base stain hand-rubbed for maximum absorption

Glazed Finishes – a base stain is applied and then a coat of glaze, emphasizes subtle variation in color

Antique Glazed Finishes – for an heirloom look

Burnished Finishes – creates the warm traditional look of fine furniture

Painted Finishes – heavily pigmented for beautiful color

Vintage Finishes – labor-intensive finish process creates the heirloom look, distressed and over-sanded

Thermofoil – for flawless silky smooth surfaces

These are just some finishes, but there are also many other things to consider in selecting your new cabinetry. To see some of our completed projects using some of these cabinetry finishes, please visit our kitchens portfolio on http://djshome.com/kitchens_portfolio.html.

More to Come on Cabinetry Style, the Beginnings of Updating Your Kitchen…

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A Beginner’s Guide to Updating Your Kitchen – Cabinetry Style 01

Cabinet manufacturers have an extensive offering of styles, finishes, storage solutions and decorative enhancements, so you can personalize your living space with the perfect combination of cabinetry details. There are many ways to begin your journey.

Steps to Your New Cabinetry:

Inspiration (Find Your Style)

Selection (Explore Your Options and Discuss with your Designer)

Request (Your Designer Orders a Finish and Door Sample)

Design and Order (Your Designer Presents Your Newly Created Space)

Installation – the Designer Oversees (Enjoy Your New Cabinetry Design)

Planning Your Design

Creating a personalized living space takes careful planning. Choosing your own unique combination of features, from the door style to the finish to decorative hardware and enhancements, will bring your own personal style to life. Make sure your designer orders finish and door samples to help finalize your selection.

You may be inspired to choose a finish color first, or perhaps you’ll gravitate toward a certain door style from the very beginning. Just follow your instinct and use the following information to create your own path. With so many choices, you can design a living space that’s so personal, it could only belong to you.

Cabinetry Options To Look For…

There are beautiful options for just about everyone. Enjoy the journey of creating an attractive living space you are proud to call your own.

Standard Cabinetry Features:

– Full-depth shelves provide 25% more usable storage space per cabinet than half-depth shelves.

– Sturdy ¾” thick shelves are adjustable for maximum storage capacity

– Special Permaset™ bumpers cushion doors for a quiet close

– Concealed hinges are adjustable six ways for optimum door alignment

– Round face frames duplicate the appearance of fine furniture and keep hands scrape-free

– Cabinet boxes feature I-beam braces or corner blocks for stability and strength

– The 14-step fine furniture finish process brings out the innate beauty of the wood

Standard Drawer Features:

Full-extension, self-closing drawer buffer system provides easy access to contents and closes drawers quietly

All-wood drawer boxes with dovetail construction provide strength and durability

Greater clearance between the drawer box and cabinet frame enables storage of larger items

FINDING YOUR STYLE

Before you begin the selection process, I recommend finding your personal style with the help of your designer.

What’s Your Style? …

Contemporary: Sleek, modern, sophisticated
Classically Traditional: Authentic, refined, time-honored
Natural and Warm: Informal, inviting, Cozy
Luxe transitional: Distinct, stylish, striking
Light and Timeless: Simple, streamlined, functional

More to Come on Cabinetry Style, the Beginnings of Updating Your Kitchen…

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Your Home Is Your Ketchup Bottle

By Matt Thornhill of Boomer Project for Reed Business Information.

For more than 120 years the iconic Heinz ketchup bottle was made one way – in glass, with a metal screw top, and packed to the top with America’s favorite ketchup. Of course, it was really difficult to get a tomato concoction with the consistency of mayonnaise and the viscosity of butter to “pour” easily from the bottle, but never you mind, that’s how we make it.

Heinz knew its bottle was difficult to operate and the ketchup slow to emerge, requiring either the strength of Hercules, vigorously banging on the bottle bottom, or the skill of Hippocrates, surgically using a table knife. Consumers knew, too. That’s why one of the most memorable advertising campaigns of the past 50 years was the Heinz ketchup commercial using Carly Simon’s anthem, “An-tic-i-pa-tion.” Making me wait, for sure.

Explain, then: Why did Heinz abandon that iconic glass bottle some 10 years ago for a plastic bottle, turned upside down(!), with a flip top and easy-to-squeeze sides? Why in the world would the company give up its most dramatic and unique point of difference for added functionality? The answer, it turns out, is universal.

Universal design, that is.

Heinz realized that it could build a better mousetrap – or in this case, bottle – by turning it upside down, making the contents easier to dispense, and therefore accessible to, well, everyone who likes condiments. The concept behind designing products that everyone can use, whether they are 4 or 84 years old, is called “universal design.”

It isn’t the most descriptive of terms – as one home builder recently told us, it’s not a “picture word” – but it does explain the basic thinking behind the next big thing in design of everything: products, homes, cars, buildings, you name it.

Heinz and others are embracing universal design because they have paid attention to the changing demographic portrait of today’s American consumer: We’re all getting older. By 2015, according to the Census projections, one out of three people in America will be over the age of 50. And every single one of them likely loves condiments.

We’re fortunate to be involved in a new effort to help enlighten more companies like Heinz to embrace the concepts of universal design. A group of stakeholders in the housing and home building industries – including the National Association of Home Builders, the National Association of Realtors, Builder magazine, and groups like AARP and the Boomer Project – are talking about how to encourage more companies and organizations to follow universal design concepts. This group is interested in building homes and products for consumers to use in homes that will make it possible for more of them to grow old in place.

Homes in the current “built environment” have followed the same conventions Heinz followed for more than 120 years – we do it this way because we’ve always done it this way. Homes are built on the assumption that every resident will always be able to climb stairs, reach countertops, bend easily to reach electric outlets, and so forth. But in truth, older consumers can have difficulty with some of those basic design features. Where is it written that electric outlets are only 18 inches off the floor? Why can’t they be 24 inches high? Why must we use hard-to-grasp door knobs when an easy-to-turn lever costs no more?

As boomers continue to grow older (we never say “age”), isn’t it time we started modifying our homes to be more accommodating to our changing needs? Isn’t it time we made our castle more like the Heinz ketchup bottle – more functional and simply easier to use?

The answer of course is “yes.” Yet when we look around at those involved in developing products for use in the home we find only one or two good examples of universal design. Thanks to Oxo Brand’s “Good Grips,” kitchen utensils are now much easier to use. Makers of washers and dryers have created pedestal versions that are easier to load and unload, without bending over.

That clearly isn’t enough. How easy is it to use your TV’s remote control? Can you even see the controls on the thermostat? How much contorting and twisting are required to maneuver in your own bathroom to get into the tub or shower, or access the towel? Is every cabinet and pantry in your kitchen accessible without getting out a stool, or getting on bended knee?

It’s time to design all of these things for all of us. Whether we are 4 or 84. Everything in our homes, including our home itself, needs to follow the example set by Heinz.

Your future house is in that ketchup bottle.

** Vita Burdi, a Certified Kitchen Designer and Certified Bath Designer, is a remodeling designer and Vice President of DJ’s Home Improvements since 1990. She has been contracted to design few kitchens and baths for aging-in-place use (aka Universal Design) and promotes public awareness of the importance of universal design. Please visit djshome.com for more project photos.

If you would like a professional to assist you, please call DJ’s Home Improvements at 516-775-8696, or visit http://www.djshome.com to see some of our completed projects for design ideas. DJ’s Home Improvements is a design-build remodeling company with 40 years combined experience, licensed in Nassau and Suffolk counties of Long Island New York.

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