Every publication at the end of the year seems to feature
“lists” – news stories, people who made the news, the best photographs, and so
on. I do find them thought provoking and
a good way to define a year.
Likewise a recent article in one of the professional
journals I read may be of interest if one of your New Year’s Resolutions is to
renovate your kitchen
The article, “Most-Asked-About Products” in Kitchen and Bath
Design News, featured products tallied from reader requests made throughout
the year – about 2,000 in all. Of note,
many of the products on the list incorporated sustainable, eco-conscious
materials such as bamboo, natural stone and LED lighting.
Of the featured products, the following are my favorites and
the ones I will try to make part of my kitchen design projects in the coming
year.
Bamboo Countertops
The manufacturer, Teragren Bamboo states, “People like the
warmth…carmelized coffee color is the trend… they are bacteria resistant and
feature a mineral oil/beeswax finish.”
Decorative LED Splash Element Designs’ offer of a
backsplash of painted glass, architectural resin or decorative metals
incorporated with LED lighting is eye-catching.
It’s a win-win – very unique and adding light where you need it most
around the countertop.
Decorative Hardware
If you have looked at hardware recently, the choices for this finishing
touch “jewelry” is mind-boggling. So why
is so much of what is chosen the “same
old-same old?” Granted, it may not be
in the budget to place a more expensive piece in a high quality design and
finish on every cabinet. But why not
feature something unusual in some areas – pantry doors, a center island, a wet
bar or tableware cabinets? Look at the
three-dimensional designs from Metaltec Innovations or Jamestown
Furniture Hardware with its many options of finishes on solid brass.
Quartz Stone Countertops Cambria, a company with product
stocked in Ohio, has an exciting palette of Greenguard-certified quartz in 16
new colors – “in shades that possess significant movement, depth and
veining.” This material is an
excellent alternative to granite.
Power Center Grommets There can never be enough outlets in a
kitchen. Outwater Plastics Industries
has a great solution to placing numerous outlets in the backsplash area. While I always recommend using a strip of
outlets, combined with under-cabinet lighting, this offers three power outlets
and a waterproof seal designed especially for kitchens. Voila!
It pops up when you need it and slides down into the counter when you
don’t.
Laminate Countertops
Not everyone has, or even has to have, the budget for natural stone
countertops. Gone are the days when
laminate was the plain, boring and simple choice. All of the laminate manufacturers – Wilsonart
and Formica are just two of them – now use the most advanced
printing technology that capture the details of granite slabs. Laminates are very good alternatives,
especially for a price sensitive upgrade.
Pendant Lights
I really like the very contemporary “rail system” of lighting for a
kitchen. It allows you to use spots of
task light where you need them as well as adding decorative fixtures as
well. WAC Lighting pendants feature
glass designs from artisans in the Pacific Northwest. – forest hues, sandstone
formations and tone-on-tone speckled
motifs.
Next month I will list the most-requested bath
products. Happy Renovating in 2011!
