Easy Greening for your Kitchen

I am guilty of two things:
1). one is making enough time in my day to work out. I know I should get up earlier to make time to walk 30 minutes or work out after work. Oh, the excuses. First excuse: I need to use my quiet time in the morning to focus on writing purchase orders before the phone starts ringing and the distractions start. 2nd excuse: I am too exhausted at the end of the day to work out.

2.) the second thing I am guilty of is not writing in my blog often enough. I admit, this is a fun addiction, but like working out, it is something I have to make time for in my day.

With all the information coming at us everyday, I have to limit what I can put on my "to do list" everyday. If I can do something to simplify my life, I am all for it, that includes what I buy.

One thing I do well is watching out for what I buy and my efforts to "keep green" where I can.
I want to share with you some great tips I read at Green Living . The article, written by Melissa Breyer, is called Kitchen Plastic: Easy Greening. Did you know there are easy things you can do to "get going with Green"? She shows you how to protect yourself from "toxic" plastic. Then she offers some great alternatives to plastic.

With all the "identifiers" for plastics to determine which are toxic and which are not,
you almost need to carry a cheat sheet with you when shopping at the grocery store! Actually, if you print her tips and fold it in your wallet, it tucks away nicely! It's really a good idea to know about safer options. We do all we can to eat healthy and exercise to keep our minds and body in top shape, but don't forget that how we accept our food packaging and how we dispose of it is just as important. Did you know that plastic packaging can last a 1000 years in a landfill?

The next time you go grocery shopping, think about the packaging. Tell the grocery store manager you want alternative packaging methods to plastic. Hand them Melissa Breyer's article. Cutting plastic out of our lives will take some weaning at first but we can do it! Admittingly, despite keeping at least half a dozen canvas shopping bags in my trunk, on occasion I forget to bring them with me into the market. So back to Guilty Item # 1, next time I forget my canvas shopping bags in my car, I can accomplish two tasks on my to do list by running back to my car to get my canvas bags!
Happy shopping!
Laurie

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A Little Rough Around the Edges

I came across this photo at Design Sponge and stopped to inspect it closely.
I think it is a charming photo giving us a glimpse of a small kitchen space done very inexpensively but "oh so cute" in the details. So you don't have a ton of money to redo your space? With a little innovation you can turn anything into charming with a little "do-it-your-self work" that costs barely anything.
What works:

1. The cinder block wall is painted a dark chocolate brown that sets off the white cabinets. Hides flaws, your eye won't focus there but on the cute collections on the shelf.
   
2. They painted the exposed electrical conduit the same color as the walls. Great way of hiding flaws.
   
3. Open stainless steel shelves with white plates works great as a inexpensive alternative to cabinets. Keeps the space from being weighed down with top heavy cabinets that make a space look smaller.
   
4. No doors on the white cabinet. If cabinet doors are ugly, take them off. A fresh coat of paint hides all sins.
   
5. Wall mounted utensil holder serves two purposes, additional storage space + it hides the coldness of the cinderblock wall.
   
6. It's edited. Bowls, cups, plates, glasses are shown as bare minimum. Only one small appliance on the counter. Buying too much and having it all hang out creates chaos.
   
7. Left of the sink, The counter is tiled in an interesting tile pattern. The cabinet doors are removed there as well, and a black and white fabric installed in place.
   
8. The stainless steel sink and counter look prefab with a very inexpensive faucet but still looks tre' chic because the homeowner designed the space with a great color combination. This is black and white at it's finest on a tight budget! My only idea would be to change the knobs on the cabinet to a stainless pull or a little larger white knob.
   

This kitchen is located in a Brownstone in Brooklyn. Samira Gagne, lives here with her husband Kapono Chung. Read more on what else they did in this space. They really did a fine job with "found objects", infusing their own creativity in the space. Creative! What a happy space!

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More Talk Around the Blogs on What Else? Color in the Kitchen

Have we gone so neutral that we are starved for color? Kitchens never have to be bland. Ok, so the ranges above are a bit wild and may not sell in Iowa, but the point is we have freedom of choice to add color where ever we want in appliances, paint on the walls, choice of artwork, tile splashes, textures and colors for counters, cabinets and hardware means that you can personalize your kitchen with color in any form you desire. Me? Color me happy with anything other than white walls. I tend to shudder when clients want white walls and white ceilings. Give me white appliances, white cabinets and white sinks, but I would really rather eat paste than paint my walls white. Wild pattern on appliances , I am not so inclined to take the plunge preferring muted color pallets instead, but colored LED lighting my water is groovy!

Here is what is going on in the world of design: Over at Design Undercover, the talk is about Cookers in Britain (that's a "range" to you and me in America), coloring up in new shades. The Cooker as Couture? Inspired from the Catwalks of London, Paris and Milan to Britannia's new line of Couture Ranges. Leave it to the Europeans. Ooh, la, la!

Britannia says: "Get your inspiration from anywhere and we’ll match it!You're free to take your colour inspiration from absolutely anywhere and it can be as outrageous or subtle a colour as you like."

Over at Trendir the news is on Italian new colored Temperautra Colorata Faucet by Guglielmi.

Within this modern form, the Guglielmi Kitchen faucet features an integrated LED light which reveals the water's temperature through the use of color. Cool water appears brilliant blue, warm water a vibrant violet, while hot is a fiery red. A wonderful faucet for children, the simple use of color adds both a safety feature and a modern glamour. A clever and dynamic design, the Temperatura Colorata faucet by Guglielmi uses LED technology to create an innovative kitchen fixture.

Back in the States: the statement in color for 2007 is more subdued: The newest colors introduced this year: Jenn-Air introduced Oiled Bronze appliances at the 2007 Kitchen and Bath Show.

Jenn-Air combines the traditionalism of bronze sculpture with the polished look of stainless steel accents to create a unique, enduring Oiled Bronze finish for kitchen appliances.

The depth of bronze hues, coupled with the stainless steel handles and hardware, allows the Oiled Bronze kitchen suite to balance with other design features in the kitchen. This versatility allows consumers to outfit a full kitchen of Oiled Bronze appliances or add an Oiled Bronze offering to soften kitchens with stainless steel or black appliances.

The Oiled Bronze finish is available on refrigerators, dishwashers, wall ovens, cook tops and hoods.

Perlick also introduced Amethyst and Copper into their line up of under counter refrigeration systems. Amethyst? Yes, This isn't the first appearance of tints and shades from the purple family of colors. We've seen AGA's Aubergine and Heather and Caesarstone's Mulberry Mist.

Not sure how to integrate color into your kitchen? Take a look at these sources for some additional help.

Christopher Lowell has a magnificent talent for coordinating color. Go to the Room Designer page, to help you visualize what the coordinated colors will look like in a room,

"we’ve developed our Room Designer feature. We’ll show you how the colors of the walls, ceiling and trim look together. It’s easy to use. Just roll over the wall color below and watch the room change. Is this cool or what?"

Dunn Edwards offers a Palette Previewer that lets you upload photos of your room and try out a multitude of color combinations on the walls and trim moldings. Fabulous!

Download Benjamin Moore's Ensemble Winter 2007 catalog for inspiring room combinations.

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Woods to avoid and Alternatves

I am settling into my Town House I moved into this past August. One project I look forward to planning is my garden. Eager to make a Zen garden, I am ready to dig in and start sourcing materials. Of course, researching comes naturally to me and I wanted to learn about all types of benches for outdoor longevity.

I came across a lovely 48" wood garden bench made out of solid Nyatoh wood. I have never heard of it and looked it up. Unfortunately, I read Dozens of Retailers are Selling Outdoor Furniture Logged from Endangered Forests, Nyatoh being one of them.

The demand for nyatoh, balau, kapur and other woods used in outdoor furniture is causing tropical forest destruction and illegal intrusions on indigenous peoples’ lands in Southeast Asia, mostly in Indonesia. Indigenous cultures and native wildlife are being gravely harmed as their forest homelands are ruined by logging.

Not in my backyard!
I wanted a bench for respite and relaxation. A place to go for quiet solitude and meditation. How can I get that knowing the bench I am relaxing upon is causing a negative impact on other parts of this earth and contributing to tropical forest destruction? Do I sit on my duff and ignore what I know or do I search for eco-friendly alternatives? Who knew my little backyard plot of ground would be part of a larger ecological fallout? My soon to be created zen garden is now causing me anxiety! I will never be able to relax in my zen space if I didn't use ecologically sound materials. The answer is easy. Search for alternative sources.

Now what?
As a Designer, I feel a duty to be informed and to pass on information to my clients on what to avoid. As consumers, we have to be so aware of our purchases and the consequences they have on our health, everything from grout sealers to garden benches all have an impact on our health and our environment.

Fortunately, the lines of cabinets I sell, have earned their Certification in the Environmental Stewardship Program administered by the KCMA (Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturer's Association).

I am excerpting here a paragraph on Woods to Avoid from Guidelines for
Avoiding Wood from Endangered Forests published by Rainforest Relief.Org.

Do not buy from companies that sell or trade woods originating from
endangered forests or does not use in construction or remodeling off all its facilities woods originating from endangered forests .
“Endangered forests” are defined to include the following (additional areas may become threatened in the future and be added to future guidelines):

• tropical forests (excluding plantations);
• old growth or over harvested temperate forests;
• old growth boreal forests.

Acceptable Woods:

• reused (such as antique furniture),
  
• reclaimed (coming from non-living submerged forests, deconstructed buildings or a secondary product made from production remains),
  
• recycled(such as medium density fiberboard made from waste wood) or
  
• carry independent certification by an organization accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council*

So my search for a bench shall continue. Hopefully, I can come across an ecologically safe alternative.

Here is an idea I like:
Recycled Poly-Lumber Furniture!
Polywood is simply an HDPE plastic that is made from recycled plastic particularly from milk jugs and bottles. The recycled plastic is then shaped into various wood profiles you would find in a traditional wood product, two by fours, one by sixes, and the like.


Polywood is not the only manufacturer of recycled plastic lumber furniture. Permo-Wood,

Eco Lumber, Enviro-Lumber and EnviroWood are just a few others that are jumping on the band wagon, so to speak, and providing the consumer with green choices for furnishing our outdoor environments with class and style and ease of caring for our furniture as well as caring for the earth we all live on.

For more Eco-Friendly information please check out these helpful websites:
The Green Guide
At Home With Kim Vallee
Rainforest Relief.Org
Tree Hugger.Com
KBB Green

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Another Product Warning

Oh God, here we go again, more products to watch out for. Please click on the link above to follow the link to LA Times: Pardon Our Dust: Southern Calif. Remodeling Tales by Kathy Price.

Also just released: Florescent Ceiling Fixtures Sold exclusively at Home Depot recalled by Lithonia Lighting due to Shock Hazard

Even my beloved Pier 1 Import store has a recall listed in the updates.

Sorry to be the bearer of gloom and doom.
Bookmark this link and check in at least once a month to see what else turns up.

US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

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Pot Fillers

A reader asks: could you please discuss what to put behind a range--pot filler versus shelf, or can anyone have it all?

What is the most important item in a kitchen? Water! I have a real penchant for convincing clients to add a second sink in a kitchen. During the preparation of a meal, the main sink needs to be dedicated to clean up chores. It gets mighty challenging to fill pots, wash vegetables, drain pasta when you have only one sink and it is occupied. Adding a second water source is a luxury to a kitchen, but one item on my checklist I would ask for when planning a new kitchen.

Another handy water source in a kitchen is a pot filler. It can be a dangerous proposition taking a hot stock pot full of water over to the main sink if its full of dirty dishes. If I had my option to install a pot filler or a second sink, I would take the second sink over a pot filler in a second. I prefer having a second sink close to my range for preparing food, rinsing vegetables, draining hot water from the pasta pot and leaving the main sink for clean up. But pot fillers are a bonus to splurge on and handy unto themselves. There are drawbacks too, so plan carefully.

The question is where do you locate a wall mount pot filler?
Considerations:

1. What are the heights of your largest stock pots?
2. With a range top, consider that the grates will raise the pot up even further.
3. Will your range have a stainless shelf attached at the back?
   
4. Watch clearances of the folding elbow of the pot filler. There are two heights to a pot filler. The height of the spout is higher than the part coming out of the wall.
5. Locate the pot filler off center to accommodate the swing.
6. Make sure the water pressure is adequate to fill a pot of water.
7. Consider a Deck Mount Pot Filler as an alternative.
   

Kohler HiRise Kitchen Faucet. Notice the second sink next to the cook top. Ideal set up!

Everpure Pot Filler brings hi-flow filtered water to you right at the cooktop.

Wall mount pot filler off set for stainless shelf.

Kohler Pro Sink: The best of both. Never have to drain a hot pot of water again!

For more information visit the following link.
Kohler Pro Sinks

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Appliance Notes: Regressing With Stainless Steel

Appliance Notes: Regressing With Stainless Steel

Peggy Deras has spotlighted, (thanks Peggy), my interview with Kieth Wolf, BlueStar's Vice President of Marketing.

I am in agreement with Peggy about the downside of stainless steel maintenance. It is a nightmare of a chore to keep stainless sinks, ranges, refrigerators looking brilliant and spot free.

Stainless steel has a cache of it's own, but be prepared to pamper your stainless to keep it looking fresh. Check in with Kitchen Appliance Notes for articles on the good the bad and the ugly of stainless steel.

I am pleased to see the resurgence of color in appliances. Color doesn't mean brilliant red. You can select subdued colors. They are so much easier to maintain. And after all, who wants to be a slave to maintenance.

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Neutral Pallet for Artwork Collection

How do you design for a museum art curator and a graphic artist? The key was that the viewers eyes had to be drawn up towards the walls and what was to be displayed on the walls. My client's are art collectors. One of the key factors in their kitchen remodel was to keep a neutral pallet to let the art collection become the focus. A simple clean sensibility was in order for the cabinet design.

I love this space. It is flooded with light.
We opened the wall between the kitchen and dining room. Kept the peninsula counter at 48" high to keep the view of the sink counters out of view from the dining room table.
Concrete troweled fireplace. The Eurostone Counters in Anis play off the color of the fireplace.

New doors and Bay window open up the space to the outdoors and make the space appear larger than it really is. The before kitchen: (I wished I had a picture of it) there was a little breakfast table that used to occupy the space in front of the bay window. That used to be a standard window too.

Even the crown molding was kept subdued. We used a simple double stack stock with a beveled edge.
DCS 48 Range and Hood.42" Sub Zero.
Fiesta ware in Red, Yellow, Blue & Green.

A bench and colorful Dhurri Rug from India.

"Downtown Interchange" by Frank Romero, 2006.

Art collection: by Frank Romero. http://www.romerostudio.net/frank-romero-artwork.asp


Alta Dena, just north of Pasadena, CA is bordered on the north by the Angeles National Forest. A unique position. High enough up that in some areas you can see the ocean on a clear day...












...and also views of downtown LA on any given smoggy day.!

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Color, Color and More Color

If you have the urge to match your appliances to your back splash, BlueStar offers a color program unmatched in the residential appliance industry.

Plus I get to show you a few sneak peaks of their new line of wall ovens to be offered in 190 different colors. These pictures are not even in their web site yet!

So What Colors are the Most Popular with BlueStar Consumers?
I contacted Keith Wolf, BlueStar's Vice President of Marketing. Here are the facts provided by BlueStar:

- BlueStar offers our Residential Nova Burner (RNB) line of ranges in 190 colors. Currently, there is no charge to order a range in any of the 190 standard colors.

- Of the 190 colors, over 140 different colors have been ordered.

- Custom colors: BlueStar can custom match almost any color – 23,000 different colors are possible. There is a fee associated with color matching.

- More than 40% of BlueStar’s range sales are colored ranges.

- Our most popular colors are our Ruby Red, Steel Blue, and Jet Black.

- Consumers appreciate the ability to express themselves through the color of their kitchens/ranges; we’re also hearing that some consumers find the colored ranges easier to keep clean than stainless steel.

- We are about to introduce a line of wall ovens that will also be offered in 190 colors. Previews shown below.

- To find a color, we recommend that consumers visit a BlueStar dealer to view a RAL color swatch book. As you probably know, the colors on screen don’t always match up with the printed versions.

Preview of new Blue Star 24” single oven

Preview of new Blue Star 30” double oven

BlueStar Color Options

Visit BlueStar - Color Configurator to preview how one of their ranges looks in various colors, click here.

BlueStar ranges are available in 190 different colors - the most color options of any range in the industry. For a preview of how one of our ranges looks in various colors, click here.
RAL® Color Chart Use this guide to assist your color selection. Please note: This chart is intended as a reference guide only. RAL Computer Video simulations displayed may not exactly match RAL®-identified color standards. Use current RAL Color Publications for most accurate color. RAL 1000 RAL 1001 RAL 1002 RAL 1003 RAL 1004 RAL 1005 RAL 1006 RAL 1007 RAL 1011 RAL 1012 RAL 1013 RAL 1014 RAL 1015 RAL 1016 RAL 1017 RAL 1018 RAL 1019 RAL 1020 RAL 1021 RAL 1023 RAL 1024 RAL 1027 RAL 1028 RAL 1032 RAL 1033 RAL 1034 RAL 2000 RAL 2001 RAL 2002 RAL 2003 RAL 2004 RAL 2008 RAL 2009 RAL 2010 RAL 2011 RAL 2012 RAL 3000 RAL 3001 RAL 3002 RAL 3003 RAL 3004 RAL 3005 RAL 3007 RAL 3009 RAL 3011 RAL 3012 RAL 3013 RAL 3014 RAL 3015 RAL 3016 RAL 3017 RAL 3018 RAL 3020 RAL 3022 RAL 3027 RAL 3031 RAL 4001 RAL 4002 RAL 4003 RAL 4004 RAL 4005 RAL 4006 RAL 4007 RAL 4008 RAL 4009 RAL 4010 RAL 5000 RAL 5001 RAL 5002 RAL 5003 RAL 5004 RAL 5005 RAL 5007 RAL 5008 RAL 5009 RAL 5010 RAL 5011 RAL 5012 RAL 5013 RAL 5014 RAL 5015 RAL 5017 RAL 5018 RAL 5019 RAL 5020 RAL 5021 RAL 5022 RAL 5023 RAL 5024 RAL 6000 RAL 6001 RAL 6002 RAL 6003 RAL 6004 RAL 6005 RAL 6006 RAL 6007 RAL 6008 RAL 6009 RAL 6010 RAL 6011 RAL 6012 RAL 6013 RAL 6014 RAL 6015 RAL 6016 RAL 6017 RAL 6018 RAL 6019 RAL 6020 RAL 6021 RAL 6022 RAL 6024 RAL 6025 RAL 6026 RAL 6027 RAL 6028 RAL 6029 RAL 6032 RAL 6033 RAL 6034 RAL 7000 RAL 7001 RAL 7002 RAL 7003 RAL 7004 RAL 7005 RAL 7006 RAL 7008 RAL 7009 RAL 7010 RAL 7011 RAL 7012 RAL 7013 RAL 7015 RAL 7016 RAL 7023 RAL 7024 RAL 7026 RAL 7030 RAL 7031 RAL 7032 RAL 7033 RAL 7034 RAL 7035 RAL 7036 RAL 7037 RAL 7038 RAL 7039 RAL 7040 RAL 7042 RAL 7043 RAL 7044 RAL 7045 RAL 7046 RAL 7047 RAL 8000 RAL 8001 RAL 8002 RAL 8003 RAL 8004 RAL 8007 RAL 8008 RAL 8011 RAL 8012 RAL 8023 RAL 8024 RAL 8025 RAL 9002 RAL 9004 RAL 9005 RAL 9018
© 2007 Prizer-Painter Stove Works, Inc. All rights reserved.

About Blue Star

The Prizer-Painter company has been building stoves since the 1800's. They have always had specialized niche products and stayed under the national consumer radar, until now.

For many years, Prizer built a complete and successful line of commercial style home ranges for the Garland Company, a well known commercial equipment manufacturer. Garland's corporate entity has since decided to discontinue their home division, so Prizer re-entered the marketplace under their own name and the tag "Blue Star." The exclusive star shaped burner, which they were allowed to keep by Garland, is a key selling feature due to the Chef preferred flame pattern allowing heat to wrap around cookware better.

Their overall workmanship and construction quality is unsurpassed. Probably the "Best in class" so far as we are concerned. The cooking performance is simply terrific. You wont find dual fuel electric ovens or sealed burners here...yet. Their high BTU burners are the top of the class at 22,000BTU's. The large ovens will hold a full size sheet pan, have convection circulation and an infrared broiling system. You may need to buy some new, heavy duty cookware to make this power worth while, but if you love to cook and want the tools to help you perfect all the many cooking techniques, the Blue Star is a great choice.

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