Traditional Home Companion » Amy Elbert

Romancing the kitchen

Amy Elbert — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 22:41:19 +0000

Wedding bells in your future or for someone you love? How about giving (or receiving) a new kitchen? OK, it’s a bit more than a toaster, but pool together with enough friends and relatives and you could contribute toward a truly memorable gift of a dream kitchen — or pantry — or bath — or wine room.

Christopher Peacock, one of Traditional Home’s favorite kitchen designers, has just launched a gift and bridal registry. Clients are invited to set up a registry for a wedding, birthday, anniversary, baby shower, or any romantic occasion or holiday celebration. After emailing giftregistry@peacockhome.com, customers are contacted about setting up an account. Other friends and family contribute, funds grow, and the lucky couple is on their way to having a fabulous love nest.

Peacock has a line of wonderful paints now, too, so there are lots of fun and affordable possibilities for making a starter home truly spectacular.

shop kitchen and bath design trends

Amy Elbert — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 20:01:15 +0000

One of my all-time favorite shopping stops in downtown Chicago is LuxeHome, a collection of 30 kitchen and bath showroom boutiques on the first level of the Merchandise Mart. It’s one of the best design resources — a fabulous place to stroll, even if you’re just dreaming of renovating your kitchen or bath. It’s open to the public and designers create vignettes and rooms, showcasing the latest trends and ideas for tile designs, cabinet colors and combinations, countertop options, and more. Staffers are friendly and design advice flows freely.

Special events and open houses will be held April 16-18 to coincide with the big Kitchen and Bath Industry trade show held at McCormick Place in Chicago. Check out these openings at LuxeHome:

• Artistic Tile, Suite 105A (www.artistictile.com)

Nancy Epstein, the CEO and founder of Artistic Tile, never ceases to amaze with her stunning stone and tile finds from talented artisans around the world. Take a look at Jardin ‘Bloom,’ one of the newest ceramic collections that draws from nature with three elegant dimensional patterns. Each tile interlocks for a seamless installation and the collection comes in a variety of colors.

• Porcelanosa Tile/Kitchen/Bath, Suite 149 (www.porcelanosa-usa.com)

This huge (7,800-square-foot) showroom opened last fall and features ceramic, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, hydro massage and spas. Based in Spain (a international leader in tile), the company has been in the same family for all of its 30-year history. One of their new products is a large format porcelain tile that looks like real Carrara marble but is more durable, having the hardness of porcelain tile. Very cool stuff.

• Christopher Peacock Home, Suite 148(www.peacockcabinetry.com)

Christopher Peacock has been at LuxeHome for years but is always a favorite stop for Traditional Home fans. His Refectory Collection draws on school days– a modern interpretation of prep school and Ivy League and English college dining halls. The collection includes new cabinetry, moldings, hardware, wall and ceiling colors, as well as a range of faucets, countertops, and backsplashes.

• de Giulio kitchen design, Suite 121 (www.degiulio.org)

This is another one of our must-see stops. Design genius Mick De Giulio will be showing a new Beaux Arts concept for SieMatic, including a new finish in high-gloss magnolia white lacquer. Sounds sensational, Mick!

• Sub-Zero and Wolf, coming to Suite 134 (www.subzero.com and www.wolfappliance.com)

We’re thrilled to hear Sub-Zero and Wolf are coming to LuxeHome with a showroom opening in the fall of 2010. Watch for the new Sub- Zero integrated column units. The Energy Star rated units are 27-inches wide and are either all refrigerator or all-freezer, blending seamlessly into kitchen cabinetry.

There are so many more great products to see at LuxeHome. Plan at least one day and stop by The Kohler Store, Hastings Tile and Bath, Lefroy Brooks, Paris Ceramics, Poggenpohl, Remains Lighting, Showhouse by Moen, Studio Snaidro. You’ll be inspired.

merchandisemart.com

smaller, smarter, more efficient homes on the rise

Amy Elbert — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:16:16 +0000

Happy news recently for us “greenies.” First, gas-guzzling Hummers were taken out of production. And now the American Institute of Architects (AIA) reports this week that more homeowners are choosing to renovate and make better use of their existing spaces rather than move to bigger, fancier homes. Of course, the stinky economy is driving some of that, but it also indicates a shifting attitude among Americans. We seem to be catching on that energy efficiency and smart-space planning is better than a glitzed-out McMansion with rarely used rooms.

“The general consensus is that homes will continue to be smaller on average than they were in the past decade,” he says. “But since kitchens remain the nerve center of the home, doing more with less space is a key consideration,” says AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker.

When homeowners remodel, they are more likely to add recycling stations and ask for energy-efficient appliances. “Functionality is now preferred to more and larger kitchens and bathrooms within U.S. homes,” Baker says.

“Homeowners are moving away from glitzy features such as steam showers and towel warming drawers/racks and, instead, are looking for water-saving toilets, radiant heated flooring and LED lighting options to manage utility costs,” he adds.

So although architects report the housing market is still in decline, there is some reason for optimism. “It’s still too early to think the residential market has fully recovered,” Baker says. “But there are two encouraging signs–overall business conditions are far better than they were a year ago at this time, and we are seeing improvement in those housing sectors that need to lead a broader improvement in the housing market: remodeling and alteration of existing homes, and at the entry-level of the new construction market.”

Who knows? Maybe creating efficient homes will lead us out of the building slump and into a brighter and more environmentally responsible future.

the antique cupboard that won my heart

Amy Elbert — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:51:12 +0000

I grew up with antiques. My mother filled our cozy Iowa home with primitive pine chests, iron tea kettles and trivets, and muslin curtains long before there were “country” magazines or “antiquing” became a verb. Back in the 1950s, she opted for hard wood floors with handmade braided rugs when everyone else preferred wall-to-wall carpet and blonde French provincial furniture.

After my mother passed away in 2008, my sister and I divided her lovely furnishings, and I have cherished having these reminders of my mother and our home. Not long ago, I was touring the wonderful antiques show at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago when I spotted a primitive pine cupboard. It had a bead board back, rustic carving on the base, slightly sagging shelves, and a scallop on top — all the signs of a handmade Irish cupboard. I’ve long coveted an Irish cupboard and this one was just the right scale for my smallish dining room. The price was right, too. (I suspect parts of the late 1800s cupboard had been repaired in the early to mid 1900s so it wasn’t totally original.)

But really — I was there for my job with my editor in chief Ann Maine so I wasn’t supposed to be shopping. And I was 300 miles from home so I wasn’t in any position to tote home a cupboard. But I kept circling back. I could hear my mother’s voice, “Buy it, Amy. You love it. It’s perfect.” I remembered all the wonderful blue-and-white dishes I had inherited from her with no place to go. It was made to be. I told my husband my mother had channeled me.

The antiques dealer, Martha Peck of Lake Forest, Illinois, helped me make arrangements to have it trucked to Des Moines and the cupboard made the voyage in stellar condition. I can’t say enough how happy I am I made that purchase. That cupboard makes me smile every time I walk through the dining room.

(If you love antiques, check out Martha Peck’s Antiques Web site. She has beautiful pieces for sale online and also participates in several quality Midwest antiques shows.)

www.marthapeckantiques.com

TVs: the new focal point

Amy Elbert — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:22:47 +0000

Does it bother anyone else that the TVs we used to relegate behind closed armoire doors or conceal among book shelves are now the focal points of our primary living spaces? Granted, the armoire doors at our house were almost always open, but at least we didn’t “display” the TV like a great piece of art.

With the advent of the thin–but huge!—flat panel TVs, more homeowners and even interior designers we respect are placing these big guys front-and- center in elegant living rooms as well as more informal family rooms. It’s almost standard design now to hang a flat panel over the fireplace.

I admit I’m guilty, too. When my husband and I bought a new 46-inch flat panel last year, I chucked the old TV armoire and put the new sleek one on top of an antique washstand. Granted, it is somewhat tucked into a corner, but when it’s turned off there’s no missing that big black expanse against one wall. As much as electronics manufacturers like to tout the beautiful piano finish frames, they don’t complement my antique/cottage decor.

There are some attractive consoles with surrounding shelves that help the television blend better with your furnishings. Many also offer nice storage features to toss DVDs and gaming accessories.

Recently, I received a press release from Grace Home Furnishings in California showcasing a gorgeous solution for traditional homes. Their Hanover cabinet has sliding mirrored doors that cover the TV when it’s not in use. “You don’t need to sacrifice style for function,” says Roger Stoker, owner of Grace Home Furnishings. “My partner and I felt there was a market for a functional and beautiful piece of furniture that could house a flat screen television, yet be stylish enough for an upscale interior. ” Take a look and I think you’ll agree, this puts TV in it proper place!

www.gracehomefurnshings.com

breezy new windows and doors

Amy Elbert — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:07:55 +0000

As snow continues to fall here in Des Moines — day after day after day — I long for a hint of spring when I can once again open the windows and doors and smell the fresh air. That was probably why I was drawn to some spectacular windows and sliding doors when I attended the the International Builders Show in January.

Imagine simply rolling away an entire wall that separates your family room or kitchen from the outdoors. Marvin introduced “their largest door ever,” a series of glass door panels that will slide open to create up to a 48-foot-wide by 12-foot-tall opening. Smaller configurations are available, of course, to fit typical home dimensions.

What makes this system particularly appealing is that the doors slide on a track that is flush with or recessed into the floor, enhancing the seamless indoor-outdoor connection. Marvin’s system is called the Ultimate Lift and Slide Door because of its engineered mechanism that makes the door easy to open, close, and lock in place. Depending upon your preference and building situation, the panels disappear into a “pocket” in the wall or stack one in front of the other so they look like one single panel.

Marvin isn’t the only manufacturer helping us live outside the box. NanaWall offers gorgeous floor to ceiling glass walls that fold or slide back, opening the indoors to the outdoors. Each panel operates on a hidden overhead track and stows out of sight when open. The folding systems create openings up to 36 feet wide, while the sliding systems are virtually unlimited in width size. NanaWalls also offers shorter panels that can be installed over a countertop, allowing a kitchen to open to a pool and patio area when entertaining.

Gorgeous windows open up your home to natural light and views, as well, and there are some fabulous designs to choose from, including this from Andersen. It’s a enough to make me think spring might come afterall.

3-D television

Amy Elbert — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:45:19 +0000

Last week I attended the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and was blown away by the newest television innovation — 3-D. We were treated to numerous demonstrations by several manufacturers but probably the most impressive was the 3-D experience on Panasonic’s large plasma screen. I’m not a huge football fan but watching a football game in 3-D was truly like being on the field. I can imagine sports fans would be the first to buy into this technology.

You must wear special glasses to view the 3-D images and, while they are far more sophisticated than the cardboard and plastic ones that were used in the early days, they are still cumbersome. Watching a 3-D picture without the glasses is not an option because it’s like looking at a picture that is badly out of focus. (Bring me some Excedrin.) Most TVs will come with 2 pairs of glasses (although Panasonic only boxes one pair with their TVs) so the typical family is going to have to invest in several pairs. And how careful are youngsters going to be with those high-tech glasses? Not very, I’d guess. It seems to me the 3-D experience would be fun for an occasional movie or sports event but for regular television viewing it just wouldn’t be worth the effort. Of course, you can watch standard 2-D images on a 3-D equipped TVs so you aren’t obligated to wear glasses while you’re fixing breakfast and watching the morning show. And some manufacturers are offering new TVs that will be “3-D ready.” That allows you to buy a TV with the potential to display 3-D without having to make a total commitment to the technology.

TV manufacturers are banking on the success of the James Cameron movie Avatar, now showing in 3-D in theaters, to jumpstart this technology and who knows, it just might be the spark that starts a 3-D firestorm.