For the Love of Kitchens

Designed by Aston Smith in collaboration with Dayle Bass, Dayle Bass Design

Lately I find myself being asked regularly "what are the latest trends in kitchens?"

In truth I feel like we are in a climate where alomost anything goes. When someone is remodeling a home they will live in for more than five years I always encourage them to do what pleases their eyes.

This clean contemporary kitchen on the Upper West Side of New York epitomizes the general "wish list" if you will of what my clients are asking for everyday.

The cabinetry is veneered in a high quality dimensional laminate, easy to clean, eco-friendly, and perfectly book matched.

The glass lift-up cabinets are a whimsical fun addition to the space. All of the uppers have glass bottoms with integrated lighting that illuminates the cabinet interior as well as the counters below.

The counter tops are Raven by Caesarstone  answering the modern homeowners need for low maintenance, high performance, beautiful counter top surfacing.

The Blanco faucet is functional and beautiful, with the detachable gooseneck spout, it allows for maximum range to clean large pots in this heavily used kitchen.

Behind the doors of the pantry are a variety of storage solutions, ranging from a stainless steel pull out pantry to broom storage, and pullout shelving.

The open feel of this kitchen marries the casual family dining/living area to the kitchen area for a busy family with three young children who like to interact with mom and dad while they cook the daily meals.

The stainless steel toe kicks offer a neat transition from the light hardwood floors to the charcoal rift cabintry, eliminating the need to replace the flooring.

Image Credit To Peter Paige

DeGustibus Cooking School Unveils New Kitchen Sponsored By Miele and Caesarstone

Salvatore Rizzo and Martha Stewart In the DeGustibus School's new Kitchen

 Martha Stewart was on hand last night for the unveiling of the new kitchen at the DeGustibus Cooking School which is located on the 8th floor of Macy's Herald Square location. Seen here with the school's Owner/Director Salvatore Rizzo, they were joined by a room full industry related professionals ranging from professional chefs, to architects, to designers and journalists. Several of the evenings  attendees were chefs who have taught at the school.



Preparing food for the guests using the new appliance from Miele



Founded in 1980 by Arlene Feltman Sailhac, who was also on hand and addressed the crowd, the school has a list of over a thousand chefs who have shared their secrets with the students who attend, including but not limited to Emeril Lagasse, Tyler Florence, and Wofgang Puck. With a history of recognizing and showcasing world class talent before they are a household name and an open enrollment, it seems to me like a course of classes here would be the unlitmate gift for any true foodie. The foods cooked and served are coupled with wines that make the perfect accompaniment, and emphasizes and promotes the importance of the professional sommelier.

The kitchen has been updated to include the latest cooking technology from Miele, including sleek induction cook tops and state of the art convection ovens. The clean minimalist design of Miele works very well in the contemporary kitchen styled for the school, but the appliances are equally beautiful in traditional kitchens. Miele products are well know for their stiking design, as well as their efficiency and precision.

The counter top is by Caesarstone, and appeared to be the recently introduced Belgian Moon, although the room was so full of anxious onlookers it was hard to to get close in. Like all Caesarstone this surface gets high praise for it's anti-microbial properties, heat and scratch resistance, and general ease of maintenance.

Many thanks to White Good's Sherry Qualls and Julie McCrary for the invite!

Looking Forward to Designing in 2011

Happy New Year to all…2011 is off to an excellent start…we have seen a big surge in showroom traffic and several of the pre-new year project commitments have already been realized.

On January 6th Gales Steve’s noted speaker, author of Right-Sizing Your Home as well as other books, and expert on home organization and space utilization visited MCK+B and met with my colleague, Hany Gerges and me to discuss trends in kitchen design with a focus on aging in place technology. Researching the very relevant topic for her latest upcoming book, she chose MCK+B particularly to reacquaint herself with the product offerings from Rutt Cabinetry, a company we love for their quality and style, that Gale is familiar with and says she has turned to in the past for storage solutions.

We were happy to report to her that the change in the real estate market and subsequent drop in “flip renovating” has led to nicer better equipped kitchens that folks plan to live in long term. For us that equals more client input, and more requests for extras in the way of LED under cabinet lighting, Drawer inserts to pre-dedicate storage, and additional storage areas in the home that tie in to the kitchen such a wall units, desks, and mud room storage etc.

Specifically relating to aging place, we are seeing a commitment to full access storage, where every cabinet has a roll out function, or other purpose, and upper cabinets which are equipped with pull-down shelving, so nothing is lost. Additionally these kitchens will have function in their toe kicks space, everything from platter storage to the step ladder needed to retrieve anything that is beyond easy reach, or to clean taller cabinets and the kitchen window. If you are looking for more information on aging in place there are designers who specialize in it, some are certified, one knowledgeable person in our industry who is a  great resource, and a Certified Aging in Place Specialist or CAPS is Andie Day,  talented Interior Designer who runs her company out of Boston.

Our urban easy living attitude has again seen a further drop in use of granite and a rise in the use of quarts, particularly Caesarstone, counter surfaces. Clients asking for the differences are thrilled to learn of the anti-microbial properties of the Caesarstone, and the fact that it requires no sealing for the lifetime of the product.

The irony is that my best selling granite right now is a stone that looks more like marble; it seems everyone is willing to try something new these days. That said, our line of engineered veneers has captured a lion’s share of our contemporary slab business, everything from deepest Ebony, to Rift Cut White Oak, to Quartered Zebrano, to Ribbon Sappele, the natural color palette is intriguing and inviting at once. With the advantages of using material from managed forests, knowing that you are doing something that is natural, beautiful and Green it has been an easy choice for many.

We have added new displays for 2011 and I am thrilled for the public reaction I’ve been getting. We have one more new display going in this first quarter, and it promises to cause a lot of excitement!

The Illuminated Kitchen

One of the many things that sets MCK+B apart from the other kitchen showrooms in New York City is that our kitchens are live working displays. How great is it to be in an exciting diverse city with access to all the latest greatest kitchen technology? and to be able to invite clients in on a daily basis to explore the newest technology "hands-on"? Well this month we took it one step further by inviting the public in for a live cooking demonstration every week!

Introducing Chef Jonathan “Lumino” Jamison, trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY; and private chef to notables around the globe. Chef Lumino will be at Manhattan Center for Kitchen and Bath at 29 East 19th Street between Broadway and Park, every Wednesday from 4pm-6pm. He will be mixing up seasonal dishes using fresh organic produce, meat and dairy from the Farmers market at Union Square and cooking to perfection in the live SubZero/Wolf Kitchen with Cabinetry by Rutt and Counter tops by Caesarstone, featuring Concetta.

These delicious demonstrations will become a weekly “Webisode” cooking show on MCKB’s YouTube channel starting in November. Clients and interested folks are welcome to stop by and become part of the fun. This week lucky by-tasters will sample pan-seared ostrich, fresh greens and an apple cobbler with locally grown apples.
So if you are in the city stop by and catch a live taping of the show titled THE ILLUMINATED KITCHEN at Manhattan Center for Kitchen & Bath. Wednesdays at 4pm.

Jeff Lewis Designs this Years Kitchen of the Year in Rockefeller Center

I just wanted to say a special thanks to Jeff Lewis, Designer of this Years House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year in Rockefeller Center. Last night he took time out to stop and speak honestly about a range of topics from personal to professional.

I was fortunate to be in the kitchen last night, a  more intimate setting than it had been previously this week.  KraftMaid had taken over the venue and was hosting architects and designers as well as the company's own top executives. It was a great opportunity open every drawer, push buttons on the JennAir  appliances, and truly appreciate the minute details of the kitchen.

But the highlight of the evening was the personal time Lewis took to share a little bit about himself, growing up with two brothers, living in LA, and what drives him to success!  His 4th season of his show "Flipping Out" returns to Bravo on August 10th, I don't think he needs luck, he's obviously got what it takes and works hard for the succes he enjoys.

House Beautiful Magazine Takes New York with "Warm Contemporary"

http://www.reflectart.com/m/_general/default.asp

      Today in Rockefeller Center House Beautiful Magazine opens its third annual "Kitchen of the Year" to the public; and yesterday I was among a fortunate few to preview the handiwork of Jeff Lewis, this year's guest designer and star of Bravo TV's "Flipping Out" and his talented team. Supported by powerhouses in the industry such as Masco, Kravet and Mohawk they have brought to life design possibilities that will have small town USA putting away their raised panel door ideas and going slab!

     The kitchen sits perched above the Rockefeller Centers famous Sea Grill and is flooded with light under a glass ceiling. It's very "New York" in its styling; with strict use of clean lines and decisive finishes...there wasn't an ogee edge or a glaze hang up in sight!

     This was such a pleasure to see, since 4 out of 5 city kitchens we do at Manhattan Center for Kitchen & Bath  are contemporary. Repeatedly we heard yesterday from the representatives of House Beautiful that the magazine will be spotlighting more of what they referred to as "warm contemporary" in upcoming issues, a new bold direction for a magazine that has mass appeal in areas of the country that are known for being very traditional. Their commitment was obvious in this years show kitchen.

     The Quarter Sawn Cherry Slab door from Kraftmaid in their deeply rich Peppercorn finish offers a strong look not too dissimilar from the Dark Ebony and finely grained Wenge we feature in our showroom in Manhattan. The Caesarstone "Pure White" countertop with waterfall legs is a rich beautiful compliment and in strong contrast to the dark wood cabinetry. Quartz surface is the highest rated for lasting beauty and function in a kitchen. We find at MCKB that our clients request Caesarstone by name and are often somewhat educated on the benefits of the product before coming in to begin the design process; additionally New Yorkers seem to prefer the design palette offered for its quiet earthen toned colors over any other surface, including granite. In addition to showing many samples from the standard Caesarstone line, MCKB has just become an exclusive Concetto showroom, displaying this unique highly distinctive Caesarstone product which can be seen on display backlit for increased aesthetic effect.

     Other highly notable contributors to the show kitchen include Mohawk Industries, with their Reclaimed Elm 5" Plank  Floor in the "Zanzibar" finish, this material provided a beautiful stage for the kitchen in addition to being a "Green" material, also highly notable and a favorite design element for me personally was the peninsula created from reclaimed wood from the old Vanderbilt family estate polo pony stables. The wood was incredibly grained and worn with a deep cognac color and supported by a stunning chrome pedestal, the combined design effort of Jeff Soderbergh and Jeff Lewis. Right down to the Kohler Karbon Faucet, it is hard to find fault in all this functional beauty, and I feel confident that it's "New York" chic style makes it worth the trip. Visit and be inspired by the designers and contributors whose blod ideas are brought to life, and perhaps you will find yourself ready begin the remodeling process!

     Don't miss the opportunity to tour the House beautiful Kitchen of the Year and view some of the  demos they will be running each day this week, and remember Friday when the curtain comes down, the kitchen will be converted into "Bar 30" and run by the Sea Grill.

Thanks for the tour!

Some Photography courtesy of House Beautiful Magazine.