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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.
There are working displays, including the a 5' by 5' shower featuring the Philippe Starck modular shower collection with a giant ceiling rain head tile with 3-way adjustable spray. The showroom with be open to designers and the public, lead by Kiel Wuellner, the showroom manager, they will offer advice and expertise including specifications to facilitate the use of their products in actual designs, in addition to a "hands on" shopping experience. This support should prove to be invaluable to area designers and clients, offering a unique upscale experience with an opportunity to speak directly to brand representatives. 
Philippe Stark, world renowned designer and architect, was the first of the featured designer collections developed by Axor, it debuted in 1994 and has continued to grow. As time went on Axor developed lines with many other innovative designer introducing collections to the market which have kept Axor in the forefront of high end bathroom remodeling.
