Marissa’s Kitchen… Finito

So, we finally had Marissa’s kitchen photographed. Philip Jensen Carter did a great job with the images. (Click the images for high resolution).

John Whalen was Project Manager for this project. He developed Annmarie’s designs, agonizing (in a good way) over every corner and every connection. The island’s cantilevered counter and floating light cloud is all him. His pride, commitment and dedication to the success of this project is evident in every detail.

Marissa Hardie is a great client. I have written many times about the keys to a successful project. Trust tops the list. Marissa gave us the parameters for her kitchen; modern, professional, functional. Then she trusted us to create the kitchen of her dreams.

Thank you, Marissa (and David too).

A few specs:

• Custom bamboo cabinets – designed by Fivecat Studio, crafted by Winchester Woodworks
• Fireslate counters
• Seamless stainless steel counters with integrated double sinks
• Lyptus flooring
• NanaWall folding partitions
• Blue Star range with double ovens
• Viking refrigeration
• Miele coffee system (the coolest appliance ever)
• Hot and cold foot controls at the main prep sink
• Closed circuit video (for cooking demos – check out Marissa’s class schedule)
• Construction by The Shanahan Group

Download the floor plan of Marissa’s Kitchen.

A Message to Manufacturers

My friend Peter is a branding consultant. He’s been contracted by several large corporations (names we all know and love). He is developing a structure in which they promote their many brands to us consumers and design professionals. Occasionally, he’ll stop by the studio to pick our brains.

What makes us specify one product over another?

Well, after we contrast and compare all our options and create a shortlist of the products we like most, we look for CAD files and PDF product specs.

My message to manufacturers… make your products simple to spec. Give us CAD files. Give us cut sheets to share with our clients and give us a simple specification that we can email or print for the contractor. Don’t hide it at the back end of the site. Make it easy to find and make it easy to use.

If our short list includes two products and one gives us CAD file and the other doesn’t. Which do you think we are specifying?

Want a few examples of companies doing it right? Check out Kohler and Subzero/Wolf.

Microwave Drawers

Oops… Microwave Drawer is a registered trademark owned by Sharp. That certainly set off a chain reaction of horribly named appliances. Check ‘em out below…

Sharp Microwave Drawer

The exclusive new Sharp Insight Pro^� Microwave Drawer Oven takes the microwave off the counter and places it right at the most convenient height for superb accessibility. Built-in ready for easy installation under a counter, the Microwave Drawer Oven is perfect for islands and open-plan kitchens, as well as wet bars, family rooms and home theaters. With its angled touch controls and sleek, integrated look, it blends in beautifully — wherever it goes. The Microwave Drawer Oven is Sharp’s most exciting idea yet for where to put the microwave.

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Viking Undercounter DrawerMicro

The slim design and heavy-duty construction of the Professional DrawerMicro maximizes kitchen space, so you can conveniently tuck it away under countertops, in an island, or beneath your wall oven. Automatic drawer-style access capitalizes on the 1.0 cubic foot capacity to surprising – and easy – effect. And 11 sensor cooking options make cooking anything a breeze.

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Dacor Microwave In-A-Drawer

Find enhanced ergonomics and convenience in an unconventional location with Dacor’s Microwave In-A-Drawer™. Features include a Control Lock for child safety. Can be installed under the counter or even below a wall oven.

Kitchen/Bath Industry Show

Susan Serra, The Kitchen Designer, is in Chicago this week for the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show (KBIS). Check out her first post here. Then follow the links at the top of each page to read all about her adventures in Chitown.

One of Susan’s cool finds is this new refrigerator drawer from Fisher Paykel. It’s a single drawer. That’s tough to find. Most cold drawers are offered in pairs. And that’s just the beginning of why its so cool. Flip a switch and it converts to a freezer. Flip again and its a pantry (53 degrees). Flip again and its a perfect place for your evening’s wine selection.

Thanks for your annual KBIS report Susan. Great job!

Viking Range Alternatives

The ubiquitous Viking range has become the starting point for so many custom kitchens these days. How much of that cache’ is actually found in the logo on the oven door?

Here are a couple of alternatives to Viking and Wolf.

BlueStar’s freestanding ranges are a cooking lover’s dream. Our range line includes 24”, 30”, 36”, 48”, and 60” ranges, each giving you the performance and power of gas ranges typically found in professional kitchens. The 22,000 BTU burner found in our premium RNB line is the highest power burner on the market, for the most efficient cooking experience possible. For lighter cooking, our ranges feature a 130˚ simmer burner – preparing delicate sauces and soups has never been easier!

Marissa chose a BlueStar for her kitchen.

Over the past 30 years American Range has earned its workhorse pedigree in the world’s most demanding kitchens. In that time, innovative technology and robust engineering have advanced every aspect of our cooking equipment. Building on American Range’s thoroughbred commercial heritage, we proudly introduce the new standard in professional home ranges, American™.

Living Well Links of the Week: BlueStar and American Range

Aga Appliances

I have featured the Aga Legacy range before (we’re saving our pennies for our very own black 44), but now Aga has introduced a new line of appliances to compliment their beautiful ranges.

From aga-ranges.com:

For over eighty years Aga has hand crafted ranges of superior performance and classic design. Now, we proudly offer a collection of coordinating kitchen products so you can create the kitchen of your dreams.

With the introduction of our full-size, paneled refrigerator, our existing undercounter refrigeration, dishwasher and appliance face panels, and our oven hood, we have extended the elegance and style you’ve come to expect from Aga Ranges. You can now customize and design your kitchen with a matching suite of appliances.

Living Well Link of the Week: Aga

Green Demolitions

We have several clients interested in Green Demolitions. They have locations in Bethel, NY, Norwalk, CT and Honesdale, PA.

From GreenDemolitions.com:

Green Demolitions sells luxury commercial surplus and donated kitchens, appliances, bathroom fixtures, home decor, etc. from houses being demolished and renovated in Greenwich and New Canaan, CT, Scarsdale and Bedford, NY, and beyond.

Donation proceeds benefit Recovery Unlimited, the operating name of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting a highly successful addiction recovery program established in 1964. For more information, click here.

Looking for a Green Gift for the holidays? Reclaimed Home points us to the the Green Demolitions Green Bucks gift card.

If you are thinking about buying from GD, now is the time. They are having an Almost Free Sale. Save up to 95%.

Feel the Knob

I just love this photo… It’s so, “Modern Hot Rod“.

After reading Kathleen’s tale of woe (a lesson we should all learn), I sent her a recommendation for Thermador’s Freedom Collection. She is searching for a ‘fridge to replace her long lost beloved Liebherr refrigerator.

While checking on the Thermador link, I stumbled upon this image. One of the first tests I give an appliance is to feel the controls. They should be firm and well-seated with smooth operation. If the knobs look and feel cheap, chances are the rest of the appliance has poor workmanship as well. Without even touching the Thermador, this image screams high quality.

Maybe my friend Susan Serra, The Kitchen Designer, will share her tricks of the trade for evaluating kitchen appliances. Susan???

Appliance Recycling

No need to toss the dead washer and dryer into the dump forever. Kitchen designer, Ann Porter sends us over to the Steel Recycling Institute for information on recycling unwanted appliances.

From Steel Recycling Institute:

Appliances are made from steel. Appliances are, in fact, systems of mechanical and electrical components encased in steel shells or bodies. Various operating parts are made of steel or iron. An inherent part of our lives, appliances provide convenience and fulfill essential roles from the kitchen to the laundry room and elsewhere. Appliances include washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, ranges, air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers and water heaters.

Recycled content of appliances By weight, the typical appliance consists of about 75 percent steel. This steel is recyclable, as is all steel, and is being recycled today. The steel used in appliances, like all steel, is made with a minimum of 25 percent recycled steel. For this reason, all appliances contain recycled steel and are recyclable when they have reached the end of their useful lives.

Download their brochure here and their Fact Sheet here.

Living Well Link of the Week: Steel Recycling Institute

Fuego

Thanks to Residential Architect Online’s Products page for pointing me to Fuego.

Recently launched by a former Director of Design at Apple and the founder of Zephyr Ventilation, Fuego is all about design.

From FuegoLiving.com:

An outdoor kitchen island. A campfire for modernists. A social magnet with a great sense of style. Attaching a label to Fuego is trickier than throwing a salmon – wild, rubbed with herbs and spices – on an open flame. Yes, Fuego is a grill. But it’s a grill without equal. Vibrantly designed with enough technological innovations to satisfy the most left-brained among us, Fuego is what happens when a designer plays with fire.

Living Well Link of the Week: Fuego