IFDA New England Social Networking Seminars - presented by yours truly

If you're in the Boston area and are interested in learning more about Social Networking, specifically geared towards design industry professionals, please join me for three upcoming seminars. Beginning this Thursday, March 25th, I'll be presenting a talk on Facebook and LinkedIn. On April 8th I'll be speaking on Blogs and Twitter and on April 29th, I'll be talking about E-Communications and Newsletters.

The seminars are presented by IFDA New England (I serve on the board as VP of Communications) and will be held at the Boston Design Center. Click here for more information and to register.

I hope to see you there!



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What do designers look for in a sink or faucet?

Contributed by Lori Dolnick

To the average homeowner – a sink or faucet may look like – well – just a sink or faucet. But there’s so much more to know. Here are a few quick tips from real kitchen design experts on what they look for when selecting a sink or faucet and what’s important.


Outstanding Trend Point: While you expect designers to go for “look” first, they really came out strong for durability, quality and material as the most important considerations. “Pay More!” seemed to be nearly an anthem. Trust the designers to know – they are the ones who get to replace lesser products that don’t last.

The kitchen sink below is a BLANCO and was used in a recent project by Cheryl Kees Clendenon, owner/designer In Detail Kitchen and Bath, Pensacola, Florida

1. The Sink Fits The Project
“I want the sink to fit the project. I do not have a one-size-fits-all sink in mind when I design,” says Cheryl Kees Clendenon, owner/designer In Detail Kitchen and Bath, Pensacola, Florida. Cheryl likes the deeper 10” or more sinks. “I can tell you what I think is a ridiculous size, the sinks where you have the tiny bowl on one side that is quite shallow. I think this is nuts because people put their disposal on the shallow small side,” comments Clendenon.

2. Accessories
According to designers, like Cheryl Kees Clendenon, sink grids for protecting stainless are a must!!

3. Pay a little more
“As far as product selections go, I think you truly get what you pay for when it comes to faucets,” states Nick Bajzek, The Product Guy (product editor for Professional Builder, Professional Remodeler and Custom Builder magazines). Spend a little extra and go for a higher-end model, one with a quality cartridge. You generally won’t have to worry about leaks or wearing out the knobs like you would with a cheap faucet.”

4. Material Matters
“What I look for when I’m specifying a sink is the material,” states Paul Anater, blogger and designer at http://www.kitchenandresidentialdesign.com/. “I have a strong preference for stainless steel, so that’s where I go first. Once I have a client sold on stainless I look for a single bowl, large sink. If I have the budget, I spec flat-bottomed sinks because I think they look better. If I can’t afford a flat bottom, I then look for the heaviest gauge steel I can find that will fit into my budget. Once I have my sink options narrowed down, I then look for other features such as accessories. Brand name doesn’t figure into it nearly as much as quality and I never shop by price. I set a budget for my clients and then we go find the best we can find in that budget. BLANCO rises to the top in many cases I’m pleased to report.”

5. Durability Now! Painless Later.
“When I’m asked to consult on which kitchen sink a client should choose I usually suggest they go for excellent durability and great looks,” says Gerry Snapke of CadKitchenPlans.com. “It’s no secret that the drop in sink has been out of favor in the kitchen for many years now. Under mount sinks and farmhouse apron fronts make up the bulk of styles popular with consumers and they look great. But consider what replacing one of these sinks involves. If it’s an under mount style replacement is difficult without replacing or at least doing major damage to the existing countertop. Farmhouse sinks pose a similar replacement challenge and often times involve cabinet modification as well. Bottom line here… pick a sink that you know will last for many years and avoid the pain of replacement costs.”

Contributed by Lori Dolnick


See all Lori's posts here.


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The Skirted Roundtable with interior designer Tobi Fairley

This week at The Skirted Roundtable, Megan, Joni and I welcomed interior designer Tobi Fairley. If her name isn't familiar, then perhaps this cover shoot is:

In the March 2010 issue of House Beautiful, Tobi describes her work as "Dramatic. Classic. Organized".

I'd agree .

So, please tune in and learn more about this amazing designer. Plus, you'll find out what Megan wants to lick. 




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Cooking in Boston

I saw this listing about a television show who is looking for a kitchen designer in Boston for a new production I'm not really sure how legit it is, but it got me thinking about kitchen design and I started perusing the sale listings of Boston condos and thought I'd share a few. If you're not from this area, or one of the major metropolitan areas of the country, you'll likely be a little shocked at the prices. Yes, Boston real estate is expensive. And the kitchens tend to be tiny, even in larger units.  Nearly all (or possibly even 100%?) downtown Boston properties are condo/townhouses.  As you'll see, there is no one "look" that says Boston.  We have modern sleek, traditional elegance, and out of date 80's. It's a mixed bag.

Burrough's Wharf $665K - $7.5M - on the waterfront. While the kitchen is small, it's packed with a lot of pizazz. The tile "rug" on the floor and mosaic tile back splash behind the under mount sinks draw the eye in and then up. And I love the clean cabinet front appliances - a great choice in a tiny space.

$1.34M on Commonwealth Ave, Back Bay. At maybe 12-15" wide than the kitchen above, this one also employs the cabinet fronted appliances for a cleaner look. I would prefer a subtler hardware on the cabinety but the stainless hood and diagonal tile back splash are showstoppers.

$1.499M on Boston Street, Back Bay. I love the mirrored backplash and simplicity of the cabinet design, although the black knobs are a bit distracting.

$2.1M on Commonwealth Ave, Back Bay. Loving this all white kitchen with crystal cabinet hardware and small white chandi - so pretty! There is an amazing amount of storage in this kitchen too.

$2.64M on Beacon Street in Back Bay. This looks to be a real cooks kitchen which is hard to find in a condo/townhouse space and the island is one huge piece of granite. I'm not sure what floor this was on, but it must have been a doozy to install!

$4.495 on Boylston Street, Back Bay. Although modern isn't totally my thing, I do love the mixed materials used in this kitchen. It's very sparkly! This kitchen uses the same stainless rod hardware on the laminated cabinets, which I think works here, unlike the $1.34M kitchen above.

$5.3M on Commonwealth Ave, Back Bay. This is another relatively small kitchen, especially for the pricetag of the property - ah city living.  I think the wallpaper really makes the space look dated, but the white cabinets and marble countertops are classics. 

 

$5.9M on Marlborough Street in the Back Bay. And, of course, the kitchen that comes with the biggest price tag is my favorite. Unlike the $5.3M kitchen, the wallpaper in this space looks fresh and more timless to me. The kitchen itself is actually very small, but the fireplaced eating area is so charming, as is the steel chandelier.

A Penthouse condo I designed on Beacon Street in the Back Bay a few years ago which was recently sold for $700+. This client was a single man - who sold it to another single man. This condo has the caché of being in the building right next to Tom and Gisele and their new baby.  It's another small space, but feels much larger once we opened it up to the main living area. Simple dark stained cherry cabinets and butterfly verde countertops and backslash made a big statement.

Sorry to have been so short on blog posts recently. I have several new design projects going - yay! PLUS, I've been working on a total re-branding of my business.  PLUS - I'll be delivering a series of seminars on social networking over the next month or so. More to come on all of that. But for now,  enjoy my little "Cooking in Boston" tour and have a great weekend!



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Skirted Roundtable: On Jealousy in Blogland

"Jealousy" by Stephen Stahlberg -click on the image for larger view - the detail is amazing!

This week at The Skirted Roundtable, Joni, Megan and I chat about blogger jealousy. It's an all too human emotion and we've all experienced it. So, please join us and let us know if you've experienced it and how you deal with it.

Listen here.


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What is old is new again and what is new isn't all that new afterall

Yesterday, I did a post about the gorgeous Gramercy Park Hotel in New York, designed by Julian Schnabel. The overall color palette of red, pink reds and apple green is striking and bold. Mr. Schnabel's design of the public areas was carried into the private quarters by the hotel's in house design staff in the bold and dramatic color palette. However, the relative lack of pattern in the textiles and walls makes for a more restful atmosphere - a nice thing in a hotel room.

I was clicking around the internet yesterday and came across an image of the rooms below and it struck me instantaneously how similar the color palettes are.  The James Duncan, Jr. House was built in 1805 in  Haverhill, MA is now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection. 

Naturally, as happens when doing blog posts, one thing leads to another and hours (literally) later, I've collected a handful of images that reflect a similar palette from different eras and regions.

Edgar Degas "Dancers in Pink and Green" ca 1890 (Image from the Met Museum website)

 "Le Moulin Rouge" by Lucien Genin, 1930

 

Palazzo Sagredo in Venice is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. circa 1718

  Bedchamber in Versailles via House and Home

Gyeongbokgung Palace Chamber, Korea, via Flickr

Oh, and if pink is your color, visit Gwen Driscoll's Ragland Hill Social for her Week in Pink series of posts.





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Travel Tuesday: Gramercy Park Hotel, a no Ikea zone

I got a little heads up email today from Sara Blask who writes a blog for Oyster Hotel Reviews blog. She wrote was writing to give me a heads up about a post she'd written about an Icelandic couple - formerly wealthy residents of the swank Gramercy Park Hotel in New York - who were being sued for renting out their private residence that had an Ikea kitchen installed. Apparently, the renters weren't thinking Ikea was good enough for the $312k annual rental. Anyway, you can read the whole story here. It's pretty funny.

Meanwhile, I thought I'd post pics of the rest of the hotel, that includes 23 private residences, hotel rooms, restaurants, bars, gym, spa...  The hotel has played home to notables such as Humphrey Bogart and the Joseph P. Kennedy family (pre-Ambassador to England days), and Babe Ruth hung out at the bar. In the 1950's Herbert Weissberg turned the hotel into a Bohemian inspired establishment known for its low prices and privacy. Notable guests included Bob Marley and Bob Dylan, the first cast of Saturday Night Live and Madonna.  In 2003, following Weissberg's death, the hotel was sold to Ian Shrager, whom National Geographic Travel referred to as the "Iventor of the boutique hotel". The hotel was designed by artist Julian Schnabel and still reflects its bohemian past. Here's a link to a New York Times article on Julian Schablel "The Reluctant Decorator".

 

 

 Michael Weschler for The New York Times

 Michael Weschler for The New York Times

  Michael Weschler for The New York Times

 

   

  

Mr. Schnabel designed the public spaces in the hotel, the in-house design team tackled the rooms (according to the Times story, he had trouble translating his big vision to the intimacy required for the private rooms). Clearly, the private rooms are designed in the manner of the public rooms - using the same saturated color palettes and bold furnishings. But they certainly all look very comfortable and significantly more "real". A perfect combination, I think!

  

  

Blogger's convention anyone?




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