Modish Home Blog » Kitchen

Eco-Friendly Kitchen Cabinetry by Alno

modish home — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:16:59 +0000

Alno offers an eco-friendly line of kitchen cabinetry as you can see from the pictures. This kitchen is located in Austin, Texas in the “Healthy Child, Healthy World Green Home”. The kitchen cabinetry is made from recycled and regenerated wood from certified resources. All paint features non-toxic varieties which limit greenhouse gases and provide a safer place for families with small children. Via.

Kitchen Color Trends Abound in Flux by Scavolini

modish home — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:14:23 +0000

Flux by Scavolini touches on kitchen color trends with its bold offerings in metallic gloss red and metallic gloss purple. While red has become much more popular in kitchen design purple challenges our imagination and tendencies in interior decorating. Another striking feature is the curvy shapes of in the kitchen cabinetry. Flux offers “curved” cabinets that extend out from the floor or ceiling to create a whole different perspective on accepted kitchen shapes. You can see more kitchens at the Scavolini website here.

The Space Saving Set of Food Preparation Bowls from Joseph Joseph

modish home — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:07:24 +0000

The cool collection of kitchen accessories and food preparation items from Joseph Joseph includes this super handy “Nest 8” which has a convenient space saving concept that has all you need to mix, strain, and measure. The all in one space saving kitchen ware design includes 4 x measuring cups, 1 x small mixing bowl, 1 x sieve, 1 x colander/strainer, and 1 x large mixing bowl. This handy set of bowls and measuring cups was last years RedDot Design Award winner and is available in white and a range of bright vibrant colors. 32.5 x 26 x 13.5cm £35.00 See more contemporary kitchenware products from Joseph Joseph here.

The Grating Bucket from Eva Solo makes Food Preparation Easy

modish home — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:03:30 +0000

Eva Solo has so many great ideas when it comes to food preparation and serving, and here is one I could have used many times myself. The Grating Bucket keeps all of the grated food inside instead of on the counter where you will inevitably have to pick it up saving time and effort along the way, not to mention it collects juice from fruits and vegetables in the bottom of the bucket. Visit EvaSolo.com for a good look at some more innovative cooking utensils, serving dishes, and containers.

Rechargeable Portable Fridge : Neff

modish home — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:18:38 +0000

This fantastic design comes from Stefan Ulrich and is in fact an out-of-the-box idea on reducing the energy used by your household. The designer explains that a normal fridge consumes over 21% of the total energy in an apartment, which is an impressive figure. “Neff” comes with a new approach. These small fridges can be connected to a power supply, get fully charged and the cool off your food for hours to come without consuming anymore energy. Also, if you happen to have small quantities of food or groceries, it is not necessary to power-up all the cooling cases, but just one or two. This would not be possible with a normal fridge. Portability is also a strong feature. You can just place the items anywhere you like, without worrying about occupying a lot of space. And just look at their amazing shape!- via The Design Blog

Flexible Kitchen Table : Accordion by Olga Kalugin

modish home — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:11:49 +0000

With a very suggestive name “Accordion” is a very interesting flexible kitchen table that was designed by Russian designer Olga Kalugin. This flexible kitchen table that expands and contracts to the meet the needs of different users is an entry at the International Design Award 2009 and I can say that the design is very innovative. Integrating food drawers on the right and left sides, the folding table turns the drawer covers up and down to be used as preparation boards. Users can also have the access to triangle boxes, which can easily be shifted to opposite side of the table. For now this table seems to be just a concept, and I can’t wait to see the real one. – Via – Thedesignblog

FASCINATING FUNCTION WITH LIGHT: LED Faucet

modish home — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:35:25 +0000

BLANCOMASTER ILUX is a very cool LED faucet. The colour of the water jet indicates the actual water temperature. Blue light is for cold and red light is for hot.

This innovative technology is driven by turbine so no mains connection is necessary. The exclusive new product is from BLANCO: perfect workmanship and stylish design create high-quality solutions to suit every taste. This faucet is sure to fascinate your guests.

Be careful! The water is hot!

Additional information please visit here.

Studio Becker: An Organizer’s Dream

modish home — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:57:36 +0000

I’ve had organization on my mind a lot lately, as I help my father clean out his house in the wake of his wife’s passing. He has a great kitchen with wonderful deep drawers for storage, but when you have one big deep open space, stuff tends to get thrown in there and buried, never to be seen again. That’s why I’m pining for drawer systems like Studio Becker’s, which take care of every kitchen storage need you could imagine.

Studio Becker’s newest storage system has a variety of containers to neatly separate pantry items. I love the built-in carrying handles, so you can lift them right out of the drawer.

Ok, this is too cool for words. The drawer has inserts for small appetizer plates, in addition to sushi trays, chopstick holders, and crystal sake pitchers and wasabi saucers. And there’s a separate tray for cheese with built-in inserts for cheese knives. Wow.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m baking, it feels like I’m walking all over the kitchen to gather my tools from various drawers and cabinets. So check this out – inserts for rolling pins, cutlery, and various kitchen tools (the rolling pins and tools are included).

Next to the rolling pin drawer, I would want this additional baking drawer, which includes an insert for four stainless containers with lids (flour, sugar, etc.), an insert for four smaller cups (nuts, sprinkles, raisins?), and a rack for nine of your own spice jars. Awesome.

This nifty drawer includes three roll holders for your wax paper, plastic wrap, and tin foil. How convenient is that? It also includes nine knives, and offers space for your own knives.

My friend’s mom always stashes her silver chest in the washing machine when she goes on trips, so thieves won’t get it. But this drawer with a “stacking silver insert” solves the problem by hiding your silverware away in a drawer, and the company can install a lock at your request, “no problem,” says Laurie Allan, Studio Becker’s director of marketing – no prominent (and vulnerable) silver chest to worry about!

Interactive and Eco-Friendly Sinks

modish home — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:38:47 +0000

The term “going green” is fast becoming one of those clichéd culture trends that people hardly pay attention to anymore. (Add to that list: bank bail-outs and any celebrity reality show on VH1.) But because this year is all about change, we’re scouting out new ways to be environmentally (and financially) responsible. And while Hybrid cars and fluorescent light bulbs are good ways to, ahem, go green, we’ve found that water conservation is another great way to express eco-friendliness, and it’s easier than it sounds. Just take a look at these environmentally-conscious sinks and accessories.

The Plugless Sink

Although this product is not yet available for purchase, we feel the concept is worth the, uh, plug. The Plugless Sink, by Polish designer Maja Ganszyniec, was designed to awaken your water-usage consciousness. Without a plughole, you must tip the bowl over toward a drain slot to dispose of the used water. The concept forces the user to be aware of how much, and how often, they dispose of the water. The minimalist design and functionality promotes water re-usage and brings awareness to how much water we have the ability to waste. Check out Maja’s website to learn more about her original designs.
Removable Kitchen Sink

In a similar (though perhaps less stylish) vein, Hughie of Australia has created the Removable Kitchen Sink. More than just capturing your water-usage consciousness, this sink actually saves and recycles waste-water. It saves 80 percent of grey water that would otherwise be sent down the drain, and instead preserves the water for other uses such as watering plants or washing your car. Made from biodegradable plastic (and available in a range of colors), the sink is lightweight and fits virtually all kitchen sinks. The portable sink can also save water during an array of activities like bathing pets or collecting rainwater.
Fashion Plugs

The sink plug may not be the most glamorous of kitchen adornments, but these tastefully designed plugs from the Japanese company Cina add elegance to the ordinary. If you’re not quite willing to go totally plugless, using these plugs is another way to conserve water. Fill the sink while washing plates to reduce the amount of water used. And while most conventional sink caps have a knack for disappearing, these aesthetically pleasing plugs will stand out from the kitchen clutter.
Pedal Valve

The ultimate sink accessory: hands-free faucet controllers allow you to have a more convenient control over water use. With this pedal installation, after you turn on the faucet, simply step on and off the pedal to control the water. With the hands-free faucet, you’re less inclined to keep the water running. And once the faucet is turned off, the pedals are disabled.
Touch-Free Faucet

This EZ Faucet automatic faucet not only benefits the germaphobe; its automatic sensor means you can feel guilt-free when it comes to using water, because it’s only on when something’s under the spout. It saves up to 70 percent of water, and during flu season, may even save you a trip to the doctor.

The Italian Ambassador’s New Kitchen: European Mod in a Traditional Tudor

modish home — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:26:16 +0000

Who would have thought that this home

with this kind of interior

would open the door from this ultra-traditional dining room

into THIS KITCHEN?

The Washington Post today had a great story on the newly remodeled kitchen at the residence of the Italian Ambassador. The story introduced me to an Italian kitchen designer and a French appliance maker I had not heard of: Arclinea, which the story called “the Ferrari of kitchen design.”

I also found out about Scholtès, the French appliance maker, whose four dishwashers and built-in coffee maker have a presence in the Villa Firenze kitchen.

I adore the modern departure this kitchen takes from the rest of the Tudor-style home – it says so much about current European design, and utterly fulfills every need of both the family that lives there and the daily catering needs for events that host thousands of guests every year. My favorite parts are the chic crystal cabinets and the elevated herb garden, which grows under special LED lights. How cool.

Luckily, I found a lot more images of this kitchen on the Arclinea Web site.

As for Scholtès, I started poking around to see more of these beautiful, sleek appliances. Sadly, I’m not sure they are available in the United States (unless you’re a European ambassador). But if any of you out there knows otherwise, please let me know.

Apparently, the company was first to introduce a built-in wall oven, in 1960, according to this link.

A free-standing oven, with this review

A cool retro refrigerator

And this lovely cooktop.

Kitchen Duty with Grothouse Lumber

modish home — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:12:15 +0000

I first found out about Grothouse Lumber when I was doing a profile in our Early Spring issue on this lovely kitchen in Bethesda, designed by Interior Designer Tracy Morris:

The owner told me she found Grothouse after getting a really high quote for a custom wood island countertop from the kitchen designer, Clive Christian. Grothouse was able to make it for half the original quote, she said. Fast forward through the summer, and I unearthed a Grothouse press kit while cleaning out my desk. It features the work of two other local kitchen designers:

Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath Ltd., Chevy Chase, MD

MES Mitchell Interiors LLC, Columbia, MD

Check out the detailing and the grain detail:

My initial reaction to these countertops was, how can you do any real work on them? I could already visualize the white rings and wine stains. But apparently this stuff has a coating (Green-Guard certified and formaldehyde-free, no less) that is: Chemical-resistant; and not affected by lacquer thinner, ammonia, red wine, vinegar, oil, ketchup, mustard, bleach, or soaps.

Ok, I’m sold … as soon as our Formica counters give out.