Green Homes Flourishing

By Tammy

A few years ago, I thought the green movement might just be a passing fad. I am pleased now to say it is here and here to stay. Green is the new way of life. Everywhere you shop, you see companies converting from plastic bags to reusable totes, an increased use of biodegradable, recyclable, renewable products and promoting EnergyStar ratings, to name a few.

Some of the most basic green principles are being instilled in our youth, which will pay dividends in their future. I applaud our local communities for teaching our children to recycle, give back and pay-it-forward as soon as they enter Kindergarten.

Recently, The United States Green Building Council concluded that the residential community uses LEED for Homes certification to differentiate as the best in the market. LEED for Homes is a national voluntary certification system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes that use less energy and water and fewer natural resources; create less waste; and are healthier and more comfortable for the occupants. As a marketer and a mom, this resonates nicely with Wilsonart products.

Wilsonart’s products are GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified for your home, which means you don’t have to worry about breathing harmful chemicals. Wilsonart Laminate also contains post-consumer recycled content, the highest in the industry. Lastly, Wilsonart Laminates are the first in North America to be certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) as FSC Certified (HPL #C022201), which means it contains renewable/sustainable wood fiber. Wilsonart’s products are proudly assembled in Temple, Texas, and Fletcher, North Carolina, USA.

It’s a small step but a very big step in the right direction. My family is doing the right things for the right reasons as well. Our home is now equipped with recycle bins. And many thanks to Wilsonart for allowing its employees to bring in their recyclables from home. My husband has even replaced every light bulb with CFLs (compact fluorescent bulbs). Our home remodel list definitely includes a more sustainable outlook.

I’ll keep you updated on my and Wilsonart’s progress, but in the meantime, to learn more about Wilsonart's sustainability efforts, please visit Sustain.Wilsonart.com.

Blogging in the Big Easy

By Shelly

Last week I was able to experience "The Big Easy" with some amazing women (and men) at the annual Mom 2.0 Summit at the Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans. From the opening keynote to the closing parties, I was amazed with how effectively the conference took on the strength and courage of the host city.

Friday started off with a beautifully choreographed and conversational keynote by Lois Vossen and Abigail Disney. They called on everyone present to use the perseverance New Orleans and its inhabitants as a guide in their own lives and even for their blogs.

Tie-ins to the city and its history continued with tours on Saturday featuring the famous French Quarter and a History of Jazz Tour that took participants to the famous Preservation Hall for a personal concert.

Over the last six years the entire city of New Orleans has had to go through a gigantic renovation. It was amazing to see this in action and while many spots are back to their previous splendor there is still work to be done around every corner. The order of importance with the remodels was carefully though out- schools, churches, and tourist attractions took precedence over other needs much like we tend to give the most, or initial, attention to the most used areas in our homes.

Are there any projects that you had to persevere through? Perhaps, water damage led you to do an unexpected remodel or issues arose with a contractor mid-project. I'd love to hear your stories of persevering through your own remodel.

Sitting Pretty

by Gale

Just back from the Spring Furniture Market in High Point, NC and filled with solutions to truly make the kitchen the hub of the house!  I know that many of us are so busy thinking about where the cabinets and appliances will go that we do not stop to ponder the issue of comfort. Where we sit is another important design consideration, and making room for our family and friends is another.

The new trend is creating a sitting area within the kitchen. This may simply mean tucking in a great chair and ottoman so that your spouse or friend can keep you company while you cook. Another alternative is rethinking those hard-backed chairs that you have in your casual dining area. Maybe some upholstered chairs in forgiving fabric (that will not stain) will be a lure for people to linger and be at ease.  And bar stools have morphed into relaxing seats with padded backs and seats.

Making room for your guests does not mean an extended island counter they can lean against. Although it is a nice feature, it needs to be designed with enough space for sitting. Allow for at least two or three spaces and plan the space so you have enough room for a generous stool or chair. Also think about counter height stools if younger children or older friends frequent your kitchen. It is a safer purchase for all concerned.

A sign of your hospitality is considering the comfort of your guests, and so make your kitchen as relaxed for them as it is for you. Plan ahead while your kitchen design is in its early stages to really make space for chairs, stools or even a little sofa.  These additions will add immensely to creating a friendlier environment for all.

Eight More NKBA Kitchen "Trends" for 2011: Looking Back or Looking Forward?

by Gale

As I said last month, I'm always on the lookout for new ideas to share with you. That was why I was puzzled to discover in a press release from the National Kitchen and Bath Association that they were using research from their member kitchen and bath designers and calling it the “11 Kitchen and Bath Trends of 2011.” Maybe I’m wrong, but I think of trends as being able to look forward to the future… not backwards to what has already happened. I listed the first three last month. Here are the others and I'll let you make up your own mind about the forward-thinking of these trends:

Shake It Up
The Shaker style began a rise in popularity in 2009 and gained momentum in 2010. History repeating itself again!

Dark Finishes
Dark natural finishes overtook medium natural, glazed, and white painted finishes to become the most specified type of finish toward the end of 2010. Maybe this is reflecting the mood of the country?

Inducting a New Cooktop
Induction cooktops haven’t overtaken gas and electric models, but they’re closing the gap. When does 34% of the market represent a statistical significance?

LED Lighting
Incandescent lighting continues its journey to obsolescence. While 50% of NKBA member designers incorporated incandescent bulbs into their designs at the end of 2009, only 35% have done so a year later. The truth is the U.S. Dept. of Energy is mandating this change beginning in 2012, not NKBA designers.

Trashy Designs
A greater emphasis is being made to address trash considerations in the kitchen. Some 89% of kitchens designed by NKBA members in the final quarter of 2010 include a trash or recycling pull-outs. Where else were they going to place the garbage?

Quartz Countertops
Quartz continues to take away market share from granite in the market for bathroom vanity tops. A year ago, 85% of NKBA bathroom designers incorporated granite into a recent design, compared to just 48% for quartz, but now, that gap has narrowed to 83% for granite and 54% for quartz. Granite seems so yesterday?

Green Bathrooms
No, we’re not referring to eco-friendly spaces—we literally mean green bathrooms. A year ago, green color palettes were used by only 14% of NKBA designers, but at the end of 2010, that figure had risen to 24%. I would have guessed that the NKBA would be promoting really going green with water-saving and energy-saving designs.

Satin Nickel Faucets

photo courtesy of Moen

This trend relates to both bathrooms and kitchens. From the end of 2009 to the end of 2010, the percent of NKBA designers who specified a satin nickel faucet rose from 41% to 63% in the kitchen and from 45% to 57% in the bathroom, while the percent who specified a brushed nickel faucet fell from 61% to 48% in the kitchen and from 66% to 38% in the bathroom. Nickel by any other name is still nickel?