Kitchens of the future, Bigger and Badder

Can you imagine the day when kitchens are 700 square foot familial meeting places with a small but quaint family room anchored next to it? What about the day spa that is your bathroom? It seems that Americans more and more are living their prime hours in the kitchens. Its only a matter of time before the kitchen and the home theatre merge! HAHA! Who knows. I have personally seen some kitchens twice the size of my college dorm. In a recent article in the Boston Globe, we are allowed a peek into the future of the home that has the kitchen as the crown jewel.

The American domicile is changing, like the American family, responding to a whole new constellation of accelerated social realities.

The home of the future will be more open, integrated, green and casual.

"The formal living room is an endangered species," says Lisa Casey Weiss, a Long Island-based consultant for the International Housewares Association.

Walls will come down, formality will vanish, and "you'll no longer have the separation between what is public and what is private," predicts Hansy Better, an architecture professor at Rhode Island School of Design, and principal of Studio Luz Architects in Boston. Look for more one-story homes, she says, "almost like a ranch-house typology. It's more versatile for the elderly and better for the young professional in terms of quickness and expediency. " Full Story.

Margie Vinson's Express Cabinet

America in general has made great strides towards making the home more accessible for people of "non-normal" needs. Normal meaning the average person in height, weight and abilities based on statistical data. However America's diversity not only culturally but also physically has spawned many new improvements in home design. One such design is the Cabinet Express , designed by Margie Vinson.

Inside Bay Area News does a good inside of of this technology:

This is what universal design is all about," says Barbara Pisching, a residential remodel consultant who owns Home Remodel Resource in Concord. "You want a cabinet that is accessible to everyone. Elements such as these make a home work for all ages, everyone across the board — children, working adults, the elderly."

Once known as "handicap accessible" or"aging in place," universal design has become the more applicable term. It addresses an array of accessibility and limitation issues, from cabinets, drawers, counters, appliances and adequate lighting to doorway openings, flooring, ramps and grab bars. Read the Full Story.

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Kitchen and Bath Show Update Las Vegas

The Kitchen and Bath Show in Las Vegas has come and gone with much fanfare.

Nextpert post a great new video covering the 2007 Kitchen and Bath Show recently held in Las Vegas. This video discusses new energy efficient appliances. Other tidbits include the hate it or love it trend of replacing maple with bamboo.



Other highlights included:

Supported by over 150 international brands was positively awash with the region's kitchen and bathroom industry experts, from suppliers, customers and distributors, to property developers, architects and designers.

The exhibition, has doubled in size in recent years, is the only design-led event of its kind in the region concentrating on quality, durability and brand.

American households spent more than $35 billion on home improvement last year, most notably in their kitchens and bathrooms.