Kitchen Archives - Page 2 of 4

Buy American. Kitchen Appliances

September 29, 2011 RH

Our economy is dragging it’s arse, so let’s all try to pitch in. Remember when we had…like….factories and manufacturers in this country? When everything was built here and not in China? Hey, remember when stuff was made to last and not to be disposed of within 5 years?

I know what you’re saying. “But it’s too expensive to buy American.” Not quite. Add up the replacement costs of all of those crappy items you’ve been buying at the cheap stores and tell me it’s worth it. Not worth it financially. Not worth the hassle. And certainly not worth the jobs hemorrhage.

This week we’ll find some American made large appliances and follow up with other red, white and blue items. The column will be limited as, sadly, there isn’t really too much manufacturing left in this country.

So yeah….Appliances.

BSH. As in Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances Group. The German company has a headquarters in CA with multiple regional offices across the US and manufacturing facilities in NC and TN. Most of the appliances are made from recycled materials. Thermador and Gaggenau are also under the BSH umbrella.

Dacor is an American made AND family owned business that is committed to sustainability. It’s a high end appliance with some semi affordable lines.

Premier makes budget friendly as well as professional ranges, so that’s great news for folks who can’t afford top dollar. The company is American owned and all appliances are made here.

Sub Zero and Wolf. Well, if you can afford it, you’re probably buying it already. Manufactured in WI and AZ. Good stuff. Good stuff.

Viking. Again, a high end appliance, but worth the price. Made in MS with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind.

Repair Appliance. Save a Cat.

January 14, 2010 RH 4 Comments

Let’s give a big warm fuzzy welcome to our newest advertiser, Part Select. They deal with appliance parts, so instead of discarding your stove or refrigerator because it’s not working to your liking, try to fix it first!

Even if you’re not so handy, keep in mind that this is the place to find things like stove burner knobs and dishwasher leveling legs. The site has a user friendly search system so even if you don’t know the name of the part, it’s easy to find.

The Part Select text link will be sitting there on the right hand sidebar for at least a year should you forget to bookmark them right now.

So, what does this have to do with cats? When I visited their site, I noticed a link to “Karma Cats“. If you submit a photo of your cat, for each entry PartSelect will make a $5.00 donation to Alley Cat Rescue on your behalf! I didn’t want to put them out of business and send in all 6 of my cats, so I only uploaded two. Jake and Huey.

Salvaged Crate Cabinets

January 6, 2010 RH 5 Comments

I caught this on Web Urbanist. Rupert Blanchard is my new hero. He’s been creating furniture out of reclaimed materials for some time now, but these upcycled crate cabinets are really to die for!

Now, before you get overly excited, the guy is in London. Lucky you if you’re a British reader. For those of us on this side of the pond, well, we’ll just have to copy and go DIY (sorry, Rupert).

Lighting Countertops

March 25, 2009 RH 2 Comments

Web Urbanist recently featured ten of the coolest counter and surface material designs. Although they’re all really beautiful, I noticed that the more spectacular ones are lit from behind.

So my question is, do you really need to spend a fortune on semi precious gemstones or lava to get that same glowing effect? Sure, if you have the money, be my guest (and loan me some). But I’m thinking that you can probably achieve a very cool effect by backlighting just about anything.

Some ideas:

1. Colored glass or plexi

2. Individual glass marbles, tiles or quartz stones

3. Transparent paint for glass

4. Stained glass

5. Embedded anything in resin

6. Punched metal

7. Old photographic transparencies

8. Strings of Christmas lights under clear glass

Now obviously if these are surfaces where water will penetrate, you’ll need to protect them. Do I even have to mention that any paint, holey metal or photo should be underneath the glass? And if it’s a countertop, make sure you’ve checked into heat, breakage and seams? But you knew that already, right?

The lighting is something that can be adjusted. You may not want it evenly lit. Perhaps some shadow areas would give a more dramatic effect. Just make sure you have your wiring and spacial issues worked out in advance! Keep in mind that lighting from behind will take up at least a couple inches, and that’s some narrow lighting I’m talking about.

Dishmaster Retro Faucet

November 19, 2008 RH

Pam of the fantabulous Retro Renovation shot me an email the other day announcing her latest venture with Dishmaster faucets. She has launched a sales site called Dishmaster Living where you can purchase your retro faucets.

What is Dishmaster you ask? Well, I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s not quite a dishwasher yet it’s more than just a faucet. The circa 1948 faucet has a rotating brush on the hose and the contraption releases suds, so it makes dishwashing fun and easy! Ok, not as easy as sticking it in a modern dishwasher, but more fun than doing dishes by hand.

But wait! There’s more! The Dishmaster conserves water and detergent by dispersing only what is needed.

I wonder if one of these would work in my mother in law’s house. She’s in the “old country” (Ireland) and still fills a 20 year old disgusting plastic bin with soapy water, swishes a brush around, then dries the dishes with a towel. No rinsing! She hates when I do the dishes because I insist on rinsing and then I splash water all around the kitchen. So….perfect for her. Or rather, for me when I visit.

First the faucet. Next, I work on her installing a heating system.

The Kitchen Designer Reawakens

October 14, 2008 RH

The Kitchen Designer was one of my favorite go-to blogs when I started Reclaimed Home a year ago. That was until one day the founder, Susan Serra, decided she had to like, work instead of blog. I just received an email from Susan and guess what? She’s been blogging again!

The email was about Hansen freestanding kitchen furniture. Designed by Danish architect Knud Kapper, it’s 100% eco friendly and now represented in New York by one Susan Serra aka Kitchen Designer.

Check out Susan’s small kitchen tips and green kitchen tips. And let’s hope she keeps up her blog this time. Oh, snap, no I di-in’t!

Big Chill Retro Dishwashers

May 7, 2008 RH 2 Comments

Ok, so I didn’t catch this immediately, but the Big Chill dishwashers are a fairly new item. I know they didn’t exist a few months ago when I was looking for a dishwasher. Not that I would’ve gone for the $1695 price tag anyway, but a girl can dream.

The dishwasher or panels come in eight colors, including pink, blue red and orange orange. (Someone please tell me what orange orange is from and why I felt the need to write it. Was it a cereal commercial?)

They are energy star rated with noise reduction system and come with a 1 year warranty.

You can purchase a Big Chill dishwasher for yourself (or me) online or check out their local dealers page. I know that Krups on 18th carries their products. Careful not to step in my puddle of drool upon entering.

Virtual Faucet Creator

April 10, 2008 RH 1 Comment

Create your dream faucet! California Faucets offers online design software that allows customers to choose any handle, spout and finish they desire. You can start from scratch or modify an existing faucet.

Once finished, you print it out and bring it to a dealer, where they order your custom design. It would be even better if you can just shoot it off to them via the internet.

I don’t need a faucet at the moment but I want to do it just for the heck of it.

Via Materialicious

Bio Glass

February 21, 2008 RH 2 Comments

Here’s another recycled countertop option for ya….Bio Glass is a solid surface material made from 100% post consumer waste.

Coverings, Etc is the company behind Bio Glass. The Miami based firm, founded in 1998, also has a New York showroom. Members of the US Green Building Council, their ECoverings line of products are produced from naturally occurring elements such as sand and clay.

But back to the glass. The slabs come in 4 colors: Fossil Amber, Ocean Saphire, Oriental Jade and White Diamond. The glass is made from almost 100% crystalline silica in the form of quartz. Here’s a spec sheet with a bunch of info I can’t understand.

Beautiful. Eco-friendly. So, can anyone guess what the down side is?

Bio Glass will set you back over $3000 for a 4×9 slab.

Available at A&K Tile in Brooklyn or a dealer near you.

1950’s Kitchen Cabinets

January 15, 2008 RH 5 Comments

Before you get excited, Source Antiques is located in Bath, England. But I just want to give you an idea of what you can do with old outdated cabinets. With a bit of refurbishing and new handles, your cabinets could be (almost) as spectacular as these. Won’t you give them a second chance?

We have a set of wood cabinets in our garage that are waiting for some love. And I can’t wait to get to them! It’s going to be a fun project.

Local Slate Quarry

January 15, 2008 RH

Although slate is not a renewable source, there are some things to consider before dismissing it.

Let’s start with the negatives first. Is it raping the earth? What impact does the mining have on the environment? Does it create pollution?

If you really want your renovation to be green, these are questions you’ll have to ask about every product. You can buy a 100% recycled countertop that is fabricated under the best conditions, but if it’s being shipped from California and will be out of style by next year, what’s the point?

A few things to consider:

Buy local.

Get something that will hold up for many years.

Go with something that won’t go out of style next year. A classic look.

Is it recyclable once the life expectancy is over or if someone buys your house and guts it because it’s “not their taste”?

I found a local (enough) quarry in my search. Sheldon Slate is a 4th generation family owned business with locations in NY, VT, ME and PA. They mine and manufacture tiles, sinks, slabs and roofing.

Beats Italian marble or granite.

Fridge Drawer

January 11, 2008 RH 3 Comments

I like the concept of a dish drawer because I have this fantasy that it can save me the job of putting away the dishes. However, I don’t get the idea behind the refrigeration drawer. It looks really cool?

Granted, it’s perfect for small apartments. We’ve all seen those apartments where the refrigerator is located in the foyer. Heck, even in my kitchen, the fridge is tucked away in some weird alcove. (We’ll be discussing my kitchen on Monday).

So the drawers serve a purpose when there’s a space issue and they are beautiful. But I haven’t seen any for under $1000. You can buy the same size compact fridge for under $200 and keep it under your counter. We have one in Brooklyn that was a hand me down from a friend. We paid: FREE.

Nextag: Fridge Drawers

CribCandy’s “15 Miniature Living Solutions” led me to EuroStove’s article on the Ariston refrigeration drawer.

Another Green Demolitions Sale!

December 19, 2007 RH 2 Comments

I regularly check out the Green Demolitions site because they often have sales. Here’s what I found today:

Year End Sale: Luxury Appliances 60 – 75% off Market Price!
Famous Custom Home Decor: 75% off Market Price
Just Arrived: New-in-the-Box Famous Name Brand Whirlpools and tubs: all three stores
Famous Furniture Retailer Surplus – Norwalk, CT

But best of all…if you haven’t finished your holiday shopping…$100 gift cards on sale for $50. Can be purchased online.

I’m Starting to Groove to Cork

December 11, 2007 RH 1 Comment

Back in November I did an article on cork flooring. I listed the pros and cons, but my own hesitation with cork is that it reminds me too much of the 70’s. I don’t know why I can’t get passed this since my sense of style terminated in the 80’s. But I’m trying.

I just came across cork mosaics at Habitus NYC. They look great, they are waterproof and best of all, you can stain them some funky ass colors! Since they’re waterproof, they can work perfectly in a bathroom or kitchen. I was also informed that they have antibacterial qualities.

The cork mosaics look like penny ceramics and need to be grouted same as any other tile. They’re made from recycled wine stoppers. Since they start at $12 per square foot, I’m thinking of drinking more wine (lots) so I can make my own mosaics.

World’s Most Energy Efficient Fridge

November 26, 2007 RH

Sunfrost claims to manufacture the world’s most energy efficient refrigerator. I’m not disputing that. I’m just not going to be the one to do the research to prove it. Whether or not they are the MOST energy efficient, it’s clear that this is a green product. Sun Frost refrigerators can be used with solar, hydro or wind power. All models are available in 12 or 24 volt DC, or 110 or 220 volt AC.

They are not inexpensive and on top of the price, there’s the shipping from California. But they are nice looking. Customers can choose handcrafted finishes ranging from wood to laminate to stainless.

Check out some of the other cool products on their site such as the energy efficient shower and the sleep genie.

reclaimedhome.com

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