Trendsetters: The latest in kitchen and baths

Want to be a trendsetter? Numerous kitchen and bath companies today feature products in which you can easily customize your home, allowing added interest and allure for your own enjoyment while also adding significant value to your home. Read on to learn what’s hot today and how you can become a trendsetter!

Technology in the Kitchen

According to Keith Long with Tweeter Audio Video in Cary and the Tweeter website (www.tweeter.com) the party always ends up in the kitchen… So why not enjoy great sounding music from your main sound system in that all-important room? Two innovative products allow this capability, the iH36 Under-Cabinet iPod by SDI Technologies and the Bose AR1B Homewide Wireless Audio Link Receiver.

iH36 Under-Cabinet iPod
The only iPod unit specifically designed to attach under a cabinet, the sleek iH36 unit is a stereo system compatible with all iPods on the market. It features a clock and two built-in cooking timers while allowing you to listen to your iPod music, FM radio, TV stations, and weather reports all in one place. Features also include a bold, three-line display, easily read from a distance; battery back-up that maintains the clock setting in case of power failure; and a built-in dock that allows charging capabilities for both the iPod and iPod Shuffle. An included remote adjusts tracks and volume, allowing rich and full sound to everyone in the kitchen area.

Bose AR1B Homewide Wireless Audio Link Receiver
The Bose AR1B Homewide Wireless Audio Link Receiver works through most walls and across floors to deliver high-quality sound up to 80 feet away from your main sound system. Specially designed to work with any AL8B transmitter connected to a Lifestyle® system media center, this receiver utilizes proprietary Free Field® circuitry, enabling the signal to operate free of interference from other wireless devices in your home. The result is uncompromised sound, for your own enjoyment while working or dining in the kitchen, and for the enjoyment of all when entertaining.

And A Few More…
Other trend-setting kitchen products, according to Keith, include an in-wall keypad, allowing easy volume adjustment and switching of CDs, and a sleek under-cabinet LCD TV with a rotating thin screen, allowing the satisfaction of a vibrant picture from wherever you’re sitting or working. These quality products and many others are available at Tweeter Audio Video in Cary.

Glass in the ktichen...and not just goblets!

Back Splash, Counter ToP, and Cabinet Door Glass Applications
“Glass is extremely durable,” says Mark. “It’s scratch-resistant, and it doesn’t absorb water or moisture. Plus, the luminescent qualities of glass add a unique style to kitchen design that traditional materials don’t offer.”

Leslie Mason with Clear-Vue Glass in Durham agrees. “The incorporation of glass in a kitchen is a great way to add value without spending a lot of money,” says Leslie. “Glass is very versatile… It can enhance or obscure what’s behind it, and with no grout lines, it’s very easy to clean. A little glass can add a lot of impact in a kitchen.”

Clever clean-up in the Kitchen

Kohler® Smart Divide™ Sink
Kohler, a global leader in kitchen and bath design, has re-constructed the traditional, double-bowl kitchen sink by introducing the Kohler Smart Divide Sink, a low-profile basin divider that offers greater clearance between the faucet and the mid-section of the sink, thereby removing the difficulty of maneuvering large pots and pans across the sink divider.

According to Kohler, the new Smart Divide design provides the best of both worlds – Double-basin convenience and the roominess of a single-basin sink. “Without losing the functionality that a double-basin kitchen sink offers, Kohler has increased the capacity for large kitchenware items and made the cleaning of these items much easier with the Smart Divide feature,” says Andy Barber, marketing manager for Kohler kitchen products.

Developed as a result of formal research, the Kohler Smart Divide design features half the height of conventional dividers in four select Kohler Cast Iron kitchen sinks: The Woodfield™, the Deerfield™, the Langlade™, and the Iron/Tones™ designs, all with beautifully distinct features, and all available in 21 deep, rich Kohler colors. For more information, visit  www.kohler.com.

Laboratory + lavatory = high tech

Kohler® DTV™ Custom Showering System
Technology’s growing role in the bathroom has been expanded by Kohler with the launch of the Kohler DTV Custom Showering System. Offering the ultimate showering experience, this system features the innovative DTV Digital Interface and DTV Digital Shower Valve, allowing you a myriad of customized water programs utilizing multiple showerheads, hand showers and bodysprays, all controlled with a touch of a button. According to Kohler, homeowners who are looking for the timely convenience of showering and the sensual experience of bathing find that a customized showering environment is more than an ideal compromise.

Several unique hydrotherapy experiences have been created in this system to suit every mood, from waking up in the morning to relaxing after work to refreshing after a brisk work out. The slight turn of a dial and touch of a button allows you to specify your showering preference, with preset experiences including up massage, down massage, wave massage, and temperature therapy. Customized settings allow you to create your own personalized preferences that are called up instantly at the touch of a button.

The Kohler DTV feeds up to eight showerheads, handshowers, or bodysprays with a flow rate of 21 gallons of water per minute. In comparison to traditional installation, one to two mechanical thermostatic valves and six volume control valves, equating to nearly eight separate protrusions on the shower wall, would be needed to achieve the same performance. The DTV’s streamlined and stylish digital interface is easy to clean and maintain, and is available in three finishes: Matte Chrome with Polished Chrome, Matte Nickel with Vibrant® Polished Nickel, and Matte Gold with Vibrant French Gold. For more information, visit  www.kohler.com.

LCD TVs in the Bathroom
Just as technology has made life easier and more enjoyable in the kitchen, technology has now revolutionized bathrooms. Keith Long with Tweeter Audio Video says the newest trend is the installation of an LCD TV in the bathroom for watching your favorite sitcom while soaking in your whirlpool tub, or catching up on the news while shaving or applying makeup. A tilt bracket allows for easy viewing, a space-saving bottom speaker design produces dynamic audio without a lot of clutter, and a waterproof (not just water-resistant) remote control even floats! Visit Tweeter Audio Video in Cary, or www.tweeter.com for more details.

Toto Neorest Computerized Toilets
For an experience beyond words, consider the innovative Toto Neorest computerized toilet for sophisticated sensuality in your bath. Courtney Wilkinson of Wilkinson Supply in Raleigh explains this avant-garde product: Utilizing precision-engineered technology, its lid automatically opens as you approach, then automatically flushes and closes within six seconds as you walk away from its sensor zone. A technologically-advanced Power Catalytic Air Purifier automatically engages when you rise from its seat, eliminating unpleasant odors, and an Automatic Power Deodorizer may be manually engaged at any time with the mere flip of a switch. A Washlet provides gentle front- and back-aerated warm water spray, which can be regulated in temperature and preferred water pressure. The Neorest seat warms to variable temperatures, which can be set from a wireless remote. In addition to seat and Washlet water temperature, the remote controls all toilet and Washlet performance, such as the seat position, the flush engine, and the oscillating spray massage and wand position functions of the Washlet. Even a warm air dryer is included in this sleek, revolutionary product. Courtney invites you to personally experience the Toto Neorest at Wilkinson Supply in Raleigh at 3300 Bush Street, or visit www.totoneorest.com.
 

Gorgeous Bathroom Glass Applications: FRAMELESS SHOWER
According to Leslie Mason with Clear-Vue Glass in Durham, one of the hottest new trends in bathrooms today is the incorporation of frameless showers. “The utilization of frameless glass and minimal hardware in the shower allow you to visually enlarge your bathroom, creating an open, unobstructed view inside your shower and out,” says Leslie. “Your bathroom will feel larger, resulting in tremendous impact that adds value to your home, totally belied by the price. A little investment goes a long way here.”

A diverse variety of glass is used in frameless showers. One such type is antique glass that imitates old glass but is new and tempered, with striations on its surface to give it a textured appearance. Another is low-iron glass, a glass in which the iron has been removed, thereby removing the green tint inherent in most glass. Rain glass and cast glass are kiln-formed, creating a one-of-a-kind texture for its applications. Glass from South Africa provides a variety of textures and a deep green hue. Customized sandblast designs in selected areas of glass can provide privacy, with a design, for example, that would obscure the area between shoulders and knees. Acid-etched designs from Spain impart the same privacy, with very fine “frosted” patterned etchings that don’t collect particles – The glass surface remains smooth for easy care. Numerous options are available, with custom hardware finishes as well as a large selection of standard finishes that match popular plumbing fixtures. Your best bet, says Leslie, is to visit the Clear-Vue Glass showroom at 121 North Gregson Street in Durham. Information may also be obtained at www.clearvueglass.com.

Glass Accents in Showers, Counter Tops and Back Splashes

For the same reasons that glass is a hot item in kitchens today, glass also sizzles in the bathroom, says Mark Wilson of Florida Tile in Morrisville. “Besides its infinite design possibilities in the bath, glass is impervious to water and stains, highly resistant to chemical attack, and resistant to fading and discoloration,” says Mark.

“Listellos, or elegant glass liners used as borders and accents, are beautiful accoutrements in showers and bathroom counter tops and back splashes,” Mark continues. “We’ve also seen great interest in glass mosaics, an ancient art form that continues to offer warmth and ambience in a wide array of colors.”

The creative use of glass in the bathroom offers endless options to transform your space into a special place of light and beauty, due to the sense of depth, shine and translucency that only glass provides. Numerous styles, colors, and textures allow you to customize the look just right for your home, with in-house designers available to assist you with your selections. For details on glass as an accent for your bath, visit Florida Tile at 300 Dominion Drive, Suite 250 in Morrisville, or go to  www.floridatile.com.

Is Trendsetting for you?
 From technology to design, new trends in kitchens and baths add long term value to your home while providing you with a more comfortable, customized environment. New products are abundant and so are the specialists who can provide expert information on the items you find interesting. The professionals quoted in this article invite you to visit their showrooms to see these innovative products for yourself. You might just decide that one (or more!) of these products is just what your home needs… And isn’t that what being a trendsetter is all about?

Rebecca R. Newsome is a freelance writer