By Barbara Ballinger, Architecture Coach columnist
Cash-conscious consumers continue to seek value, whether they purchase a $10,000 bathtub with jets, chromatherapy, and soothing sounds, or a $25 gallon of low- or no-VOC paint in chic fashion-forward hues.
Part of building in value is having the ability to make selections, then change them affordably as lifestyles change. A host of products at were showcased at the the annual National Kitchen & Bath Association show in Chicago in April. They demonstrated how flexible and cost-effective kitchen and bathroom products have become. Some innovative designs on view:
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Rev-a-Shelf
Rev-a-Shelf’s space-saving interior systems now include glass-lined shelves that can be adjusted up and down or left to right, depending on a cabinet’s shape and size and what’s stored. One pull-out “basket” turns 360 degrees to provide complete access. The glass is finished to prevent items from sliding.
- Giani TM, a paint kit that transforms laminate countertops or backsplashes into granite look-alikes, lets homeowner’s redesign rooms quickly and stylishly at a fraction of the price of costly remodelings, whether for their own enjoyment or to attract sellers. The $49.95 kit offers a choice of six patterns and colors and requires just five steps.
- With counter space at a premium, sinks are no longer just sinks. Kohler’s “Poise” features a removable cutting board, wine glass rack for glasses to dry upside down, and basin to protect the sink base. The company’s “Stages” sink has a removable cutting board and prep trays and serving bowls. Blanco offers similar solutions with its 20-inch-round “Ronis” sink with cutting board and tray with colander and solid basket.
- Saving space means greater design flexibility, and Geberit’s concealed tank and carrier system frees up 2 square feet of floor space per toilet. The design also makes it easier to clean underneath the bowl.
Liebherr wine and humidor
- Liebherr’s fully-integrated wine and humidor equipment take up no counter or floor space since they’re designed to be built into walls. The humidor fits 15 to 16 dozen cigars; the wine cellars keeps 18 bottles at a range of temperatures.
- Kichler’s energy-efficient LED lighting strips can be installed in a variety of lengths and in any place–from along toe kicks at cabinet bases to underneath countertops and inside ceiling coves at the top of a room.
Thanks for sharing some of the cool innovations from the show. I just looked up the energy-efficient lighting strips and they have a standard life of 40,000 hours. That’s pretty special.
Thanks for the information. I’m Curtis A. Wright,Sr., a Realtor in Louisiana and host of “Talk Real Estate with Curtis” radio show on 1300AM, KSYB in Shreveport. I love the information and I wish there was a way of making this a part of each show. This is an excellent way to promote newer, innovative and cost saving ideas about things my listeners see around them every day but take for granted “well that’s the way it is.” My show is about providing information, information, information about buying, selling and maintaining homes. I also highlight “quality-of-life” issues because when people buy a home they don’t just by the house, they buy the neighborhood, the community, the city or they don’t buy (no matter how much they love the house) because of the same previously mentioned reasons. That’s my “comment” what do you think? Thanks and I’d love to hear from you!
I am about to put in an entire new kitchen and am hoping for Ideas. I can not afford custom cabnets and probably will use something like: One of the home depot
Pre mades and asemble them to my room sizes and desires.