Archive for March, 2010

Here’s some of the latest news on BLANCO sinks from The Money Pit, Woman’s Day, Santa Barbara Magazine, Kitchen & Bath Design News and Stone Business. Spring has sprung with a welcome blossoming of news stories. (We know, corny – but it’s been a long, cold winter here in Lumberton, New Jersey.)

BLANCO STELLAR was a star on the popular Money Pit National Radio Home Improvement Show

Woman's Day gave away a free ALTA faucet online drawing massive interest and entries.

Santa Barbara featured SILGRANIT II as part of a natural material trend.

KBDN featured PRECISION MicroEdge.

Stone Business featured ARCON recently.

The aqua theme was inspired by Mom's china pattern.

Cheryl Kees Clendenon, owner of In Detail, located in Pensacola, Florida took on this long and narrow kitchen challenge and gave the fun-loving owners a beautifully spacious kitchen with room to entertain, cook and live.

1. What challenge did you face in this kitchen design project? How did you solve it?

The Narrow and Long Problem: The biggest challenge in this remodel was the length of the space. Very long and narrow. The home is on a bluff overlooking the intracoastal waterway.

The Island Solution: To help with the narrow footprint we pushed out into the garage 4ft. – which was an inexpensive fix. Then I designed the island to overlook the views of the water and this is why I put the PERFORMA sink in the island.  This client is an avid cook and she really needed almost a classic galley kitchen layout to work best for her methods of cooking. They also like to entertain, thus the seating arrangement. I did not want the island to look like a landing strip for an aircraft carrier so we cut the seating into two parts… a high bistro style curved wood top area for day-to-day seating for the empty nester husband and wife and then made the lower part of countertop same height seating so that it functioned well for additional seating space but ALSO would function as a deeper counter buffet when hosting even larger parties.

Oh no, not a desk!: They also wanted a “desk” in the kitchen. I gently led them away from this as a kitchen is no place for a desk! Very 80′s design as well.

Command Central Solution: What they could use instead was a command “central” where you have all the desk items stored: tape, scissors etc and also a bulletin magnet board for important slips of paper that you need… but do not want to “display” in the kitchen. This is housed by the refrigerator and pantry units and slides out for access. It is a compact desk area!

2. Describe the project – what the homeowners were looking for?.

Fun and Aqua-Inspired Color Theme: Basically they wanted a fun kitchen. A place to congregate… they live in their kitchen! They love the water and are big sailors so the color theme emanated in part from this love. Also, she had some china from her mom that incorporated the aqua color of the island… this is where that color inspiration came from. She wanted to do the entire kitchen in this color but I convinced her this would be way too much and she would tire of it. They also desired lots of seating for guests and college age kids, gourmet appliances and the best they could afford in a sink and faucet.

BLANCO PERFORMA makes the island a workspace with a view.

3. What materials did you use and why?
We used stained walnut for perimeter cabinetry and painted maple for island. The tops are mostly Caesarstone, Quartz Reflections, and then a custom curved wood walnut top on the bistro level of seating. We used Wolf, Sub Zero and GE appliances. All stainless but some panels on island appliances.

4. What was your design inspiration?
The inspiration was the clients themselves… they are funny and irreverent, love life and were a joy to work with. We wanted a “happy” space that they would love to walk into each day. They worked hard to do this kitchen and we wanted it to last over time. The aqua coloring of island was inspired by some of her deceased mother’s china. We matched it exactly!

5. Why BLANCO? How did BLANCO fit the project?

Well, BLANCO is the stainless sink I most recommend. They had the shapes and sizes to fit the need. I love one bowl sinks so we opted for the BLANCO stainless one bowl sink. The depth also was perfect for her needs. She liked the undercoating to help deaden the clank of stainless as well.

6. Anything else interesting/exciting about the kitchen you want others to know when doing their own kitchen.

I think the photos tell a good story of a fun and relaxed kitchen but that still features heavy duty appliances and fixtures. It is a “lived in” kitchen and was designed accordingly. I think the mix of dark woods helps soften the aqua island. This is a mix of traditional and modern elements and bit of funk also! Check out the Atlas Lucite handles!! We covered the ref with panels because we wanted that wall of built-in pantries to sort of go away and be very sleek.

About the Designer:

Cheryl Kees Clendenon is the owner of In Detail, located in Pensacola, Florida. Cheryl and her team have been creating award winning spectacular kitchens and baths for the past decade. Now pleased to offer additional services such as custom window treatments, furnishings and space planning. Check out her blog for terrific make over stories, photos and remodeling ideas. www.kitchendetailsanddesign.com

Here’s the hottest buzz – from the latest BLANCO designs featured in leading magazines. BLANCO sinks and faucets are an essential ingredient for a well-designed kitchen.

Generously-sized SILGRANIT II sinks and a Master Gourmet faucet were a main highlight in this Washington Post featured kitchen.

The Washington Post describes the color, utility and cleanability of SILGRANIT II.

Blanco was selected for this award winning design as featured in Kitchen & Bath Design News.

Better Homes & Gardens featured this BLANCO island prep sink. A mix of modern and traditional styles.

A BLANCO Master Gourmet faucet lends a professional look to this traditional design as featured in Better Homes & Gardens.

An open Italian plaza look mingled with functional utility and warm hues. BLANCO sinks and faucets as featured in Residential Architect.

PRECIS™ MULTI-LEVEL sink in durable SILGRANIT II.

SILGRANIT II is hot and for good reason. It’s right at home with today’s most popular trends in kitchen design.

Durable and Easy-to-Clean

Thanks to BLANCO’s seven patents, SILGRANIT II is the most durable, easiest-to-clean sink product available on the market.  It won’t scratch, stain, burn, chip or fade – making it a wise and long-lasting investment that will last for years.

Fashion-forward

With its palette of 5 classic colors, SILGRANIT II complements the wide range of colored appliances that are popping up in kitchen designs. From refrigerators to ovens to dishwashers, SILGRANIT II pairs beautifully with an array of appliance colors. It also blends well with stone countertops; from granite and marble to exotic stones – SILGRANIT II is an elegant and fashionable choice.

Professional Style

For those who like to slice and dice, the PRECIS™ MULTI-LEVEL sink in durable SILGRANIT II offers the ultimate in functional food preparation. It features a unique dual-level design and custom accessories that turn the ordinary kitchen into a pro-style prep center. Perfect for professional chefs, or for those who fancy themselves as one.

We know you’ve got a style all your own, and with SILGRANIT II, now your sink can too!