The kitchen has always been the heart of the home, and while hosting is looking very different these days, people are still looking at ways to update their kitchen with the latest appliances that make their lives easier and make a design statement. One of the items that used to be overlooked and is now becoming the focal point in kitchen design is the range hood. Although it may have one of the dirtiest jobs in the kitchen, it’s time the range hood took its seat at the table as a kitchen design star. Offering a dizzying array of options in looks, power, noise control and operation, this appliance can update a kitchen in more ways than one, inside and out.
For the past 25 years, Zephyr has transformed the kitchen through design, discovery, and care, and played an integral role in kitchen design trends. The company leads the ventilation category with groundbreaking technology and has collaborated with cutting-edge creative talents. And while the San Francisco-based company continues to elevate the range hood with new products and technology, Zephyr recently branched out to revolutionize another aspect of domestic leisure: beverage cooling.
With the introduction of Presrv™ Wine and Beverage Coolers, Zephyr applies its signature, superior craftsmanship to the art of refrigeration. Presrv reflects the smart design and technology of Zephyr’s original ventilation products in a whole new context, providing accessible wine and beverage cooling products to everyone from the casual home entertainer to the seasoned wine enthusiast.
Please join us for KBTribeChat on Wednesday, September 23rd for a discussion around ventilation trends sponsored by Zephyr.
Our KBtribechat questions:
1.) How important is kitchen ventilation to your clients during the design process? Are they educated on the importance of ventilation or is it an afterthought when selecting kitchen appliances?
2.) With people more concerned now than ever with a healthy home and clean air, are you finding that clients are asking more about ventilation features such as recirculating options, clean air features, etc.?
3.) Share trends that you are noticing around kitchen ventilation. (Style, technology, energy efficiency, etc.) – Please share photos!
4.)What type of innovation would you like to see in range hood design and technology?
5.) There is a lot of buzz around “connected” appliances, but what does that mean to you and your clients? How would you like to interact with a connected range hood (e.g. diagnostics, controlling hood remotely, voice activation, etc.)?
6.) Zephyr also manufactures a line of Presrv™ Wine & Beverage Coolers with many of the same features as our range hoods (virtually silent, innovative technology, and quality materials). How are your clients integrating wine or beverage coolers throughout the home?
7.) Share photos of your favorite home bar / wine cooler installations!
Join this Twitter Chat converstion
on Wednesday, September 23
from 2 to 3pm eastern
by adding #KBtribechat to your tweets!
Here’s where you’ll find the transcript for this KBtribechat.
You’ve probably specified hundreds or even thousands of organizing accessories for your projects, but have you thought about them as wellness design features? How might doing so improve your clients’ lives and your profitability? Join wellness design consultant and author Jamie Gold, CKD, CAPS, MCCWC with organizing manufacturer and sponsor Rev-A-Shelf for a Wednesday, September 16th discussion about the Five Facets of Wellness Design and how organization enhances functionality, the fourth facet.
Q1. Are you discussing wellness design with your residential clients? If so, how do you define it and which rooms are they most interested in enhancing?
Q2. Are you discussing aging/living in place, accessibility and/or ergonomics with your clients? If so, how are you tying those conversations into the organizing accessories you recommend?
Q3. What are the most popular organizing accessories you’re specifying for your kitchen projects, and what wellness benefits are you discussing with clients about them?
Q4. What are the most popular organizing accessories you’re specifying for your adult and children’s bathroom projects, and what wellness benefits are you discussing with clients about them?
Q5. What are the most popular organizing accessories you’re specifying for your laundry/flex room projects, and what wellness benefits are you discussing with clients about them?
Q6. Which other rooms or spaces (e.g., butler’s pantries, garages, closets) are you specifying organizing accessories for and which types are the most popular?
Join this Twitter Conversation
on Wednesday, September 16
from 2 to 3pm eastern
by adding #KBtribechat to your tweets!
Jamie Gold, CKD, CAPS, MCCWC is a Wellness Design Consultant, Certified Kitchen Designer, Certified Aging in Place Specialist and Mayo Clinic Certified Wellness Coach. She is also the author of three books on design and remodeling, including her latest, Wellness by Design: A Room-by-Room Guide to Optimizing Your Home for Health, Fitness and Happiness, (Simon & Schuster/Tiller Press, September 2020).
Jamie’s professional focus is the link between healthy living and healthy home spaces. She consults for homeowners and the homebuilding industry on this topic, and is a popular speaker at trade shows around the country. This was one of the reasons for Jamie’s inclusion in a 2017 industry top 50 Innovators list and being named 2020 Wellness Influencer in another.
Jamie’s first book, New Kitchen Ideas That Work, published in 2012 by Taunton Press. Her second Taunton book, New Bathroom Idea Book, published in 2017. Both shared ideas about wellness and functionality, as well as style. An avid trend watcher, Jamie also writes the monthly Trend Spotting section for Kitchen & Bath Design News and is a regular contributor to Forbes.com on wellness design. Her articles have appeared in Fine Homebuilding, HuffPost, BobVila.com, Houzz and numerous other publications. Her design blog, Gold Notes: Nuggets from the World of Residential Design, has been posting online at her website since 2008.
In addition to writing and consulting on residential design projects, Jamie creates seminars and webinars for media, trade and consumer audiences, and consults on product development and trends for housing industry corporations and financial analysts.
Her speaking credits include the official National Kitchen & Bath Association Chapter Presenters roster and panels at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show and Dwell on Design.
Today’s Most Wanted Space: Whirlpool Corporation Hosts KBTribeChat on the Laundry Room
A lot has changed in 2020, but one thing that hasn’t is the desire for a laundry room in the home. This space still tops the list of features today’s buyers want most. But, laundry rooms are evolving. They no longer have to be a boring space that’s hidden away from the rest of the home. Instead, they’re finally getting the attention they deserve and, with the right design, can be functional, beautiful rooms that make homeowners’ lives easier.
On Wednesday, September 9, join Whirlpool Corporation (@WhirlpoolCorp) as the company plays host to a KBTribeChat on this sought-after space.
Whirlpool Corporation, the world’s leading kitchen and laundry appliance company, designs innovative appliance solutions that help streamline this task. The Whirlpool Corporation brand portfolio has been thoughtfully designed to help building industry professionals appeal to the needs and wants of today’s home buyers, whether they’re looking for a functional laundry appliance that fits into a small space, or one that removes unnecessary guesswork.
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, September 9 at 2 p.m. ET as Whirlpool Corporation leads a discussion on building and designing innovative laundry spaces.
Here are our KBtribechat questions:
1.) How has laundry appliance technology advanced in the last few years?
2.) How can homeowners transform laundry rooms into multi-functional spaces?
3.) Which features have homeowners come to expect in their laundry rooms?
4.) What are some ways to incorporate laundry into small homes?
5.) Which design tips can help keep laundry rooms organized?
Join this Twitter conversation
on Wednesday, September 9
from 2 to 3 pm eastern
by adding #KBtribechat to your tweets!
Here’s where you’ll find the transcript for this KBtribechat.
1.) What are the most popular design styles that your clients are asking for?
2.) Personalization is an important part of today’s kitchen & bath designs and drives the demand for mixing design styles. What are some tips to customize a space in order to provide your customer with their ideal design style combination?
3.) Modern farmhouse is the quintessential design style combination, but there are so many options in addition to that. Share some of your favorite design style combinations!
4.) Some materials are selected for aesthetic reasons, some are selected based on functionality and some for both! What are your go-to material combinations when designing kitchens & baths and why?
5.) Are there any trending materials or finishes that you think are here to stay?
6.) How does budget effect your ability to mix design styles and materials?
7.) How have current life/ work trends affected your client’s material selections?
Q1: What has been the most effective DIGITAL strategy for you so far this year in securing new clients? Your enewsletter, your blog, Instagram, Pinterest, Linked In, You Tube, Tik Tok or something else?
Q2: Let’s talk about Instagram. Here are 3 of my top tips, what have you done that’s been effective?
Q3: Let’s talk about your blog. If you write a blog, how are you using your blog to gain new clients?
Q4: What’s been your experience with video so far? Have videos helped you secure new clients?
Q5: If you are offering virtual design services, too, what digital strategy has helped you secure new clients?
Q6: What is your pain point with digital marketing? Time, know how, not knowing what to focus on….or something else?
Q7: What advice do you have for designers who will read this transcript later on? What would you advise them to do?
Looking for an excuse to celebrate? We’ve got one! Cheers to #KBtribechat on Wednesday August 19th, hosted by Signature Kitchen Suite! Join us for a design discussion all about wine and the current design trends around wine installations in the home.
Our KBtribechat Questions:
Q1. When it comes to wine columns, what size are you seeing most requested for kitchen installations?
Q2. What are the biggest challenges around adding a wine column to a floorplan?
Q3. What other rooms in the home are you seeing wine columns installed?
Q4. What are your clients most looking for – refrigeration, dry storage, multi-climate units, cellars or something else?
Q5. How important is the role of technology when it comes to wine storage?
Q6. What are the biggest benefits to having designated wine storage in the home?
Q7. What are you seeing as more important to your clients when it comes to selecting a wine storage unit – the form or the function?
Q8. We’re all going out less and staying home more. Are you seeing a rise in requests for wine storage in the home?
Anybody feel like this year is one long Groundhog Day experiment?
There’s no denying we’re facing uniquely challenging times. No one is exempt from the unexpected circumstances of this year. It’s one for the books, and most of us are probably ready for these books to be closed forever, please-and-thank-you!
When we originally scheduled this KBTribeChat session on “How to Retrain Your Brain,” we had no idea what would the days ahead would hold. Back then, we knew that busy kitchen & bath designers and biz people would benefit from a chat about how mindset strategies can positively impact both professional and personal lives. Now, the topic seems more relevant than ever!
For this chat, we’re going to get into some ‘real talk.’ We’ll trade notes on how we’re doing and what perspectives we have as this year progresses. And we’ll share practical ways to “mind our brains” on an ongoing basis, so that we can be more resilient and able to move forward—even when the unexpected occurs.
Irene Williams will be on hand to guide the discussion. After more than a decade as an independent business owner working with brands in our industry, Irene realized the most valuable lessons gained in entrepreneurship related to core life skills and mindset that translate to all areas of life. She’s created online courses to help others learn the same things, as well.
The goal of this chat is to not only empathize with each other professionally and personally, but also to crowd-source real-life insights and ideas to grow, learn, and improve through it all—even the unexpected.
Our KBtribechat Questions:
Q1.
How’re you faring? Share where you’re at personally, professionally—the good and not-so-good.
Q2.
What do you wish you’d had in place/already conquered prior to the surprise of 2020? (i.e. – better organization, an established workout routine, more web-based biz solutions, etc.)
Q3.
What pivots/changes have you made this year? Any new biz strategies, mindset shifts, reprioritizing?
Q4.
Still working from home? Offer your tips for being productive, staying connected.
Q5.
What are your best lessons learned or skills acquired this year? What will you carry with you into the future?
