Q1.) In the design process, what details do you focus on when designing with health and safety in mind? Please share solutions you like!
Healthy material choices not only affect indoor air quality but it’s important to know how they affect the environment and if they are made from renewal resources .
Q2.) Are your clients asking for sustainable (healthy for the earth) and healthy products and design choices? Do these healthy building materials and design choices cost more?
Q3.) How can technology help us address health and safety concerns in the kitchen? What about in bathrooms?
Q4.) What features can help the end user make healthy choices in the kitchen?
Q5.) What features can offer healthful benefits in the bathroom?
Q6.) Do you take ergonomic principles into consideration when designing kitchens or bathrooms? Does this include the reasoning behind cabinet pull-outs and other cabinet features? What about appliance considerations?
Q7.) In what ways can we plan for client safety in the kitchen and bath spaces we design? Please share important tips for designing spaces that work for all stages of life.
The reduction of clutter in our homes has not only been shown to reduce stress but simplification is a current design trend. How does this apply to designing healthy kitchens and bathrooms?
Q8.) What are your go to design tips for reducing clutter in kitchens?
Q9.) What are your go to design tips for reducing clutter in bathrooms?
Share pictures of designs and ideas you like!
Join this Twitter Chat conversation
on Wednesday, May 8
from 2 to 3pm eastern time
by adding #KBtribechat to your tweets!
Here’s a link to read the transcript for this KBtribechat.
Whirlpool Corporation is inviting kitchen and bath professionals to a special Earth Day-themed #KBTribeChat about sustainability in our industry.
With the growing demand for greater sustainability from consumers, it’s more important than ever for building and design professionals to incorporate eco-friendly and energy-efficient products and features into their projects.
For example, a new, global survey from Whirlpool Corporation showed that consumers favor appliances that help them decrease their environmental footprint:
Three in four respondents (74%) are interested in smart appliance features that reduce food waste
Three in four respondents (75%) are interested in smart appliance features that manage water usage
Two in three respondents (64%) say it’s important that their appliances help save on electricity costs
Across its portfolio of brands, Whirlpool Corporation offers high-performing appliances that conserve the earth’s resources and help homeowners do the same. The company continually monitors the environmental effects of its business, not only by creating many new and innovative products that consume less water and energy, but also by improving its manufacturing and distribution processes, and using materials that minimize the impact on the planet.
Join us at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 24 as we discuss sustainability in the kitchen and bath industry.
Here are our chat questions:
1. What home building and design trends have helped make homes more sustainable?
2. What products do you find to be most eco-friendly and energy-saving for the kitchen?
3. Are you seeing a demand for sustainable laundry appliances? Explain.
4. How can smart/connected products help homeowners save energy and water?
5. How are you incorporating environmentally-driven solutions into your projects?
This photo provided by Whirlpool shows the Whirlpool Duet Front Load ENERGY STAR laundry pair, including the HybridCare Dryer, in a laundry room. For the first time in six years, Energy Star certification, a widely respected seal of approval for energy efficiency, has been expanded to include a new major household appliance. Dryers, perhaps the last of the major household appliances to be included in the Environmental Protection Agencys program, will be available in 45 Energy Star models throughout the country starting Presidents Day weekend, according to the EPA. (AP Photo/Whirlpool)
Join this Twitter Chat Conversation
on Wednesday, April 24
from 2 to 3pm eastern time
by adding #KBtribechat to your tweets!
Here is a link to read the transcript for this KBtribechat.
The desire to live healthily and our growing knowledge of how daily habits affect wellbeing are major influences on kitchen design today–and for good reason. After all, the kitchen is the heart of the home and should further our healthy lifestyle, not hinder it. That’s where the Wellness Kitchen comes in.
The Wellness Kitchen trend extends beyond just a healthy diet. It is about using advancements in technology and design to foster healthier lifestyles for our bodies, our minds and our planet. An ideal Wellness Kitchen doesn’t just feed the mind and soul with its functional, visually satisfying designs. It also encourages social interactions and environmentally friendly lifestyles.
From residential remodeling to commercial development, there is a growing niche for wellness-focused design, creating an opportunity for designers, contractors, retailers, manufacturers and other industry professionals to contribute to a better, healthier world.
At Caesarstone, we strive to create a kitchen counter culture that contributes to and fosters healthier lifestyles, from the manufacturing plant all the way to the home. Now we want to hear the role health and wellness plays in your work!
OUR KBtribechat QUESTIONS:
1.) From putting healthy food on public display to open-concept kitchens that encourage family interaction and food prep, there are all kinds of ways to design with wellness in mind. What does the Wellness Kitchen trend mean to you?
2.) Consumers are becoming more conscious of not just their own health, but the health of the planet. Using sustainable, green building materials is more prevalent than ever before. How do you incorporate sustainable materials/elements into your designs?
3.) Your kitchen should serve as a retreat, not a pressure cooker. What tips do you have for streamlining design to avoid clutter and promote minimalism?
4.) An ideal Wellness Kitchen should be easy to maintain, user friendly for all ages and logically planned. Share your favorite Wellness Kitchen design and tell us why you love it.
5.) Caesarstone partnered with Dan Brunn Architecture & other green companies to create a house of the future. If you were designing a sustainable house, which materials would you use? Create your own moodboard and share: http://www.caesarstonesocial.com/contest/contest.html
Join guest host, Mark Johnson FAIA for a sneak preview of two exciting show homes opening this February at the International Builder Show, and in April at Epcot® Theme Park in Orlando. We’ll be taking a look at the sustainable products specified in each home.
The VISION House® in INNOVENTIONS at Epcot® is a ground-breaking green show home exhibit presented by Green Builder Media® in collaboration with Walt Disney Imagineering. This experiential exhibit in the heart of Epcot® highlights the very best in green residential design and sustainable living, and will open this spring. Visitors will leave with a greater understanding of green design, technology, and products as well as a host of sustainable living ideas that they can incorporate in their lives the minute they get home from vacation. Sponsors for this exciting project include Trane and Schlage (Ingersoll Rand brands), Boral, Panasonic, Armstrong, Kohler, Siemens and GM.
The Cool Energy House project is a deep-energy remodeling demonstration house produced by the Building America Retrofit Alliance (BARA), with the Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) teams. Using innovative building optimization software created by Building America, ideal retrofits and updates were identified and implemented to reduce energy costs and make the home safer and more comfortable, all while keeping total costs low. The project will be featured at the 2012 International Builders’ Show. Sponsors for the house include Johns Manville, Simonton Windows, Panasonic, the Metal Roofing Alliance, and Dupont Tyvek, with additional contributions from Therma-Tru, Fypon, GE, Hayward, Lennox, Honeywell, BASF, Formica Group, BEHR Paint, and the Structural Insulated Panel Association.
KBtribechat 