Blog Address Change! blog.susanpalmerdesigns.com

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to let you know we have changed the Susan Palmer Designs blog to

www.blog.susanpalmerdesigns.com

We will keep these posts here, but if you want to see new posts, please visit the new address!

Thanks!

NEW! Pedini's "The New Artika" Kitchen Video

Pedini USA has released a new video showcasing the upcoming prototypes by Pedini. Enjoy!

Susan Palmer Designs Kitchen Featured in Hawaii Home + Remodeling Magazine

One of our recent projects was featured in the September 2008 issue Hawaii Home + Remodeling Magazine. Read the article online here

This project was a great one to work on, our client was so nice and they have a lovely family. We did quite a bit more than just remodel the kitchen on this project, we also did the baths and created an incredible walk in shower in the renovated master bath. We have posted more images on our website of this project, so take a look! Susan Palmer Designs : Recent Projects

Remember to check out the October 2008 issue of Hawaii Home + Remodeling -- it is the NKBA Member issue!

The Ultimate Stove -- The Best of the Best Ranges

This is pure lust & delight for a culinary master, or for those who just aspire to be -- the ultimate freestanding ranges for the kitchen.


Top: La Cornue in Copper with copper trim
Above: La Cornue Chateau 165 in Antique White Flowers and Brass Trim


The La Cornue is often referred to as the Rolls Royce of cooking appliances, and it always lives up to it's reputation for the highest quality and accuracy. Each La Cornue Chateau is hand made to order by a single craftsman in France. Coveted by discriminating chefs and the fashion forward elite worldwide, the La Cornue cooks food impeccably while making a jaw-dropping visual statement. Timeless in form and function, a La Cornue Chateau is an heirloom piece that can be passed on through the generations.



Top: La Cornue Showroom in Moscow
Above: La Cornue in Stainless w/ Brass Trim (kitchen by jacobsegoes.nl)

Aga 4-Oven Cooker

Another amazing range is the Aga Cooker series. Made in England where the weather is humid and damp 95% of the time, the Aga is unlike most conventional cooking products in that it stays on continuously -- heating and de-humidifying the home with the bonus of never having to pre-heat your oven! There also are no dials or switches on the solid cast-iron Aga Cooker, rather, the defined task areas such as 'simmer' or 'roasting oven' stay at a consistent temperature necessary for the particular function. Recent introductions to the Aga line, such as the Aga Intelligent Management System (AIMS), allows for homeowners who want an Aga but don't want or need the continuously on feature. AIMS provides a way to auto start and shut down the Aga at pre-defined, programmable times, which is also helpful for energy conservation.


The kitchen above features a variety of Aga products, including under-counter refrigeration




Bertazzoni 48" range in stainless steel with griddle

Bertazzoni is another interesting free-standing range from Italy that we really like. Bertazzoni has been manufacturing for over 120 years, and they originally manufactured wood-burning stoves until the end of WWII, when they introduced their first gas stoves in the early 1950's. Built by a company that honors tradition and craftsmanship as much as they honor great cuisine, a Bertazzoni range is a powerful precision cooking instrument in many sizes. The 48" range offers 6 burners and optional griddles and wok accessories for those with the space to install it. For those that have more modest sized kitchens, a 24" freestanding range still offers the 15,000 - 750 BTU's of the 48", but in a smaller scale. For those who love color, the Bertazzoni 36" range comes in a variety of vivid colors as well as stainless steel.

Top: Bertazzoni 36" range in Giallo
Above: Bertazzoni 24" compact range

More online:

www.lacornue.com

www.bertazzoni-italia.com

www.aga-ranges.com

Hidden Helpers from Asko

I don't think I have ever had a client tell me they had too much space in the laundry room. When you live in paradise, the last thing you want to think about during the design phase is the hours that will be spent cooped up in the laundry area, and most of us want to use the space towards other rooms, leaving us with cramped and crowded laundry areas in the home. Well, thankfully Asko has a solution for this in the form of their Hidden Helpers products.

Asko HiddenHelper Sorting Unit & Pull-Out Shelf

ASKO HiddenHelpers provide space-saving convenience and easy access to laundry accessories, such as the Sorting unit (above left) with 2 removable laundry bags. The Sorting unit is easily lifted with handles, which can eliminate the need for bulky, unsightly laundry baskets while providing the convenience of sorting dirty laundry at the washing machine. Pull-out shelves (above, right) fitted in between a stack washer and dryer, make it easier and more convenient to sort and fold clothes. The shelves are available in an extendable, pull-out single shelf or double shelf, with a removable wire caddy basket so laundry can easily be carried to other areas.

Asko HiddenHelper Laundry Care Basket & Pull-Out Shelf

ASKO’s new Laundry Care basket (above, left) has a push-pull door opening with a deep removable rack. This smart solution is useful for removing laundry and carrying it to other rooms in the home, or to areas for ironing and folding. For those who do not have a separate area for ironing, the ASKO HiddenHelper Ironing Board (above, right) offers both storage and convenience in a slide-out ironing board. The handy ironing board stays neatly out of sight, yet is readily available when needed, and an attachable arm extension for the ironing board allows space for ironing shirt sleeves easily.

All Asko products are available from Susan Palmer Designs.

Online: www.askousa.com

You found the bathroom ... now can you find the toilet?

Usually, when you say the word toilet, the image that comes to mind is pretty much the same from person to person -- a white ceramic object with a round bowl that flushes when you push the lever. However, when you say "design a toilet" to a group of talented designers, the results may make you re-think what a toilet looks like.

The Starck X Toilet, Duravit

The Starck X series by designer Phillipe Starck, pictured above, takes minimalism and technology into the modern day bathroom. This coordinated series offers bidets and toilets in squared configurations that can be wall hung to give the illusion of floating, or can sit neatly on the floor. Bright, crisp, glossy ceramic and elegant fixtures add to the feeling of neat and tidy luxury of the future.

Hatbox toilet by Kohler

The Hatbox toilet, from Kohler (pictured above) is probably one of the most recognized toilets of this group, as when it went into production, it was the first of it's kind and created quite a buzz. One of the most unique features of this toilet is the "hidden" integrated water tank, which allows this toilet to be placed virtually anywhere in the bathroom since it does not need to be placed against a wall. The Hatbox toilet also comes in a range of colors and shades, from white to almond to black.


The Imperial and Avant Guarde toilets from AquAvanty

These interesting toilets pictured above are some of the more unusual designs available from AquAvanty. On the right, the Avant Guarde features dual flush technology inside a tank that resembles smooth stacks of sculpted orbs, while the Imperial toilet on the left features hand-painted 24-karat gold leaf accents on a dragon motif.


Bench Toilet, Julien

And then there is the Bench Toilet from Julien -- you can't get more hidden than this! A stainless steel cabinet with a sliding wood partition neatly conceels the toilet when not in use with a clean minimalist design. Available in a variety of exotic veneers, you might want to pinch your pennies, as this commode starts at $11,475.00

More info on these products:

www.duravit.us

www.kohler.com

www.aquavanti-us.com

www.julien.ca

Timeless Design -- Modern Design from the Past in the Present

One of the most important things I learned while I was studying for my degree in Interior Design was this: Good design never goes out of style.


Above, George Nelson Bubble Lamps, 1947

Bubble Lamps, designed by Architect and Designer George Nelson in the 1947, were a staple of the modern home of the past. The ingenuity of this design was in the ability of the homeowner or interior designer to combine multiple shapes, or use individually, to create a flexible lighting scheme. The series was designed with organic modularity in mind, as the lamps could be hanging ceiling fixtures, sconces, floor, or table lighting based on the hanging accessories chosen. Bubble Lamps enjoyed one of the longest production runs, as these lamps were sold well into the 1970's by Herman Miller, and originally sold for about $14 each. In the 1990's, Modernica resurrected the production of the Bubble Lamps, to much popularity, as they are still a favorite among designers due to their ability to complement today's contemporary design.




The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman is one of the most recognized icons of American furniture design. The effectiveness of the design has garnered it it's own celebrity status, as the lounger has been featured in popular movies, television, and print ads to this very day.

Above, the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, designed in 1956

From the Herman Miller website:

The Eames lounge chair and ottoman is the culmination of Charles and Ray Eames' efforts to create comfortable and handsome lounge seating by using production techniques that combine technology and handcraftsmanship. Its heritage goes back to the molded plywood chairs pioneered by the Eameses in the 1940s, and it's part of the permanent collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Charles Eames said his goal for the chair was the "warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman's mitt." Every one is a special refuge from the strains of modern living.

The Barcelona Chair is probably one of the best examples of timelessness in design. The chair and stool were designed by Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich for the Barcelona World Fair of 1929 as part of the German Pavillion. The design of this chair was inspired by the folding campaign chairs of the ancient Roman military generals.


Above, Barcelona Chair and Stool, 1929

Licensed and manufactured by Knoll, the Barcelona, perhaps because of it's seeming simplicity and pubic demand, is one of the most common chairs to be knocked off by imitators. However, the structural design and complexity of the Barcelona chair design requires a high level and quality of material and manufacturing techniques, rendering imitations and reproductions unequal to Knoll's.




More info on the web:

www.georgenelson.org
modernica.net
www.hermanmiller.com
www.knoll.com