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With Earth Day Tuesday, and Arbor Day Friday, it was appropriate to post the audio files describing the kitchen and master bath of The (25th Annual) New American Home because it was the first show home to be certified by the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) new Green Building Program, launched on Green Day during the 2008 International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Orlando, FL.The New Southern Home, which was also on display during the IBS, was built with plenty of eco-friendly building and design techniques and products, as well, so it’s also appropriate to post the audio files describing the kitchen and laundry room.Both homes featured Timberlake Cabinetry, which has also received certification by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association’s (KCMA) Environmental Stewardship Program on its entire line of products.Now, some hard-line environmentalists wonder how such large homes can be eco-friendly, while many other industry experts maintain that a home does not have to be small and austere to be green and efficient. It can be large and luxurious and still be environmentally friendly. Christine Todd Whitman even said that during her keynote speech during the 2008 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference in Chicago, IL.

Shown here are the exterior, kitchen and master bath of The New American Home, on display during the 2008 IBS in Orlando, FL.

 To hear Connie Edwards, CKD, CBD and director of design for Timberlake Cabinetry, talk about The New American Home: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (33)
 To hear Connie Edwards, CKD, CBD and director of design for Timberlake Cabinetry, talk about The New Southern Home: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (27)

This year, everything seemed to be coming up “green” on the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) show floor, and the 2008 Design Showcase was no exception. Now while many displays and products were green because of their environmentally friendly design, the Design Showcase highlighted “green design” quite literally.Indeed, the project’s principal designer Ingrid Leess was inspired by CaesarStone’s Apple Martini shade of natural quartz surfacing material. Leess, of New Canaan, CT-based Ingrid Leess Interior Design, started with color as her guide, and because of that green hue she saw last year, green became the theme of this year’s Design Showcase, which was sponsored by Woman’s Day Special Interest Publications (WDSIPs) and Merillat, which supplied the Merillat Masterpiece and Merillat Classic cabinetry for the combination kitchen/drop zone/mudroom/luxe master bath retreat.According to Leess, green is the color that “sets the tone,” and she used a variety of vibrant, yet complementary shades, including Apple Martini, which appeared on the perimeter of the kitchen. Mixing greens with an emphasis on organic shapes and a variety of materials, the designer was able to create, in her words, a “fresh” transitional style.

Shown is the 2008 Design Showcase kitchen. Photo Credit: John Gould Bessler

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA)/Meredith Corp.’s Design Idea Center (DIC) returned to 2008 the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference for its third year.Dubbed “Your Kitchen and Bath, Your Way: Designs for Every Lifestyle and Life Stage,” the 10,000 sq.-ft. DIC showcased eco-friendly design ideas, aging-in-place options, integrated technology applications and organization and storage solutions. The DIC also featured products, appliances and materials from a variety of manufacturers and designers, including sponsors Armstrong, DuPont Surfaces, Kohler, KraftMaid and Sub-Zero/Wolf.Here’s a “glimpse” of each vignette that was on display at the NKBA booth in the South Hall:

Though the second day of the 2008 International Builders’ Show in Orlando, FL was Valentine’s Day, the most prominent color at this year’s show was green. Indeed, the second day was called Green Day and dedicated to environmentally friendly education and programs for kitchen and bath designers, builders, remodelers and other allied professionals.

Around every corner of the show’s more than one million net sq. ft. of exhibit space, there were green products such as low-flow showerhead technology from companies such as Delta and Alsons that are designed maintain the integrity of the shower experience, and energy-efficient and water-saving appliances from Bosch, Thermador and Gaggenau, and displays such as Whirlpool’s sustainable kitchen.

Outside in the Show Village there was a green model home along with a high-tech home and a “comfortably affordable home.” There was also the NextGen Home, whose theme was “Ultimate Value” and included features and amenities that made the home very high-tech, very green and still very affordable, three keys to the ailing building market right now. Off site there was the Vision 2008 all-green home along with The New American Home (now in its 25th year) and The New Southern Home, which were built with plenty of eco-friendly building/design options.

In addition, the NAHB not only emphasized green building as the right thing to do, but also as a way to survive and thrive in an economy that’s been affected by the subprime mortgage market across the boards.

In fact, during the press conferences to launch its Green Building Program and unveil its Green Building Standard, it was asserted that while it may cost more upfront to build and remodel green, buying and building eco-friendly, energy-efficient homes will yield consumers a great deal of savings on utility bills later and during the course of homeownership.

Thus, encouraging consumers to make more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly choices for their homes can be portrayed by building and design professionals looking to sell the homes they have on the block, and those they will design and build, as a value proposition: invest in green building/remodeling options now, and reap the savings.

This value proposition was driven home by the fact that the NAHB’s Green Building Program was defined as one that is flexible (builders can choose from a host of green building options that fit the consumer’s budget, taste, location and house style) and affordable.

“Our belief is that these programs have to retain affordability to [appeal] to consumers,” explained Bob Jones, NAHB v.p./secretary. “The program allows all builders to build green in a cost-effective way. Builders, or their clients, can choose from a menu of green options so they can select those features that make the most sense for… the consumer, their budget and a location or a style or a home they want to live in. The most visible new feature of our green building program is a green scoring and certification technology that will be administered by the NAHB Research Center [and found at www.nahbgreen.org].”

Jones added: “As an association we believe that voluntary programs [like this one] and incentives are the best way to encourage the growth of dynamic new business practices.” (To hear more of what Jones said, click here.)

For more 2008 IBS news, and upcoming K/BIS Chicago news, go to www.KitchenBathDesign.com. Be sure to sign up for the site’s annual trio of K/BIS eNewsletters.

For more breaking news also visit the Top Headlines and Live Events sections.

Bob Jones, NAHB v.p./secretary, called the association’s new Green Building Program voluntary, flexible and affordable.

In support of the building industry’s, as well as the kitchen and bath design industry’s, drive toward green design, Whirlpool Corp. created this Sustainable Kitchen. It’s made with all eco-friendly products, noted Mark Johnson, FAIA, CKD, architect and senior manager of architecture and design marketing for Whirlpool.

This year The New American Home was not only set apart by the celebration of its 25th anniversary, but also by the fact that it was the first show home to be certified by the NAHB’s new Green Building Program, which was launched on Green Day during the 2008 IBS. In addition, the cabinetry was provided by Timberlake Cabinetry, which has also received certification by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association Environmental Stewardship Program on its entire line of products.

The New Southern Home was built with plenty of eco-friendly building and design techniques and products. In addition, the cabinetry was also provided by Timberlake Cabinetry.

Palm Harbor Homes’ Green Home was on display at the Show Village at the 2008 IBS. Measuring only 30 ft. wide and less than 68 ft. deep, it was designed for a family using all green building techniques and products.

Palm Harbor Homes’ ‘Comfortably Affordable’ Home was on display at the Show Village at the 2008 IBS. Just 15-1/2-ft.-wide, the two-story home features three bedrooms, 2-1/2 baths and porches on both levels. It was built with the first-time homebuyer in mind using green technologies and products.

Palm Harbor Homes’ High-Tech Home was on display at the Show Village at the 2008 IBS. Featuring three levels, the home offers such high-tech amenities as a high-end sound system in the bath and shower areas, a touchpad-controlled lighting system, a tankless water heater and a home theater with a projection screen.

The NextGen Home, whose theme was ‘Ultimate Value,’ included features and amenities that made the home very high-tech, very green and still very affordable, three keys to ailing building market right now.

As the American population gets older, and more households become multi-generational, the idea of having a home in which family and friends can access without limitations – no matter what level of ability a person has, or age and physical type a person is – is becoming a topic that kitchen bath dealers and designers can pitch to their prospective clients, regardless of their age.

However, to “convert” clients to the thought that having a Universally Designed kitchen, bath and home can prove delicate, especially when most consumers don’t particularly like to admit they are getting older, but still may need products designed specifically geared toward making their lives easier.

Enter Drue Lawlor, FASID, NCIDQ of Dallas, TX-based education-works, inc. She offered seven Universal Design principles, developed by a working group of architects, product designers, engineers and environmental researchers from the North Carolina State University Center for Universal Design, that will not only improve layouts, but may also change consumer views of Universal Design. She outlined them during the Kitchens and Baths for All Ages seminar she led at the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) in Las Vegas.

According to Lawlor, the seven principles that kitchen and bath designers should consider when selecting products and design layouts for clients are:

1. Equitable Use: Refers to the same usage ability for all users. Examples of these types of products would be side-open oven doors, which are safer and more accessible; or power doors with sensors.
2. Flexibility in Use: Means that the user has a choice of methods to use, basically accommodating a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. These products would include hand-held showers, especially by the seating area in a shower.
3. Simple and Intuitive Use: Refers to the fact that the use of the design is easy to understand.
4. Perceptible Information: Using tactile, verbal and pictorial guides to communicate information effectively to the consumer. Examples of this would be audible or flashing fire alarms, or tactile, visual or audible cues on thermostats.
5. Tolerance for Error: Ensures that the design minimizes hazards and adverse consequences.
6. Low Physical Effort: Allows users to exert the least amount of effort to accomplish a task. These designs can be used efficiently and comfortably with a minimum amount of fatigue. Lawlor cites levers or loop handles on doors and faucets as effective products.
7. Size and Space for Approach and Use: Required to create a clear line of sight to important elements for seated or standing users in the kitchen or bath. This principle allows for approach, reach and manipulation of products or work areas.

According to Lawlor, these design principles are equally suitable for the kitchen and bath. In fact, once a product has been selected and evaluated, kitchen and bath designers should determine how the product rates according to the design principles.

For example, in kitchens, solid surface material for countertops can provide easier cleaning, so there is less chance for bacteria to build up, she says.

She also suggested rounding off corners on all countertops, especially for visually impaired persons.

Furthermore, Lawlor suggested suspending a mirror above the cooking area to allow vision into pots for a seated person, if the cooktop cannot be lowered. Portable induction cooktops are good for accessibility, as is pull-out shelving or accessible counter space near ovens and microwaves to allow for transfer of hot items.

In the bath Lawlor said that storage considerations are very important, as is the need for clearance space in front and to one side of the toilet. And a curbless shower can eliminate the chance of tripping and falling at the same time it makes it easier for those using wheelchairs or walkers.

The bottom line, Lawlor said, is that when “working with products and clients, no matter their age or ability, design with universal access in mind. Ask many questions, observe and listen.”

For more about this project, log onto to the Live Events, Project Spotlight and Consumer Resources sections, as well as the Kitchen & Bath Confidential Blog.

To read more visit the Consumer Resources and Live Events sections , and look for it in the upcoming 6/07 issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. In addition, for more about Universal Design, click here. And read Ten Design Trends to Follow for Aging in Place.

(Be sure to log onto KitchenBathDesign.com for Kitchen & Bath Design News’ coverage of the 2007 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) in Las Vegas. Log onto the home page to visit the Live Events, Top Headlines, Project Spotlight and Consumer Resources sections, and Product Gallery. And don’t forget to sign up for our eNewsletters that will cover other upcoming industry shows.

Universal Design elements, such as the hand-held showers, grab bars and shower seats shown in this shower created by Jason Smith of Prestige Renovations in Elk Grove Village, IL, are functional and stylish for those who want to age in place.

Popular notion holds that today’s home automation means some lighting and temperature control, while automated appliances remain part of a Jetsons-like future we’ve never quite achieved. However, the future was achieved at this year’s NextGen Demonstration Home, showcased during the 2007 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS). The entire home was equipped with remote and touch panels that powered a home automation system called Life|ware 2.0 from Exceptional innovation.

Life|ware 2.0 controlled everything from the appliances and the lighting to the home’s security, ushering what was termed “a new level of digital living” into the kitchen and throughout the home. It is a digital entertainment and automation solution that expands a homeowner’s ability to manage subsystems and appliances via Microsoft Windows Vista Media Center to create a comprehensive digital living experience. The home automation solution is powered by its use of Web Services for Devices (WSD) to communicate between different home systems.

By integrating Life|ware into Media Center, a user’s entire music collection, complete with album art, can be accessed on screen. It’s also possible to view slide shows of digital photos, schedule and record favorite TV programs, retrieve home videos and watch DVDs. Life|ware also gives homeowners the power to control a home’s lighting, thermostat and security systems, distribute music throughout the house, and enact homeowner-defined “Life|scenes.”

In addition, the home automation solution also allows remote access and management of a home’s systems through a TV with a Media Center PC, Media Center Extender or Xbox 360, from a home or office PC or notebook from a Life|point touch panel or from a wireless device like an Ultra Mobile PC.

The NextGen Home also showed the result of the partnership between LG and Life|ware: Life|ware Connected appliances that employ an adapter module that makes an appliance Life|ware Connected, thereby allowing homeowners to check the status of appliances and adjust functions to better suit their schedule.

Other high-tech touches the NextGen Home showcased included a one-touch refreshment dispenser in the kitchen and a mirror that also served as a nightlight in both baths.

Look for more information about this in the upcoming issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. And log onto Live Events and Consumer Resources. In addition, try logging onto http://www.securityinfowatch.com/ for more information about home automation systems and home security.    

(Be sure to log onto KitchenBathDesign.com for Kitchen & Bath Design News’ coverage of the 2007 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS) in Las Vegas. Log onto the home page to visit the Live Events, Top Headlines, Project Spotlight and Consumer Resources sections, and Product Gallery. And don’t forget to sign up for our eNewsletters that will cover other upcoming industry shows.)