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.)

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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.

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.)    

The NextGen Home’s home automation solution was demonstrated.

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Many of these high-tech gadgets and appliances were found in the Digital Entertainment Kitchen presented in the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) Industry Trends Marketplace. It included such seamlessly integrated digital components as a HP TouchSmart PC on a lazy Susan located on the main island and a centralpark-connected refrigerator from Whirlpool Corp. that allows users to dock CE-based devices such as digital picture frames, satellite radios, MP3 players, DVD systems, tablet computers and more.

The display also brought to life the results of the Digital Kitchen Study, a cross-industry collaboration involving leading members of the CABA Internet Home Alliance Research Council including Whirlpool Corp., Bell Canada, Cisco Systems, Inc., Direct Energy, HP, HomeCrest Cabinetry, Intel Corp., Microsoft, the NKBA and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Together, they form a network of companies dedicated to advancing the home technology market.

The Council’s study, conducted by Zanthus, a research and consulting firm, was intended to determine the consumer electronics and appliances already in use in American kitchens and what new products or services homeowners would like to add to their kitchens in the future. The study was based on a survey that reached 602 homeowners between the ages of 25 and 64 who have broadband Internet access and household incomes of more than $35,000 per year.

The survey results suggest that most consumers are looking for functionality and control from their kitchens, rather than entertainment. But while most respondents showed little interest in watching movies or playing video games in the kitchen, they do still want a TV there. The study found that 33% of homeowners currently watch TV in the kitchen, 43% want to watch TV in their ideal kitchen and 51% of respondents planning to remodel their kitchens in 2007 intend to include a TV.

As a result of the survey, Blue Arnold, CKD, CBD of Kitchens by Request, Inc. in Jarrettsville, MD, designed the “ideal” digital kitchen that featured the following innovations:

• Digital Calendar. The survey found that the primary kitchen user is also the primary schedule keeper, and a digital calendar was the most preferred concept of the 22 concepts tested. Those surveyed reported wanting a calendar on a large screen that allows users to add appointments and post notes that everyone in the household can see and access, whether from the kitchen or via the Internet.
• Recipe Projection System. Eight in 10 of those surveyed said they cook for enjoyment, and 64% do so at least several times per week. Consumers reported wanting a wireless recipe projection system that would allow them to look up a recipe online, or even say aloud what they want to cook, and then have the recipe projected onto a surface in the kitchen from a small, cabinet-mounted device.
• Energy Usage Monitoring and Control System. Those surveyed reported wanting to monitor energy consumption by area (family room, swimming pool, etc.) and appliance (hot water heater, etc.); to monitor energy usage by circuit; to chart peak energy usage times; to diagnose areas of wasted energy; and to calculate energy costs. This concept was most popular in the West where California recently became the first state in the nation to impose an emissions cap on utilities, refineries and factories.
• Home Control Station. Consumers want a home control station in their kitchen that allows them to manage their HVAC and security systems easily. Specifically, they requested a screen where they can view the temperature inside and outside of their home, adjust the thermostat on a touch pad and view live video of both the front and back of their house. This functionality was equally appealing to households with and without children.
• Universal Charging Station. Consumers reported wanting to charge up to three cell phones or PDAs simultaneously, regardless of brand or model. One-third of households reported that they currently keep their cell phones on the kitchen counter, and one-half said they keep their phone chargers there, too. Consumers would like a universal charging station so everyone can charge their phones in the spot where their phones and chargers are usually kept.
• Wireless Internet Access. Consumers reported wanting to have a wireless network in their home so they can have wireless Internet access in all rooms, including the kitchen. Twenty-nine percent of all homeowners and 43% of those remodeling their homes want to surf the Web while in the kitchen. Consumers reported wanting Internet access for e-mailing and Web surfing and don’t want to use a PC in the kitchen for offline applications. Wired Internet access is not desired; just 5% of homeowners said they wanted wired Internet access in their kitchen.
  Arnold further interpreted the results to mean that consumers want technology to be accessible, but not the focal point of their rooms. Thus, she placed the cabinetry in shadow boxes with the technology nested within it. There are touch screens for control, and the computer on the lazy Susan can be easily accessed by family members from both sides of the island.

Look for more information about this in the upcoming 6/07 issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. And log onto Live Events, and Consumer Resources.

(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.)   

The Digital Entertainment Kitchen included such “smart” gadgets and appliances as an HP TouchSmart PC on a lazy Susan located on the main island, a centralpark-connected refrigerator from Whirlpool Corp.

According to the Digital Kitchen Study, a cross-industry collaboration involving leading members of the CABA Internet Home Alliance Research Council, the following are the activities consumers would most like to do – and not do – in their “ideal” kitchen:
 

1. Kitchen as control center, not entertainment center. While some who are remodeling their kitchen said they want to watch movies and videos in the kitchen, the vast majority (85%) of homeowners said they don’t see themselves watching videos or movies in the kitchen, perhaps because those are activities that need time and attention, two things in short supply when making dinner. In addition, the vast majority (93%) would not play video games in their ideal kitchen. There are just two entertainment-oriented items that consumers want in their ideal kitchen of the future: a TV and wireless Internet access.
2. Crack the books, but not where you crack the eggs. According to the survey, 48% of children do their homework in the kitchen. However, the survey also found that the majority of parents (59%) prefer that their children not do their homework in the kitchen. According to parents, the ideal kitchen is not an ideal place for doing homework.
3. Keep the Play-Doh away from the cookie dough. In homes with children, 43% reported doing arts and crafts in the kitchen. However, 69% of all parents say they don’t want their kids doing arts and crafts projects in the kitchen. In homes without children, the survey found that crafting activities rarely took place in the kitchen.
4. Weather or Not. The survey revealed that 37% of homeowners would like to check the weather from their kitchen. But an on-demand weather information device was chosen by just 12% of respondents as something they’d like in their ideal kitchen. It may be that a device that provides weather information only is less appealing than wireless Internet access in the kitchen, which can transmit a variety of content.

Look for more information about this in the upcoming 6/07 issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. And log onto Live Events, and Consumer Resources. (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.)  

The Digital Entertainment Kitchen display showcased such high-tech features as a hidden Xbox and a built-in, flat-panel TV with a host of features including a fireplace display.

Its L-shaped kitchen was highlighted by a mix of colors and contrasts and provided a host of ergonomic features. It had an ergonomic chef center with cabinetry by Armstrong and a two-sided center island with one side made for clean-up and the other made for snacking.

Digital features included a Broan-NuTone video monitoring system, a Dell laptop equipped with Internet access and set on one end of the island that is actually a rolling cabinet, and a 20″ Sharp Aquos TV, along with a Sharp DVD player, tucked into an open wall cabinet for easy viewing.

The adjacent, inviting, cozy family room doubled not only as a dining room, but also a fully-equipped home office, a space-maximizing butler’s pantry/bar area. Digital features included a Dell desktop PC, LCD monitor and sub-woofer, a 65″ Sharp Aquos TV and a Marantz DVD player.

The serene, nature-inspired bath showcased neutral tones in every area, including the shower, which featured a principal shower spray that poured dramatically out of a semi-arched fitting ending in a huge, square spray surface. On two levels flanking shower handles were body sprays, turning the shower experience into a spa-like one.

The vanity, which was actually a wall cabinet set on legs, featured a 1-1/2″-thick, bull-nosed quartz surface and a round, stainless steel sink. The toilet was tucked away near the tub, with green hues in the form of towels, wall art and arrangements that were paired with grass cloth wall covering, adding to the soothing ambience.

Digital features included electronically controlled shades and a TV tucked into a niche.

The future-forward Showcase was produced by New York, NY-based WDSIPs’ Project Director/Writer Mervyn Kaufman and designed by Ingrid Leess of New Canaan, CT-based Ingrid Leess Interior Design with input from the American Hardwood Information Center. And the display was built by Dallas, TX-based Elevate Group.

Look for more information about this in the upcoming 6/07 issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. And log onto Live Events, and Consumer Resources.

(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.)  

Dubbed ‘Digital Dreams,’ WDSIPs’ and Home magazine’s 2007 Design Showcase featured a kitchen that had an ergonomic chef center with cabinetry by Armstrong and Silestone tops and an inviting, cozy family room that doubled not only as a dining room, but also a home office and a butler’s pantry/bar area. Photo: John Gould Bessler

The serene, nature-inspired bath showcased neutral tones in every area, including the shower, which featured a principal shower spray that poured dramatically out of a semi-arched fitting ending in a huge, square spray surface. Photo: John Gould Bessler