Extremely Entertaining

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We're really excited to show you this project ... so much so that it's fresh from the camera this morning! The doors are wrapped laminate which is a very cost-effective way to achieve a very modern aesthetic. The countertops are Caesarstone Lagos Blue, done with a 6cm edge rather than the standard 3cm thickness.

This kitchen is designed for entertaining.  The cooktop situated on a large island allows the cook to interact with guests.  The large pro-style fridge keeps all the food near that cooking area, and another nearby wine-fridge keeps thing cold and convenient near the dining and living room. There's a steam oven below the cooktop, but the double ovens are situated out of the way, allowing for more storage in the main kitchen area.

In the News: Dishwasher Safety Recall Notice

This recall notice affects dishwashers of the following brands:

Maytag, Jenn-Air, Amana, Admiral, Magic Chef, Performa by Maytag and Crosley. Only certain models are affected. To determine if you have a faulty dishwasher, locate the serial number as per the video below:



The serial numbers of the affected dishwashers are listed at the Maytag Repair Website, or you can call 1-800-544-5513.

The issue is a failure in the dishwasher's heating element which can pose a fire hazard.  If your dishwasher is affected, stop using the dishwasher, disconnect the electrical supply by shutting off the fuse or circuit breaker controlling it, and either schedule a free in-home repair, or elect to receive a rebate following the purchase of a new Maytag dishwasher.

This Just In - A Green Look at Laminate

One of the best “bangs-for-your-buck” in the cabinet department is plastic laminate. Commonly refered as "Arborite" or "Formica" (both brand names) plastic laminate is the same material used for countertops ... and more and more these days as cabinetry.  When you combine its relative low cost with the almost endless variety of colours, and then consider the popularity of the“sleek” look it’s easy to see the appeal of laminate.

One of laminate’s drawbacks has been its inability to produce a crisp corner when post-formed (or “wrapped”). The Greenlam laminates we’ve been using of late have that little problem licked. You can see in the picture the difference between a standard laminate door (left) and a Greenlam door (right). Installed, the difference is even more pronounced.

Something else of note: take a look at the ends of the doors. The regular laminate door uses a PVC edge tape that “coordinates” with the laminate. Greenlam has ABS tape that matches each laminate they offer. ABS is tougher than PVC and is widely being adopted as the edge material of choice.

And if you need more incentive to have a look at Greenlam, consider the “green” aspects this product offers. Greenlam laminates are GREENGARD certified for indoor air quality (low formaldehyde off-gassing) and will also qualify for LEED credits. The paper used in the creation of the laminate contains 40% recovered material and the factory that makes the laminate uses Bio Mass to fuel its boilers.

Contact one of our designers for more information on Greenlam and laminate kitchens.

Design Tips - Distance Between Work Centres

In this installment of Design Tips, we're going to look at  NKBA Guideline #3. Some of you may have already had a look at the pictures below and said "I know what this is about!  It's the Kitchen Triangle!!" ... and you'd be right, mostly.

The concept of the kitchen triangle has been around since 1944 where it was developed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  The Triangle was developed not so much with the cook in mind, but as a means to standardize, and thus reduce cost.

This doesn't mean that the Triangle is a bad thing.  In fact the Triangle is one of the best ways to to create an efficient kitchen.  But it's not the only way, and that's an important concept to keep in mind.  Your designer may create a kitchen for you that employs the Triangle, but also adds to it.

Guideline #3 is really about the workspaces in the kitchen and how they relate to each other.  In a kitchen with three work areas for example (sink, stove, fridge), the total distance between each work centre should total no more than 26 feet (9.5 metres).  Furthermore, no single distance should be less than 4 feet (1.47 metres) and no longer than 9 feet (2.74 metres).

So what about a kitchen that has more than three work centres?  What about the coffee machine?  The deep fryer or grill?  How about that second sink on the island with the extra dishwasher?  Pretty soon that triangle is starting to look like a trapezoid or hexagon. 

Relax.  The same rules still apply.  What's important here is not the shape, but the proximity of each work centre to the other.  Sometimes you may have two work centres you use together all the time ... a coffee maker and a beverage fridge (for cream, Irish or otherwise).  You'll never get 2 work centres to make a triangle, but if the two items are further apart than 9 feet ... even 4 feet ... you're going to need running to shoes for all the travelling you'll do!

Another hiccup in this rule comes when you introduce and island into the equation.  As you'll see in the drawing on the left, one of the legs of our triangle gets interupted by the island.  Think about running between the cooktop and the fridge and imagine how bruised your hip could get.

In a perfect world that island should cut into the path no more than 12" (30.5 cm).  However, it should be noted that avoiding this situation is not always possible.  We try, really we do.  But sometimes you just run out of room to work, or moving the cooktop towards the left side of the island (the simplest solution) will break some other guidelines we haven't addressed yet.  There's a lot going on in your kitchen and sometimes something's got to give. 

Illustrations (C) NKBA.org

Let the Buyer Beware

We've all seem them ... the Direct Buy ads promising us the opportunity to buy sinks, faucets, cabinetry, etc. at a "designer's rate."  The fact is, Direct Buy is a rip-off.  Think we may be biased?  Do a quick Google search.  Or better yet, we direct your attention to Consumer Reports who had a look for themselves.

To evaluate the pitch, we went undercover at two DirectBuy franchises in New York. Both gave us the same hard sell and offers of up to 70 percent off retail prices if we were to join. Only after an hour and a half of sales pitches and video testimonials from members did we learn the membership fee: $4,900 to $4,990 (plus tax) for three years and then $190 a year for seven more. Financing is available at 17.75 percent.

After the fee disclosure, we discovered that we had to sign up on the spot or never come back. We couldn’t bring DirectBuy’s “confidential” prices elsewhere to comparison shop, the representatives said, because this would likely anger retailers who might then retaliate against the manufacturers by refusing to sell their merchandise.

The fine print in the DirectBuy contract says you cannot return items, cancel orders, or terminate your membership. When we asked if, after plunking down $5,000, we could cancel and get a refund, a salesperson said, “You’ll have to check state law.” A review of New York state law revealed that the three-day cooling-off period for canceling contracts wouldn’t apply in this case.


Tacked onto the cost of merchandise—which you select from catalogs since DirectBuy has limited showrooms—are a 6 percent handling fee, shipping fees, and tax. Goods are typically shipped only to your local center, so you might pay additional fees to actually get your new stuff home.

Direct Buy is preying on the consumers' natural desire to save a buck.  The fact is, once all the fees are factored in, you're paying retail prices anyway ... assuming you don't want to try and return something.  This is certainly one situation where "if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is."  Do your research.  Ask a design professional. 

That's what we do.

Thanks to Paul at Kitchen & Residential Design for bringing this information to our attention.