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Hello all,

This will be my first blog…We just came back from our bi-annual Lake Powell family vacation. I noticed that two wall receptacles in the galley were close to a window. I figured since they were on a GFI circuit and there was only a small chance of water entry they opted for the economic standard solution. If it were my houseboat I would have opted for the Power Grommet shown below.

So since I’m a guy and we generally love gadget-e things I wanted to share this with you.

DESCRIPTION · Power Grommet specifically designed for kitchens. · This ring forms a seal when the unit is closed. · To use, just grab the two metal handles on the top and pull up until it "clicks" in place. · To lower, depress the red button on bottom and push down

Electrical codes vary by location. Please check with your electrician to verify that this unit meets your local code before installing.







Thanks…see you soon

Dan

One of the challenges with choosing materials for a design project is that there is always something new coming out.

Just this morning we finalized an order for 15 marvelous, sparkly, cone-shaped knobs. They’re going on the kitchen cabinets in the front of the showroom. The knobs have a retro, diamond-in-a-martini-glass shape that makes me think of Las Vegas, and this particular knob was my absolute favorite in this style (crystal & satin nickel) in the Top Knob hardware catalog.

Nova Lee Industry's #C14 knob with
Swarovski crystal center

But wouldn’t you know it, right after the order went through I happened to pick up a Nova Lee Industry Company catalog from the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show, and what do I find but a similar knob that makes me start to think I might even like it better.




It makes me think of one of my clients who is struggling to finish a home remodel. Her ranch-style home was damaged by heat in the firestorm that swept through Rancho Santa Fe in 2007. The interior was reduced to wood studs and concrete floors, and she has been living in this stripped down interior for almost 3 years.

Her challenge—like mine—is to make choices, to decide on the very best products from among the thousands of dazzling choices available. And just when we think we have it—that wonderful, interesting-but-subtle, pale green/gray 24 x 24 floor tile that seems just ideal—we discover a new version of sea foam limestone that we might like even better.

4/28/10 TODAY’S FAVORITE THING…

Glass/Metal knobs from Nova Lee Industries Ltd, a company in Taiwan: From left, #GO160 Royal Blue, Yellow (Squares), #GO100 Black, Orange (standing, round), #GO131 Yellow (on side, facing front).

4/22/10 ROCKS & RAIN IN VALLEY CENTER

ROCKS & RAIN IN VALLEY CENTER

Sometimes when I meet a new client, I get a chance to see a new neighborhood.

This last Tuesday morning I drove to the middle of Valley Center, up a slow, gradual hill to the end of a “no-outlet” road. There I found a 1950’s-era home in the middle of a huge rock outcropping. The gently sloping driveway and grounds were interlaced with streams, ponds, and pine forests, with an occasional garden bridge and a few weathered pieces of statuary. At a gentle rise in the center of the rock gardens was the flat-roofed home.

A large deck surrounded most of the house, and I could see that the homeowners had added new floor-to-ceiling windows just about everywhere. When I went inside, the rain that had been threatening all morning started really coming down—and as I looked out of those limitless windows I felt like I had been transported into an Asian reverse-perspective painting of gray clouds, pine trees, and softly beautiful distant mountains.

Weathered Red Kitchen Cabinets

It seemed almost anti-climatic to focus on the kitchen (white, uninspired, a carry-over from the previous homeowner), but once we acknowledged the Asian theme, the kitchen pretty much designed itself:
o weathered red cabinets
o large oriental hardware
o black appliances
o brown/black raku-inspired countertop
o antique chandelier
o shiny black backsplash tile

(I’d like to think that the weathered statuary outside would approve. )


4/22/10 TODAY’S FAVORITE THING:


Stone Forest’s SYNC Drop-in Vessel Sink

This is the new drop-in version of Stone Forest’s Award-winning modular SYNC™ series. It also comes in bamboo.





SPECS: All polished. Onyx. #SYNC-VSL Dimensions 3.75 x 20.5 x 17 in.