From Homescape

From Portland, OR, to Ridgewood, N.J., the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) traveled cross country to find this year’s top professional bathroom designs. The 2008 winners were announced at NKBA’s annual show and conference held in Chicago April 11-13. The winners of this year’s competition are:

Powder rooms
An impressive powder room has become a fundamental element in modern homes. More designers today are creating spaces that are reflecting their client’s personality, but continue to remain practical. Materials and finishes play a significant role in designing the ideal contemporary powder rooms.

• First place:
Lori W. Carroll, Lori Carroll & Associates, Tucson, AZ

• Second place:
Lori W. Carroll, Lori Carroll & Associates, Tucson, AZ

• Third place:
Lori W. Carroll, Lori Carroll & Associates, Tucson, AZ

• Honorable mention:
Elina Katsioula-Beall, CKD, Dewitt Designer Kitchens, Studio City, CA

Small bathrooms
The tranquil effects of Japanese elements had inspired Michael Ranson’s clients for many years, so they asked that he use these elements in creating their new bath. The couple specifically asked that a modern version of a furo, or Japanese soaking tub, be incorporated into the design.

• First place:
Michael Ranson, H O M E + atelier Michael Ranson, San Diego, CA

• Second place:
Leslie Ann Cohen, CKD, Leslie Cohen Design, Cardiff, CA

• Third place:
Tanya L. Woods, X-Tiles, Royal Oak, MI

• Honorable mention:
Mark S. Morris, Mark Morris Design Group, Brisbane, CA

Large bathrooms
This rustic-inspired bathroom features a large double vanity with a counter that has real leaf imprints in the concrete backsplash. But one of the most unique features in this room is the waterfall, which runs down the sandstone-tiled wall into a bed of pebbles.

• First place:
Siri Evju, CKD, CBD, Siri Designs, Portland, OR

• Second place:
Donna L.A. Riddell, CKD, CBD, Artistry Design Group, Ltd., Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

• Third place:
Blue Arnold, CKD, CBD, Kitchens By Request, Inc., Jarrettsville, MD

• Honorable mention:
Tracey Scalzo, CKD, CBD, Eurotech Cabinetry, Inc., Sarasota, FL

Master suite/bathrooms
The challenge of this master bathroom suite was to create a relaxing spa-like feel that included his and hers lavatories, walk-in closets, a make-up table, tub, large shower, linen storage and a separate water closet.

• First place:
Holly Rickert, Ulrich, Inc., Ridgewood, NJ

• Second place:
Nicholas J. Geragi, CKD, CBD, Klaff’s, Inc., South Norwalk, CT

• Third place:
Scott and Sandra Gjesdahl, Bristol Design & Construction, Kirkland, WA

• Honorable mention:
Wendy R. Mayes, CKD, Jan Parker’s Kitchens By Design, LLC, Wichita, KS

Got hot local housing tips or a story you want to share? Contact Amy Le at openingdoorsblog@homescape.com.

A report released last week by Better Homes and

Home buyers are looking for large kitchens that are fun, but practical.

Gardens magazine found that buyers who bought a new home in the last 10 years or plan to build one, say they’re through with cookie-cutter houses. The research study surveyed more than 2,000 homeowners from across the country, and about 70 percent said they wanted a house that has character and charm.

Top five priorities
1. An all-new kitchen that looks great and is fun to work in
2. The right amount and type of customized storage
3. A master bath and bedroom that feels like a luxurious hotel room
4. Well-designed spaces that can be personalized
5. A separate and conveniently sized laundry/workroom

The study also found that more than half of those surveyed wanted green-certified building and remodeling options presented to them. This figure jumped to more than two out three in the Generation Y age group (people born between 1977 and 1998).

Another growing trend among homeowners in the past few years is the need for expanded outdoor living space. About 40 percent of respondents said that their outdoor living areas are almost as important as their interior home. The traditional barbeque grills and patio tables just aren’t cutting it, and consumers today are shelling out big bucks for customized stone firepits and elaborate outdoor dining furniture.

Planning for life changes

When asked what specialty space the homeowners would prefer, 36 percent named the sunroom, 35 percent said an extra-large porch and 34 percent said an oversized laundry room. Many new homes being built today have turned the dull, often cramped laundry room into a multipurpose area with extra space to do arts and crafts projects or wrap gifts.

“Today the pace of change, in families and with technology, is so fast that consumers demand homes that will change with them,” says Gayle Butler, editor in chief of Better Homes and Garden.

Baby Boomers especially are planning for these changes. In the next five to 10 years, about one out of three Boomers expects an aging parent to move in or an adult child or relative to move back home. As a result, the need for guest accommodations will be in demand. The survey also found that this generation will be looking for single-floor living.

So whether you’re preparing your home to sell or looking to buy a new one, it’s always good to keep in mind the ever-changing trends affecting the housing market.

Got hot local housing tips or a story you want to share? Contact Amy Le at openingdoorsblog@homescape.com.

Are you planning on remodeling your kitchen this year, but still scratching your head for ideas? This year’s top design winners of the National Kitchen & Bath Association competition created imaginative designs and aesthetically pleasing solutions that will inspire the decorator in you.

Small kitchen

Designer Areti Tanya Rentzos of Andros Kitchen & Bath Designs in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, took first place in the small kitchens category for her “Modern Efficiency” design.

The home was built in the 1920s and was in need of a complete remodel. The homeowners were graphic artists, who were looking for a contemporary edge on design. A wall between the kitchen and living space needed to be removed in order to extend the kitchen cabinets by approximately 3 feet. By doing so, Rentzos created enough room to incorporate the additional appliances. She also increased counter space by moving the sink to the corner.

Rentzos preserved the home’s 1920s coziness by choosing a dark cherry wood that exudes a feeling of warmth, but opted for contemporary styling with a flat slab door of brushed and polished stainless steel. A second counter level was installed to incorporate seating for two and create a division between the two rooms. She also added suspended shelves to open up the space in the upper cabinets and provide easier accessibility.

Rentzos’s other upgrades were:

Cabinets: Maple wood with me
rlot stain and wood dovetail drawer systems
Microwave: KitchenAid
Range: KitchenAid
Dishwasher: KitchenAid
Refrigerator: KitchenAid
Ventilation: KitchenAid
Countertops: Silestone
Fixtures and fittings: Richelieu shelf support and Hansgrohe faucet
Sinks: Blanco

Large kitchen

Anchorage, Alaska-based designer Terri Hosken of Beyond The Box: Kitchen Design won the large kitchen category with her “Modern & Marvelous” design.

The homeowners, both independent restaurant owners, appreciated the fundamental components of a working kitchen. But they wanted the creative functionality of a multipurpose space designed to accommodate a soccer-team meal or an art project with their children.

Hosken’s design focused on a layout that provides versatility and innovative storage behind a tranquil facade. A variety of components — including microwave, steam and conventional ovens, and a coffee/espresso maker — are integrated in the cabinet and drawer enclosures and are concealed by a stainless steel door. This frees up the kitchen’s layout for more customizable space.

The island counter (featuring stylish bar stools) allows freedom of movement around the kitchen. It has a mobile service cart that rotates freely to reveal small appliances below the counter. The cart can be removed to free up more knee space and be used elsewhere. A hidden pantry is seamlessly integrated with the cabinetry.

Hosken’s other upgrades were:

Cabinets: Custom Cabinetry by Howka Cabinet Co.
Cooktop: Thermador
Oven: Thermador
Dishwasher: Fisher & Paykel
Refrigerator: Thermador
Ventilation: Zephyr
Countertops: Absolute black granite slab and maple top
Flooring: Absolute black granite tiles, Kahrs maple flooring
Fixtures: Hafele
Sink: Elkay
Walls and soffits: Gyp Board, primed and painted
Lighting: Techline cable rail and monorail, recessed incandescent

Got hot local housing tips or a story you want to share? Contact Amy Le at openingdoorsblog@homescape.com.

Even though America is a consumer society, it’s an odd fact that the typical home seller does not view their property as a product for sale in a marketplace. Because this is so, many home sales end up languishing. But this doesn’t have to be the case.

Dressing it up
Basic, old-fashioned marketing principals teaches that how a product is perceived and received within the market can be positively altered and impacted. This is where home staging can help. More than just being decorators or designers, good home stagers are focused in applying a full array of strategic property-marketing principles and practices which positively influence the consumer about a product (your home) in a market.

So, although a staged home might look attractive, it is important to note that staging is NOT solely about making a home just look “pretty.” In fact, there are homes that CAN look visually attractive and STILL not be staged.

Any Realtor, home seller or builder who thinks that staging is simply making a home look “pretty” is grossly ignorant about the benefits of proper staging. The “why” and “how” a home is prepped for its showing and ultimate selling is what a staged home is all about.

What we do is much like what happens every day at Macy’s, Best Buy, Safeway, Walgreens, and other retail stores across America. Real estate staging is more about strategically setting up — or merchandising — a property in a manner that makes it not only easy for buyers to tour, but also allows their hearts to connect to it with a powerful first impression that stays with them.

Today, I am not surprised to find there are many pretty homes that still are not selling. But a staged home that is priced right will sell quickly, even during ugly markets.

Stage It Forward...

Craig Schiller founder of Real Estaging