From Homescape

Over the weekend I stopped by the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show & Conference held here in Chicago. While I saw my fair share of sleek new bathroom faucets and granite kitchen countertops, nothing topped the list of cool new gizmos like Kohler’s VibrAcoustic bathtub.

I could hear the oohs and ahhs as I approached the crowd of spectators converged around this state-of-the-art tub. Like something straight out of “The Jetsons,” the long, white multisensory bath integrates light, choreographed music and soothing vibrations to create the ultimate relaxation experience.

The science of bathing                                                                                                                                      

Kohler's VibrAcoustic bath intergates light, music and soothing vibrations to create a relaxing experience.

Barry Glasford, a project analyst with Kohler and one of the brains behind the creation of the tub, told me the VibrAcoustic bath successfully marries the science of water and sound with the art of ergonomic design. Vibroacoustics is a technology-based sound therapy defined as hearing and feeling sound vibrations through the body. Glasford says it’s proven to promote relaxation and is an ideal feature to add to a bathtub that is designed and engineered to instinctively ease tension and stress.

Who needs whirlpool jets when you have a selection of four uniquely composed music numbers creating a soothing synchronized vibration. Transducers producing the vibrations are strategically placed on the backside of the bath allowing the bather to not only hear but also feel the music streaming in from one of the four preset fountainheads. The sound waves travel through the water and gently resound in the body.

“During our test runs, I would see people fall into a deep, relaxed breathing, as they lay there in the bathtub,” Glasford says. “The vibration and lighting encourages the bather’s breathing rate to align with the beats or chord structures. The experience is truly three-dimensional.”

Creating euphoria
The four VibrAcoustic original compositions were created in collaboration with a renowned sound therapist and are choreographed uniquely for this bath to optimize the vibroacoustic effect. Two massaging beat experiences add even more physical vibration that can be adjusted to the desired level of intensity for a personalized bath experience.

But if you’re more of a Guns N’ Roses fan like myself, the DTV bath interface allows you to download your own songs from a MP3 player or radio station from a home computer. Glasford, however, says he wouldn’t recommend up-tempo tunes if you’re looking for a euphoric experience.

The synchronized lighting is truly the psychedelic eye-catcher on this suped-up tub. The four lights in the bath can create eight different colors and a myriad of color combinations and patterns. A color dial even allows bathers to choose a particular hue of each color. The lights are synchronized with the four preset fountainhead experiences and will also align themselves with the rhythm of outside music.

Bath design
The bathtub is made of acrylic and available in two sizes: 88-by-48-by-24 inches and 72-by-42-by- 26 inches, which allow bathers of different heights to be submerged completely. The 88-inch tub will cost you around $13,000 while the 72-inch bath retails for $10,500. For some people, the price will be worth the experience.

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

When a seller is preparing her home for an open house, she usually packs away the clutter, scrubs away stains on the walls and adds some fresh flowers to liven up the ambience. But sometimes not even fresh flowers can help a home when it comes to getting rid of stinky odors. From the pungent stench of tobacco to the nose-pinching reek of an unkempt kitty litter, no one wants to be “snuffed out” of a sale. While some homeowners like adding scented candles or spraying air fresheners to mask the smells, even the rich aromas extracted from these products can sometimes overwhelm those who are sensitive to strong scents.

To play it safe, I would recommend going with an aroma-free product. At the International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago last week, I found Fresh Wave’s line of natural odor neutralizers as a good alternative for the fragrant-sensitive, environmentally conscious consumers.

From the gel crystals and home spray to the vacuum pearls, the Fresh Wave products do a good job of eliminating odor molecules. I don’t want to get too technical, — I’ll leave that to Bill Nye “The Science Guy” — but how these odor-eating products work, is the plant oils in the gels and sprays get picked up by natural airflow and attach themselves to the odor molecules, neutralizing the smells in a room.

The products are all made with a unique blend of natural ingredients like soy, purified water, aniseed, clove, lime, pine needle and cedar wood. When you open up the gel jar, you can initially smell a hint of pine and clove, but the smell quickly dissipates within minutes. The gels can be left out in the open or hidden behind air ducts. These products are all nontoxic, recyclable, non-aerosol and EPA approved.

The gel crystals last 30 to 60 days and cost $14.95 for a 16-ounce jar. So even after you’ve moved out of a home, and your agent is still showing the property to buyers, you can leave the crystals out to keep the home smelling fresh. Fresh Wave products can be purchased online at Freshwave.com or you can pick them up at Sur La Table, the Container Store and select Whole Foods and Ace Hardware stores.

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

On my lunch break yesterday, I stopped in at the 2008 International Home & Housewares Show to see if there were any new gadgets or home accessories worth writing home about. One booth that caught my attention was green-friendly home and garden design company Ecosource. The Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-based company first left their imprint on the houseware scene two years ago when they debuted their biodegradable garden pots. At this year’s show in Chicago, the environmentally innovative company is moving the industry forward in the “green” revolution with the launch of their new Grēnware table-top line.

When I first noticed Ecosurce’s beautifully rounded bowls and sleek dinner plates atop the white square display tables, I instantly fell in love with the simplicity of the design and the dark earthy colors, which gave the product a very contemporary and elegant look. Grēnware’s slogan on their brochure reads: “Who says you can’t have style and still save the planet?”

The Grēnware table-top line, which includes dinner and appetizer plates and bowls, are made with renewable plant fiber from coconut, bamboo, straw and rice hulls. Without using any chemical dyes, the products rich colors come from its natural plant cellulose, such as the dark brown from the coconut shell. The products contain no petroleum or plastic, making it both food safe and also completely eco-friendly.

Chad Callihan, co-founder of Ecosource, said the grēnware products have a shelf-life of up to five years, and when it comes time to dispose, they are completely biodegradable. “In today’s market, consumers are spending more time educating themselves on environmental issues, and they aren’t afraid to spend more money on green-friendly products,” Callihan says.

Ecosource’s products won’t burn a hole in your pocket book. Their new Grēnware table-top products retail for $9 to $15 per piece and their flower pots range from $5 to $20. To find a Grēnware retailer near you, check out Ecosourceonline.com list of directories. And if you just want to educate yourself more on environmentally friendly companies, I recommend checking out Co-op America.


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

After getting thrown in the ring and body slammed repeatedly by Mother Nature this winter, I can’t begin to tell you how ready I am for spring. With the warm, sun-kissed weather comes my two favorite past times: baseball and barbecuing. I’m no Bobby Flay, but I can grill up a mean steak, and my Cajun barbecue chicken would make even New Orleans chef Emeril Lagasse’s palate sizzle.

But the love for my gas grill has come with some guilt. Gas grills have become synonymous with higher BTU levels and greater energy waste. It appears I’m not the only one that’s been bit by the grilling bug. One of the fastest growing home trends is outdoor entertainment spaces, and as the trend continues, that means more folks will be firing up their grills this spring.

According to the Hearth Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA), there are about 59 million households in the United States with a gas grill. If the average BTU usage is 60,000 units per hour and consumers grill twice a week, annual consumption per person would be 6,240,000 BTUs. Jut to give you a sense of how much that is, there are 5,900,000 BTUs per barrel of crude oil. We are expending about nearly 60 million barrels of crude oil per year with are grilling habits.                          

During my visit at the International Home Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla., last month, I came across Fire Stone’s Cook Number Gas and Electric Grill. The Cook Number Gas Grill burns just about 30,000 BTUs/hour, while its electric counterpart uses an average of 8,000 BTUs/hour. The annual saving on crude oil usage would be four times as great with a more energy-efficient grill. The Fire Stone 24-inch gas grill will cost you about $1,422 and the electric version about $500. But in the long run, you end up spending 10 to 15 cents per hour to operate it, which is less than 10 percent of the energy required for a traditional gas grill. These are high-quality grills, designed with an emphasis on durability. So if you’re striving to be a granola eater like myself, go “green” and switch over to more environmentally friendly grilling products this summer.

Do you have any good “green” products you would recommend?

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

Green. You see it and hear about it everywhere these days, and it no longer only denotes the enticing color of money. Environmentally friendly living — be it in the form of hybrid cars, sustainable seafood or pop-can recycling — has spread in our culture like ivy vines on a wall. Among homeowners and buyers, green living is also sprouting rapidly, even as the overall housing market cools, a recent study shows.

The 2007 McGraw-Hill Construction Smart Market Report on Attitudes & Preferences for Remodeling and Buying Green Homes found an expanding market for green homebuilding and renovation. Citing the study, the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) reports that environmentally friendly homes made up 0.3 percent of the construction market in 2005, worth almost $2 billion.

Green renovation, which is also an effective way to save money in the long run, has also growing in popularity. Nearly 40 percent of home remodeling today is being done green, reported the McGraw-Hill study, released in November 2007. The USGBC, which comprises 13,000 member organizations of the building industry, defines a green home as one that “uses less energy, water and natural resources, creates less waste, and is healthier for the people living inside, compared to a standard home.” True green homes contain specific green building elements in at least three of five categories: energy efficiency, indoor air quality, water efficiency, resource efficiency and site management (such as landscaping).

The USGBC recommends eight ways for you to turn your place — and your pockets — a little greener:

Plug air leaks
Common leaks occur around windows, doors and other wall penetrations. Plugging those leaks with weather stripping and caulk can be a simple task for anyone and can reduce your energy bill by $100 or more.

Choose Energy Star appliances
Even if an Energy Star appliance seems costlier at first glance, their high level of energy efficiency could save you more than $50 a year per appliance.

Explore solar energy
Photovoltaics — solar power technology that uses solar cells or solar photovoltaic arrays to convert light from the sun directly into electricity or heat — are increasingly available for residential use. Solar power can be harnessed to create electricity for your home, to heat water, and to improve indoor lighting. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy can help you find the right solar solutions for you.

Reduce water usage
Install aerators — available for a few dollars at your local home supply store — to your sink faucets, and switch to low-flow showerheads and a low-flow toilet. A laundry machine and dishwasher that use less water are also recommended.

Buy low-VOC products
Get your new home off to a fresh start by switching to products that don’t give off volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Low- or no-VOC products greatly improve your indoor air quality and protect your health. Look for low-VOC paints and cleaning products.

Use wood alternatives or FSC-certified wood products
For flooring and cabinetry, consider rapidly renewable products such as linoleum, bamboo, recycled-content tile or non-VOC carpet. Choose wood products from sustainably managed forests, such as those certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Plant trees for shade and wind protection
This simple step can help you save money on heating and air conditioning bills, while providing beautiful views around your home.

Grow native plants
Plant your new yard with native plants and minimize high-maintenance landscaping such as turf grass. Native plants are more likely to thrive with minimal care, unlike exotic plants. That can mean less need for water, fertilizer and pesticides. The Environmental Protection Agency has additional information on green landscaping techniques.

Do you have other tips for making your home greener?

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