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Where To Start When Designing Your Kitchen | Part 1: How To Choose Your Appliances

When it comes to designing a kitchen, most clients come to me feeling pretty overwhelmed. They may have found an image or two of something that inspires them, but when it comes down to the technical process of laying out the floor plan, they generally feel baffled about where to start.

The reality is, the look of the kitchen is one of the last things we address. Great kitchen design always starts with function first. A few key questions can provide a lot of clarity when designing your dream kitchen:

HOW DO I LIKE TO COOK?
Do I like roast a variety of dishes in the oven that require various temperatures?
Is important to me to maintain the vitamins and minerals in my food?
Do I grill a lot?
Do I constantly have multiple pots simmering on the range top?
Do I use my microwave very often, and if so, what for?

HOW DO I GROCERY SHOP?
Do I do one weekly shop and buy a lot of produce?
Do I need a lot of freezer space?
How many bottles of wine do I like to have on hand?

Once you’ve answered these questions, it’s time to consider the sea of options available. Today I’m going to explore them with you by highlighting one of my favourite culinary brands, Thermador.

RANGES + COOKTOPS

Your range is typically the focal point of the kitchen. The first thing to determine is what size of range your kitchen can accommodate, and then you need to decide how you’d like to configure your burners. Thirdly, you need to decide what cooking methods you’d like to employ.

1. SIZE

Thermador offers ranges from 30″ all the way up to 60″ wide:

SMALL: For small kitchens, the 30″ Pro Harmony Range is an excellent choice as it gives you five burners over the standard four. There’s also a 36″ option.

MEDIUM: If you’ve got a bit more room and are looking for more cooking options, I love the 48″ Pro Grand Range With Steam as it gives you the best of both worlds – a combi steam + convection oven big enough for your 14 lb turkey next to a traditional convection oven.

LARGE: If you have the room, I definitely recommend stepping up to the 60″ Pro Grand Range with Steam. This one defies the laws of mathematics, as you get a 30″ steam convection oven and a 36″ standard convection oven with only 60″ of width. If you’re not into cooking with steam (although why wouldn’t you be?) you can opt for the Ultimate Entertainer’s Range which has two 30″ convection ovens side by side.

2. BURNER CONFIGURATION

In the 48″ and 60″ ranges, you have options on how to configure your burners. They all come with a standard 6 burners, but then you can opt for either a grill or griddle depending on what kinds of meals you cook the most. If you’d prefer to forgo a range in favour of wall ovens, you can work with Thermador’s Trimless Freedom Induction Cooktop. The technology in this blows my mind, as it has sensors that read the size of your pot and will follow it with whatever heat setting you asign to it, even if you move it around on the cooktop.

3. COOKING METHODS

STEAM CONVECTION: Without a doubt, the number one item on my designer wish list for my next kitchen is the 60″ Pro Grand Range with Steam. Why? Chefs like Daniel Boulud swear by them for a reason. Unlike a standard oven, a combi steam/convection oven allows you to customize your humidity levels for a remarkable range of capabilities. From beautifully browning your turkey to steaming your rice and veggies to proofing your dough for homemade bread, the steam convection oven can do it all while maintaining the nutrients in your food and locking in incredible flavour. Steam convection also knocks some time off the cooking clock, allowing you to roast a perfect 14 pound turkey in just 90 minutes.

STANDARD CONVECTION: Whereas your conventional oven surrounds your food with hot air, a convection oven circulates that air with a fan for more even cooking and faster results.

SPEED OVEN: As you’ll see in the wall oven options below, the Speed Oven (a microwave/convection combo oven) offers the convenience of a microwave with the browning capabilities of a convection oven. Tastier and faster food every time for busy families on the run!

WALL OVENS

The number one reason to consider wall ovens in my opinion is to save your back. No more leaning over to lift that heavy turkey in and out. The number two reason is to keep a close eye on more sensitive dishes. How many times have you burned a sheet of toasted pine nuts? If you’re like me, a lot. Keeping dishes like this in your line of sight makes such chef-sensitive moments more manageable. The number three reason is of course to add to your cooking capacity for the serious gastronomes in the crowd.

Oh yes, and what about the microwave, you ask?

Many clients are choosing to include a small and unobtrusive microwave drawer in their kitchen designs, either installed discreetly in the island or even more discreetly in the walk-in pantry. Given that a steam oven is the perfect way to reheat leftovers without losing any of the flavour profile in the food (I seriously can’t eat meat that has been reheated in the microwave!), I see microwaves being relegated to reheating coffee and melting butter for popcorn.

Thermador Micro Drawer Microwave

DISHWASHER

Next up on the list is a simple choice: One dishwasher or two? For me, my Designer Dream Kitchen will have a pair of dishwashers on either side of the sink to accommodate my busy and perpetually-dish-dirtying crew. Specifically, I’m planning to integrate two panelled-in Star Sapphire dishwashers.

Here are just some of the incredible features that make this my Dream Kitchen Wish List dishwasher of choice:

1. SILENCE IS GOLDEN: This dishwasher is so quiet that they created a small blue light laser which shines down onto the floor right by the toe-kick to indicate when it’s running. Without the light beam, you’d never know it was on.

2. CUSTOMIZED CAPACITY: With its three adjustable racks, you can fit everything from your pots and pans to tall stemware and everything in between. You can even run it with the middle rack on an angle if need be to accommodate awkward pieces.

3. CUSTOMIZED CLEANING POWER: With six cycles and five options including a hand wash cycle for your china and crystal, this dishwasher really does help you say goodbye to your dishpan hands. It even includes a commercial-style 20 minute fast cycle for those nights when you are cooking multiple dishes and need those pots and pans back right away. Genius.

REFRIGERATION

Last but not least, you’ll need to customize your refrigeration. Thermador elevates the concept of refrigeration to the ultimate in personalized luxury with their Culinary Preservation Centres where the options are truly endless. Single refrigeration columns are available in 24″ and 30″ widths. Freezer columns are available in 18″, 24″ and 30″ widths. Wine columns are available in 18″ and 24″ widths, and they also offer my favourite refrigerator configuration with a French Split Refrigerator and bottom freezer drawer. For me, my Dream Kitchen Culinary Preservation Centre will look something like this:

THERMADOR-CULINARY-PRESERVATION-CENTER.001

One of my favourite features of the Thermador line of refrigeration products is the capacity to seamlessly integrate them into a wall of cabinetry by cladding them with cabinet doors in place of the stainless steel. Thermador’s proprietary hidden hinges mean the refrigeration truly sits flush with the surrounding millwork, and that is probably the direction I’ll head when I finally get to executing my Dream Kitchen designs.

If all of this has you on the right track but still wondering how you really do want to cook in your own kitchen, I highly recommend scheduling a Lunch and Learn experience at Toronto’s Luxe Appliance Studio. (Check the Thermador site for information on the Appliance Studio nearest to you.) There you can gain hands-on experience with the very appliances you are considering for your kitchen, ensuring they’re exactly the right fit for your needs. My friend Cori Halpern and I hosted a cooking class last week with a fun group of fellow designers, and we had a blast.

We loved learning a few new recipes from Chef Marco, and we took the opportunity to compare steam convection vs. traditional convection with our roasted chickens. The verdict? They both looked the same, but the steam convection chicken was much juicier and way more flavourful, with the essence of the thyme and lemon that we used to stuff the chicken permeating through all of the meat evenly.

So there you have it! My Appliance Selection 101 for any of you who are considering a kitchen renovation or are looking to design your dream kitchen for a new build. Naturally, I always recommend hiring a design professional, but knowing how you cook and what key appliances you want in your kitchen will go a long way to making the design process more efficient.

Stay tuned for our next instalment of Kitchen Design 101 where I’ll share the next set of important decisions to make when designing your custom Dream Kitchen. Hint: It’s what’s inside that counts.

For now, happy cooking!

xx
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|March 1st, 2016|1 Comment

Designer Dream House: Bathroom Diaries | How Good Design Can Improve Your Health

It only took a few hours on the Modenus BlogTourKBIS for me to be nicknamed Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. It’s true. I’m kind of an alternative health nerd, always reaching into my purse for an essential oil to cure whatever ails you. I’ve learned through my own health journey that it’s possible to address stress and health challenges naturally and achieve better results than what most drugs can accomplish.

As a designer, I’m always looking for ways to integrate this passion for healthy living into my approach to luxury residential design. To me, home should be a sanctuary, a place where the stresses of the world melt away as we restore and refresh. We’ve all been striving to recreate the look of a spa bathroom in our own homes with beautiful design finishes, but what if we could recreate the spa experience too?

Image via Le Scandinave

BRINGING OUR SPA RITUAL HOME

For years now, our favourite spa ritual as a couple has been to head to Le Scandinave to celebrate our anniversary. It’s a 2 hour drive from home, but entirely worth it. We haven’t found anything that equals the decompression we experience there, and we always walk away breathing better, thinking more clearly and glowing from the inside out.

Image via Le Scandinave

Based on the Scandinavian hot/cold bathing ritual, we start by spending 10-15 minutes in something hot (either the dry sauna, the outdoor hot tubs or the eucalyptus steam room) and then plunge in ice cold waters for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Next, we find a quiet place to rest for about 10 minutes in one of the adirondack chairs scattered around wood burning fires on the property, and then we do it all over again. It’s nothing short of magical, and I’ve been dying to recreate it at home since I first experienced it years ago.

Image via Le Scandinave

FROM FAILED DREAM TO DESIGNER DREAM HOUSE WISH LIST

Not one to let a dream like this just waste away, we invested in an infrared sauna a few years ago thinking we could achieve the same detoxifying, decompressing and rejuvenating hot/cold experience at home. I’m sad to say it was a total designer fail. I would sit in the heat and then shower off with ice cold water and wait for my breathing to get easier and the stress to melt away, and it just didn’t happen.

What I didn’t realize (until my recent Hammam experience on BlogTourKBIS) is that it’s the specific kind of heat that matters most. You see, I always spend all my time in the Eucalyptus Steam Room at Le Scandinave. I’m just naturally drawn there and always experience the deepest health benefits when I spend all of my “hot time” in that beautifully foggy round room.

Image via Le Scandinave

I was reminded once again of the power of steam during our Hammam Spa experience on BlogTourKBIS. I walked away with the that same powerfully decompressed, de-stressed, rejuvenated and fully alive feeling I get when we go to Le Scandinave. The common denominator? Both spas are outfitted with Mr. Steam.

Image via Mr. Steam

This is wonderful news for all of us, because in addition to creating commercial steam units for spas, Mr. Steam allows us to bring the beauty of healthy living home.

I wish you could have seen my (designer nerd/health nerd) face light up as Martha from Mr. Steam explained to me how easy it is to install a Mr. Steam unit in a home environment. The steam unit can be stored in a closet or even an attic space as much as 120 feet from the enclosed shower space, can be integrated into an existing enclosed shower, and the cost is very approachable with units starting at 1000 USD and costing only pennies a day to operate.

FIVE REASONS TO BRING STEAM THERAPY HOME

Turns out my body was leading me in the right direction all along. Here are just some of the incredible health benefits to be experienced from steam therapy:

Image via Mr. Steam

1/ BREATHE BETTER My experience of breathing better after steam therapy isn’t all in my head. It’s a real thing. In fact, steam therapy can help dramatically for those who suffer from asthma, allergies, bronchitis and sinus infections. Choose a unit that includes the dispensing of essential oils for even greater health benefits.

2/ GET YOUR GLOW ON My skin never looks better than after a steam therapy experience. My pores are smaller, my skin glows and it is perfectly balanced and hydrated. Like a good facial, the steam opens up my pores and uses my body’s largest organ – my skin – to detoxify me from the inside out, releasing toxins from head-to-toe while relieving my skin of blemishes and my body of impurities.

3/ RELIEVE YOUR PAIN As someone who lives with rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, I can tell you that steam therapy is incredible for relieving pain. My muscles become pliable and agile again, and my circulation is always way significantly improved. The night we went to the Hammam Spa on BlogTourKBIS I was beyond spent. My muscles were screaming at me after days of walking the show floor, and our exciting but exhausting itinerary was catching up with me both physically and mentally. Magically, I left the spa feeling alive and totally ready to engage in our next event. This is just one reason why steam therapy has to become a part of my daily at-home health ritual.

4/ LOSE WEIGHT On average, steam therapy burns 150 calories in 15 minutes. Who couldn’t use a little boost to their metabolism? Lose weight while relaxing? I’ll take it!

5/ SLEEP BETTER I am here to tell you that I never sleep better than after a steam therapy experience, and this is coming from someone who struggles with sleep. After a steam spa experience, I always sleep deeply and wake feeling truly rested and refreshed. Knowing that getting REM sleep nightly is one of the most anti-aging, health-promoting habits we can have, I’m dying to recreate that experience every day!

Image via Mr. Steam

After reading all I’ve shared, I’m sure you can understand why a Mr. Steam steam therapy unit is officially at the top of my Designer Dream House Master Ensuite Wish List. Oh yes, and we sold our infrared sauna this weekend. Why hold onto what’s not working? Time to make room for what we really want.

Here’s to your health and design dreams coming true! Stay tuned for my next post where I’ll share the most important elements to consider when designing your dream kitchen.

xx
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|February 17th, 2016|2 Comments

Designer Dream House Diaries | Touchless Technology You’ll Want In Your Home

Did you know that your garbage disposal is one of the top ten most germ-infested hot spots in your house? It’s true, and for a certifiable germaphobe like me, it’s something I’m painfully aware of every time I touch the handle of my built-in recycling centre. That’s why I got very, very excited about the new touchless technology I saw introduced while at KBIS 2016 as a part of the Modenus BlogTour.

TOUCHLESS TRASH FOR YOUR KITCHEN

First up is this genius motion-detected system from Hafele that opens your trash centre without any germ transfer taking place. Thank you Jeanne Khoe Chung for capturing this on video at KBIS 2016!

This innovation from Hafele is absolutely on the top of my list of Designer Dream Kitchen Must Haves. The design plan will include a 10′ long island housing two 18″ touchless trash centres flanking my massive sink.

CLEAN UP THE DIRTIEST ITEM IN YOUR HOUSE WITHOUT LIFTING A FINGER

Knowing that the kitchen faucet is The Number One most germ infested item in the house, that sink will of course be fitted with a touchless faucet from Brizo the likes of this:

I love it when beauty and function meet, and Brizo totally has my number on that front with countless styles and finishes available with SmartTouch technology integrated. Remember the brass beauty from my luxe laundry room? It’s a part of this brilliant line up, and I can’t wait to get this technology integrated into my kitchen as well. For me, it’s all about my hands covered in raw meat and being able to turn on the faucet with just the touch of my wrist. Thank you, Brizo, for addressing my germaphobe needs in style!

TOSS YOUR TP AND TOILET BRUSH IN FAVOUR OF THE ROYAL TREATMENT

The piéce de résistence of my Designer Dream House Touchless Technology Wish List is what I’ve affectionately nicknamed the Tesla of Toilets. Truly in a class of its own, Toto‘s NeoRest 750H takes touchless technology to a whole new, jaw-dropping level. Here are just some of the wow-worthy features:

1/ RED CARPET ROYAL TREATMENT Would you believe me if I told you that this toilet senses your approach and lifts the lid in anticipation of your arrival? Not only is that true, but it will also learn who the males and females are in the house and lift (or not lift) the luxuriously heated seat accordingly. That’s right, your toilet will get to know you and treat you like red carpet royalty every time you approach your throne. Who doesn’t want that kind of warm welcome for their tush?

2/ TOSS YOUR TOILET SCRUBBER Let’s get technical for just a second to explain how this is possible. The NeoRest 750H has a titanium dioxide and zirconium glaze called Hydrotect that makes it almost impossible for both visible and invisible organic waste matter (including lime and mould build-up) to adhere to the bowl. In addition to the red carpet experience of the heated seat and hands-free lid-lifting, the toilet sprays a fine mist onto the bowl before you use it, further preventing organic waste matter from hanging around.

4/ TOSS THE TOILET PAPER TOO This is where the royal treatment really wows the hygienically conscious crowd. The heated seat also has a built-in personal cleansing system. Using warm, aerated water and then warm air to cleanse and dry you, the NeoRest 750H will actually improve your health and personal hygiene, allowing you to forgo the toilet paper and walk away as much as 35% cleaner every time.

5/ GIVE YOUR CLEANING LADY (+ HARSH CHEMICALS) THE DAY OFF Once the totally touchless, patented tornado flush is finished its work, the real cleaning magic begins. As a busy mom and designer, I often joke that I want cleaning fairies that appear in the night and scrub my toilets for me. Well, friends, this is the cleaning fairy I’ve been waiting for. The lid of the NeoRest 750H has an integrated UV light called Actilight built right into it. Post flush, this blue light (combined with the titanium dioxide in the Hydrotect glaze) creates a process called photocatalysis. It totally breaks down any remaining organic matter and leaves you with a fresh bowl every time without any harsh chemicals adding to the toxic load in your home. Here’s a quick video to show you how it works:

Now that is technology worth getting excited about! The truth is, as a designer I’ve been exclusively specifying Toto toilets on my client projects for over a decade. They are truly the leader in toilet technology and personal hygiene, and the NeoRest 750H dual flush toilet is the crowning jewel to Toto‘s achievements.

Because I’m so passionate about design finds that are beautiful, innovative and improve the way we live, I’ve started creating my own list of Designer Dream House Must Haves for every room in your home. In my next post, I’ll talk about the number one thing I’ll be designing my next master ensuite around to dramatically improve my health. Hint: you’re going to want one too.

Here’s to your happy, healthy, beautiful life!

xx
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|February 16th, 2016|0 Comments

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