Holiday Disasters with HGTV’S Kim Myles, 2013

Holiday Disasters with HGTV’S Kim Myles, 2013

A couple of weeks ago, CSI Kitchen & Bath Studio had a very pleasant surprise.  We had the honor of hosting the filming of HGTV’s Design Star's Kim Myles' Holiday Disasters segment.  The filming took place in our very own Norcross showroom and utilized our Ruskin display by Rutt Handcrafted Cabinetry  as the set.  Kim’s segment has already aired on a number of television stations but, in case you missed it, we thought we’d share.

In her Holiday Disasters segment, Kim Myles discusses tips on how to gracefully side-step roadblocks any holiday party might throw your way.  Kim believes that the most common holiday disasters happen around food and drinks.  In her segment she covers 4 main tips to help avoid those looming holiday disasters.

Tip One | Appetizers

The key to kicking off your party right is to keep the appetizers easy…”quick and easy” to be exact.  If your party typically creeps into all corners of your home it’s a good idea to have appetizers guests can take with them.  This will allow people to get in and out of the appetizer zone and help alleviate the congestion that typically occurs around the appetizer table.

Tip Two | Drinks…and their STAINS

We all know the key to a good time is a little bubbly, but Kim suggests keeping it simple.  Your party is not the time for you to become a bartender, so a few bottles of wine and some beer should do the trick…until someone spills their red wine that is! 

Drink spillage is inevitable – it is going to happen.  So be ready.  Kim suggests having an all-purpose stain remover you can use on any surface or fabric so that when that red wine spills on your dress as it makes its way to your carpet you’ll be ready.

Tip Three | Embarrassing Moments

At every good holiday party someone is bound to get embarrassed…that’s what makes them memorable right?  But, funny and embarrassing moments aside, Kim Myles believes there is nothing more embarrassing than being stuck in the kitchen while your guests feast on the food you prepared and enjoy the party you're supposed to be hosting.  So, to help with prep and cooking time (and to make sure you join in your own festivities), go with some premade/precooked items like a Honey Baked Ham you know your guests will love.

Tip Four | Party’s Over – Get Out…please

As hosts, we’ve all been there before – the moment it’s time to call it an evening but you can’t find the right way to tell your guests it’s time to go home.  Though Kim shares a few tips on how to subtly suggest it’s time to go, she believes the sure-shot solution is to ask your guests to help clean up. 

Though Thanksgiving has come and gone, there are still a few weeks of fun and family left in this 2013 holiday season.  So be sure to check out Kim Myles’ tips on how to avoid this season’s most common holiday disasters…especially if you know you’ll be playing host.

Color Trends, 2014

Color Trends, 2014

As the New Year approaches, so do new colors.  Every year a group of people related to all fields of design get together to study the current color trends and to plan and set next year's color and palette.  And, believe it or not, their selections reflect, project, and influence the state of our contemporary lives.  From the world's current political stability to its economical circumstances, consumers, whether or not they are consciously aware of it, surround themselves in colors reflecting their mood towards contemporary society and how they see themselves in it.   So, as we continue heading into more positive political and economical times, the buzzwords around color speak to stability, endurance, and a new sense of neutrality.

In 2014 designers will be utilizing balanced color palettes to help restore equilibrium.  There is an overall focus on establishing a new sense of balance - of creating something grounded in tradition that optimistically looks forward.  The current trend is to combine vivid brights with soft pastels to create colors people can depend on.

Be it our clothes or our home, we all like to express ourselves as individuals and this upcoming season's color palette will allow us to do just that...and do it with confidence.  There is an emerging "new traditional" which mixes "safe" tones with hints of color to create "new neutrals."  These "new neutrals" express an individual's unique style while giving us all a sense of endurance normally attributed to traditionally "timeless" colors.

The "new neutrals" arose from the need to express ourselves as individuals that can endure.  While we all like the new, we still like to keep true to ourselves and this is what the "new neutrals" are all about - using colors to help bring a new sense of harmony and stability to our lives.

Be it a vivid bright mixed with a soft pastel, or a "new neutral" comprised of both, the 2014 color palette is all about harmony, equilibrium, and longevity.  With gray being "the new black" and colors that invite us to look at tradition in a new light, 2014 is going to be all about optimistic conservatism, traditional modernism...transitional colors if you will.

The New Blacks 

Traditions With A Splash of Color

New Introductions from Leicht

Leicht is already gearing up for the new year with a preview of new introductions for 2014. We love this new accessory bar for the backsplash area.  It features a narrow shelf at top for small items and has optional accessories like a very attractive knife block, hooks for utensils and a towel rack.

A cutlery tray is a great organizational tool for storing cooking utensils where they are needed.  These are available to fit most metric drawer sizes.

                                                       

Well-known for their aesthetics, Leicht cabinets are as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside. This photo illustrates a new interior pullout system that will be available in 2014.

New Ruskin Series Launch by CSI and Rutt a Big Success

The new Ruskin series with a walnut refrigerator armoire.

The secret can finally be revealed!  Last evening, August 22nd, CSI and Rutt HandCrafted Cabinetry launched a brand new cabinetry series that is unique to the market--the Ruskin.  Designed exclusively for Rutt by renowned designer, Scott A. Stultz, Ruskin goes against conventional wisdom with its fresh take on traditional styling versus the current design focus on contemporary styling.  Inspired by the core ideas in the writings from the late John Ruskin who was arguably the leading architecture, art critic and theorist in all of Europe in the second half of the 19th century, Ruskin promises to be much more tha just a simple new twist on traditional kitchen designs.

"When designing the Ruskin series we paid great attention to proportion of details which results in a familiar traditional look that feels a little more contemporary and is full of movement," said Stultz.  "Ruskin is not limited to just traditional, it is classical, it is Arts & Crafts, and can lean pretty hard towards contemporary when appointed with other contemporary details."

Walnut drawer boxes and cutlery dividers in the Ruskin.

The attention to detail is amazing.  Even the drawer boxes and interior fittings are made out of walnut for a truly customized and integrated look.

Visit our showroom soon to see the stunning new Ruskin series in person, as well as a new display featuring Rutt's Regency line and a gorgeous bathroom in the Loire Valley style.

Miele Voted Best Brand Ever

Gütersloh, February 8, 2013. – No other product brand has been held in such high esteem by Germany's consumers over the past decade as Miele. This is the quintessence of the rolling list of top performers published by the German brand ranking watchdog 'best brands'. To mark the initiative's tenth anniversary, the Gütersloh-based domestic appliance pioneer was awarded the special 'best brand ever' prize in the 'best product brand' category.

The 'best brands' ranking is based on a survey conducted by GfK to monitor the market success of the most prominent brands from around 40 branches of industry. Furthermore, a total of 5000 consumers, selected on a representative basis, were asked to assess the most successful product and company brands with respect to brand trust, quality, reputation and internationality. This ranking, which has been compiled annually since 2004 is the only one in Germany to assess companies both according to their market success and their appeal to consumers.

The 'best brand ever' award reflects aggregate scores since records began. The exceptional position commanded by the Gütersloh-based and privately owned company results from the following: Miele has starred among the Top Ten best product brands uninterruptedly since 2005, even achieving first place in 2009. Since 2007, Miele has also ranked among the 10 best product brands, even achieving the top No. 1 spot in 2007. Currently, Miele stands fourth in both categories. Second and third positions in the 'best brands ever' category are occupied by Lego and Nivea.

'This prize honors long-standing trust in a brand and its enduring success. When all is said and done, it comes from consumers in their entirety and likewise goes to all our employees', says Dr Reinhard Zinkann, Managing Director and Co-Proprietor of the Miele Group at the 'best brands' gala at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich. 'This makes it the most valuable compliment a manufacturer of branded goods could possibly ever receive.'

The companies behind 'best brands' are the market researcher GfK, German business weekly Wirtschaftswoche, ProSiebenSat.1, The Brand Association, iq-media marketing, a communication service provider, and Stöer Out-of-Home Media AG.

Understanding the Kitchen Remodeling Process

At the Build, Remodel and Landscape Expo this weekend, January 26-27, 2013, Tom Strott will present a seminar called "Understanding the Kitchen Remodeling Process."  He will walk you through the ins and outs of making changes to your kitchen that will transform it into one that you truly enjoy and will increase the value of your home.  He will discuss the benefits of remodeling, whether you should do-it-yourself or hire a contractor, the steps involved in the process and current kitchen trends.

Kitchen & Bath Budget Planner

Remodeling a bath or kitchen?  How do you determine how much it will cost and how much to budget for the work?  Well, here's a great tool to help you breakdown the costs of the remodel so you can know what to expect based on the price range you want to spend.  It breaks down the costs of the major items of cabinetry, countertops, appliances, plumbing fixtures, tile and lighting to give you a realistic expectation of costs.  Of course, you must still figure in the costs of labor from your contractor.

http://www.atlantahomeimprovement.com/images/stories/Articles/2012/1212/2013_KBplanner/2013_kitchen-and-bath-planner.pdf