The Detroit News reports....
The "keep-it-simple" design philosophy, which according to the GenShift 2011 survey suggests "cleaner lines, less countertop clutter and easy-to-clean surfaces," clearly appeals across generations, from young singles to parents with small children to adult children with live-in parents.
Karen Strauss, president of the Masco Cabinetry Group based in Ann Arbor encouraged a group of design professionals at the Kitchen and Bath Show to be innovative, but added this dose of reality: "No one cares about your products; they only care how your products will improve their lives."
The Kansas City Star states...
“Over the last five years, design has been elevated,” says Michelle Lamb, editorial director of The Trend Curve, a trade newsletter that forecasts trends in color, pattern and design for manufacturers, interior designers and retailers. “Good design is an expectation, so we can go below the surface. There’s an option to a lot of things that we weren’t looking to in the past.”
That was especially evident in May at the annual Kitchen and Bath Show in Las Vegas. The desire for better, more accessible storage, for example, has made pullout shelves a near standard. Water-saving features in showers, faucets and toilets are increasingly integral to manufacturers’ product lines. Recycled materials further a growing eco-consciousness.
The Wall Street Journal impact is....
What will the energy-efficient house of the future look like?
It could have gardens on its walls or a pond stocked with fish for dinner. It might mimic a tree, turning sunlight into energy and carbon dioxide into oxygen. Or perhaps it will be more like a lizard, changing its color to suit the weather and healing itself when it gets damaged.
Those are just a handful of the possibilities that emerged from an exercise in futurism. The Wall Street Journal asked four architects to design an energy-efficient, environmentally sustainable house without regard to cost, technology, aesthetics or the way we are used to living.
"This is a time of re-examining values, re-examining what we need," says one of our architects, Rick Cook, of the New York firm Cook + Fox. "We are re-examining the idea of home."
The Cook + Fox house has a modern look, but it's designed to fit into a traditional neighborhood setting.
Inside, rooms are easily configurable for lounging or work. Walls and furniture are on rollers, for instance, to take advantage of the fact that some spaces, such as bedrooms, are underutilized most of the day.
What's more, toilets and washrooms are separated, serving more people with less space. Making a house that's more conducive to work is important for energy efficiency because it eliminates driving -- and thus reduces energy consumption.
What do I personaly think?
Homes in future years will be much more individualized as people decide they would rather focus on 2 issues.... safe environments for their own families and to be debt free. Their houses will be personalized and created for their own comfort rather than the importance of it's selling potential. Smaller will be attractive and more efficient, while spaces will divided up for custom usage. Growing their own food sources will provide nutrition and promote health conscious lifestyles. I think the future is bright with possibilities as the conventional house changes to fit the changing climates, the eco friendly educated and the development of the new normal neighborhood. We are in the middle of a slowly changing home design and the future development for our homes will be based on our energy losses, economic challenges and safety needs. They will be private, more custom tailored to personalized family needs as the conventional rules of rooms changes and becomes more fluid.
Back home from a VERY full weekend, ready to make up my mind about some detail designs for the reconstruction of home. Should I go with natural earth tones or .....
Maybe something lighter but still 'old world' in styling. This week I will make up my mind between the inspiration pages in my design books. But I plan this kitchen to be the room I will love to be in! It's gonna be 'home sweet home' one of these days..... I am leaning toward a color for the walls called 'Cozy Cottage'... nice!
Fall is my mother's favorite time of the year.... the older I get it's mine too. The changing colors and temperatures always puts a crispness in the air and affects my mental state.
It's time to put out my fall decorations, and hang the wreath on the door. Put out my pumpkin colored dishes and starting changing over our clothing over. So my house takes on the changing season with orange and amber shades, bronze and creams all transform my tables and tops with a fresh look of Fall. Coppers and tones of wood give me a palette to work with that I love!
Think about making special little things for the two of us to enjoy, and try out some new recipes with apples and cinnamon.
Yes my mother.... I agree with you Autumn is the best time of year for me too!
Susan took me to meet a friend of hers one morning, and I am so glad she did!
This lady has been inspiring to meet here in Los Banos California. Sandy is such a joy to been with, and it seems like time just few by when we were at her home. She has Proverbs 31 working in her life right now! Wait till I show you what all she does.
She said that she quit the corporate world and she and her husband decided to raise their children with a lasting legacy of a true mom and dad. So she is a stay at home mom, with an incredible talent unfolding. Not only is she home for their children, but she also has found ways to make their budget work wonders right in their own backyard.
This is her backyard..... ok.... you say looks like a regular kind of a yard. But what is happening here is a dream. She is raising all kinds of fruit trees and nut trees. Planted all around the sides carefully tended and properly with a real gardeners eye. How does she know what to do or plant? She reads books and asks other gardeners questions. She started this in earnest to help feed their family and what has happened is wonderful and I knew you would want to see this!
She has pomegranates, plums, oranges, lemons, limes to name a few.
Her apricot tree is loaded with fruit.
The pear tree is producing nicely too.
THIS IS AN OLIVE TREE!!!
She gave me a peach from her tree. (We ate it later that day - was so full of flavor)
Just look at this fruit!
This is one of the two tiny greenhouses that is also in the backyard. She grows all her own veggies and herbs from seeds - then plants them in beds along the sides of the house. Check this out!
She has peppers, of all kinds, several kinds of beans.....onions, garlic and more I can't remember.
There are strawberries planted all along the fronts of the beds - see the strawberry?
Look at these grapes! Her grapevines are full of fruit. I am in awe of her skills.
Her herb gardens are full - she gives me hope to keep working on mine!
The tomato beds are full of plants - it's going to be a bumper crop this year she thinks. So think about this..... instead of all the grass that does nothing but grows, gets cut, grows and gets cut - her yard is producing food! She took all the empty areas - sides, corners, fences lines and turned them into blessings for her family.
What does she do with all this food from her own backyard? She makes jellies, jams, cans and freezes them for her family to eat year long.
And she also has built a business from her hands now. She has a thriving business selling her homemade treats at bake sales and now she is getting so well known that people are coming to her front door to buy! Sandy's Jam n Desserts is alive and well.
Then we get to taste test the fruits of her labors, and my oh my what a treat it was! She has a orange jelly like none else, also orange marmalade and strawberry jalapeno, hot jalapeno jelly and a blueberry banana that is fabulous! We kept on and on because each one was more amazing than the last!
She told us laughing that she is trying to get ready for a bake sale, but can't because people keep coming to the door to buy! Like us - there is no way we are leaving her home without some of her goodies. So Susan and I both left with 3 jars each!
Sandy I am amazed and can't wait for others to see you and what you are doing in your own home. I love you and I just met you - keep going you are a inspiration to thousands of others now!
Here is a mystery! How is it that one can cook for an hour - eat for 15 minutes and then take almost 2 hours to clean up the mess! This kitchen is a total disaster! When I walk in the kitchen to start a meal, various pots and pans and labor saving devices start calling out 'use me .... take me out..... you need to use my specialties'! They grow legs and slowly start moving out of the cabinets toward the good smells and the actions of cooking. They instantly stop when I turn my narrowed eyes to look at them. They join forces to see how many of them can get out and get dirty so they will get a little attention. Or maybe they just want a good hot shower. Not sure about all the dishes, but the mess is real!
This is the answer! The best invention for woman around the world is the dishwasher. Memories stir... just remembering when my mother got her first one. Being just a teenager, we were all in awe of it's power to turn messy dishes into clean ones. How carefully we loaded it making sure nothing touched each other inside. Ha!!
Some sauces think it's party time and they can't wait to spill out of the pots and pans and make a mess. 'Woo Hoo - see how long it takes you to clean me up!' And the trusty spray bottle of cleansing fluid showers down on the top of stove, counters, sinks, microwave and oh yes the table. And the battle of clean up begins. Stubbornly the spots dig in, but the gritty scrubby brushes win the war with diligence and scrubbing over and over.
Some think that just loading the dishwasher with their 'stuff' will be okay. Others pre-clean before loading the machine. I belong to the second group because the washed out dishes and pots will REALLY be clean and sanitized for me. Helping to overcome the different bugs and viruses in our area. A double baptism? Firmly the answer is Yes.
Once everybody is loaded inside and settled into place - just put the soap in shut and lock the door and let the storms begin. Ignore the little cries of the silverware complaining - 'he's touching me.... ' Ahhh what a good sound the sloshing water makes as it is churning steaming hot soapy water over everyone and knowing that soon my family will enjoy sparkling clean dishes soon.
And shortly the kitchen is back in order and I enjoy clean counters, a scrubbed purified sink and a kitchen put back in proper order.
And no kitchen is truly done, until the floor is swept also. And when I am ready to leave the kitchen it's in perfect shape for tomorrow and the joy of making another meal and starting the process again. Thank you God for an American kitchen with all the toys and great tools at my fingertips.
Sounds a little like life ..... sometimes life gets messy and one needs a good cleaning or washing away of the troubles and heartaches that come to all. There is only one way for a renewal or cleansing to happen to the human heart - do you know how to accomplish that? Ask me if you are not sure.
Today I am going to write about a subject that isn't very popular. How to enjoy ironing! Yes I know ..... I hear you saying 'what'? Now this I gotta see. Ironing is one of life's chores that seems to be on the boring side. Yet one can learn to make this tedious assignment easier - take heart.
First the right iron helps. It's a breeze to walk in and as I do - just turn it on, fill it with distilled water and get everything else ready while it's warming up. Just thinking about the 'other' type irons that were all the rage in another woman's lifetime, makes me smile in advance of the coming job to be done.
Yes this is my grandma's iron. She used this thing hundreds of times I am sure. All she did was plug hers in too, but judging how hot the iron was going to get was the guessing game challenge of a woman's weekly laundry work. And it's at least twice as heavy as my modern one, yet look it's so tiny - it's half the size of mine. How did she do her ironing with any speed? She must have had to press over and over just to make sure she covered her garment well enough with such a small surface.
Or better yet - go back another generation and their heavy iron - irons were heated on the wood stove and when they guessed it was hot enough it was held by a hot pad of some sort and run quickly over the clothing so as to not burn it. I am sure many garments were a little burnt on inside pocket and places that could not be seen to check on the heat 'setting' first. And the iron shaped designs on the families clothing was sure to inspire each family member as they put on their freshly ironed shirt or pants!
Oh my .... (deep dramatic sigh) I hate to iron with my electric sleek clean 10 setting iron that does it all - dry style or on various steam settings! I get so bored with it's stainless steel shield and coated surface that won't snag clothing. It's lightweight form and shape is a real drag! And what a bother to bend over and plug it in! It's large surface covers a broad area all at once - what a bummer! And I am tired of ironing with a iron that let's me just walk away when I can't take it anymore and it will turn itself off for me! Ahhhhh ironing is such a pain! No wait .... on second thought I am thankful for my iron - don't think I want to trade it in for any other style!
Okay so we get home and I am in a hurry to get some things done before my grandson's birthday party this afternoon. So I go out to my car - my Chrysler 300 and jump in...... then get right back out -as in the corner of my eye I noticed my back tire seemed a little low. Now my car has the big tires - Pirelle's, which are special to me and I am careful to look at them each time I get in. But somehow I guess I didn't see something that ended up driving around with me and my wheels (dismay) its not just low - it's flat!
Oh no..... I know it was not low before I left - 2 weeks ago. But obviously I am not going anywhere fast until this is taken care of. So it's a trip to the Tire Repair shop.
I know I know .......this looks like some places I have show you (not in America) but this man 'Manuel' has been our tire repair man for 12 plus years. He is good, fast, reliable, will fix a tire while you wait, and his rates can't be beat. ( 3 bucks!) So after airing the tire up - by I am ushered to Manuel's Shop for repairs. He is so kind to stop what he was doing and take care of my tire immediately!
And without hesitation he gets under the car to see what has caused my tire to go flat. As a kid in Liberia West Africa, a flat tire was called, 'no air in the car's foot'! I am reminded of this funny memory while setting in my car and my car's foot is operated on! 
And while I wait, the offending nail is surgically removed and a little plug implanted all in a matter of minutes. Wonder where that little carpet tack came from??? It had lodged between the treads inside and needs a pair of needle-nose pliers to pull it out. How about some tweezers - it's so small!
Now I don't think that any fancy dancy car dealership would take care of this little pesky problem all in 10 minutes max! Am I happy with this low image but highly productive shop? You bet!
And if this happens again - my car will drive right back here to renew 'the air in the car's foot' for service and a smile! Now ..... on to my errands and the Birthday party. And keep a eagle eye out for carpet tacks along the road!
I never do laundry without thinking of the many places and ways I have had to do it, and how this is by far the easiest! So I don't mind the washing and drying system n my house. There have been many times I have washed clothes by hand in different parts of the world.
When I was a child in Liberia West Africa, I watched my Mother use a old fashioned wringer type washer. She would have to wrangle the old thing around trying to get large towels and sheets in it. And once it actually broke and I remember my parents being concerned about what to do. So as always, they got together and prayed about it. Now living in Liberia, back in the 1960's there was little to no chance of us finding one to buy. And we needed a miracle. Seeing my family had 6 members, and 3 of them were little boys. Well here is one for you! My Dad, while driving down one of the dirt roads happened to see a white something back in the brush beside the road. So he stopped to check it out and it was an old wringer washer the very kind that we had! Someone had thrown it away back there in the bush! And miracle of miracles the part that we needed to repair ours was in perfect shape! He grabbed it and took it home and fixed ours! God answers prayer -even in West Africa! We all were happy about that, and I never forgot my mother's toil and labor for all of us.
And later when my husband and I lived in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during the war many times I washed my baby's 'nappies' or you might call them diapers by hand. Now these were not the thin fabric used in America, rather they were made of heavy towel cloths. Now that is a hard job! First the fabric was hard to wash being so thick. Second the fact that they were diapers made the job tougher. And anything that was hung out to dry had to be ironed as the African flies lay eggs in the wet material and later burrow into one's skin. (which is true as it happened to one of my brothers) So washing had a very important responsibility with it. Not only to get the clothing clean, but to also get that fabric clean of all bugs and their eggs!
Living in Europe I would wash clothes in the hotel bathroom sinks and drape wet clothes all over everything trying to dry them. Life was interesting. And we made it work everywhere we traveled. I would try to iron wet clothes - not for the bugs, but to help things dry quicker.
Traveling in South Africa, we lived in a small travel trailer and many times I washed our clothes including my husbands heavy jeans in the tiny sink there in that 24 ft trailer. That was a fun job! So you can see why I so appreciate my American Washer and Dryer. They are very special and save me ALOT of physical labor!
Thanks Mr Washer and Ms Dryer I truly appreciate you both!
