What’s New? A Garden in your Kitchen??!!

Ok, today’s blog is more on the fun What’s New spectrum!!!!

I was researching new and old trends from 2017 and came across a few interesting ones. Can’t keep this fun info all to myself RIGHT?!

Well one of the newfangled products was…

you guessed it, (or maybe not) an INDOOR GARDENING unit the size of a wine fridge!

No, it’s not for everybody but how cool is that! Who knows it may be a wave of the future!! Would sure help for us gardeners that miss it in the winter months!!

So without further ado.. here are my fun finds!!

Indoor Gardening

Houzz, the home design website, released a survey that found a third of homeowners report leading a healthier lifestyle after a kitchen renovation, from eating more fruits and vegetables to preparing more meals at home.

That’s creating a market for products that help homeowners grow fresh produce in the kitchen. The Urban Cultivator (pictured) is a climate-controlled, irrigated indoor garden that’s about the size of an under cabinet wine chiller.

It definitely caters to health enthusiasts but imagine this at a wet bar! haha (think mint juleps and Thai basil mojitos)

The Urban Cultivator includes all of the equipment needed for hydroponic growing; you just need water and electrical lines. At $2,500 the unit isn’t cheap, but given the cost of many artisanal greens, from sorrel to sunflower, you could make it back … eventually. 🙂

Imagine this little baby nestled in your new kitchen island. You could grow your own salad!!!

More cool ideas in other rooms…

Self-Cleaning Toilets

We’ve all heard of or maybe even have a bidet toilet that does a better job of ahhhh cleaning you but now toilets are learning to clean themselves too!!

Toto’s Neorest 750 toilet

There is a new toilet that took home the KBIS Best of Bath Gold Award. The toilet’s “Actilight Cleansing Technology” starts by premisting the bowl before each use, minimizing waste adherence (or “sticktion,” to use the industry term). After each flush, the bowl is spritzed with electrolyzed water, which has a slightly acidic pH value, supposedly keeping the bowl fresh and clean longer. There’s also an integrated UV light in the seat that Toto says will accelerate the decomposition of inorganic substances in the bowl.

The latest Veil Intelligent Wall-Hung Toilet from Kohler also uses UV light and an electrolyzed water system to sanitize the bowl’s surfaces.

This was a new discovery for me too!! haha

The other great trend of 2017 is…

Matte finishes

Matte Finishes are in..

Polished granite, sparkling chrome, and stainless have been the favorite finishes for years, if not decades. But the pendulum is swinging toward matte finishes, which designers like for their warmth and elegance.

Beyond appliances, matte finishes are on a wide array of fixtures and surfaces. Many major kitchen and bath fixture manufacturers have unveiled expansive faucets lines in matte black finishes, which can coordinate neatly with black stainless steel.

Speaking of Black Stainless Steel…

They said that Black stainless steel was the most prevalent example at shows. Though the finish has been available at the higher end for a couple of years, it’s now being pushed across all appliance lines by just about every major manufacture. Woot Woot it’s about time because it rocks! If you aren’t familiar with new black stainless refrigerators that are SMUDGE PROOF you gotta check ’em out! Take your kids shopping and tell them they can put their paws all of over the fridge and you won’t see a single fingerprint!

Even in countertops, honed or matte finishes (as opposed to the polished look that has been so popular) are in. There are an array of different countertop selections but we have recently had a great interest in the new line of matte quartz Cambria countertops… https://www.cambriausa.com/Designs/Surface-Finishes/ …another great site to check out!

Well that’s all I have for you today. I hope you enjoyed my fun finds!