When Rosie and Rosieβs wife and co-producer, Sweet Jenn, discover new items, they are always happy to share their findings with fellow homeowners, which usually sparks some questions. This year, they attended the KBIS Kitchen & Bath Show.
Question: We heard Rosie talking about the Kitchen and Bath Show in Las Vegas. Did he find anything worth sharing?
Answer: I used to come to this show every year. But, after a while, it seemed I knew the products and the shows were about new styles and colors. This year Jennifer and I tag-teamed the event and found appliances that have reached way outside the box with innovative drawer-style refrigerators, more effective dishwashing, improved induction stovetops and smart features. There are more smart appliances, like hands-free toilets and faucets, than you can count. With over 600 exhibitors covering over 1.5 million square feet, we easily walked six miles a day.
Q: What were a few of Rosieβs favorite picks?
A: I liked a lot of things β here are three of them:
Made in the USA, Ledge Loungerβs submersible furniture can withstand the elements.
Outdoor living: Ledge Lounger furniture caught my eye. I loved this pool furniture made for in the pool. Ledge Lounger furniture, manufactured in the USA, includes recliners, sofas, ottomans, tables β even a ping pong table β all made from high density polyethylene and able to stand up to the water and sun. Seeing this product will force me to change the design of my next swimming pool. I thought I would never have another swimming pool after my kids moved out, but pools with large underwater ledge areas are made with family entertainment in mind. The ledge lounger furniture is made to sit in the water allowing swimmers to stay wet and relax. Add an umbrella (they make those too!) and this is the ticket to summer barbecues and hanging out in the pool. Check them out at ledgeloungers.com
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aucets: Delta Faucets and Kohler products have always been my favorites. This year Delta presented the Deltaβs Voice IQ Technology faucet that fills your glass by voice command. Keep in mind that it is easy to get pulled in by some of the beautiful fixtures presented and there is no limit on what you can spend on fixtures that make a highly unique bathroom environment. But, for my money Iβm more convinced than ever that fixtures made by long-standing manufacturers are the best value. They have an established reputation and distribution channel of parts for future repair. I have experienced the pain in the neck that comes with the difficulty in servicing one-of-a-kind fixtures and appliances. Shop major manufacturers as they provide styles to fit most decorative schemes and it will eliminate grief in the future.
- Smart Technology: Pantry and refrigerator cameras. With an app on your phone you can check out what is in your pantry from the store. This smart technology makes shopping easy! It should be noted that most smart technology isnβt smart enough for me yet, and if it depends on Wi-Fi, Iβm additionally skeptical. Smart technology is often touted as an easy and inexpensive way to provide home security. Do you want to trust your home to the reliability of your internet provider? Verifying doors are locked and monitoring your front porch remotely are useful. Telling your kitchen sink to deliver one cup of cold water is useful. But it seems to me that smart-technology innovators stretch the bounds of the useful with many of their apps.
Jenniferβs Picks:
1. Grand Canyon Gas Logs: These lifelike logs start by collecting specimens from the floor of Arizona forest, then they are individually cast and hand painted. The logs come in seven varieties, including my favorite, Arizona juniper. Their durable steel burners combined with these ceramic logs provide a hot and realistic fire. For ambience check out their fire glass and fire beads for outdoor applications. This award-winning Phoenix company is in the right place as our number of burn days from Tucson to Phoenix continue to diminish with the growing population. Check out the website: grandcanyongaslogs.com
2. Unique Appliances: Unique Appliances, made in Canada, provide a great option for remote locations like cabins and living off the grid. Unique has been in business for 65 years and it is distributed around the country. The appliances are available in beautiful retro colors, and if you are a fan of Tiny House living, they have a slimmer and smaller line for small spaces. Check out their website: uniqueappliances.com
3. Clever Storage: That wasted space in that back of your kitchen cabinet has finally met its match. The LeMans corner unit by Kessebohmer is named after the LeMans racetrack. The easily installed unit snakes its way out of the cabinet offering its contents without one contortionist move. Check out the website cleverstorage.com for more unique storage ideas.
Grand Canyon Gas Logs combine durable steel burners and ceramic logs to provide a hot and realistic fire.
