Buzz: Product News Roundup, Hot Hues Edition
Posted: 12.23.2012 Filed under: Buzz | Tags: bricks, color, HVAC, insulation, trends Leave a comment »2013’s trendy colors, life-saving air conditioning, inspiring islands, arguing against spray foam, and other product news from the past week.
• Perhaps primary colors are more your style? Try these strategies for working with basic blue, red, and yellow.
• Though it takes its fair share of knocks for inefficiency, air conditioning is now being called a lifesaver, as a study reveals it has helped cut heat-related deaths by 80%.
• From country chic to modern sleek, these 20 kitchen islands will inspire.
• 13 reasons Treehugger thinks foam insulation doesn’t belong in green buildings.
• Perhaps NanoSonic’s Hybridsil is an exception to these concerns? The new 100% silicone-based foam insulation claims to be less toxic than spray polyurethane foam.
• Researchers in Spain have devised bricks made from paper-production waste.
• Can’t get enough products? Peruse Residential Architect magazine’s most popular products and product collections of 2012.
Image: Other design by Austin Interior Designer Jennifer Ott
Buzz: Product News Roundup, Out With Outlets Edition
Posted: 12.16.2012 Filed under: Buzz | Tags: appliances, fireplace, kitchens, trends Leave a comment »Tricks for concealing gadgets, accessible appliances, inspiring fireplaces, and other product news from around the web this week.
• Electrical outlets ruining the décor? Here are some tips for camouflaging these wall blemishes.
• Quartz countertops, clean cabinetry, charcoal hues, and seven other remodeling trends expected in 2013.
• How to choose appliances for universal design.
• Everything you need to know about pellet stoves.
• Sick of boring hearths? Check out these 4 inspiring fireplaces.
• 6 portable islands that add style and function to the kitchen.
• The U.S. is finally emerging as a global force in solar as the fourth quarter sees record PV installations.
Image: Contemporary Kitchen design by Other Metro Home Media Seura
Buzz: Product News Roundup, Hands-Off Edition
Posted: 08.24.2012 Filed under: Buzz | Tags: bamboo, bulbs, faucets, fire, insulation, LEDs, trends Leave a comment »10 super-cool electronic faucets, a guide to LED bulbs, structural bamboo, rising material costs, and other product news from the past week.
Muiris Redwood hands-free faucet.
Buzz: Product News Roundup, Great Outdoors Edition
Posted: 05.13.2012 Filed under: Buzz | Tags: fireplaces, outdoor, solar, trends, windows Leave a comment »Outdoor-living eye candy, tornado shelters, transom windows, and other product news from around the web this week.
Eldorado Stone outdoor kitchen.
Trends: Gardens and Kitchens, Grills and Fireplaces Lead ASLA’s Outdoor Living Trends
Posted: 05.03.2012 Filed under: Trends | Tags: landscape, trends 1 Comment »Americans still love their backyards, according to the results of the American Society of Landscape Architects’ 2012 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends survey, released today. Read the rest of this entry »
In Practice: 8 Design Ideas for Eye-Catching Interior Doors
Posted: 04.25.2012 Filed under: In Practice, Trends | Tags: doors, hardware, trends Leave a comment »
This Jeld-Wen Custom Wood Contemporary interior door is made with genuine mahogany and features a chappo/wheat finish.
When it comes to interior upgrades, many pros and homeowners gravitate toward countertops and flooring and paint, with interior doors often lower on the list. But in reality, updating one or two of those plain slabs is a fairly simple way to add visual interest to a room. Read the rest of this entry »
Buzz: Product News Roundup, Sustainability Squared Edition
Posted: 04.21.2012 Filed under: Buzz | Tags: exterior, trends, windows Leave a comment »A green tile standard, fanciful facades, trend-shifting demographics, and other product and design news from around the web this week.
Metropolitan Tile by IronRock is one of three brands to have achieved Green Squared certification so far.
Green: What’s Hot in Residential Solar?
Posted: 03.03.2012 Filed under: Green, Trends | Tags: events, green, solar, trends 2 Comments »I had the pleasure of catching up with Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, as he preps for the upcoming PV America West conference. Here’s what he believes to be the biggest current trends in residential solar: Read the rest of this entry »
Buzz: Product News Roundup, The Future Is (Almost) Now Edition
Posted: 02.28.2012 Filed under: Buzz | Tags: home automation, landscape, news, trends, wind, wood Leave a comment »Product and design news from around the Web, including new technologies that provide Jetsons-like home automation, xeriscaping beyond the desert, low-speed wind turbines, and creative cabinetry.
• Manufacturers at Mobile World Congress this week showed that Jetsons-like home control is no longer a fantasy—but it still risks being slowed by today’s incompatibility realities.
Wind Power Innovations' new method for harnessing the wind could lead to smaller, more efficient turbines.
• One glance at the Wind Harvester and it’s clear this isn’t your mother’s wind turbine. Based on a “reciprocating motion that uses horizontal aerofoils,” the device can generate power in low winds and high speeds, typical tripping points for traditional vertical models.
• Head’s up, remodelers: Read the rest of this entry »
Trends: What’s In, What’s Out in Kitchens and Baths
Posted: 02.23.2012 Filed under: News, Trends | Tags: baths, kitchens, trends 2 Comments »
Pull-out faucets, such as Moen's Benton, are the established go-to style for kitchen designers.
The National Kitchen & Bath Association recently released the results of its 2012 NKBA Design Trends Survey, which analyzes the materials, products, and styles being specified by more than 350 member designers. Here are the key trends revealed: Read the rest of this entry »
Buzz: Product News Roundup, Fading Fads Edition
Posted: 02.20.2012 Filed under: Buzz | Tags: appliances, framing, LEDs, trends, wood Leave a comment »Product news from the past week, including home design trends that are falling out of favor, affordable LEDs, wood ceilings, and more.
• Outdoor fireplaces, two-story family rooms, and 8 other home design trends on the way out in 2012. Read the rest of this entry »
