Category Archives: Kitchen & Bath
The Quirky Kitchen
Image from Joseph Joseph
Food and design are intrinsically connected. Design influences the way food is prepared and crafted, whilst food has always been a great source of inspiration for designer, spawning iconic design objects. In the design enthusiast’s home, cooking can be more fun when you have the right tools and tableware that can add a little more interest to the preparation.
Karate chopper
Via Fing Kisher
The Karate chopper makes chopping lettuce enjoyable and as easy as breaking plywood boards. A giant hand-shaped cutter, this will definitely get the kids to enjoy making their own salads (and hopefully get them to eat their veggies too!).
OCD Chef
Image via Swiss-Miss
This cutting board is definitely on my household item wishlist, and will appeal to many who are avid crafters and designers. The board is made from bamboo but features a grid and etchings reminiscent of a rubber cutting mat. It even has angle measurements! The board is from Fred and Friends, a company that makes functional objects that are also highly entertaining.
Joseph Joseph Nest 9
Images from Joseph Joseph
This set is a great way to keep some basic kitchen tools organized while adding color to your kitchen. The set includes a strainer/colander, two mixing bowls, a sieve, and a set of measuring spoons. It was designed to stack together with a perfectly flat top, so that it occupies the least amount of space while forming a complete spectrum! This would definitely make a great housewarming gift.
Pantone Mugs and Cups
Images by Renee Alfonso
And speaking of adding color to your kitchen and cupboard, the Pantone mug series would definitely be at home in any design enthusiast’s kitchen. Each ceramic mug is designed like a Pantone swatch, complete with the color number! Apart from the standard mugs they also come in espresso mug size.
Vintage Pyrex
Scene from Mad Men
Image from I ♥ Pretty
No household has been complete without a Pyrex dish since the mid twentieth century. For the vintage enthusiasts or those looking to add a little vintage flair into the kitchen, classic Pyrex is definitely the way to go! Vintage pyrex sets are functional, and fun, going straight from the stove or oven top to the table, and will give any kitchen that trendy Mad Men like flare. Pyrex has come to have somewhat of a cult following in recent years, and many people collect them.
Eco-Friendly Kitchen Renovation Tips
Image via Greentea Design
Planning your dream kitchen but worried about your environmental footprint? It’s easy to introduce some eco-friendly elements. Some will even save you money and won’t sacrifice style. Indeed they elevate it.
Another Person’s Trash…
It starts before your demolition. After all one person’s trash is another’s treasure, so ask around – friends, family, neighbours, charitable organizations, salvage and secondhand shops – to see if anyone might be interested in what your getting rid of. From appliances to countertops, flooring planks and parts, sinks, cabinets, and tiles, divert as much as you can from the landfill, perhaps turning your refuse into an incredible gift. In some jurisdictions, Habitat for Humanity and like-minded charitable orgs can issue charitable tax receipts for these donations. If this seems like a lot of work and research on your end, then consider hiring a local green contractor (here’s a reputable one in Toronto) who will ensure your materials and components are reused, donated, and processed properly. These experts are a wonderful resource to guide you through eco-friendly choices that fit your function and style needs.
Beware of VOCs
Choose natural or zero-VOC or low-VOC paints. Image via Please Conserve
VOC stands for volatile organic compounds and these are the chemical substances that vaporize easily into air. It’s one reason the EPA has stated that indoor air generally is 2-5 times more polluted than outdoors. Paint, sealants, adhesives, the processing of particle and MDF boards, even expensive granite – gas off chemicals from formaldehyde to radon that have been linked to everything from asthma to cancer.
The good news is that there are lots of natural and low to zero VOC paints, primers and sealers now on the market. Do some research and talk to retailers about your options, especially if someone in your home suffers from asthma. Likewise talk to the retailers of your furniture and ask where the wood comes from and about their company’s sustainability guidelines.
Green Materials
If eco-friendliness is a priority for your renovations, choose sustainably harvested materials such as cork and bamboo where the trees and grasses respectively aren’t killed in harvesting (regrowth happens relatively quickly too, another plus). Recycled materials like glass, concrete, marmoleum and reclaimed wood are also good options but do ask about the processing as some treatments are more green than others. The design of these materials has come a long way in recent years and the market is full of stunning options.
Bamboo flooring, via Build Direct
Cork flooring via Cork Flooring Pros
Recycled glass for countertops via Vetrazzo
Butcher block countertop made of bamboo via My Home Ideas
Energy Efficiency
Choosing energy efficient appliances will save you a bundle on your electricity bills over their lifetime.
And better yet get a thermal energy map of your home done to locate particularly drafty places. In older homes, because of their placement in the house, kitchens are big culprits. Investing in eco-friendly insulation is well worth it. Your choices run from natural batts made from old denim, fire resistant recycled newsprint, and soy-based spray in foam insulation.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Whether you repurpose old furniture, shop vintage, or seek out recycled and reclaimed products, using old furniture and materials is a wonderful way to add character, integrity, and beauty to your space. Think of the stories these pieces tell; and their age also attests to their strength to still be in use today.
Reclaimed Wood to create Floating Shelves via Apartment Therapy
Salvaged wood, recycled glass and GFRC concrete are just a few recycled products that can elevate a space with their beauty and character, harmonizing with many design schemes.
GFRC Countertop via Concrete Countertops
Greentea Design uses only reclaimed wood to build their kitchen cabinetry. Even their handles, hinges, and pulls are hand-forged from recycled iron.
Best of luck with your kitchen renovations!
Chamba Black Pottery Giveaway
These pottery pieces are not your ordinary earthen vessels — they are beautiful pieces of history. These are Chamba black pottery, a craft unique to the town of La Chamba in Tolima, Colombia.
The clay itself possesses a distinct composition marked by the presence of mica, which enhances heat resistance, making it ideal for cookware and bakeware. They are hand-formed by artisan women from the small villages in this Andean town, burnished, and fired, in pretty much the same way it has been done for 700 years. The addition of powdered grass near the end of the firing process gives these vessels their arresting smoky blackness.
And to celebrate Greentea Design’s Kitchen and Bath Sale, we’re excited to be giving away a set of these amazing kitchenware! Just comment on a post on our Facebook page from March 29 until April 10, 2012 and you’ll be entered into a draw for this stunning set!
Full contest rules are available here.
Best of luck everyone!
Stay Tuned for a Little Giveaway
Greentea Design’s kitchen and bath event is on now and we’re celebrating with a little giveaway. Check back later this week for more details!
In the meantime, click on over to Greentea’s shop to save up to 25% on furniture, from custom islands and cabinetry, to the beautiful Maru tables created from 100 year old salvaged floors, and of course the stunning vanities.
If you’re planning a kitchen renovation, you don’t want to miss this sale. And if you’re still in the early stages of planning and prepping, check out Greentea’s kitchen resources!
Salad Days
Steamy Kitchen's Grilled Tofu Salad and Miso Dressing
It’s nearing the end of January and I am still trying to get over the effects of the gustatory excess of December! So it’s been salads, salads, and salads — or at least, that’s the general idea. And there’s a whole slew of really lovely and scrumptious salad ideas to try, among them Steamy Kitchen’s Grilled Tofu Salad with Miso Dressing, and Rasa Malaysia’s Shrimp and Pomelo Salad, both of which have that exotic Asian kick.
Rasa Malaysia's Shrimp and Pomelo Salad
And to give a light, fresh, and delicious salad meal even more oomph, kick them up another notch with these incredibly stylish salad bowls and utensils. They’ll give the eyes so much more to feast on.
Salad tossers and shakers combo, designed by Enoc Armengol. Image via Trend Hunter
Salad Bowl by Joseph Joseph via Charles and Marie
Image via The Kitchen Dresser
Koziol Leaf Salad Bowl with integrated servers. Image via Koziol.
We here at The Design Tree have a special affinity gorgeously crafted wooden anything, and these bowls are so fine they blow my mind! I love the clean curves, the wood grain, and the low musical sound they make when they bump against the other utensils.
Via Design Centre
Image via The Raw Food World
Image via The Raw Food World
Image via Wood Worker's Institute
Bamboo Salad Bowl. Image via Bambooki.
