Green Living | Panache Vue' Magazine

Kitchen Design Trends for 2013

February 10, 2013 By Diane Whitney Leave a Comment

Art and Diane Whitney

Kitchen designs are, by far, the slowest changing trends in home décor. This is due to the fact that they are expensive, time consuming and so invasive to the homeowner. But at A-1 Custom Cabinets, we are seeing a gradual upheaval in the way we specify the kitchen space. Here are some our top recommendations for 2013:

Move Toward Modern

In 2012 the National Kitchen and Bath Association ranked the “Transitional Style” over “Traditional” for the first time ever in the history of their ranking system. This means more simplified lines and big, open spaces made with gathering in mind. Traditional woods (cherry and maple) are being replaced by Alder, Birch, Walnut and Bamboo.

Natural Color Schemes

Kitchen design trends are showing a rise in neutral colors with a twist. New natural colors build around greys and greens with a variety of wood finishes. Classic white and black are making a comeback as well. Bright colors are prevalent, but should be reserved for accents. Another trend is to mix wood cabinet finishes and painted finishes, which give an eclectic yet cohesive look.
Hideaway Appliances

Most people know that stainless steel appliances are a must-have for kitchen remodels, but there’s also a push toward unusual appliances. Not only does this include ones fronted with the same material as the cabinets, but also an emphasis on hidden appliances. Certain refrigerators, microwaves and dishwashers can be integrated into drawers for a seamless look.

All-Over Lighting

Good kitchen lighting has become more important over the years. Because the kitchen is the epicenter of the home, lighting should be layered combining general lighting, task lighting and ambient lighting. There is also a big push toward the inclusion of LED’s, which are already popular for under-cabinet lighting.

Super Stylish Components

2013 trends will move away from conventional range vents and include a variety of decorative hoods. Ones with built in LED lights can even couple as an island chandelier. Also, don’t overlook the kitchen sink. They are becoming a focal point in updated kitchens. Stainless steel sinks will remain popular, many with new modern designs, but there will also be a variety of stone composite, copper or fireclay sinks to offer smooth, non-porous options that won’t show wear and tear.

Glass Backsplashes

Luminous, reflective finishes abound in the modern kitchen, and nowhere is this more beautiful than on backsplash walls. Single-sheet, back painted glass with no seams, no grout, and easy maintenance wins on all counts. Its reflective quality gives a polished finish to the kitchen. This could also be achieved with glass tiles, which are a quick and inexpensive way to update your kitchen.

Call A-1 Custom Cabinets today for more information, or to schedule your free in-home consultation. 727-447-6815.

Filed Under: 2013, Green Living, Home, March 2013, Tampa Bay Tagged With: A-1 Custom Cabinets, Art Whitney, Bamboo, Bathrooms, Business, Cabinets, Clearwater, Diane Whitney, Green, Green Living, Home, Home Organization, Kitchens, Lyptus, Organization, Outdoor Kitchens, Pinellas County, Recycled, Recycled Glass, Remodeling, Space Organization

Simple Ways to a New You

December 16, 2012 By Diane Whitney Leave a Comment

Art and Diane Whitney

It starts with excess clutter and loose receipts, builds through the holidays and by the time the New Year rolls around it’s everywhere! It’s clutter, and chances are, it’s driving you crazy. However, A-1 Custom Cabinets has a few secrets to get it under control, so you can focus on more important things—like tackling that extra holiday weight!

#1—Do a paper purge in your office. What—no office? Find a nook where you can install a custom desk to create your “command central.” New file drawers help find homes for organizing important contracts, personal documents, receipts and product warranties.

#2—Divide and conquer your kitchen. There’s one pot you need for dinner, but reaching into the back of the cabinet triggers a culinary avalanche. With a couple extra shelves and drawer pullouts, we can help you take advantage of the space between shelves. Tiered organizers make it easier to see and reach the items at the back of a shelf.

#3—Find a home for all your clothes. Who needs a leopard print dress when your closet is a jungle? A-1 Custom Cabinets can organize your hanging space, add shelves for sweaters and shoes, a pullout bar for dry cleaning, and a home for your hamper. Sorting “like” items together makes the whole space easier on the eyes.

#4—Harness hidden space in your bathroom. Rummaging to find your favorite body butter while getting ready in the morning is not the way to start your day. A-1 has an assortment of drawer organizers that help maximize storage space. We can even create additional storage under the sink.

Call A-1 Custom Cabinets today for your free consultation. We’ll address notoriously difficult clutter issues for your first step towards a whole New You.

Filed Under: 2012, December 2012 / January 2013, Green Living, Home, Tampa Bay Tagged With: A-1 Custom Cabinets, Art Whitney, Bamboo, Bathrooms, Business, Cabinets, Clearwater, Diane Whitney, Green, Green Living, Home, Home Organization, Kitchens, Lyptus, Organization, Outdoor Kitchens, Pinellas County, Recycled, Recycled Glass, Remodeling, Space Organization

The Holidays

November 14, 2012 By Diane Whitney Leave a Comment

Art and Diane Whitney

It is hard not to be nostalgic around the holidays. To me, celebrations center on family and close friends. As everyone gathers together to enjoy good food and good times, the kitchen inevitably becomes the hub for activity. It really is the heart of the home. It is no wonder that builders, realtors and prospective home owners focus on the kitchen.

Take a good look at your kitchen. Does it reflect current trends in addition to your personal style? Do your cabinets maximize storage space and assist in organization? Are they designed in such a way that they facilitate work flow and entertaining? Are you proud to show them off to your family and friends? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, it’s time that you call A-1 Custom Cabinets for a free in-home consultation. We can show you ways to update your cabinetry or completely overhaul your kitchen for transforming results.

Because I am blessed to be married to a talented cabinet maker, I thankfully answered “yes” to all the above questions. I’m looking forward to sharing the joy of the holidays with those I hold dear and having my kitchen overflow with love. While others are out shopping till they drop, I’ll be dropping to my knees to thank God for all His wonderful blessings.

To all our great friends, wonderful customers, and customers yet to be, A-1 Custom Cabinets offers our sincerest gratitude and extends warmest wishes for a happy holiday season.

Filed Under: 2012, Green Living, Home, November 2012 - Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Tagged With: A-1 Custom Cabinets, Art Whitney, Bamboo, Bathrooms, Business, Cabinets, Clearwater, Diane Whitney, Green, Green Living, Home, Home Organization, Kitchens, Lyptus, Organization, Outdoor Kitchens, Pinellas County, Recycled, Recycled Glass, Remodeling, Space Organization

Create the Kitchen of Her Dreams

September 18, 2012 By Diane Whitney Leave a Comment

Art and Diane Whitney

How better to pamper “her” than to create the kitchen of her dreams. While the primary function of a kitchen may be cooking, storage plays an essential role in how well a kitchen functions. No matter how large or small the room, if it’s not well organized and efficiently arranged, it will undermine the space as well as her sanity.

At A-1 Custom Cabinets, we recommend incorporating some key storage elements when designing a new kitchen or remodeling. Roll-out shelves for base and pantry cabinets help maximize your space and eliminate unnecessary straining to reach items in the back of the cabinet. The same is true for swing-outs or lazy-susans in corner cabinets. We also encourage the use of spice racks, back-of-door storage, drawer dividers, cutlery inserts, and dual trash/recycling pullouts to keep the kitchen looking tidy. We represent companies like Rev-A-Shelf and Hafele who offer a wide range of terrific cabinet accessories, in addition to beautiful rail systems for backsplash storage.

Also, because we design and build our own cabinets, we can customize storage in clever ways. The toekick beneath cabinets is completely wasted space, but add a shallow drawer and it becomes a great place for large platters and trays. Or we can add extra depth to cabinets to increase their capacity. For example, a standard upper cabinet at 12” deep can be increased to 16” without much added cost, yet it allows an extra row of glassware or food items. We often sneak shallow base cabinets on the back side of an island or peninsula, perfect for small appliances and cookbooks.

Working with the design professionals at A-1 Custom Cabinets is your first step towards creating a beautiful, creative kitchen that can be life changing. As I often tell my husband: “Happy wife, happy life.” Put yourself on that path to happiness, call today for your free consultation.

Filed Under: 2012, Green Living, Home, September 2012 – Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Tagged With: A-1 Custom Cabinets, Art Whitney, Bamboo, Bathrooms, Business, Cabinets, Clearwater, Diane Whitney, Green, Green Living, Home, Home Organization, Kitchens, Lyptus, Organization, Outdoor Kitchens, Pinellas County, Recycled, Recycled Glass, Remodeling, Space Organization

Eco-Friendly Home Extravaganza

July 18, 2012 By Diane Whitney Leave a Comment

Art and Diane Whitney

Not long ago, making the eco-friendly choice meant compromise: settling for less than you wanted orpaying more than you should. Fortunately, those days are fading into memory. Today, there are manyways to make environmentally responsible lifestyle and product choices. A-1 Custom Cabinets is proudto offer responsible choices yet still provide the creativity, quality and value our customers expect.

Most consumers are aware of the availability of sustainable fabrics, paint products with low VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds), and floor & wall coverings with recycled content. However, many are not aware of “green” products available for your kitchen and bath. For instance, countertops can bemanufactured in sustainable or recycled materials. A-1 Custom Cabinets has beautiful counter-top selections in bamboo (sustainable), recycled glass, and solid surface made with 40% recycled content.

An earth-friendly choice available for cabinetry is Lyptus. This wood is carefully managed for sustainability. It’s fast-growing and yet has the hardness of maple, the grain of mahogany and the warmth of cherry. Lyptus is a naturally-occurring hybrid of eucalyptus which can be harvested in as little as 15 years (vs. 50 to 100 years for traditional hardwoods). It is grown on deforested land reserves that are reclaimed from the Rain Forest and specially maintained to preserve the balance of the ecosystem. Lyptus has a naturally deep, warm coloration that accepts a variety of finishes and a lovely grain pattern that ranges from straight fine patterns, to burls, to faint tiger striping.

To promote “green” awareness, A-1 Custom Cabinets is offering Panache readers a rebate on any Lyptus cabinetry purchased in July or August. Be sure to mention the “Eco-Friendly Home Extravaganza.”

Filed Under: 2012, Green Living, Home, July/August 2012 - Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Tagged With: A-1 Custom Cabinets, Art Whitney, Bamboo, Bathrooms, Business, Cabinets, Clearwater, Diane Whitney, Green, Green Living, Home, Home Organization, Kitchens, Lyptus, Organization, Outdoor Kitchens, Pinellas County, Recycled, Recycled Glass, Remodeling, Space Organization

New Study – Water Softeners Among Very Best Household Energy Savers

March 18, 2012 By Matthew and Jori Zarra 276 Comments

Matthew and Jori Zarra

Water softeners can save significant amounts of money and energy in the home, a major new study by the independent Battelle Institute revealed. Softeners help preserve the efficiency of water heaters and major appliances and keep showers and faucets unclogged, the report found. The study was commissioned by the Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF) in 2009. Battelle Memorial Institute is a renowned independent testing and research facility dedicated to applied science and technology development.

Among some of the key findings of the study:

Gas & Electric water heaters: Gas & Electric storage tank household water heaters operated on softened water maintained the original factory efficiency rating over a 15-year lifetime. On the other hand, hard water can lead to as much as a 48% loss of efficiency in water heaters. Up to 30 pounds of calcium carbonate rocklike scale can accumulate in these heaters over time, according to the study. The life of the heating element will be shortened due to scale buildup because of increased operating temperature of the heating element. Such scale adversely affects the water heater’s performance.

Tank-less heaters: Indoor instantaneous gas water heaters (tankless heaters) operated on softened water maintained the original factory efficiency rating over a 15-year lifetime. The study found that tankless water heaters completely failed to function because of scale plugging in the downstream plumbing after only 1.6 years of equivalent hot water use on 26 gpg hard water. Softened water saves 34% of costs compared to operating on 20 grains per gallon (gpg) and saves 47% compared to operation on 30 gpg hard water.

Showerheads and faucets: Showerheads on soft water maintained a brilliant luster and full flow. Faucets on softened water performed well throughout the study; nearly as well as the day they were installed. Showerheads on hard water lost 75% of the flow rate in less than 18 months. Faucets on hard water could not maintain the specified 1.25 gallons per minute flow rate because of scale collection of the strainers. The strainers on the faucets using un-softened water were almost completely plugged after 19 equivalent days of testing.

Appliances: In the study, dishwashers and washing machines were operated for 30 days and 240 completed wash cycles on soft and hard water sources. The units using soft water were almost completely free of any water scale buildup. As the report states, they appeared as if they could be cleaned up to look like new with just a quick wipe down. The appearance of the inside of units using hard water showed the need for de-liming and cleaning due to the buildup of scale and deposits.

Contact Florida Water Treatment by phone @ 727-736-2747 or visit us on the web @ www.flawatertreatment.com for all of your water treatment needs.

Study Source – Water Quality Association (WQA)

Filed Under: 2012, 2012, April 2012 - South Tampa, April 2012 – Tampa Bay, Green Living, March 2012 - South Tampa, March 2012 – Tampa Bay, South Tampa, Tampa Bay Tagged With: Energy Savings, Features, Florida Water Treatment, Green Living, Home, Jori Zarra, Matthew Zarra, South Tampa, Tampa, Tampa Bay

Can You Get Soft Water from a “No Salt” Conditioner?

February 22, 2012 By Matthew and Jori Zarra 26 Comments

Matthew and Jori Zarra

Lately I have heard a massive amount of advertising for water conditioning systems that do not use salt and claim to take the place of your water softener. These ads show consumers struggling to carry bags of salt for their water softener and claim this can be eliminated with their product because no salt is needed. The advertising is very misleading because it does not tell the whole story about their product. They are using deceptive tactics to mislead the consumer into believing that the product they are selling will give the same end result as a traditional water softener. The short answer is NO – IT WILL NOT SOFTEN THE WATER AND THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!! There is no technology available that will soften your water without using ion exchange technology (exchanging sodium chloride for calcium and magnesium on the softening resin filter media). You have to do your homework on these no salt conditioners to actually get the truth, if you dig deep enough you will find that some of the manufacturers actually state that you will get a white film or crust on your fixtures and glass but it is easily wiped away. Seriously??

The “No-Salt” technology is referred to as Physical Water Treatment. These systems include magnets, electro-magnets, electrical frequency (these are the systems where you wrap wire around your pipes) and crystallization polymers. All of them claim to modify the structure by changing the composition of the hardness minerals, in a way that prevents scale from forming. One big issue is that the hardness (calcium and magnesium) is still in the water and it is not being removed like a traditional water softener. Ion exchange technology in a traditional water softener 100% removes the hardness from the water unlike physical water treatment.

Another essential problem with all physical water treatment products is that you can’t verify that they are actually doing anything. There is not a test that can show a difference in water before and after the treatment, not one – unlike a water softener. There is not a detectable difference in the feel of the water, the reaction with soaps, or with laundry. The water before and after the treatment is exactly the same. With a traditional softener the effects are instantly noticed through the feeling of the water and the elimination of spots and scaling, this is not the case with physical water treatment If your softener breaks down or is removed you will instantly notice a difference in the water and know something is wrong unlike physical water treatment. In most cases the only way you know that the physical water treatment machine is working is by the green dummy light that shows the machine is on. At Florida Water Treatment we have removed hundreds of these physical water treatment machines because the customer states they have made no difference in their water and reinstalled a traditional water softener. DO NOT make the mistake of believing these physical water treatment machines will take the place of your water softener, they WILL NOT give you the same result and are by no means a direct replacement.

The technology has been improved greatly with traditional water softeners drastically reducing the amount of salt used. At Florida Water Treatment we build softeners that use 4-6 bags of salt per year and we guarantee that you will never miss a day of soft water. The newer technology has made our softeners much more efficient and effective in the way they soften water. AT Florida Water treatment we have a water softener for every budget since all of our equipment is custom built. At FWT we employ no sales personnel so there are no long demonstrations or pushy and deceptive sales tactics. Please call FWT for a free water analysis and estimate.

Filed Under: 2012, 2012, February 2012 - South Tampa, February 2012 – Tampa Bay, Green Living, South Tampa, Tampa Bay Tagged With: Energy Savings, Features, Florida Water Treatment, Green Living, Home, Jori Zarra, Matthew Zarra, South Tampa, Tampa, Tampa Bay

Water Treatment – Choose your Company Wisely

October 14, 2011 By Matthew and Jori Zarra 31 Comments

Matthew and Jori Zarra

We are currently in an age where information is readily available and easy to access, but it surprises me every day that consumers are making poor decisions when choosing a company to treat their homes water. As with every other service industry there are many choices when it comes to choosing a company to meet your needs. Unfortunately it seems that the water treatment industry seems to attract some very deceitful individuals. It is a shame because these fraudulent few seem to give my industry a bad name. This is why it is very important to choose a company that has a solid track record in the water treatment industry. Look for a company that has been operating under the same name for many years, because a majority of these dishonest companies will change names every few years to avoid warranty claims by their customers – stating that your warranty was with the other company even though it is the same owner and they are keeping the customer files. As I stated earlier information is very easily attained through the Internet, BBB, Angie’s List, and the Department of consumer affairs to name a few. If there is any dirt on these companies you will find it with any of these sources. Look for accredited companies with a clean record and no criminal charges. You should also look up the owner of the company through Sunbiz or the BBB, then check your local sheriffs website or the FDLE to see if they have a fraudulent criminal record. By taking these steps and doing a little research you will protect yourself from making a poor decision when it comes to choosing a water treatment company to treat your homes water.

Florida Water Treatment has been family owned and operated for the past 60 years providing high quality water treatment solutions in the Tampa Bay area since 1951. We have been in our current location at 1398 Main Street – Dunedin, FL since 1987 and have our roots firmly planted in delightful Dunedin. Florida Water Treatment is an accredited business with the BBB maintaining an A+ rating and very highly rated through Angie’s List winning the Super Service award multiple times. Florida Water Treatment has a customer base of over 50,000 installing over 100 water treatment systems a month and running over 120 service calls a week. At Florida Water Treatment we strive to maintain the highest level of customer service treating every customer as if they were are only one.

If you are in the market for a new water treatment system or need service on your current system we can help. Our factory trained technicians service all makes and models of water treatment and at Florida Water Treatment every system we build is designed for your home and built to order – we do not believe in the one sized fits all approach of the majority of our competitors.

Contact Florida Water Treatment by phone @ 727-736-2747 or visit us on the web @ www.flawatertreatment.com for all of your water treatment needs.