The House Of Bledsoe

CHICAGO — Middleby Residential Showcase Gallery, an appliance retailer anchored by Viking Range and La Cornue, has relocated to a new, larger space at LuxeHome, the Chicago-based collection of boutiques for home building and renovation.

At more than 7,000 sq. ft., Middleby Residential will more than double the size of its existing showroom at the Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago.

“The significant expansion will allow for greater visibility for Middleby Residen- tial’s collection of ultra-premium, luxury consumer brands,” said the company, whose featured brands include Viking, La Cornue, AGA, Lynx, U-Line, Marvel, Evo and Brava.

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Liebherr recently added three new members to its team.Jessie Escobar was recently brought on as Liebherr’s regional sales manager, Western Territory. In his current role, he leads sales development from Alberta, Canada to Southern California and offers support to retailers and distributors, while working to increase brand awareness and Liebherr’s footprint in the North American market.Christian Lopez has joined the Liebherr team as e-commerce specialist for Liebherr Appliances, North America. In his new role, Lopez will work to build strong relationships with consumer-facing dealers, creating an efficient path for dealers to purchase Liebherr accessories online. Sarah Gambrell is Liebherr’s regional sales manager for Scientific Appliances. With over 18 years of experience in sales — specifically with medical devices, capital equipment and pharmaceuticals — she is tasked with growing the Scientific Appliances division for Liebherr and becoming the conduit for dealers and distributors. 

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PALO ALTO, CA — U.S. homeowners are increasingly turning to their master bathroom as a safe and peaceful respite from a world that often seems chaotic and threatening, a major new survey has found.

According to the 2021 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study, whose results were released last month, two in five surveyed homeowners report using their renovated bathroom for rest and relaxation. The survey also found that cleanliness and a lack of clutter are keys to creating a “spa-like atmosphere” in the bath.

The annual online survey was fielded between June and July 2021 to nearly 3,000 U.S. Houzz users who are in the midst of, are planning, or recently completed a bathroom renovation, according to the Palo Alto, CA-based online platform for home renovation and design.

“In the midst of the chaos created by the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re seeing homeowners turn to their bathrooms for respite, creating calming sanctuaries with premium features, hygienic surfaces, and plants and other greenery,” said Marine Sargsyan, Houzz senior economist.

“Given the major changes involved, homeowners renovating their bathrooms are (also) seeking professional help at a growing rate,” Sargsyan added.

According to Houzz, modern, transitional and contemporary styles remain the leading choices for renovated bathrooms. Other features gaining popularity include dimmable lighting and greenery. The percentage of homeowners who relax in their renovated bathroom by soaking in the tub was up six points compared to last year, outpacing the share of those who unwind with long showers, Houzz said.

More than three quarters of homeowners incorporate premium features into their bathtubs and showers, the company added. Top premium features for the bath include soaking tubs, space for two and silent whirlpool baths, while premium shower upgrades include rainfall showerheads, dual showers, body sprayers and thermostatic mixers.

Additional survey findings include:

n  Marble in Vogue: ​​Marble is being adopted at a higher rate by renovating homeowners, with increased usage in shower flooring, non-shower flooring and non-shower walls.

n Colorful Vanities: While white continues to be the dominant color chosen across all bathroom features, blue and wood vanities have become more popular over the past year, bringing warmth and texture to bathrooms.

n Lighting Upgrades: Homeowners cite both insufficient lighting and no natural lighting as issues before a bathroom renovation, which may explain why more than four in five homeowners upgraded their lighting fixtures this year, Houzz said. Wall lights and recessed lights remain the top two choices in upgraded lighting. However lighted mirrors, pendant lights and chandeliers all inched up in popularity from last year.

n Toilet Technology: More than a third of homeowners who upgraded their toilets during renovations incorporated technology. Bidets remain the most popular tech feature for one in five homeowners, followed by self-cleaning, heated seats, overflow protection and built-in nightlights.

n Lighted Mirrors: Three-quarters of renovating homeowners installed mirrors in their renovated bathroom, with over half installing more than one mirror. Some upgraded mirrors have advanced features, such as LED lighting and anti-fog systems.

n Custom Medicine Cabinets: Nearly one-third of renovating homeowners install custom or semi-custom medicine cabinets, many of which include features such as hidden plugs and lighting on the inside.

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WASHINGTON, DC — Ongoing global supply-chain disruptions coupled with the prospect of higher interest rates threaten to exacerbate affordability problems for both new and existing homes in the months ahead, the National Association of Home Builders said last month.

Housing affordability, according to the latest figures released by the NAHB, held steady at its lowest level in nearly a decade, as record-high home prices offset lower mortgage rates to keep the affordability rate flat in the third quarter of 2021.

“Persistent building material supply chain bottlenecks and tariffs on Canadian lumber and Chinese steel and aluminum continue to place upward pressure on construction costs and home prices,” even in the face of continued high demand,” said Chuck Fowke, chairman of the Washington, DC-based NAHB.

Moreover, according to NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz, interest rates are anticipated to gradually rise in the coming months, as the Federal Reserve begins to taper its monthly bond and mortgage-backed securities purchases.

“To keep affordability problems from worsening, policymakers need to tackle supply-chain challenges that are disrupting and delaying construction projects and hurting housing affordability,” Dietz said. “Helping builders boost output will also slow the rapid rise in home prices that has occurred over the past year.”

In addition to concerns over building materials and the national supply chain, labor and building lot access are key constraints for housing supply, according to Dietz. “Lot availability is at multi-decade lows and the construction industry currently has more than 330,000 open positions,” Dietz said. “Policymakers need to focus on resolving these issues to help builders produce more housing to meet strong market demand.”

In related news:

n Low existing inventories and strong buyer demand helped push builder confidence higher for the third consecutive month even as supply-side challenges – including building material bottlenecks and lot and labor shortages – remain stubbornly persistent, the NAHB said, noting that as a result of supply-chain effects, there are 152,000 single-family units – up 43.4% from a year ago – that have been authorized for construction but are awaiting a go-ahead.

n Single-family housing production lagged in October due to supply-chain effects for materials and ongoing access issues for labor and lots. Overall housing starts decreased 0.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.52 million units, according to the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.

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HACKETTSTOWN, NJ Millennial clients – particularly those with children – are increasing in influence while the impact of Baby Boomer clients is gradually declining and Gen X is remaining constant, according to a 2022 Design Trends Forecast released this week by the National Kitchen & Bath Association.

The NKBA’s annual design trends forecast points to a gradual, yet palpable, shift in the primary customer base for new and remodeled kitchens and baths, after several decades in which the market was driven largely by a huge cohort of Baby Boomers (aged 57-75) and Gen Xers (aged 41-56) consumers.

While baby boom and Gen-X consumers remain the industry’s predominant buying force, the steady increase in business from Millennial clients (ages 25-40) is increasingly impacting both market share and anticipated kitchen and bath design trends, according to the NKBA, which said Millennials’ impact has “a high probability of increasing in the future.”

“Those working with Millennials see slightly less-expensive projects, but that’s likely driven by Millennials’ lower disposable income during their current life stage,” said the NKBA, whose 2022 Design Trends Forecast was based on a survey of approximately 650 designers, dealers, and other design professionals. The survey’s aim was to identify styles, features and materials that are expected to be more popular in the next several years; to identify the products that have the most dramatic impact on today’s kitchens and bathrooms; to assess if there are notable variations in designer client base profiles; and to predict if client base profiles are predictors of perceived design trends.

Among the overarching themes emerging from the NKBA’s 2022 survey is that kitchen clients generally want flex space for work, touchless fixtures, easy-to-clean surfaces, outdoor living areas, LED lighting and recycling storage. There is also a concerted desire for mobile-friendly spaces, healthy cooking, app-controlled appliances and voice-activated lighting, the NKBA said.

In the bathroom, consumers want a large shower, and are likely to remove tubs in order to allocate more space or access to storage/dressing areas, the NKBA said. There is also a pronounced need for energy and water efficiency, connected products such as water temperature controls, entertainment and communication, the association added.

In general, new kitchen and bathroom design is emerging from nature-inspired themes, the NKBA reported. “Organic, natural styles are prominent in both kitchens and bathrooms, especially among Millennials, (and) increased natural light with large, high-performance windows and doors for outdoor access will be prominent,” the NKBA said.

“Homeowners have a desire for spaces that can multi-function,” the NKBA observed, pointing to a growing trend toward large islands for food prep that also function as dining tables, homework and work from home; flexible space for home office activities; pantries that include space for storage and a working area for small appliances; and workstation sinks with built-in features (drying racks, cutting boards, etc.) In addition, bathrooms that connect to dressing areas and/or laundry facilities, and vanities and medicine cabinets with outlets are also experiencing increased popularity.

When designing new spaces, homeowners are generally thinking about the following:

n Cleanliness: easy-to-clean surfaces and countertops that are sanitary and non-porous. The current strong demand for quartz is expected to continue, as is the popularity of larger-format tile or slabs with less grout, and touchless faucets.

n Sustainable design: 100% LED lighting; a dedicated recycling area; low-E windows and doors; Energy star/efficient products; EPA WaterSense fixtures; VOC-free paint; products with recycled materials, and radiant flooring.

n Universal design: spaces that will allow for aging in place; curb-less showers; fewer free-standing tubs, grab bars, seats in showers and hand-held showerheads.

Although homeowners are excited about integrated technology, it is not being utilized in most projects. Specifically, only 30% and 21% of kitchen and bath projects, respectively, include integrated technology features, the NKBA reported.

“Designers have new ways to interact with their clients, especially Millennials,” the NKBA said. “Future design projects will include a mix of in-person and virtual meetings. In-person meetings both in designer’s offices and at the client’s home will be most prominent.

“Designers will (also) take advantage of virtual channels with video calls and video meetings with clients,” NKBA researchers added. “Millennials are more open to virtual meetings while Boomers are looking for regular onsite meetings at their home.”

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MADISON, WI — The 2019-2021 Sub-Zero, Wolf & Cove Kitchen Design Contest, which recognizes premier design professionals across the globe for their beautiful, innovative kitchen designs, has a final deadline of January 31, 2022.

The Contest’s Professional Categories are open to professional kitchen designers, architects, residential designers, interior designers, builders, remodelers, landscape designers and landscape architects only. For all Professional Categories, the design and construction of the project must have been completed in 2019, 2020, or 2021. Entrants may submit more than one entry in the various Professional Categories.

The Contest’s Student Category is open to students currently enrolled at an accredited college or university. Entries from students graduating before January 31, 2022 will be accepted only if their projects are completed and graded by their professors prior to graduation. The Student Category is limited to one entry per entrant.

Entries must be of a private, residential space only. Showroom, retail, commercial, hospitality, public recreational, educational and other non-residential environments are not eligible. All entries must meet national code requirements and restrictions, and include Sub-Zero refrigeration products and Wolf cooking appliances.

Contest entries are evaluated by a panel of esteemed judges. Each judge is a leader in the industry, from disciplines including architecture, interior design and kitchen design. The judges evaluate all qualifying entries on the following three criteria: Best function and aesthetic use of Sub-Zero and Wolf brand appliances; aesthetically pleasing overall kitchen design, and functionality of overall kitchen design. A fourth aspect is applied to the First-Time Entrant category during the judging process. In addition to the three aspects listed above, the judges will take into consideration which of the kitchen designs is the most surprising, fascinating, out-of-the-box and has a deep conviction to its vision.

Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove will award additional cash prizes to first-, second- and third-place winners in each of the Contemporary, Transitional and Traditional design categories. Cash prizes will also be awarded to one winner in each of the following categories: Small Space Kitchen, Emerging Professional, First-Time Entrant, Best Use Outside of Kitchen and Student. A cash award of $2,000 will be presented to each of the 29 professional finalists. Each of the 29 professional finalists and the Student Winner will also be awarded a trip for two to the Summit & Gala, which is currently planned for the Fall of 2022.

Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on January 31, 2022 in order to be eligible. For more information or to enter the Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove Kitchen Design Contest, visit subzero-wolf.com/contest.

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