I’m GOING TO #KBIS2019 ON THE #DESIGNHOUNDS TOUR – MEET MY SPONSORS!

I’m so excited to be going back to the National Kitchen and Bath Associations’s annual tradeshow in Las Vegas next week as part of Modenus Media’S #DesignHounds tour again.

I had such a great time on it last year and can’t wait to see what’s new there this year that will be useful for my clients.

I do a lot of kitchen and bath design work here in Fayetteville, North Carolina, as there are many homes in my area that need renovation, and even more so now after the devastation caused last year by Hurricane Michael.

Below are images from two of the kitchens I’ve designed for different clients.

To see more images from this kitchen, please click here.

To see more images from this kitchen, please click here.

This year, I’m grateful to have my #KBIS2019 trip underwritten by #DesignHounds tour sponsors who all have a commitment, in one way or another, to environmental responsibility.

Wellborn Cabinetry
Caesarstone
Lamps Plus
Thompson Traders
Mr. Steam
Thermador

I recently read this article about the devastation and destruction being caused by the deforestation of the rainforests in Africa, mainly to produce cheap furniture that’s being shipped into our country from China and other places.

This article had a profound impact on me, as it made me think about my children and the children of my clients and what their future will be like if global climate change continues to accelerate.

I’ve made it my mission during my upcoming trip and from now on to be more mindful of asking my current and potential new vendors about their commitment to environmental stewardship and resource conservation.

For the rest of this blog post, I’ve done some research to share with you the environmental commitment my tour sponsors have already implemented.

#DesignHounds Tour Sponsor Wellborn Cabinetry makes all of its kitchen cabinetry here in the USA and has a major commitment to environmental stewardship, as you can read about here and see from this image I’ve taken from their website.

I also appreciate that Wellborn Cabinetry is manufactured here in the South, in Alabama, where their 2,000,000 sq. foot factory supports hundreds of local families and is still owned by Paul Wellborn and members of his family.

#DesignHounds Tour Sponsor Caesarstone, who produces quartz countertops, also has a very significant commitment to environmental sustainability as you can read about here.

They do more than just give it lip service, too. It is a top managerial priority, impacting every department, and they are the first quartz surface company to comply with ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental preservation regulations.

As an interior designer, another thing I appreciate about Caeserstone is how they support the interior designers and architects who specify their products by showcasing them, with live links out to their sites, on their own website.

Click here to see how they do that.

How many of you who are interior designers, too, wish every manufacturer would do this? Am I right???!!

#DesignHounds Tour Sponsor Thermador, is a well known leader in the kitchen appliance industry and is owned by German based worldwide conglomerate, www.bsh-group.com, whose commitment to environmental practices across its 42 factories worldwide is extensive.

You can read more about their environmental policies here.

These statistics on Thermador’s parent company’s website constantly update. I wasn’t able to find an environmental policy statement directly on Thermador’s own website, but I hope they will add that in the future.

One thing I really appreciated about Thermador last year when I was on the #DesignHounds tour is how they went out of their way to educate us and make us feel welcomed. Their anniversary party was so much fun and one none of us will soon forget!!!??

I wrote this blog post all about their introductions from last year, when I returned.

I look forward to seeing their new introductions next week.

#DesignHounds Tour Sponsor Thompson Traders, is headquartered in my home state, North Carolina. They are the largest decorative metal provider in the United States, with a heavy emphasis on copper. They are well known for their beautiful hand hammered copper sinks and copper range hoods.

According to their website, “copper is one of the world’s most reusable resources. Enough copper is recycled annually to supply all the plumbing and architectural products for all new buildings constructed in America each year. Choosing copper means choosing beauty and durability while being eco-conscious.”

Family owned and operated, they won Best Small Booth at #KBIS2018 last year.

This image of a bathroom designed by Kara Cox of Kara Cox Interiors , that I found on Palmer Industries’ website, shows a Thompson Traders copper sink mixed with stainless steel. I love how fresh this combination looks and the wallpaper she chose ties it all together so perfectly.

Given copper’s longevity, Kara’s client will never have to replace their sink, but if they chose to do so, they could have easily have it recycled.

My husband and I also have a copper sink in our own powder room, but that room is still awaiting its own #OneRoomChallenge makeover – LOL!!!, so I will save a picture of it for another post!

#DesignHounds Tour Sponsor Mr. Steam’s Vice President of Marketing, Martha Orellana, has written 2 REALLY good blog posts ( here and here) on ideas for going green and by reading them I learned a steam shower conserves much more water than soaking in a tub.

I had no idea that a 20-minute bath in a traditional whirlpool or soaking tub requires 80 gallons of water, whereas a steam bath only takes two gallons!

And that if you compare a steam shower to a regular shower the water conservation rate is even more dramatic.

From their blog, “with a jetted shower system that features two 2.2 gallon-per-minute (gpm) shower heads along with three 1.1 gpm body sprays, one 20-minute shower session would use up to 160 gallons of water.

Showering every other day, one person uses up to 640 gallons of water in a single week. Contrast this with a steam bath, which requires only two gallons of water for a typical 20-minute session. A week’s worth of steam sessions uses only 14 gallons of water.”!!

This is such a dramatic decrease in water consumption and for this reason, I will be paying special attention to how I can help my clients install Mr. Steam systems in their showers from now on.

Here’s the Mr. Steam installation in Martha’s own home, as designed for her by Lori Gilder. It includes Mr. Steam’s state of the art chromotherapy and music therapy systems, too. See more here.

#DesignHounds Tour Sponsor Lamps Plus is the USA’s largest lighting retailer, and sells a wide variety of lighting fixtures. Although I couldn’t find information on their site about their company’s internal commitment to environmental responsibility, I really liked that I could use the terms eco friendly to search for eco-friendly lighting options on their website.

Doing this turned up a vendor partner that I haven’t used before, CERNO, out of California, and when I went to CERNO’s website to do further research, I was able to read all about their commitment to using more energy efficient lighting as well as their commitment to manufacture all of their products in the USA.

Some of my clients know that I’ve had a thing for walnut lately, and this oiled walnut sconce with LED lighting is one I really loved.

( NOTE: you can purchase it directly from the link below if you love it for your own homes, and if you do, I will make a tiny commission, which is Lamps Plus’ way of thanking me for featuring it on my blog.

Lastly, I’ve pulled together some of my favorite products for you to purchase for your own kitchens. Who doesn’t love a composter that plugs in and works in 3 hours to produce soil for growing your kitchen herbs?

And the Philips LED light bulbs are the best. Buy these 2700 Kelvin dimmable ones from Amazon for that warm glow you’ve been missing from the brighter ones.

And the glass straws from Terrain (Anthropologie’s sister company) are such an easy way to make a difference.

Click to purchase: Glass Straws, 28.00 from Terrain. 2. Philips 2700K LED Light Bulb from Amazon for a pack of 8, 28.98 3. Brita Water Filter, 24.99 from Bed, Bath and Beyond 4. Deluxe Compost Bin, 349.99 from Bed, Bath and Beyond 5. Bamboo Cutting Board, 17.99-31.99, Bed Bath & Beyond.

Once again, I am so excited to be headed to #KBIS2019 next week! I hope this post lets all of you, my sponsors, know how appreciative I am of the opportunity you’ve made possible for me.

And to my clients and readers? I hope you will follow me on Instagram here, where I will be sharing stories throughout the day of what I see there that I think will be just perfect for your kitchens and baths.

And to all of my fellow designers going with me on the #DesignHounds Tour? I can’t wait to share some wine with those of you who are already my besties and to meet all of you I haven’t met yet!

To meet and find out more about all of us, click here.

And lastly, if you haven’t yet subscribed to my blog, please do by entering your email address on my sidebar.

If you do, you’ll immediately receive a complimentary download of my Kitchen Remodel Success Guide where I share with you all I’ve learned that will help you plan your own successful kitchen remodel.

And if I can help any of you reading this with your own kitchen or bath remodel after I return from #KBIS2019? I invite you to please contact me by clicking here.

Thank you!

Jana Donohoe, ASID
www.janadonohoedesigns.com
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