Top 10 Trends from the 2010 NKBA Design Competition

Limitless thinking produced the Top 10 trends found at this year’s National Kitchen and Bath Design Competition:

1. Concealed Kitchens

The challenge in designing a concealed kitchen is to create a space with a distinctive identity that still fits into the overall aesthetic of the open living area. David Heide, designer of the concealed kitchen at the left, says he attributes some of his approach to a European influence and the subtle orderliness inherent to European design.

2. In-Home Coffee and Wine Bars
Today’s homeowners are being sensibly selective and focused on their preferences when embarking on a kitchen design. And, coffee and wine bars are often seen as more the norm rather than the exception in today’s kitchens.

3. Scaling of Elements

Designer Kristi Wolfe has created natural boundaries and geometrically defined spaces, giving this bathroom a pleasing sense of purpose and comfort in its balanced sense of scale.

4. Color With Energy

In today’s kitchens, neutrals can still be seen they are playing a lesser role to their more vibrant counterparts. When fearless colors are introduced artfully with the counterbalance of stainless steel and shimmering lights, the result is perfection.

5. Soft Geometry

Rounded hearth and ceiling arches, along with curved bar and countertop edges, give this kitchen a circular appeal, while also softening the angular aspects of the room.

6. Space Subtleties

Suspending the vanity gives the illusion of spaciousness in the small bathroom area.

7. Design Framing

Framing of the soffit and wall surrounding the cabinetry is used in the design of this kitchen to highlight a portion of the room and define the space

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8. Varying Heights

Island tops, counter tops, and partial walls are being customized to the task performed and to the needs and lifestyle of the homeowners. Functional needs, such as a catch-all area for keys and cell phones, were addressed with a lower cabinet, separating it from the cooking and prep area.

9. Japanese Influence

Japanese design reflects clean lines, open spaces, and neutral color palettes with bold splashes of color

10. Art Integration

The introduction of a homeowner’s favorite piece of artwork as the basis for design creates challenges, but it can also offer guidance and solutions for color and material choices. The personal nature of art to the owner introduces an intimate quality to the room.

Sunny skies and a hint of warmth brought a reminder of spring time to me today. And, thankfully with spring comes more outdoor activities - I am so tired of the cold weather! One of my favorite outdoor activities is having friends and family over and grilling the freshest of seafood, and an outdoor kitchen is the perfect venue. Chris Mordi from Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet is hosting what looks to be an interesting webinar on March 2 titled Outdoor Kitchen Design Best Practices. For more information go to http://www.kalamazoogourmet.com/webinar

Here's a recipe for the grilled mussels shown in the picture above. Easy to cook in your outside kitchen. Yum!

2.5 lbs mussels, beards removed and washed well
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
4 tbs unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
Juice of ½ lemon
½ cup roughly chopped parsley
½ cup shredded basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ Sourdough baguette

Heat up the grill to medium and when hot add the mussels. Grill until they open, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place a medium size heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and when hot add the olive oil and garlic and cook until soft. Remove mussels from the grill, discarding any that have not opened and transfer to the saucepan, keeping the juice. Add the butter, white wine, and lemon juice to the saucepan. Cover until butter melts, shaking the saucepan occasionally. Season to taste, then garnish with parsley and basil. Serve with sourdough baguette.

Look how good Tidal Pulls complement these bamboo kitchen cabinets!

If you are planning an outdoor kitchen and live near the water, consider the effects of galvanic corrosion. Galvanic corrosion is a process in which one metal corrodes when in contact with a different type of metal in the presence of an electrolyte such as salt water.

For example, if you have aluminum outdoor cabinets and install stainless steel Tidal Pulls, you could experience corrosion of the metal unless certain steps are taken to prevent it.

If the aluminum is anodized the galvanic reaction will be minimal. As an alternative, you could coat the aluminum or stainless with an epoxy paint in order to minimize the amount of moisture between the two metals and to keep the electrolysis at bay.

Metals - Tin, Aluminum and Chrome

Tin is a silvery, malleable metal that does not easily oxidize, so it is commonly used to coat other metals to prevent corrosion. Because tin is corrosion-resistant, it is used in food packaging to plate steel cans, which become our ubiquitous “tin cans.”

The word “tin” is often improperly used as a generic term for any silvery metal that comes in sheets. Most everyday materials that are commonly called “tin”, such as aluminum foil, beverage cans, corrugated building sheathing and tin cans, are actually made of steel or aluminum (although tin cans do contain a thin coating of tin to inhibit rust.)


Aluminum is a soft, durable, lightweight, malleable metal with appearance ranging from silvery to dull grey, depending on the surface roughness. Aluminum is remarkable for its ability to resist corrosion and for the metal's low density.

At Tidal Pulls, we appreciate the fact that aluminum is 100 percent recyclable without any loss of its natural qualities, but because it is such a lightweight metal and can detract from that feeling of quality, we do not use it in the manufacturing of our pulls.




Chrome, or chrome plating, is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of chromium onto a metal object. The chromed layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, ease cleaning procedures, or increase surface hardness. It is most often seen in cars and motorcycles.

Metals - Nickel and Pewter

Nickel is a silvery-white metal with a slight golden tinge that can be highly polished. Nickel is corrosion resistant and is hard and brittle, so it is commonly used for plating metals such as iron and brass.

Most of the kitchen and bath items you see that are described as brushed nickel or polished nickel are not pure nickel. They are usually made from a brass base and then plated.
Because of the limitations of nickel, and the similar look to stainless steel, Tidal Pulls does not make cabinet pulls with a nickel finish.

Pewter is a malleable metal, usually between 85 and 99 percent tin, with the remainder commonly consisting of copper, antimony or lead. Copper and antimony act as hardeners while lead is common in the lower grades of pewter, which have a bluish tint. Pewter has a low melting point, around 170–230 °C, depending on the exact mixture of metals, and is commonly used as a casting metal. Articles made of pewter need to be handled carefully, since it is a soft alloy that can dent easily. Tidal Pulls does not make cabinet pulls with pewter.

Metals - Copper

Copper is one of the few metals to occur naturally in pure form. Pure copper is rather soft and malleable, and a freshly exposed surface has a pinkish or peachy color.


Copper does not react with water, but the oxygen of the air will slowly at room temperature form a layer of brown-black copper oxide. This has a protective effect against further corrosion. On old copper roofs, a green layer of copper carbonate, called verdigris, can often be seen.



Tidal Pulls can be made from copper, however, we recommend a hammered surface rather than a smooth surface, so that scratches and dents resulting from a demanding kitchen environment are not as visible.