Salon Recap: Kitchen Confidence
It’s clear that there were only two places to be in the greater Boston area last night — the TD Garden as the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins raised that historic banner or the Viking Center in Westwood for the Design New England salon, “Kitchen Confidence.” Well, that might be overstating things slightly, but such comparisons are exactly what DNE’s expert speakers employed to guide the audience at last night’s event toward a better understanding of what it takes to create a beautiful, useful, custom kitchen in today’s home.
Christina Hennessey with architect Jan Gleysteen, one of the evening's speakers.
Take, for example, the word of the evening: battleship. While it sounds like a stretch, architect and speaker Jan Gleysteen of Jan Gleysteen Architects integrated it seamlessly in his thorough and fascinating discussion of the progression of the American kitchen from the 1950’s through today. You can probably guess that the term “battleship” did not factor into the scheme of most 1970’s kitchen plans.
The “battleship” concept was then picked up and further expanded upon by Donna Venegas of Venegas & Company, who proved herself to be a true advocate for the personalized kitchen as a room to be lived in as well as an expression of homeowners’ style. If you get the chance, ask her what she thinks of white kitchens…
Alison Weidner of SieMatic with DNE account executive Molly Campbell.
Next up was Jim Ingram of the Viking Center who finally cleared up the mystery as to what exactly an induction cooking system is and why we should want one. His demonstration was nothing short of convincing and I now know what will be on my list to Santa (you know, the “longshot” list).
Jim was followed by the final speaker for the evening, Carter Johnson of Stone Systems. Carter’s knowledge of the various type of quartz countertop options is impressive to say the least and left us with a true understanding of the entire spectrum of options available when selecting the all-important countertop materials in the heart of the home, the kitchen.
DNE editor Gail Ravgiala, associate editor Danielle Ossher, and Budd Kelley of South Shore Millwork.
And there's more kitchens ahead! Be sure to join us for our next design salon — Kitchen Ambiance: Designing for your lifestyle — next Thursday, Oct. 13 at Venegas & Company in the Boston Design Center. Click here for more info & to RSVP.
An insider's look at must-have products, fresh trends, and inspired spaces from the team at Design New England magazine.
Gail Ravgiala is editor of Design New England and a fan of both the region's historic architecture and its growing inventory of modern houses and public buildings.
Danielle Ossher is associate editor at Design New England where she is on the market watch beat covering trends, new products, and green technology.
Jill Connors, Design New England's editor-at-large, is an antiques maven and design scout and will post about trends and discoveries in the field.
Bruce Irving, Design New England's contributing editor for architecture & building, is a renovation specialist who will share his insights on design and construction.
Estelle Bond Guralnick, Design New England's style & interiors editor, will post about interior design and interior designers and her favorite finds.
