just wondering….since I’ve been MIA for a few weeks now. (yep, that’s my building)

If you recall a few months back I blogged about a possible move to downtown St. Louis, MO and that is what I’ve done…I made the move. It’s been difficult, as moves go they always are, but this one has had a little of everything attached to it, since we had to stay someplace temporarily before we could get into the new digs. My furniture is still in storage but we are managing.

The best part? I am an official downtown loft dweller and I have to say, I like it. Wasn’t sure since it’s been more than a few years since I lived in the heart of a city and when I did it was Manhattan and then Chicago…St. Louis by comparison leaves a lot to be desired but there were no lofts that I could afford like this anyway in those cities, now or then.

Plus St. Louis has several investors who have put a lot of money into it’s downtown restoration and many of the old historic architecture has remained so people are getting buildings that are gigantic when it comes to space and contractors are gutting them and turning them into good sized lofts with brand new cabinetry, granite countertops, all stainless appliances, washer and dryer included, interesting restaurants and retail shops with lots to do (our building has a restaurant attached to it, and we have a fitness room, and a community room including a wet bar and big plasma tv to rent out for parties). It’s a brave new world out here. (That’s not my actual apt., this is a display, but most of the apts. look just like this, absent the view of the arch)

I plan to keep you posted on how the city’s development goes given the state of the economy…this being the hard-hit midwest and right now St. Louis and its surrounds are experiencing a negative in residents rather than a positive. That said, within our boundaries, there’s been a steady migration into the city from the ‘burbs because of how cool downtown has become.
(That’s the buildings atrium, the ground floor is looking into the community room)

Walking the dog isn’t as challenging as I thought….there’s lots of construction everywhere, but mostly it’s pretty peaceful (the building is very energy efficient too), the parks are really well kept and there’s lots of lighting in the evening. My timing has been pretty interesting because it’s baseball season and St. Louis does indeed revolve around the Cardinals. The city is truly abuzz day and night when the Cards are in town playing. I am only a stone’s throw from Busch Stadium so I get to be up close and personal with Cardinal Fever a lot. Also I’m within 15 minutes walking distance to the Arch which I visit regularly dog in tow to see how the river is cresting.

The mighty Mississippi is rolling along and rising at the same time. It’s been worse….’93 was pretty bad, this is just about as bad but further to the North and Northwest of the city. The casinos are out of business for the moment and our usual downtown 4th of July fair is being shifted from the Arch ground to someplace close but not on the water. What is happening now is very much like what happened in ‘93 and to say it’s been rough for those whose communities and homes have been flooded is an understatement, even those who have taken all kinds of measures to prevent the flow of water have had to live in a private kind of hell for weeks now. When you are down by the Arch, watching the strength of the current as the river flows by there is an eerie silence because while the water hasn’t taken over the city as it did New Orleans, it’s right there, cresting and letting us know that we are no match for nature out of control.

Those little marks against the concrete are people…and usually a person can walk down about another 20 ft of stairs to a landing.
This image shows an entire flight of stairs plus the landing to be completely underwater.

The casinos down by the Arch are all out of luck right now.

So, pardon my lack of blog posts of late, but I hope to be back at it again and this time with a fresh eye to life in a smaller but more efficient dwelling. I plan to keep you posted on how life progresses in the midst of a downtown revitalization. There’s lots to be done! And I’m sure I’ll be even more obsessed about storage.

And lastly, the public transportation is very accessible from where I am. This is good news….I’m enjoying big savings on the pocketbook because of it. St. Louis’ public transportation system isn’t very complicated but it is clean and there are major metrolink stops that will connect you with buses that can take you the rest of the way; however, you still wind up doing a lot of walking. It’s not perfect and I can always use the exercise; it’s better than paying $4.00/gallon of gas. It takes you straight out to the airport too…you just walk right into the terminal (this has been the most well thought out part of it) and it takes you directly to one of our larger shopping malls And finally I’ve convinced my daughter to start taking the Metro; it’s more time consuming, but it’s easy, clean and safe. I wouldn’t want to be out late at night taking it though….don’t need to test those waters either.

Today, Sunday, I went grocery shopping and was surprised by the number of people taking the transit system, on a Sunday both the bus I was on and the train I was on were nearly full. That is unusual for St. Louis. Another unusual sight was a group of well dressed women, about 5 of them, who got on the train and each of them was carrying a shopping bag from one of the Wal-Mart’s. These are curious sights because St. Louis people love their cars and until now haven’t given up on them that I’ve read or could tell based on the heavy traffic still on the roads and unfilled buses and rail cars; but that seems to be changing. I know when I started this, gas was just getting to between $2.60 & $2.70 (that was in March); guess now that it’s staying around $4.00 people are finally changing some of their habits, between the cost of gas and food at minimum, what choice do you have?

Midwest Living “Future Thinker” trend room

If you read my post on the Meredith Corporations trend rooms for the National Kitchen and Bath Show, then you also saw images from these rooms corresponding to the stages women go through during the course of their lifetime.

To clarify my own thoughts on the Idea Center, while these may not be the most exotic kitchens or even contemporary kitchens, say for instance like what Trendir features in their online publication, for what is happening in most of America I think Meredith Corporation and their designers and trade publication editors got it right….for the most part this is the way Americans do live and they do experience each one of these stages.

I did like how they (Midwest Living) emphasized the baby boomers choice aging in place and theirs is oddly enough the most modern of the rooms represented (left and above image).

Even if style-wise I may not have agreed with everything they did, there were two overriding trends to take note of and that is the built-in dining table (or even built-ins in general) and the office/mudroom/laundry room additions off the kitchen or in a galleyway. It does make the kitchen a more practical place to function from with all of these extras, built in or easily accessible from the kitchen. It leaves less shelving to purchase from the home centers, but more baskets or accessories to purchase to support the built in. A representative of the Meredith Corporations brand magazines said that customizable storage solutions were one of the most sought after additions to housing these days, particularly in the kitchen and bath.

When it came to sustainable solutions, the Better Homes and Gardens room tended to focus on this aspect more so than the other magazine titles. It wasn’t that other lifestyle stages weren’t interested in sustainable solutions, it is just that it was a particular focus of that title publication and their designer. In fact, Better Homes and Gardens has a completely green home that is traveling throughout the United States….to 15 different cities. More information will be coming about that tour, with the dates and places it can be seen. At the show, this Organizer-In-Chief lifestyle room had many sustainable ideas built into the fabric of everyday life, such as a compostable bin built into the cabinet beneath the counter, and access to it from the countertop as opposed to opening up a cabinet door or putting scraps into the disposal. There were several methods of recycling built in to make it more convenient to recycle as well as flooring by Armstrong that was a lineoleum made up of recycled wood chips, cork and linseed oil. Further, that lovely circle pattern behind the cooktop is actually recycled glass from beer and wine bottles. Bamboo had been worked into the counters at various places for cutting.

In the Kitchen and Bath Trends room, I really liked the cheeriness of the room with the yellow curtains and lighter blue seating mixed with yellow walls along with paring beigey double sinks and lighter cabinets with walnut or espresso cabinets. Looks like we are breaking a few rules here, a kind of anything goes design ethic.

But the real noticeable difference from years past would be how upscale the young savvy professional his and hers bathroom was. They’ve spared no expense here. Close-ups of this room reveals a customized tiled wall, his and her shower stalls, his and her dressing areas, built in shelving in the bathroom…just a flurry of customized touches that speak to how someone thinks this demographic is the one spending the big bucks!

his bathroom/shower

built-in towel warming drawer

As it was explained to me, the magazine responsible for representing this room, Traditional Home, has the most upscale demographic of all their publications represented and in terms of age that could span decades, and isn’t just confined to the late 20’s early 30’s female (who, as was represented as a lifestyle stage Young Savvy Professional, is single and either living with someone or about to be married), and in general luxury was heavily featured throughout the show. This of course follows suit with what many of the international labels are doing….going for the luxury markets, those that still have the expendable income during these difficult economic times.

FIVE LEADING MAGAZINE BRANDS SHOWCASE NEW PRODUCTS AND DESIGN TRENDS AT the 2008 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Chicago, Fri., 4/11-Sunday 4/13.

The 10,000 square-foot Design Idea Center features kitchen and bath designs from five of Meredith Corporations most popular consumer brands —Kitchen and Bath Ideas®, Better Homes and Gardens®, Traditional Home ®, Country Home® and Midwest Living®.

Titled “Your Kitchen. Your Bath. Your Way. Designs for Every Lifestyle and Life Stage,” each brand has created a fresh and unique look that addresses the needs of women as they progress through life. Whether she’s a young professional, a new mother, mom-on-the-go or an active empty-nester, this year’s Design Idea Center provides effective and useful spaces for her life, her way. Other trends include eco-friendly design, spaces to entertain, aging-in-place, indoor/outdoor living, technology, organization and storage.

Hostess Extraordinaire

The kitchen is often the hub of a busy household with teenage kids, and Kitchen and Bath Ideas has designed a space to fit this center of activity. Recognizing that a mother of teenagers is part chauffeur, part chef, part counselor, and yet, someone who also loves to entertain friends in her “spare” time, Kitchen and Bath Ideas’ teen-friendly kitchen has the ability to morph into an ideal entertainment space where adults enjoy gathering. With a functional mudroom/laundry room, butler’s pantry for serving, and banquette for ample seating near the prominent flat screen television, this kitchen can handle “teen central” and more.

Organizer-in-Chief

Better Homes and Gardens’ “Everyday Easy” kitchen is designed to help make life easier for busy families. This super-organized and eco-friendly kitchen helps make it easier to get dinner on the table, keep everyday tasks and clutter under control, and spend time together in a space that’s as much family room as it is kitchen. Innovations include a recycling center, recycled-content countertops and flooring, and a mudroom with customizable pullout cabinets for everyone’s stuff.

Savvy Young Professional

Traditional Home presents the ultimate bath suite designed for young professionals—a new generation of educated, affluent, and brand-savvy consumers who embrace a modern interpretation of traditional design and are confident investing in the creation of a home environment uniquely suited to their personal lifestyles. The floor plan, consisting of a central spa-like shared space flanked by two private baths, allows a couple to comfortably and efficiently meet their daily needs—both physically and psychologically—without conflict. Sumptuous appointments, such as a freestanding whirlpool/soaking tub and Murano glass chandelier, express this couple’s distinctive idea of luxury, while equal emphasis is also given to cutting-edge technology. A “fully loaded” steam shower in “His” bath and a “to the nines” dressing table in “Her” bath further underscore the theme of customization and personalization.

Mother Starting Out

Country Home’s kitchen, mudroom and laundry/multi-task room work hard for the young family without sacrificing style. Easy-living Corian counters take on the feel of marble and soapstone, laminate floors look like reclaimed wood, and glass front cabinets featuring a new “lace-look” pattern, make for easy organization. A technology station, flexible built-in seating, and an island with a second tier of countertops that doubles the work space, offer solutions for the woman balancing her growing family and her taste for beautiful surroundings.

Future Thinker

As 78 million baby boomers head toward new phases in their life journey, many are looking to stay in their homes for years of cooking, entertaining, and active living; and Midwest Living has created the ideal space. This kitchen and bath offers thoughtful conveniences for future needs through a design aesthetic that combines both comfort and style. Integrated wider traffic patterns, accommodating cabinet design, sit-down workspaces, and lever controls, along with other amenities, are all ideal design choices for the smart woman planning this new exciting chapter of her life.

Meredith Video Solutions will produce a half-hour syndicated television special, “Cool Kitchens and Baths,” featuring the 2008 Design Idea Center and related kitchen and bath trends from the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show to air nationwide in the summer 2008.
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The standout themes of this show were sustainability (and the definition and education of same), materials innovation, and color.

This last one, color, is of no surprise to my readers as that is what I earlier stated as one of the top 5 2009-10 top trends (color cornucopia), and for that matter sustainability will be of no surprise to either my readers or my clients–the fact that housewares companies stepped up their game for all of the above is surprising though as aside from tabletop a lot of the housewares companies stick with their same programs for as long as they can. In other words, innovation has NOT been a hallmark of this industry, but I will say that this show in Chicago has most definitely and finally changed with the times.

That said, there are stand-out companies who have exemplified the attributes of these themes above and beyond, and that is how I hope to personalize each of the aforementioned themes (trends if you will) of the show.