My Field Trip to the Home Show
So I did head to the Cow Palace this past weekend to attend the Home Show I wrote about last week. Primarily I was scouting for unique kitchen ideas for my upcoming renovation, but kept an open mind about all vendors. It was Sunday, about 1:30 pm when we showed up, and I have to say that I was terribly disappointed. Unlike the Garden Show earlier this year, which took up the main hall plus an adjoining one, this show only had one small adjoining hall, and you did not even enter through the main gates—they had set up a side entrance with one turnstile. Thankfully, I used a coupon from the Chronicle, so I only paid $5, but I almost asked for my money back. Really, it was that pathetic. I felt sorry for the vendors who paid to attend. While it was well-publicized, the publicity budget far exceeded the venue budget. There was a variety of vendors, but most had only a 10×10 booth, with a small samplings of products. Live and learn.
There were a few items I was intrigued with and will investigate when the time comes:
BMD Custom Hoods: The Next Generation in Kitchen Ventilation
This Newport Beach company had a great display of modern ventilation hoods. Very clean, somewhat industrial, but very cool looking. Every time I walked by the booth they were busy talking with someone, so I didn’t have a chance to chat, but I did grab a card. Unfortunately, the website they have listed on the postcard isn’t built yet. Bad marketing move on their part.
Forma Funzione (www.ffkitchens.com)
I was drooling over the European cabinetry from this company, which has a location at the SF Design Center. Untraditional, sleek, modern, they were everything I’m looking for, although considerably out of my price range. They had only a couple of samples there and I went online to check them out, and again….the website did not work. I realized it was Firefox, not the website, so I was able to check it out in Safari. More drool. What do you think are the chances that someone is tearing some of these out of their kitchen and I can get them used? Right….
Airport Appliance & Kitchens (www.airportappliance.com)
I had the chance to get up to the Roseville Home Depot Expo (since the one on the Peninsula closed) and checked out some pretty cool kitchens and appliances, but I think this place has them beat. They carry your standard appliance brands (Whirlpool, Amana, Frigidaire, etc.), as well as the higher end brands (Asko, Bosch, Wolf, Miele, Gaggenau), and professional appliances, too. They had some models I had not seen before, like the Blue Star Gas Range at the right, that comes in 22 colors! I will be in the market for a ventilation hood, and either a new range or cooktop and double oven wall unit, and this store will probably be my one and only stop.
Nice Tub & Tile Refinishing (www.nicetub.com)
Yeah, I know, this has nothing to do with my kitchen, but I do have one bathroom that has never been completely updated. When we bought the house it had a hideous green sink, toilet, and tub, with tile that was on the floor, in the tub/shower area, and covering two walls halfway up. The tile is really hideous. We have replaced the sink and the countertop and replaced the toilet. But the tub/shower and tile need to go…or be refinished/restored, which is what this place does. They can repaint or re-glaze both tub and tile (as well as repair any chips or damaged areas). You choose from over 500 colors and the cost is about 80% of what it would be to rip out and replace the same items. For a bathroom like this one of ours, it makes a whole lot of sense.
