Best Kitchen Design & Home Remodeling Blog Long Island & NYC

Elite Kitchen & Bath / Express Contracting - Award Winning Kitchen & Bath Design Firm & Full Service General Contractor. Read up on the latest trends in our home remodeling & design blog. Visit our 6500 sq ft Kitchen & Bath Showroom in Manhasset, NY. We offer TOP brands of custom cabinetry. MODERN, TRADITIONAL, TRANSITIONAL. We beautify Long Island and New York City homes and apartments. Almost 40 years in business!

CES Show 2020 - Best in Smart Home

The Annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is known as the "THE GLOBAL STAGE FOR INNOVATION".

CES attracts companies worldwide who introduce new products and breakthrough technologies. For 50 years CES has served as "the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace", according to their website.

Let's take a look at several innovative products for the home introduced in 2020.

One of the most unique products introduced at CES was Samsung's Bot Chef, a pair of robotic arms that cooks, chops, cuts, makes salad and uses other small appliances in your kitchen. It is activated by voice commands and can even look up recipes and how to use your coffee maker.

Read the Full Article Here.

Stratuscent introduced the "Electronic Nose" which is poised to unlock the potential of scent detection. Their scent detection technology identifies complex, everyday aromas. This data is translated into a chemical “scent print,” that can be used to map and identify specific variables.Applications for Stratuscent’s scent identification technology include: improving chemical and spoilage detection in the food and agriculture industry; work in concert with smart home & appliances; advance the indoor and outdoor air quality control.

Read more about this amazing break through at their WEBSITE

LG Harvester - In the last several years, there have been many brands of counter top herbal growing units sold. This year, several appliance companies introduced full size indoor gardening units. LG has taken indoor gardening to a new level. - VERTICAL! Indoor vertical farming is gaining traction in urban areas. Great for people with no yards and also attractive for people who want fresh vegetables and herbs in the winter. Similar indoor garden units from Viking and Urban Cultivator are also competing for the indoor garden market.

The LG Harvester is a indoor vegetable cultivator that uses light, temperature, and water controls to garden up to 24 seed packages of vegetables and herbs at the same time. The Harvester can even mimic the outdoor temperature changes that occur depending on the time of the day. Read More

Lyf Board

Designed for family life

Lyf Board is designed to be used for the whole family, not just individuals. They believe technology should bring us closer together, not isolate us. Endless possibilities. Choose from a growing list of Lyf Apps for your family needs: calendar, weather, chores, kid tracking, meal planning, traffic and much more. WEBSITE

Perhaps the biggest news, on the smart lock front, at least, was August ‘s latest WI-FI Smart Lock (above). The clue is in the name but, with its own built in Wi-Fi, there's no need to plug in the August Connect for remote access. The new design sports a softer surface, rounded edges and textured ridges for a more solid feel when you open and close the lock manually. A new small ridge on the lock’s outer ring also helps you see at a glance if the lock is locked or not. Website

Taking on the Meural Digital Canvas, Lenovo's Smart Frame (above) doesn't pull images from Google Photos. Instead, you either load up photos you want on show using the app or choose from “hundreds of art pieces". It uses AI to pick out the best shots and images and the best way to show them off on the 21-inch display, depending on the conditions of the room. Read More

Samsung's Bot Chef

Samsung's Bot Chef

Stratuscent introduced the "Electronic Nose"

Stratuscent introduced the "Electronic Nose"

LG Harvester

LG Harvester

Lyf Board

Lyf Board

August ‘s latest WI-FI Smart Lock

August ‘s latest WI-FI Smart Lock

2019 Kitchen & Bath Trends

It is always curious how a design, color, style is so popular and suddenly a sign of the past. Several of the predictions for 2019 fall into this category. For instance, gray has been very popular for the last couple years and now is considered out of style. In reviewing several top design sites, these are the stand out features they agree on in their predictions. We will begin with a few "out of style" designs for 2019 and then move on to desirable trends for 2019.

Out of Style

  • Industrial Kitchen & Elements - The more sterile look of industrial including big stainless hoods are out for 2019.

  • Granite and marble continue to be on the out

  • Stainless steel is on the out. Still fairly popular but not the "go to"

  • Over the range microwave (if you can help it!)

  • Everything shiny & glossy in the kitchen.

  • Large tub in the bathroom

  • All white kitchens

  • Minimalism in kitchen design

2019 Design Trends

  • Matte Black - Whether it is matte black stainless appliances, or kitchen fixtures and hardware, black is the new fresh color. Matte black cabinetry is trending as well. You can add jewel colored lighting, wood or brighter colored counter tops to compliment the black features.

  • Two-toned kitchens continue - Whether it is a paint & wood combo on upper and lower cabinetry or a blue or hunter green painted island with a white or walnut perimeter, the two toned kitchens are still the darling in 2019

  • Brass accents continue into 2019 but is now accompanied by black, pewter and copper. Mixed metal finishes is a popular design trend too.

  • Quartz continues to be the counter top material of choice

  • Open shelving in kitchens

  • Concealed small appliances

  • Integrated appliances with matching panels

  • Utilizing stone and other natural materials

  • Textured backsplash

  • Mixing classic and modern elements for an eclectic look & feel

  • Undercounter microwaves

  • Concrete in bathrooms

  • Artwork in bathrooms & kitchens as a statement piece

  • Smart accessories in kitchen & bath

  • Spa like designs for bathrooms

  • Metal framed shower doors

  • Full glass shower enclosures

  • Big showers

  • Floating vanities & floating toilets - Easier to keep clean underneath

  • Marble as an artwork piece - bathroom walls, shower walls.

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