October webinars, sponsored by Hettich, shed light on two important areas of project design.

By Dianne M. Pogoda
 

When did appliances get so complicated? And why is there never enough storage? For the answers to these and other questions, join NKBA for the October’s webinar series, generously sponsored by Hettich, the Kirchlengern, Germany-based maker of fittings like drawer-box systems, slides, hinges, sliding and folding door systems and other intelligent technology for cabinetry and furniture.

Each month, NKBA offers free 60-minute webinars, each of which features a presentation by an expert in the specific subject matter, delivered via a virtual platform. The sessions offer certified participants 0.1 CEU per event — it’s an easy way for designers to collect the CEUs needed to maintain NKBA certification. Participants must engage in 80 percent of the live sessions to receive CEU credit; registration closes two hours prior to start times. All webinars begin at 12 noon, Eastern Time. To register, click here, and select “Learn more.”

Beginning on Oct. 5, Chef Andrew Forlines, owner of Chef AF LLC, will explore “Restaurant Technology in the Residential Kitchen.” As appliances have become bigger, more complex and often are considered “professional” models, Forlines will educate designers about

how to guide a client through the technology selection process. Designing for newer technologies and a larger appliance portfolio is evolving. Chef Andrew will cover the space, positioning, and utility hookups needed for modern kitchen appliances and provide guidance for designers when addressing appliance selection, planning and criteria early in a kitchen design project. Attendees will discover the broadened range of available appliance technologies learn about the history, application and food science of advanced appliance technologies, and define kitchen design requirements and sizing for a variety of these newer appliances.

To register for this session, click here.

Next up on Oct. 14, learn about “Making Smart Appliances Relevant for Your Customers in Context of Three Major Post-Pandemic Living Trends.” Jessica Petrino, educator and editorial director for AJ Madison, provides a new perspective on smart home appliances with special focus on their meaningful benefits for reluctant clients. “Home appliances were built to make our lives easier, and in the past, served basic functions that drastically improved our standard of living, save time and prevented illness,” she says. In the last five years, however, smart technology has become a more dominant part of the residential kitchen, leveraging Wi-fi connectivity to provide benefits like recipe guidance, automatic replenishment and self-diagnostics. Some studies suggest Millennials are willing to pay up to 20% more for a home with smart technology. This session will examine smart appliances in the context of three major post-pandemic design trends: entertaining at home, multi-generational living (including aging-in-place), and contact-free services. Attendees will discover ways in which smart home appliances can help homeowners in meal-prep, creative ways to leverage smart home appliances for virtual gatherings and holidays, and identify new ways to use smart appliances to take advantage of contact-free services like grocery delivery, automatic ordering of cleaning tabs, even recommending recipes to use soon-to-expire items in the fridge.

To register for this session, click here.

Karen Smith, Blum’s brand communication coordinator, presents “Smart Spaces” on Oct. 19. Most homeowners share a common complaint that they don’t have enough storage. While it’s not always possible to increase the overall footprint of a house, it is possible to increase storage with smart design options. Smith will share insight on how to rethink the physical space by developing innovative storage solutions with some clever thinking and small changes to cabinetry and interior hardware selections. She will explore how to capitalize on available space in design projects, address storage with clients through design and product offerings and utilize wasted space throughout the client’s home.

To register for this session, click here.

Finally, on Oct. 27, Shae Wilder, A+D market manager at Blue Star Cooking, hosts “Discovering Custom Kitchen Appliances.” The kitchen has always been the heart of the home, but it is now also the primary congregating space of a home. Participants will learn about consumer behavioral changes and how the appliance industry is adjusting to their needs. The changes that are occurring in the appliance industry are inspiring many home cooks to value design as well as function. Attendees will learn about how the chef-inspired kitchen can influence creativity in the kitchen, how to apply color as a source of inspiration and will visually distinguish how to use appliances as a source of creativity in kitchen design. Wilder will also cover trends in American dining and the major changes in kitchen appliance design and explain how to reflect the homeowner’s personality in the style of the kitchen.

To register for this session, click here.