New Kitchen Products — The Kitchen Designer

I'm a bit lax on telling you about some new (or if not new, then cool) products. Here are a few interesting ones.

But, first, within this section is a product which I was asked to personally review. My policy, like many bloggers, is and has been (the one other time that I reviewed a product) that if I like the product, I will review it. If not, I will not. And, I mean, I will not. I do not ask to review products. Example: There is a product which I was approached about and was subsequently sent to me at least 2 months ago, maybe 3 months. There is a small kit which I needed for a certain type of installation in order to review it in a way that makes sense to my lifestyle and I requested it initially. The product functions perfectly without it, I can experience the end result, but it is not how I would normally use the product. I'll review the product if the kit comes unless there is a compelling reason not to. A second example is a colleague of nearly 20 years who sent me her just published book and asked me to review it. I felt the book was poorly written, declined with a diplomatic yet honest assessment, and that relationship declined as well. I have obligations to no one within my industry.

I see nothing wrong with sharing my personal use experiences that are connected to reviewing an occasional product. If I'm extremely enthusiastic about it, that will show. If it's a nice, simple, product that is a generally pleasant experience to use, that will show too. There will be decibels of difference in enthusiasm, so to speak, in my reviews which will honestly reflect my personal experience with a product. Will I say anything negative about a product? Sure. If I dislike it overall, I do not see the purpose of using this platform to make that type of (negative) announcement. In that case, I'm going to assume that it may just not speak to my lifestyle needs/wants. I think this concept serves no ill purpose, whatsoever. In fact, I think it's a positive and helpful service to my readers for a variety of reasons. I hope you think so too.

MGS T45-DF One spout, two waterways built in, three levers: hot, cold, filtered. Normally, one has an extra spout mounted for filtered water. Made of solid stainless steel, lead free (of course) and NSF certified, it is 100% non toxic. Their own design team has created the faucet, and many others, which MGS calls innovative functionality, with an emphasis on convenience and performance. I am one who likes simple lines. I think simple often = elegance, and I do think this is a very elegant faucet system.

Studio Italia Design has introduced a MUST SEE lighting fixture. Why? It redefines the single flourescent ceiling fixture in a huge way. Here are their words: "The Inpiega by Italian Designer Marco Ferreri is available as a sconce, table lamp, floor lamp or suspended fixture. It calls for fluorescent lamping and offers both direct and indirect light. With an entirely modern shape with geometric lines, the inner side is available in white, while the outer side can be done in white or raw aluminum."

GelPro floor mats GelPro asked me if I was interested in using their product in my home, and I accepted. I had certainly heard of GelPro when they first introduced their product, maybe a couple of years ago, and I had mild interest, but not much more than that.

Having moved into our new (not newly constructed) home 9 months ago and living with a tile floor (which I never had before) it made a lot of sense to try it. FYI. I did not design my kitchen in the images. it's 20 years old, so a renovation is in my future, for sure!

I came home after a short trip last week, and my husband had the GelPro mat in place. My initial reaction was WOW! It looked really great. Upscale, cool, designer-y, I was extremely impressed. You must take a look at all of the styles and colors. The selection is fantastic. I was a little nervous, because some of the images to my eye did not look that promising, but it was helpful to see both close up and far away shots, in fact, very helpful. Because of those shots, I decided I wanted something that looked like a visible pattern from a ways away. It was very tough to pick a color, the options are great, but I settled on the deep, rich brown, which I LOVE.

The sensation, once I stood on the mat, was truly a surprise. I did not expect the surface to be so soft, especially given the particularly busy pattern. It looked like, and I expected it to be, a semi-tough top surface, for wear purposes. It was not-it was soft. It's great on the feet, it's not too soft and not too hard. I'm sorry I didn't take a closer look at GelPro earlier. The mats come in special "designer sizes" as they are referred to. In fact, there are many different sizes. The performance and looks far exceeded my expectations, very much so. I'm happy to be able to report this.

Sub Zero UC-15I Ice Maker - Sub Zero introduces an ice maker. At 15" wide, incorporating the flush installation Sub Zero is famous for, this appliance can easily fit anywhere. It makes 50 lbs of ice in one day and stores up to 25 lbs. Best news yet, the ice is produced with filtered water, and the filter even tells you when it needs to be changed! Now, that's good thinking. The controls are electronic, the face is stainless steel, and there is led lighting. This ice maker is approved for outdoor use. see the site for further details. Literally. cool!