Time2Design Blog : carmen christensen

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Headed to #KBIS2014 ~ Kitchen and Bath Industry Show

BlogTour Vegas | KBIS | IBS | Design and Construction Week | 2014

I am headed to LAS VEGAS for the inaugural Design & Construction week!

For the first time both KBIS (Kitchen and Bath Industry Show) and IBS (International Buidlers Show) have joined together to create one show in one place at the same time ~ Design & Construction week! This is sure to be an epic event combining all aspects of the construction and design in home building, construction and the kitchen and bath industry. You've heard the saying "Everything and the Kitchen Sink"? Well this is it!

The exciting part of this trip is that I will be experiencing the show as a member of BlogTourVegas. I am one of 15 designers and design bloggers from the U.S. and Canada selected to be a member of BlogTourVegas. We will spend four days at the inaugural Design and Construction Week in Las Vegas spotting the latest trends, seeing the newest products, networking with industry peers and reporting back to our blogs and social media audiences.

The BlogTourVegas Bloggers...

In addition to the BlogTour meetings, greetings, networking and tours the Blogtour team has been asked by KBIS management to judge not only the newly revamped Best of KBIS Awards but the first ever Booth Innovation Award as well. This is sure to be four days filled with inspiration, information and fun times and I look forward to sharing my experience with you along the way and when I return.

You can follow BlogTour Vegas on Twitter using hastag #BlogTourVegas, and view my live updates by following my Twitterfeed or you can also keep up with me on my Instagram or Facebook

BlogTour Las Vegas is sponsored by: KBIS, Blanco, Poggenpohl, Sub-Zero, Cosentino, Mr Steam, Top Knobs, Wood-Mode, Formica Group, Walker Zanger and TOTO USA.

A Few of My Favorite Things...October 2013

A Few of My Favorite Things...September 2013

KBIS Design Studios | Today's Tomorrows

I am headed to the annual Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, more commonly referred to as KBIS. It is the trade show of all trade shows for the Kitchen and Bath Industry.

Having worked in the kitchen and bath industry for what seems like forever I still remember the first time I attended KBIS. I never imagined all those years ago that I would be asked to present one of my designs on the show floor.

I am one of eight designers, from across the country, invited to participate in KBIS Design Studios. Powered by QueX Technology we will be demonstrating QueX's new concept called the QueX Experimential Showroom. It is sort of like Today's Tomorrow.....where we are and where we are going...a way to change the engagement of design professionals, their clients and the products they design, specify and sell.

Cheryl Kees Clendenon, Corey Klassen, Carmen Christensen, Andie Day, Lori Gilder, Meredith Heron, Tyler Wisler, Susan Serra

The eight of us were asked to design a space based on our interpretation to meet the generational lifestyle of Baby Boomers, Generation X and the Millennials. I was given the challenge to create and design an Outdoor Living space based on my interpretation of the Generation X lifestyle.

We were each given the freedom to design our perspective spaces how we choose, to include our choice of products and materials. We will each present our design at the KBIS Design Studios, using QueX's advanced technology that will allow us to show how we can interact with our clients in more engaging ways.

Technology is evolving the way we design and how we do business with our clients. This is a great opportunity to experience first hand a new and exciting way to evolve my business. How are you evolving?

The presentations will take place at the KBIS Design Studios Space 3352 Friday April 19th and Saturday April 20th. I am scheduled to present my GenX Outdoor Living space on Friday at 1:30 p.m. and again on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ~ See you at the Show!

The Kick Off Event – Beignets and Bubbly
The KBIS Design Studio space will host a Beignets & Bubbly Tweet Up, to introduce the designers and the demonstrations to bloggers and general media on day one of the show.
10:30am-12:00 noon
April 19
KBIS Design Studio Space 3352

“QueX’s patented technology allows designers to create interactive client profiles tailored specifically to the client’s product needs and requests,” says Mark Lenhart, managing partner of QueX, based in Chicago. “the KBIS Design Studio powered by QueX will enable collaboration among clients, designers, architects, builders, and others to take place in real time allowing for a more productive project management experience. It will also allow designers to see their designs come to life in full scale before they are actually constructed.”

DESIGN | INSPIRATION | BEDROOM

As an interior designer, and an artist, I walk thru life and am constantly inspired by what I see. I find inspiration from objects, buildings and often times nature. Textural pattern is something that I am drawn too. This is a picture I took while traveling in North Carolina. The multiple textures against the sharp contrast from the blue sky and the red barn, combined with the natural movement of the tree and the crisp fresh green of the grass are to me an abundance of inspiration. I immediately visualize how I can interpret this into design inspiration and how I can apply it to interior design....maybe in a bedroom like this...

What do you think?

Steam Luxury at Home & Abroad

To have a steam room in your home is the ultimate luxury and Mr. Steam makes it possible to do just that ~ a Luxury Spa in the privacy and comfort of your own home.

As part of the Blog Tour Cologne Itinerary we will be treated to a Spa Night at Claudius Therme compliments of Mr. Steam.

I am confident after a few days of non-stop walking at the IMM International Furniture Fair it will be greatly appreciated. Also if will give us an opportunity to experience first hand the benefits of steam therapy and how it can be a luxurious addition to any home.

Thank you in advance Mr. Steam,
my feet thank you and
my traveling body thanks you!

Living with Sculpture

Gone are the days of just the same ole same ole bathroom fixtures. We spend a good portion of time in our bathroom and more and more the bathroom is becoming a space that represents and reflects the essence and style of a homeowner. Less utilitarian, a more sophisticated and stylish environment that welcomes you as you begin your day and greets you as you walk thru life in your home. So what if your bathroom fixtures were more like works of art? Sculptures even? Well Hansgrohe has done exactly that and their Axor Starck Organic Collection truly is like living with sculpture!

A new, sensual water experience combined with a powerful, sculptural design: Axor Starck Organic is stripped of anything unnecessary and completely harmonious in its design concept. The intelligent operating concept revolutionises the use of water and is also economical to use. The organic minimalist collection integrates quite naturally into a variety of bathroom environments.

As an official BlogTour Cologne Sponsor I will have an opportunity to see and learn first hand, during my visit to IMM Cologne Furniture Fair, how this collection was created.

Photo credit ~ Hansgrohe US

Steam Cooking the "IT" Appliance!

An appliance that is becoming a standard "IT" appliance when making appliance selections in kitchen design is quickly becoming the Steam Oven - taking on as much importance as a standard oven. Over a decade ago Miele lead the way in designing and manufacturing a built-in steam oven for residential use, giving consumers a smarter, healthier way to prepare, cook or reheat food. Pairing the Miele steam oven with Miele's wall oven is the prefect solution for a "double oven" configuration in any new kitchen design. The triple crown combination for me would consist of Miele's Steam Oven, Wall Oven and Coffee System ~ it doesn't get much better than that...and the Steam Oven really is the "IT" appliance!

Miele is one of the #BlogTourCGN sponsors and I will have the pleasure of meeting with Miele executives during my trip to IMM Cologne International Furniture Fair as a member of the #BlogTourCGN Team. I look forward to learning as much as I can about the Miele Steam Oven and all of their other amazing products that I have grown to love over the last 20 plus years I have spent in the Kitchen and Bath industry as a Kitchen Specialist.

I digress, lets get back to Miele's crowning glory ~

The Miele Steam Oven!

Unlike conventional ovens, which use hot air to cook, the Miele Steam Oven uses "fresh steam" to cook, displacing the oxygen responsible for chemical reactions which dissipates nutrients in food. In the Miele Steam Oven, steam is generated in water outside the oven. Steaming with an external steam generator not only provides gentle cooking, but will not dehydrate the outer layers of food. Steam ovens which generate steam inside the oven can cause overheating within the oven atmosphere. Additionally a dry, aggressive heat often emerges during the preheating phase. The Miele Steam Oven features a powerful steam generator which delivers a superior balance of heat and
moisture. This combination delivers evenness and consistent results on all shelf levels.

The Miele exact temperature control system measures and controls the temperature in the oven assuring the right combination of time and temperature, regardless of the amount of food being prepared. For instance the required steam setting for peas is 212°F for five minutes – whether fresh, frozen or a mix of both, in 2 or 10 ounces. This electronically controlled steaming process virtually eliminates the possibility of overcooking.

The Miele Steam Oven is ideal for cooking more than just vegetables. “Steaming is a fabulous way to retain vital nutrients,” explained Christine Avanti, nutritionist and author. “The benefit of steaming is the ability to gently cook food at a low heat thus retaining nutrients and palatability, whether cooking meats, poultry, fish – even desserts.”

Featuring four shelves that fit a variety of stainless steel trays, the Miele Steam Oven allows users to easily prepare an entire meal – from appetizers to desserts in one oven. Flavor transfer is eliminated as pressurized convection steam creates a protective layer around the food, ensuring your salmon tastes like salmon and desserts stay sweet and delicious, all while cooking simultaneously.

No matter what your cooking style, if you are cooking for a crowd or cooking for yourself the Miele Steam Oven is a wonderful way to cook and also has amazing nutritional benefits. If you have to select one appliance that will be your "IT" appliance it is worth learning more about how the Miele Steam Oven and how it can fit into your Kitchen.
~photo credit Miele

Time2Pack | #BlogTourCGN | BlogTour 2013

Last year I created this I love BlogTour Suitcase Collage Photo and rightly captioned it Suitcase Envy. It was my way of expressing to many of my blogger/designer friends who were participating that I was, how can I say....well just slightly envious of them jetting off on a BlogTour Interior Designer's dream tour! Never did I dream that I would be asked to attend.

Well dreams do come true and I am off to Germany in January where I will be attending the IMM Cologne International Furniture Show, Living Kitchen and a quick trip to Amsterdam as part of BlogTour! This is one of those moments in life that you pinch yourself because you can't believe it is true. But it is true, and I am thrilled to have been chosen to participate in Modenus' BlogTour to Cologne Germany in January 2013.

What is BlogTour you asked? Well here is the scoop....

Fifteen interior design and life-style writers will be taking Cologne by storm in January as part of the latest leg of BlogTour by Modenus. BlogTour invites groups of carefully selected bloggers to international destinations where they immerse themselves in trade shows, showrooms, design events and local culture.

And here are the selected Bloggers...

As part of BlogTour Cologne fifteen bloggers, eleven from the USA and three from the UK and one from Dubai, along with the Modenus editorial team from the USA, UK, and Germany, will be visiting the giant IMM (International Furniture Fair) and Living Kitchen as well as other design destinations in the city before moving on to spend a day in Amsterdam for a guided tour of the City's design hotspots in collaboration with home design magazine Eigen Huis and Interieur. BlogTour Cologne runs from January 13 through January 18, 2013.


Veronika Miller, CEO Modenus

Speaking about BlogTour Cologne Veronika Miller, CEO of Modenus says, “We have never crammed so much excitement and so much inspiration into one tour. This is also the first time a single Modenus BlogTour has included more than one country. We are, of course, looking forward to IMM. It is one of Europe’s most important furniture shows and it will be fascinating to see how the bloggers, especially the American bloggers react to it..“

Recent BlogTours in London and New York have resulted in over forty million social media impressions and hundreds of blog posts. BlogTour Cologne, with its excursion to Amsterdam can be followed on twitter with the hashtag #BlogTourCGN and through BlogTour At-a-glance on Modenus.com .

I look forward to sharing this experience with you and I am just bursting at the seems excited to take this journey. So be sure to check back for more updates.

Carmen

photo credit www.german-architecture.info

My High Point Maket Experience Fall 2012 #HPmkt

For me High Point Market is a time to experience and explore all things Interior Design. I use my time at market to see as much as possible and know that I will walk away with insight and inspiration to fuel my creativity in my design business. I wrote about this in my guest post over at Building Moxie check it out---> What's the big Deal about High Point?

High Point Furniture Market is the Fashion Week of Furniture! And how fitting that this years theme was Fashion Focused!

This is but a glimpse of the collection of bags and bits and pieces of stuff collected during my time at High Point Market. I will be sorting thru this for months ~ ;-) !

Each day as I walked thru showroom after showroom, exploring all of the new and exciting products, I would write down words to describe thoughts and styles that were visible, similar or made a visual impact on me during my time at Market. My list consisted of the following:

In general what I saw was a great attention to detail and much thought given to the tailored aspect of furniture. A kind of mid-century meets new industrial with a sophisticated flare. Be sure to check out My #HPmkt Fall 2012 Pinterest Board

Here are some images I took to capture my experience, I hope you enjoy and would love your thoughts and comments!

Part of the whole High Point Market Experience is the evening center stage entertainment. Here my sister and I are hanging out in the crowd. Is that Mom right there behind us? Good times, good friends and family make High Point Market a time to remember!

Until next market

I will cherish my memories,

my experiences

and my inspiration!

Carmen

photo credit ~ Carmen Christensen

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