Walker Zanger Tile for Today's Home ~ BlogTourVegas

While attending Design & Construction week and as part of the BlogTourVegas Team, I got a first hand look at some new products and finishes at the Las Vegas Walker Zanger Showroom.

For more than 60 years, Walker Zanger has been combining traditional tile-making techniques with a modern sophistication that exceeds a singular design style.  A leading choice for design professionals and homeowners, Walker Zanger natural stone and tile products can be found in celebrity homes, trendy boutiques, lavish spas and resorts, and museums around the globe including: Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Viceroy Anguilla Resort, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, H. Stern Flagship Store in Shanghai, and The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows.

Regarded as an industry leader in stone and tile design, Walker Zanger has been featured in Architectural Digest, Veranda, HGTV Magazine, House Beautiful, Elle Décor, Luxe, Interior Design, This Old House, Dwell, Sunset, Traditional Home,  San Francisco Chronicle, HGTV and DIY Network.  

During our BlogTourVegas visit to the Walker Zanger Las Vegas Showroom we were given a challenge to participate in a little scavenger hunt.  This was a great way to get familiar with the showroom and also a fantastic way to engage and get to see the amazing patterns they have to offer.  By spending time learning about each pattern and taking the time to identify each of them on our scavenger list, I can say it allowed me to have a greater understanding of the level of sophistication and style Walker Zanger has to offer.   There is a something for every design style and they go to the next level when it comes to creating patterns, textures and collections that meld into everyday living. 

During our scavenger hunt,  when we found each collection we were to take a photo and then upload it to Pinterest with a description.  So I decided to take it to the next level and get a little selfie at the same time, a sort of memory moment of my time at the Walker Zanger Las Vegas Showroom.  

Here are a few of my pics...

Walker Zanger ~ "Ostia" Pattern

Walker Zanger ~ Duqeusa "Fez" Pattern

Walker Zanger ~ Tangent "Astral Night" Pattern

Be sure to check out the rest of them on my Pinterest page

~~Time2Design BlogTourVegas #KBIS2014 Pinterest Board ~~

Disclosure:  This is a "Sponsored Post" the company/companies who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it.  Regardless, all opinions written here are my own and I only promote or recommend products or services I believe in.

What's for Dinner? Spinach Pesto Grilled cheese w/ Tomato Chickpea Salad

Meal 1 - Spinach Pesto Grilled Cheese w/ Tomato Chickpea Salad

This is the first meal I decided to make from my the first order I placed with Plated - Chef designed recipes and fresh ingredients delivered to your door.  And I am going to share my experience with you.  If you haven't already read the who the what and the What's For Dinner be sure to check it out by clicking this link --> What's For Dinner ? Plated to the Rescue ?

So lets get right to it.  

This is the Chef designed recipe card that arrived with my order

 And here is a look at the ingredients and how they are packaged and labeled.  Each meal comes in its own individual bag and each item is clearly labeled.

Out of the bag everything was super fresh and I was ready to get to cooking...

It was just a matter of a bit of prep work....I had to get four halves of tomatoes in the oven to roast with fresh thyme and a bit of olive oil.  Once that was going I prepped the remaining ingredients. 

Then I mixed the chickpea salad, prepared the pesto and about that time the roasted tomatoes were coming out of the oven.  And then it was time to assemble the sandwich and start the grilling process.  

The bread was buttered and the cheese, tomatoes and pesto were layered between and it was time to grill them up.

A quick few minutes on each side it was time to enjoy a delicious gourmet grilled cheese sandwich and the chickpea salad was the perfect accompaniment!

This made for a really great afternoon meal.  The salad was fresh, the cheese combined with the spinach presto and the thyme seasoned roasted tomatoes took it beyond just a grilled cheese.  

My first Plated Meal this recipe was a success!  I am looking forward to Meal 2 - Chicken Tikka Masala!  

If you are interested and want to try it for yourself click the Plated logo or Whats for Dinner to learn more...  

Whats for Dinner - Plated! 

Disclosure:  This is a "Sponsored Post" the company/companies who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it.  Regardless, all opinions written here are my own and I only promote or recommend products or services I believe in.

What's for Dinner ? Plated to the rescue ??

What's for Dinner?  Do you ever ask yourself, what should I make for dinner tonight?  Or are having friends over for dinner and want to prepare a gourmet meal and you don't have time to plan what to make?  Do you like to cook and enjoy making a gourmet meals with fresh ingredients?
  

Well Plated is a company that provides exactly that.  A entree Menu with multiple selections each week shipped directly to your home with the recipe and all the ingredients that are needed to prepare the meal.  You may have seen them recently on an episode of Shark Tank where Mark Cuban gave Plated the investment they want in addition to advisory shares.  

I enjoy cooking, planning a meal, preparing it and then sharing it with family and friends.  Though I have to say I do sort of get in a rut from time to time.  I find myself cooking the same meal or a variation of it over and over again.  Creature of habit?  Or is it just lack of time to really sit down and explore alternatives? 

Well for me, I have a busy schedule during the week and the last thing I want to think about is what am I going to make for dinner and the dreaded trip to the grocery store where I walk thru trying to figure out some semblance of meals for the week.

So I decided to try out Plated, chef designed recipes and fresh ingredients delivered right to my door.  And so I jumped right in, I placed my first order last week and it arrived via FedEx directly to my door this past Saturday.

I am looking to make my life easier and find a way in my busy like to explore cooking alternatives.  It is one thing to have a recipe it is another to have the recipe and all the ingredients arrive at my home and all I have to do is enjoy preparing it and serving it. 

So the box arrived Saturday afternoon, I opened it to find the four recipe cards for the meals I had ordered and two separate insulated bags.  Inside the bags were still slightly frozen ice bag/blocks along with separate bags containing the individual ingredients for each meal.  Everything looked really fresh and to my surprise still cold from the ice blocks.

Here is what it looked like as I UN-boxed everything...

 

Let the cooking begin!  

First up Spinach Pesto Grilled Cheese

w/ Tomato chickpea Salad

If you are interested and want to try it for yourself click the Plated logo or Whats for Dinner to learn more...

 Whats for Dinner - Plated!

Disclosure:  This is a "Sponsored Post" the company/companies who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it.  Regardless, all opinions written here are my own and I only promote or recommend products or services I believe in.

KBIS IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND THE CONNECTIONS

Design & Construction Week Re-cap | #KBIS2014 | #BlogTourVegas

My experience at this year's NKBA's #KBIS2014 (National Kitchen and Bath Association | Kitchen and Bath Industry Show 2014) as a #BlogTourVegas traveler!

The #BlogTourVegas Team

So what is KBIS?  Well it is a trade show for the Kitchen and Bath industry - Kitchen and Bath Industry Show  | KBIS.  And IBS?  International Builder's Show.  And up until this year these two shows were independent annual events.  This year the two shows were combined at the same time and location and created Design & Construction Week in Las Vegas!  I first learned about the joining of these to events during my trip to Germany last year as a #BlogTourCGN traveler.  Check out a little about that here --> NKBA The Kitchen and Bath Authority!
 


I have to say that KBIS2014 was about the people, the connections and the interaction of both the attendees and vendors.  In addition for me it included reuniting with friends and peers from across the country and the world.  It was to say the least a whirlwind, as only to be expected when multiple shows are combined.  


This year KBIS being combined with IBS truly created a excitement that could be felt as soon as you entered the show floor, something that has been missing many years.  As a veteran KBIS attendee I have to say when I first stepped onto the show floor I was immediately taken aback by the larger than life booth spaces, the gourmet aroma of a nearby cooking demo and the sounds of the people rockin to the live DJ spinning in the Kohler booth, my arms filled with goosebumps and a I had a flood of excitement and emotion come over me.  Wow, I knew in that moment that KBIS was back!  

KBIS2014 Vegas CONVENTION CENTER - photo credit kbis.com

It was evident everywhere you looked, the revived hustle and bustle of attendees engaged with vendors by way of entertainment and connecting live through social media with pinterest, instagram, twitter and more.  Attendees were visibly participating and interacting with the environment, they were seeing and becoming a part of what was going on around them.  

My friends, Lori Gilder & Rebecca Reynolds get Social @Rohlhome.com booth

For me KBIS, Design & Construction Week, is becoming the go to Event of the year.  It is a great time to meet up with my industry friends and peers from around the country.  It is an amazing networking opportunity to meet new vendors, reconnect with existing friends and most importantly meet up with other like minded professionals where we can share ideas, compare business strategies and swap stories.  Those personal connections are priceless.

...here are a few of the friends I saw at during KBIS...

To give you a sense of what I am talking about and how KBIS is changing to better meet the needs of the attendees here are a few stats ...

 - KBIS, the largest North American platform deovted to the kitchen and bath industry, welcomed 31,092 industry professionals to this year's show.  (nearly a 145 percent increase year over year - at the Las Vegas Convention Center)

  - KBIS 2014 attracted 500 exhibitors, including 135 new exhibitors as well as the return of industry leaders such as Viking, Elkay, MasterBrand Cabinets, Electrolux and LG Hausys Surfaces, to name a few.  Rounding out the lineup were the 87 KBIS exhibitors known as Loyalty Leaders, who have exhibited consecutively at KBIS for at least the past six years. 

John Petrie

“We knew coming into Las Vegas that we were about to experience something ground breaking, and we weren’t disappointed! The energy on and off the show floor far exceeded our expectations,” said John Petrie, NKBA 2014 president.  ”The co-location of KBIS and IBS allowed exhibitors and attendees to benefit from insights and product innovations serving the entire residential design & construction industry.” 

  -  KBIS producers, Emerald Expostions, has already booked more exhibit space for KBIS 2015 than was sold in all of 2014. Additionally, KBIS rebooked nearly 20 percent more exhibit space on-site vs. pre-sales for the 2014 event. To accommodate the overwhelming demand from industry leading brands, another 500,000 GSF of exhibit space has been added for the 2015 event. KBIS will now encompass the North and South Halls at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Brian Pagel

“This year’s show saw more top brands, more new products and more innovation,” said Brian Pagel, VP Kitchen and Bath Group, Emerald Expositions. “We’re honored to provide the stage for leading industry brands to connect directly with their targets. Our goal is to continue to amplify and diversify our exhibitor base, making our attendee experience richer and more engaging. As we continue to evaluate our planned footprint for 2015, we look forward to welcoming more brands to the KBIS floor.”

  -  Combined attendance under “one pass” was over 82,000 for both shows (KBIS and IBS), with 1,700 exhibitors in more than 650,000 sq ft of combined convention floor space. The premier Design & Construction Week attracted almost 540 members of the media, as well as 24 additional “supporting organizations” from across the design & construction industry. 

For the first time in what seems like forever new and innovative products were making their debut and the positive reception was evident everywhere you looked.  What was more exciting was that as a part of BlogTourVegas, I along with my BlogTour teammates were asked to judge The Best of KBIS2014.  An honor to be given such an overwhelming task with so many amazing entries it was a hard decision. 

  And the winners are…. 

Best in Show – Dacor: Discovery™ iQ 30” Wall Oven  

& 

Best of Kitchen: Gold – Dacor: Discovery™ iQ 30” Wall Oven

Best of Kitchen: Silver – Glideware

Best of Bath: Gold – Delta® Temp2O™ Technology

   Best of Bath: Silver – TOTO: NEOREST 750H

Design & Construction Week ~ KBIS | IBS was truly a whirlwind!  It is sure to be the go to event for all kitchen, bath and construction professionals in 2015!  Start planning now KBIS2015 will take place January 20-22, 2015, at the Las Vegas Convention Center co-locating again with IBS under the banner of Design & Construction Week.  

Disclosure:  This is a "Sponsored Post" the company/companies who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it.  Regardless, all opinions written here are my own and I only promote or recommend products or services I believe in.