Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Do you prefer a refrigerator that is more like a designer piece of furniture than a simple appliance? If so, you might cast aside all the sleek but cold stainless steel options, and check out the offerings from Italy’s Meneghini.

They have a number of handsome refrigerators. The one shown below is their double-door ice chest, which is available in several different finishes, including this wood grain that gives it the look and feel of luxury furniture.

The ice chest is available in different sizes, and it can be assembled in a number of personalized versions. If you don’t need two refrigerator cabinets, one can be turned into a pantry for dry food storage.

You’ve got a pan of spaghetti sauce in one hand and a colander full of noodles in the other hand. You want to rinse those noodles. Quick, what do you do?

If you said…set something down, the answer is wrong. You simply bump your Delta 2O kitchen faucet with an arm, and the water will turn on.

All right, maybe that isn’t the best sales pitch on the books, but it does look like a pretty nice faucet. Here are a few of the features:

–High-arc design that “provides graceful functionality”
–Touch activated faucet turns on and off with a touch anywhere on the spout or handle
–Pull-down spray head
–Matching soap dispenser (hey, you’ve got to include the important stuff!)
–Sleek and cool looking (I added this one myself)

The price? $600. Learn more at Delta.

If you’re a fan of sleek, clean lines in the kitchen, then you might like the aesthetics of an induction cooktop. The flat surfaces are easy to clean and look good too. But that’s not where the perks end.

“Induction cooktops boast speed surpassing electric, temperature response rivaling gas, and safety and cleaning ease that beat out glass-and-ceramic-top stoves. Whereas other stoves heat food indirectly by applying an open flame or a hot surface to the bottom of cookware, induction cooktops use electromagnetism to cut out the middleman and heat the cookware itself. The result is more evenly heated food and a cooler cooktop.” via How Induction Cooktops Work

Some of the features of the “Masterpiece” induction cooktop from Thermador include:

–Speed Heating: the cooktop heats 50% faster than traditional gas units
–Anti-Overflow System: a feature that prevents spills by automatically shutting off and sounding an alarm when liquids are detected on surface
–Auto Shut Off Timer for the elements so you can desired cooking times
–Pan Recognition: the elements won’t turn on if other small objects are placed on the cooking zone

Sleek and functional! An induction cooktop can be a great choice if you’re upgrading your kitchen.

If you love the idea of making lattes, cappuccinos, and other espresso drinks at home–no need to put on clothes and stumble out into the daylight to hit the Starbucks!–then an espresso maker can be a great investment. Not only is it convenient, but you’ll save money, especially if you usually get the pricy coffee drinks (me and my triple grande +milk substitute latte know all about it).

Big espresso makers that grind the beans and everything can take up a large chunk of counter space, though, and they’re expensive to boot. The $250 Nespresso Pixie Espresso Maker from Williams Sonoma appears to be a space-saving alternative.

“Meet the Pixie: an eye-catching new single-cup machine that combines a super-compact silhouette with superb espresso-making abilities. The smallest Nespresso machine ever, this stylish little dynamo adds impact to your kitchenscape with its sleek, urban design and bold color. Easy to use, it’s the ideal size for small kitchens, apartments and offices. “

By the way, if you usually get soy or rice milk in your lattes at the espresso stand, try coconut, oat, or hemp milk for a fun (healthier) alternative at home!

Always on the go? Well, maybe you need to make your kitchen more efficient for your lifestyle. If you don’t have time to sit down at the table, you can make yourself something quick right at the kitchen counter and eat there.

Add Swivel Bar Stools to your kitchen counter or island, and enjoy quick breakfasts, lunches or dinners right where you prepare the food. Kitchen bar stools are ideal when you have kids too, because you can have them sit right at the kitchen island for breakfast, prepare the food, have them eat it and rush them off to the bus.

Adding bar stools to the kitchen also increases the seating capacity too. So you will have more chairs for guests as well as family.

Carts and baskets are convenient for storage purposes. Plus, when you have a cart on wheels, you can always whisk it away to the pantry or a closet to keep odds and ends out of sight when guests arrive.

The Rubbermaid White Kitchen Utility Cart is perfect for entertaining, because you can use it to transport drinks and appetizers. However, you can also keep it as a semi-permanent fixture in the kitchen for housing bowls, small appliances and other things that you use frequently. Or, you can keep your pets food, dishes, treats and other accessories on it so you can have access to it more easily.

This cart has two shelves and a bottom cabinet to conceal supplies. Plus, it’s on wheels and has two handles for easy maneuverability.

Trivets are essential for the dining room table and kitchen table. It’s important to keep hot bowls and pots off the table so they don’t cause stains, burns or water marks.

When you’re entertaining guests, you’re going to want your accessories to be stylish and unique. Impress the people you’re having over for dinner with these Expandable Fish Trivets. These trivets have a “school of fish” design, which expands so they can accommodate a variety of pots, bowls and serving dishes. Protect your countertops and tables from heat and scratches with these darling yet functional trivets.

This fish trivet must be hand washed, but it’s made from 18/10 gauge stainless steel, which will give it longevity.

There aren’t too many coffee grinders on the shelves at Walmart that are going to make visitors look twice, but this antique coffee mill sure will.

Manufactured prior to 1881, the grinder features solid construction that is a testament to the functional yet handsome creations of the Industrial Revolution. They didn’t have the term “planned obsolescence” in their vocabularies back then, but, even so, it’s impressive that this coffee mill still works.

“This Enterprise No. 7 coffee mill was manufactured prior to 1881. After 1881, all of the mills produced by Enterprise had covers, but this grinder never had one. When I got this mill it had already been sandblasted and painted. It has been repainted in more appropriate colors with blue and gold leaf highlighting the wheels and lettering. It has over 15 inch wheels and weighs in at almost 50 pounds. This mill would look great in a Coffee Shop or even in a large kitchen used as a centerpiece. It has been thoroughly cleaned, works very well and grinds very quickly. The only problems to report are that one of the ‘wings’ on the wing nut has been broken off and the bottom of the drawer has some wood missing near the front.”

This and lots of other cool mills are available through OldCoffeeGrinders.com.

Designing an outdoor kitchen can be a fun project. There are so many luxurious items you can add to the outdoors to make it more functional for parties, cookouts and just lounging around. From deep fryers to barbecues and grills, you can design the outdoor kitchen you’ve always wanted.

The Viking Outdoor Double Drawer Refrigerator is the perfect accessory to an outdoor kitchen. You can store leftover chicken, fish and vegetables as well as drinks and other snacks. This model features two drawers, a hidden touch pad electronic control, and vertical storage for wine bottles or two-liter drink bottles.

The TruProtect system alerts you when the door is left open or if the temperature is no longer within the set range. Ensure your food is chilled properly, and enjoy the convenience of grabbing snacks while you’re playing or lounging outdoors.

Wine refrigerators are phenomenal accessories to have in the kitchen. If you love wine or just enjoy having it in the house in case you have guests, a wine bottle cooler is a functional unit.

The Vinotemp Dual Zone Thermoelectric Wine Cooler enables you to control the temperature of your wine for red and whites so they’re chilled to perfection. This model features a thermoelectric cooling system, which means that there is less vibration from the cooling unit. Less vibration prevents your wine from being shake, and the cooling is more efficient.

This model is also eco-friendly, because it doesn’t use any ozone depleting chemicals such as CFCs or HCFCs. The dual-pane glass windows enables you to see your wine collection without having to open the door too.