Tab pulls, like the ones below, have been around for a couple of decades. They don’t mount on the door face—they mount on the door edge so that their pen-thin style is minimized.

With the return of sleeker door styles, I’ve been seeing a rise in their popularity. Check out the following offerings from manufacturers:

DP3 Series (Mockett) – Widths are 1-1/4 in., 3 in., 4 in. and 6 in.

15-in. Tab Pull (Atlas Homewares)

AG Series, satin nickel, 1.8 in. and 3.5 in. without the rounded edge (Sugatsune)

A final note: Tab pulls fit best on cabinets with a flat door edge, although they will work fine on door edges that are slightly rounded. They may also protrude past the counter, and when they’re installed on a double-door wall cabinet, your clients may have to pull both together first to open either door.

Example of a recent project with tab pulls

(Designer: Emily McClure, Main Street Kitchens)

Until next time,

—Kelly

At a KBIS blogger dinner sponsored by Masco a couple weeks ago, an index card on my table asked the question: “What are the top 3 kitchen extras for Gen Y, Gen X and Boomers?”

Since I’ve been prattling on for the past couple of years about the supreme shift in generational design and what that means to us as designers, you bet I was interested to see what the answers were. While the answers weren’t on the card, it was an invitation to find out in Masco’s new study called GenShift 2011: Lifestages Redefining the Kitchen.

The study asked more than 1,000 homeowners between the ages of 18-65 for their thoughts on kitchen design. While some of the results are as you expect, others are fascinating.

While there’s no surprise that safety and accessibility elements of kitchen design will become a major focus in the coming decade, a key finding of the study points out that 73% of homeowners live in homes that are not universally designed for young and old.

Many Boomers will face their parents moving in (since we’re all living longer) while Gen X is faced with a wider spread: sandwiched between children and parents in the same household.

The study also notes that:

• 87% of all homeowners would incorporate a semi-open or completely open floor plan if they were creating their ideal kitchen…unless they’re Gen Y: 92% of them consider the open plan ideal.
• While Gen Y is not yet our main market, they will eventually become the biggest demographic, topping out at 84 million compared to 76 million for Boomers and only 50 million for Gen X.
• Gen Y spends more time (44%) in the kitchen watching TV and working on computers than Gen X (36%) and Baby Boomers (33%)
• Gen X homeowners believe they will spend up to a decade in their homes, up from real estate estimates of five to seven years.

Further insight can be found at: www.GenShiftKitchen.com. (Download requires name and email to access.)

Are any of you still curious to see the top 3 kitchen extras for each generation? They are:

• A place for hiding small appliances (even if those small appliances will now include laptops, televisions, coffee grinders and pet food dispensers).
• A place for bulk food and/or cleaning supplies.
• A place for waste/recycling.

Let me know your thoughts. Do you think the study has captured your client segment or not?

Until next time,

—Kelly

I’m in Arizona for a Bosch event, which should be interesting, so hopefully I’ll have a lot to report when I return. In the meantime, I wanted to mention a piece of news that crossed my desk right before KBIS.

It’s a report from AARP regarding the rise of multigenerational households—a phenomenon that, for some of you, may not come as a surprise. According to the organization, the number of such households grew by one-half million from 2009 to 2010, with the last two years seeing the fastest increase than any other two-year period since 2000. Currently, there are more than 7 million multigenerational households in the U.S (also of interest—to me, at least—one in five adults age 25 to 34 already live in such a household).

The recession, of course, may have played a significant role in the increase. As Amy Goyer, AARP family expert noted, “More grandparents, children and grandchildren are moving in together both to save money and to take care of each other. The past couple of years have not been easy for families financially.”

AARP defines “multigenerational households” as those where three generations are living in the same home, as well as those where the householder lives with their parents or with their grandchildren. Here’s the breakdown in numbers for 2010:

• Householder, child and grandchild: 2.5 million
• Householder with parent: 2.2 million
• Householder with parent and child: 1.2 million
• Householder with grandchild: 1.1 million
• Householder with parent, child and grandchild: 68,000
• Householder with parent and grandchild: 25,000

Given these statistics, the aging of the Boomers and the slow pace of the economic recovery, I imagine this trend will continue, making the need for Universal Design product ever more critical. Although this year’s KBIS was much smaller, it did have its share of exhibitors who are paying attention to this need.

If you’re interested in learning more about the AARP study or to download a copy, click here.

I’ll be back with a report of the Bosch event (hopefully) and a few posts (again hopefully) on ICFF, which is taking place this weekend. I look forward to the show!

—Alice

Last week in Las Vegas I had the wonderful opportunity to spend some quality time with old friends. KBIS was far smaller than in years past. It was possible to “walk the show” in one day with time for lunch and a couple of coffee breaks! In my quest to find product “inspiration” I found myself in the company of folks I have been doing business with for a long time.

Long-term relationships tend to get relaxed and blurry. You stop noticing the details. Who hasn’t experienced waiting three days for a significant person to notice a new haircut? (Are those new glasses?) Vendor relationships are the same.

Rev-A-Shelf is an old friend. I haven’t done a kitchen, bathroom or laundry area in years without specifying their inserts and pullouts. And that was the problem. I had gotten laid-back. I “knew” them.

Life is what you make of it. With my comfortable significant other (who only takes 1.5 days to notice a haircut) and a desk full of deadlines awaiting me at home, I could choose to either be annoyed at this less-than-scintillating trade show—or I can choose find inspiration by looking with new eyes.

Part of Environmentally Responsible Design (my passion) is Inclusive or Universal Design. It is truly Green Design. I challenged my old friends at Rev-A-Shelf to show me what products they felt should be incorporated in an inclusive and responsible design approach. These are some of the things they showed me:

• Electric Assist Trash Unit. Blum’s new Servo Drive technology allows the door to open and close with a touch of a finger, toe or knee. This trash unit comes ready to install from Rev-A-Shelf with Blum’s tandem heavy-duty slides and a dovetailed box to hold the trash receptacle. The cabinet can be opened manually in case of a power outage. The soft close never lets it slam.

• Servo-Drive technology is available from Blum and others separately for use in any door or drawer cabinets. A light touch anywhere on the door or drawer will open or close it. Think of the possibilities not only for “goopy fingers” but arthritic ones as well. It can be programmed to touch to eliminate “dog-tail” openings.

• Tambour Table extends from the drawer slot of a 24-in. base. It locks to extend and contract, and is Carb 2-compliant for California (and indoor-air-quality-concerned) projects! We know this as convenient extra counter space but it creates the perfect prep area for folks in wheelchairs!

• New Chrome Accessories for organized and secure drawer storage of pots and lids, dinnerware, canisters, bowels, etc. Drawer inserts have been available for years. These offer a more modern approach without having to buy an entire European kitchen. In general, drawers are more easily reachable by folks in wheelchairs, children and anyone who prefers or needs a more ergonomically friendly storage solution than typical base or wall shelves. These inserts make drawers a flexible, easy and logical storage choice.

All these items are convenient and fun for the fit and fabulous, but they are indispensable for multigenerational and multimobility level households. While I have been in a comfortable haze not seeing them, Rev-A-Shelf (and others) have been busy working on things that are important and inspiring to me! Hmmm, maybe it’s time to take a fresh look at some other relationships…….is that a new haircut?

Thank you Rev-A-Shelf for reminding me that “golden” old friendships can provide the most welcome surprises.

Just a side note: Rev-A-Shelf chose to be one of the sponsors for the kick-off event at KBIS this year. It was a wonderful evening made even more so by spending it with old friends.

—Roberta Kravette, AKBD, LEED AP ID+C