Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Southern Kitchens Projects
This is a slide show of some of the many projects we have done here at Southern Kitchens. Enjoy!
Marvel Appliances
For over 70 years, Marvel has been committed to enhancing the lifestyle of its customers. Today, with its unparalleled line of luxury undercounter refrigeration products, Marvel is an industry leader in style, design and sheer range of choices for the discriminating homeowner. As part of the world-renowned Aga Rangemaster Group, Marvel’s commitment to its customers is assured by a global leader in luxury living.
Marvel was founded in 1932, when the company began creating undercounter ice boxes. Electric refrigeration soon followed and with that, a new product category was born. Marvel’s growth throughout the years has always been lifestyle-driven, and the company has pioneered many important firsts on its path to becoming a major industry leader in the luxury refrigeration market. Marvel was the first to introduce a high-end undercounter wine storage model, and the first to re-define luxury refrigeration with its breakthrough introduction of the all-black interior - offering homeowners the opportunity to design refrigeration into any room in the home.
With the widespread growth of both “satellite kitchens” and outdoor entertaining, Marvel products provide the stylish accent—and dependable performance—that these luxury applications demand. Marvel undercounter wine storage and beverage refrigerators feature forced-air ventilation and quiet, powerful compressors with microprocessor controlled thermostats. With the ability to complement any décor, Marvel products are available in stunning designs, including sleek stainless steel, monochromatic color choices and overlay doors that precisely match surrounding cabinetry.
In addition to providing luxury refrigeration for the home, Marvel also supplies refrigerators for military and industrial applications. In fact, Marvel’s luxury consumer models are built and tested to the same high standards required by these stringent applications. That is why each model is backed by one of the industry’s best warranty coverages.
Today, Marvel is proud to use its innovative history to provide an unwavering commitment to its customers. Known for uncompromised quality, breathtaking array of design choices, and sheer luxury performance, Marvel - and Marvel products - remain at the forefront of the industry, a legacy that started with a simple ice box.
ASKO
Miele Appliances
Monday, November 24, 2008
Bertazzoni Ranges
THE BERTAZZONI HISTORY
The family firm that makes the new Bertazzoni Professional Series of range stoves was founded more than 120 years ago in 1882. Their remarkable story is linked to their home town of Guastalla, 90 miles southeast of Milan, as well as the early influences of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the upheavals two World Wars.
Craft technology
Out of the empire
The Bertazzoni name first became well known in Italy as a producer of fine wood-burning cooking stoves early in the last century. But the story of the family’s remarkable enterprise and engineering began even earlier – in the 19th century, during the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
It was then that Francesco Bertazzoni, founder of the dynasty, started to make weighing machines for dairies, offices and pharmacies around his home town of Guastalla.
Guastalla lies north east of Parma on the River Po in the region Emilia-Romagna. The building of the Parma-Suzzara railroad connected it with the industrial centers of the north and eastwards into the heart of the Empire. And so it was by rail that wood-burning cooking stoves first arrived here from Austria, brought by Austrian trainmen.
Then as now, Emilia-Romagna was the heartland of Italian food, and these wood-burning stoves set Francesco to thinking. He was in no hurry however, and it was some years later towards the end of the century before he and his son Antonio decided to make their own cooking stoves – just for local use to begin with, and in very small quantities.
AGA Ranges
In 1709, the original Coalbrookdale Company was formed by the great iron master, Abraham Darby. Early products included items such as cooking pots and the foundry produced and laid cast iron rails in 1767 becaming the first company to make iron wheels and rails for the railroad industry. However, it is the casting and building of the iron bridge over the River Severn in 1779 which is recognized as the most prominent achievement of the Coalbrookdale Company.
By the mid 1930s another dimension to iron casting was introduced by Francis Darby. Francis had a great love of art and under his guidance, the foundry started to produce ornamental castings including tables and garden furniture as well as larger projects such as the "Hyde Park" gates and railings.
In 1929, the Coalbrookdale Company became a subsidiary of Allied Ironfounders Limited and continued to produce the castings for a wide variety of products including domestic heating and cooking appliances such as the Aga. Today, the foundry continues to manufacture these quality, cast iron cooking instruments.
The Process The foundry in Coalbrookdale is responsible for producing all the castings forAga and every product reflects the heritage and traditional craftsmanship thatsets Aga apart. The complete process of casting and enameling takes place attwo sites - the Coalbrookdale foundry and the Aga factory in Ketley, six milesaway.
Casting The raw materials used at Coalbrookdale are scrap iron and pig iron which aremelted down at temperatures of 3,272 DEG F. Before it has a chance to cool down,the molten metal is poured into moulds. The castings are then removed from themolds and left to cool. The castings are then shot blasted and moved to the dressingdepartment where rough edges are removed. The castings are then transported tothe Aga-Rayburn site at Ketley where they are then annealed and blasted withiron shot at 72lb a square inch before being filed by hand. This prepares thecastings for the enameling process.
Enameling Aga cookers have a vitreous enamel surface because it is long-lasting, scratch resistant and the color doesn`t fade. Vitreous enamel is a mixture of molten glass, clay and pigment that is permanently bonded onto cast iron at very high temperatures to form a tough, gloss finish. All the colors are produced from metal oxides and the entire enameling process is done by hand. The whole procedure takes three days.
At the start of the enameling process, an undercoat is sprayed onto the castings and the castings are then put into a large oven at 1,445 DEG F for 40 minutes. A further two layers of enamel are then sprayed onto the castings and then fired at 1,427 DEG F. The color is then analyzed by computer and the proportion of pigment for that batch is recorded as part of the serial number. The doors and front panels are then carefully color matched into perfectly matching sets.
Most people associate the name Aga with good food and fine living. And although it’s often thought of as quintessentially British, the Aga actually began life in Sweden. The celebrated cooker found in 750,000 households worldwide was invented by Dr Gustav Dalén, a blind Nobel Prize-winning physicist. Appalled that his wife and their maid had to constantly tend to their old-fashioned range, Dalén set out to design a modern cooker that would look after itself. It’s unlikely Dalén could have predicted that his invention would go on to be widely acclaimed as a design icon, but it has. In the year 2000, the BBC published a retrospective of the 20th Century highlighting what it considered to be the top three design icons: first was the Coca-Cola® contour bottle, second was the VW™ Bug and third was the Aga cooker.
Over the last 80 years Aga has built on that iconic design, creating new products for the day’s needs. Additions to the Aga family like dual fuel and electric cooking products, as well as refrigeration, have brought us a long way from Dalen’s first cooker in 1922, but close to our heritage.
Wolf
James Bakke, president of the 55-year-old manufacturer of the ultimate brand in refrigeration, said, "The transition has been exceedingly smooth, both from an operations perspective and also on a marketing level. The primary goal now is to inter-link the brands and their identities and communicate to the marketplace that ours is the ultimate family of kitchen appliances."
Most significant in the transition process has been the physical relocation of the Wolf manufacturing facilities. It was not simply a matter of moving from its former home in Compton, CA. Rather, it involved the construction of a completely new 300,000-square-foot factory plus office space here in Madison. Sub-Zero made the investment in the new production quarters, including the purchase of all-new machinery and tooling for the manufacturing of the Wolf appliances.
"We wanted to ensure the utmost in quality would be attained," said Bakke. "And, though it was a more costly way to consolidate the companies, it was, in our estimation, the best way to secure our future together."
According to Bakke, the transfer of all production was completed and operations were up and running at the end of January.
The next phase of development now underway on the 62-acre Sub-Zero/Wolf campus is construction of a 30,000-square-foot training and educational center. Not only will it be used for sales and installation training, but it also is envisioned to become a hub for a variety of programming, such as guest appearances and demonstrations by famous international culinary talents, wine and food tastings, and other special events for both professionals, as well as the general public.
One challenge still facing Sub-Zero as it completes the integration of Wolf into its family fold is how to raise consumer awareness for the Wolf brand to the same level of recognition Sub-Zero enjoys. To this end, one of the initial steps Sub-Zero has taken is to simplify the name from Wolf Gourmet to Wolf. A cleaner logo has been created, dropping the image of a wolf's head and adding a red flame to the W, to underscore that it is in the business of cooking.
"These are only a few of the basics we've begun to address in our marketing," explained Paul Leuthe, Sub-Zero's corporate marketing manager. "It is the outcome of extensive focus group research we conducted in major markets, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco."
Sub Zero appliances
In 1943, Westye F. Bakke built the first freestanding freezer in the basement of his Madison, WI. home. A businessman with a keen ability to anticipate post-World War II refrigeration trends, he founded Sub-Zero Freezer Company just two years later in an old two-car garage. From its modest beginnings, Sub-Zero has become what it is today: the recognized leading manufacturer of premium built-in home refrigerators.
Since its founding, Sub-Zero has pioneered quality products that meet its customers needs. In the mid-1950s, for example, the company developed the built-in refrigerator – a unit that changed the future of kitchen design by fitting within surrounding counter and cabinet space. Over time, the company has refined its early concept and has brought to market a comprehensive line of built-in models, including the 200 Series of undercounter models, its award-winning 500 Series, the design-flexible 600 Series, the integrated 700 Series, and, most recently, the state-of-the-art 400 Series of wine storage.
Indicative of the company’s innovative engineering is its dual refrigeration system, which relies on two separate, self-contained cooling systems to keep fresh food fresher and preserve frozen food longer.
For 60 years, Sub-Zero has offered innovative, aesthetically appealing and technologically advanced solutions to meet virtually any home refrigeration need. Through foresight and responsiveness, the company has earned its position as an industry leader – a position Sub-Zero intends to maintain well into the new millennium.
Corsi Custom Cabinetry
Friday, November 21, 2008
Habersham Cabinetry
Just as things began to look up for her family, Joyce experienced a series of setbacks. First, her antique shop caught fire and half of it was destroyed. Not one to give up easily, Joyce refurbished the shop only to have her own uninsured home catch fire and burn to the ground. Even though times were tough, Joyce's faith never faltered.
Looking for a way to make her antique business more profitable, Joyce soon began crafting small, decorative pocketbooks from vintage wooden cigar boxes. They were an instant hit with customers and Joyce decided to name her new venture Habersham Plantation after Georgia's Habersham County and the plantations for which the area was known.
Not much later, Joyce drove by a local textile company where she spotted a large pile of discarded wooden spools. Struck by an idea, she purchased them and set about crafting them into candleholders, towel racks and other practical folk art items. Like the cigar boxes, these delightful designs sold extremely well. With the help of her sons and other family members, Joyce soon expanded Habersham's offerings to include handcrafted furniture pieces reflecting the American Country design styles of the early 17th and 18th centuries.
Word of these unique furnishings spread quickly. To meet growing production demands without sacrificing her commitment to the handcrafted quality of original American Country furniture, she enlisted the help of individual woodworkers from her North Georgia region. Because the region had been a center for cabinetmaking since the early 1800s, the area's master craftsmen were quite familiar with the time-tested woodworking and joinery techniques Joyce demanded for her growing line. In fact, she even designed her factory to work just as the 18th century cabinetmakers did, with individual artisans hand-finishing, signing and dating each piece of furniture they crafted.
It wasn't long before Joyce began receiving national recognition. Her acclaimed designs appeared in leading magazines. Inquiries came in from across the country. And in 1984, President Reagan hosted Joyce when she was named Georgia's Small Business Person of the Year.
Now, as then, the Habersham name is synonymous with the fine art of furniture design. And over the years, the line has grown to include furniture, custom cabinetry and accent pieces in an array of rich, opulent finishes and delicate, hand-painted designs.
Yet despite its rapid growth, Habersham has never wavered from Joyce Eddy's core business philosophy – that the creation of fine furniture is a true art form demanding that each piece be individually crafted, painted and finished by hand.
Today, Joyce is still very much a part of the company she founded more than 30 years ago. As Chairman of the Board, she works closely with Habersham's artists and craftsmen to develop new designs, styles and finishes. Son Matthew is now the company's president. Together, Joyce and Matthew are committed to bringing their customers true works of art that measure up to the Habersham mission:
To create beautiful, high-quality furniture and cabinetry that will satisfy our customers for generations to come.
To conduct our business with the highest level of integrity and respect for our customers, associates and vendors.
To honor God in all that we do.
Mouser Custom Cabinetry
Since its emergence from humble beginnings in New Haven, Kentucky, in 1955, Mouser Custom Cabinetry has provided the highest quality custom cabinetry for over 50 years. Today, located in central Kentucky, Mouser Custom Cabinetry is marketed throughout the eastern two-thirds of the United States through an expanding network of authorized displaying Dealers. Now, just as it was in the beginning, that same devotion to product quality and excellence has withstood the test of time to help create a product line for our customers that offers honest value and true quality. Every cabinet we manufacture is custom-crafted from the finest select woods, then is finished and protected with oven-cured catalyzed sealers and topcoat.
Timeless designs and fine craftsmanship are characteristic trademarks that set Mouser Custom Cabinetry apart from all others. With our cabinetry, dreams can be turned into reality by providing beautiful and functional accents to any home décor. Inset, Traditional, Country, English Country, Shaker and Contemporary door styles are available in Knotty Alder, Cherry, Hickory, Maple, Red Oak, Pine and Quarter Sawn Oak (Note: inset is not available in Hickory). The availability of our finishes is a broad range of stains, burnished and limed highlights, solid colors and custom finishes create a wide array of possibilities to enhance any décor. At Mouser Custom Cabinetry, fine hand detailing is combined with state-of-the-art technology to produce superior cabinetry for any room in your home or office. Whether your plans include a new home or a home improvement remodeling project, we welcome the opportunity to create the design of your dreams and turn it into reality.
At Mouser Custom Cabinetry, our devotion is to the craftsmanship of the finest custom cabinetry. Imagination takes form as the designer's ideas are brought to life by the hands of our skilled artisans. We believe your dreams define the quality of our products regardless of personal style and taste. Mouser Custom Cabinetry emphasizes the unparalleled beauty and elegance of natural wood design choices for every room in your home. Your custom design, combined with our cabinetry, reflects ideas of form and functionality while retaining a vision of understated elegance in the creation of a complete living environment.
Our reputation for providing the finest in quality custom cabinetry since 1955 translates into a product created for you from an outstanding selection of wood species, color choices and specialty finish collections. From the hand selection of each piece of Alder, Cherry, Hickory, Maple, Red Oak, Pine and Quarter Sawn Oak wood species, to the final inspection; standards of excellence have been established for each piece of cabinetry that is produced at Mouser Custom Cabinetry. These same uncompromising standards apply for each piece of our cabinetry, regardless of wood specie, design style or design interpretation. Truly custom, we build each order to match your exact specifications of height, width, depth, door style and finish selection.
Environment Stewardship
Mouser Custom Cabinetry, LLC has been awarded environmental stewardship certification by the KCMA. As an ongoing commitment on behalf of the cabinet manufacturer, this nationally recognized program was established to encourage the responsible management of environmental and community resources. Stewardship certification requires the annual review of manufacturing facilities in order to earn qualifying points in five categories. These five categories include: Air Quality, Product Resource Management, Process Resource Management, Environmental Stewardship, and Community Relations.
Greenfield Cabinetry
You'll love Greenfield for the all-wood construction, stylish finishes, and dramatic profiles. Greenfield will appeal to your common sense because our cabinetry is as affordable as it is versatile and durable.
Designed and crafted, detail by detail, for lasting value. You can choose from the finest woods, accessories, paints, and stains to create the perfect fit for your home and budget.
Medallion Cabinetry
Designer Gold
All raised and reverse raised panel doors and face frames are solid wood construction
All plywood case components
Maple hardwood veneer with varnish topcoat on interior case components
Hardwood veneer, species and finish matched on specified end panels
Smartrac FX drawer guides standardSmartmotion FX drawer guides optional
Glaze finish options available
Painted finish options available on select door styles
Lifetime Limited WarrantyAll raised and reverse raised panel doors and face frames are solid wood construction
High quality furniture board case components
Maple tone laminate case components
Color matched laminated exterior case sides*
Smartrac drawer guides standard Smartrac FX and Smartmotion FX drawer guides optionalGlaze finish options available
Painted finish options available on select door styles
Lifetime Limited Warranty
Silverline
High quality furniture board case components
Maple tone laminate case components
Color matched laminated exterior case sides*
Mirage drawer guides standard Smartrac, Smartrac FX, and Smartmotion FX drawer guides optional Ten Year Limited Warranty
*Wood end upgrades are highly recommended on exposed ends, especially on Knotty Alder, Hickory and Quartersawn Oak door styles.
Standard Features
These features are standard on all Medallion cabinetry.
Extensive selection of door styles and wood species
Medallion offers a broad array of door styling and wood selection including cherry, maple, oak, alder, hickory, and quarter sawn oak to suit any taste.
Premier finish process
Hand applied stains and varnishes create a finish that is beautiful, easy to clean and durable.
3/4" solid hardwood dovetail drawer
The strongest drawer box available, a sign of true craftsmanship and quality.
Solid hardwood door and frame construction
Premium hardwood and craftsman joinery create beauty and durability.
Concealed hinges and drawer guides
High quality hardware that improves the function, without detracting from the beauty of the cabinetry.
3/4" adjustable shelving
Our shelves are thicker, for more strength, as well as adjustable, so you have more storage options.
Superior case construction
Each cabinet is built with quality materials and construction methods, including 1/2" standard sides, tops and bottoms; strong I-beam construction; dadoed joinery; and pocket screwed hanging rails. The result is a superior cabinet.
Upgrade features and construction options
Drawer guides, hinging and side panel options available. Choose the features that fit your needs.
Extensive modifications
Medallion Cabinetry offers more modifications than any comparably priced brand. Custom sizes and alterations, and integrated furniture features create a customized kitchen without the custom price.
KCMA Environmental Stewardship Program
Medallion Cabinetry is an approved participant in the KCMA Environmental Stewardship Program and has been certified as meeting the ESP 01-06 requirements for Air Quality, Resource Management of Product and Process, Environmental Stewardship and Community Relations.Monday, November 17, 2008
Wellborn Cabinetry
Wellborn Cabinetry
Vision Statement
The Wellborn Family is committed to be the most valued provider of permanent home cabinetry designed for a lifetime of gracious living.
We are dedicated to servicing Wellborn customers with our pledge to shipping accuracy and short lead times, and we'll continue to strive for excellence in this crucial function of our business.
At Wellborn, we appreciate the privilege of being your cabinetry supplier and we'll continue to bring you the best product at a competitive price with our service as a part of the sale – a true value.
Wellborn Cabinet, Inc., is a family business that was established in 1961. Years of individual dedication by hundreds of Wellborn employees has created today's multifaceted company. Located in the foothills and timber country of the Appalachian Mountains in Ashland, Alabama, Wellborn Cabinet, Inc., now encompasses over 2 million square feet and integrally operates its own timber processing mill.
Check out the parts of the cabinets that usually go unnoticed. Enjoy a new looking kitchen for years by choosing Wellborn's long lasting durable construction. Wellborn's unique WellGuard Finishing System is a benchmark of quality. We enhance the beauty of our solid wood doors, drawer fronts and face frames by hand sanding each piece to eliminate scratches and by hand rubbing the stain to ensure smooth, even color. We apply two coats of high moisture resistant, vinyl sealers before a final topcoat of catalytic conversion varnish is applied. The finish coats are baked on to create a tough, durable protection that keeps a lustrous, furniture-like shine for years to come.
Wellborn takes great pride and care with the finishing of our kitchen furniture. Years of research partnered with development through Valspar have resulted in The WellGuard Finishing System — a 24-step superb finishing system.
Solid Wood Doors
Wellborn's solid wood raised panel doors and drawer fronts are 100% natural, all solid hardwood, hand selected from our own lumber yard and timber processing mill.
Wellborn builds the best drawer in the industry. Our ¾" solid hardwood dovetail drawer is standard in the WoodCraft and Premier Series door styles and available as an upgrade option in both the Select and Deluxe Series.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Kitchen designed by Bob--Old Town Alexandria
A Sub Zero refrigerator is hidden behind cabinetry panels. The appliance garage provides great storage.
A custom wood cherry wood top finishes off these cabinets in the dining room service area. The mirror in the backsplash area, reflects the light and enlarges the area. As with any old home, this home had a few walls out of square. We designed the cabinetry to hide these. Looks pretty square to me.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Kitchen designed by Bob--Fairfax Station area
The mantel style hood stands proudly over a 48" Bertazzoni gas range.
November AGA Cooker Demonstration
Please join us on Tuesday, November 18th for one of our AGA cooker demonstrations. Enjoy the evening with us as we take you on a culinary tour of the famous 4-Oven Aga cooker. We'll demonstrate the unmatched flexibility and cooking capabilities of the Aga's 4 radiant-heat ovens, two hotplates and warming plate. Bring your appetite because you will taste samples of filet mignon, grilled chicken breast, roasted salmon, assorted vegetables and grains and homemade pie. Seating is limited, reserve your seat today!
The fun begins at 6:15 and lasts until 8:30. If you cannot make it on November 18th, consider joining us on Tuesday, December 16th. To reserve your seat, call us at our showroom at 703-548-4459, or e-mail Bob at bobr@southernkitchens.net. We look forward to seeing you.
Kitchen designed by Bob--Alexandria area
Kitchen designed by Bob--Fairfax Station area
We recently completed a job in the Fairfax Station area of Virginia. The client selected our Medallion Cabinetry. The door style they chose is the Calistoga in the Vintage Morel finish, an elegant wide rail, raised panel door. The contractors who installed this kitchen were Doug and Mick Barham of Barham Construction.
The client had this to say about her kitchen.
"I am so happy with my kitchen. Thank you…Thank you…Thank you. You guys were great to work with and everything was so well done. The kitchen turned out to be everything I envisioned it to be."