Our #ProjectLakelife Kitchen- My Favorite Appliances

Hi everyone! As I’ve shared, we are renovating the house that my husband and I recently purchased and there isn’t a room that isn’t getting some love. But of course, the kitchen is at the top of my list and the one that I’m most anxious to complete. To that end, I’m focusing several of my updates on this oh so important room in the house.

I recently traveled to Orlando Florida for the 2022 KBIS (Kitchen and Bath Industry Show) and IBS (International Builders Show). This is honestly my favorite trade show of the year. I’m truly like a kid in a candy store and I get the chance to connect with my design besties from all over the country.

Over the past several years, this show has become the battle of the appliance companies. Gone are the days that you just go down to Sears and pick out your suite of Whirlpool, Kenmore or GE appliances. There are so many other American and International players in the appliance space now that are bringing so many more options to the market. And if you’re building a custom home or undertaking a significant renovation, you’re likely considering appliances from some of the luxury manufacturers. And these manufacturers are in a fierce competition to bring to market the most innovative technology and jaw dropping styling! I could write for days on all of the players, but I’m going to focus on two of my favorite companies.

Monogram Appliances always knocks it out of the park at their KBIS booths creating an experience like no other and this year it won them the KBIS Best Booth Award. There was such a frenzy about this space that there was a waiting line to get in!

Villa Monogram, the Monogram KBIS booth destination showcased the brand’s latest innovations and collaborations in a variety of luxury living scenarios.

Villa Monogram Farm incorporates Monogram’s new 30” Fully Integrated Wine Sommelier and Monogram 30” Smart Flush Hearth Oven

Villa Monogram Mountain showcases the new Monogram Rotisserie Oven.

Villa Monogram Beach features the 30” Smart Electric Convection Single Oven and the 36” Integrated Panel-Ready Column Freezer and Refrigerator.

In addition to the Villa Monogram vignettes showcased above, Monogram also launched it’s first Designer Collection. Renowned interior designer and Monogram Creative Director Richard T. Anuszkiewicz created the collection in collaboration with the brand. It showcases two aesthetics, Brass and Titanium, and incorporates beautiful custom furniture style hardware. Another ingenious design detail were the 96” tall brass and titanium refrigerator column panels. With so many new homes being built with 10’ ceilings, these taller panels are a much better scale!

It was such a sexy look (and who ever thought I would use the word “sexy” when talking about appliances! Just look at the gorgeous hardware!

But Monogram is also about more than just looks! I did a hands on training session with them in their Chicago showroom a couple of years ago and I was very impressed by their technology and the breadth of their various options. We recently completed our studio kitchen and incorporated Monogram appliances so that we could share some of their more innovative designs with our clients and visitors.

We installed their 5-in-1 smart wall oven with Advantium Technology, their 30” integrated glass door refrigerator with the two convertible drawers at the bottom and their 36” induction cooktop. I wanted to highlight some of their more unique offerings so that we could bring our clients options that they didn’t normally think about. We’re in the process of planning an event where we can hopefully show off the muscle of this 5-in-1 oven with a live cooking class. If you’re not on our email list, you should join now so that you’ll be sure not to miss an invite to this event or any of our other regular events.

Well, that takes care of one working kitchen for me! At least I can go to the studio and cook on my Monogram induction cooktop! Now, if only I could get my kitchen finished at #projectlakelife. As I said above, Monogram is one of my two favorite appliance brands. Join me next time for a spotlight on the other brand and the one that I’ve chosen for my own home. I’ll also share some of the great new award winning introductions this brand brought to KBIS 2022. After everything I discovered at KBIS, it makes me want to design a whole new house just to be able to use all of these great products.