It’s hard to believe that 2013 is right around the corner – wasn’t it yesterday that we were preparing our showrooms for the great things we expected in 2012?
It has been a great year at both BCS Culinary in San Francisco and Atherton Appliance & Kitchens in Redwood City. We’ve launched new products — like the exciting Asko D5954 Outdoor Dishwasher – pursued new kitchen and appliance home trends, and enjoyed seeing our regular customers and meeting many new ones. We want to take this moment before the New Year begins to thank you for your patronage in 2012 and invite you to stay in touch in the coming year so we can continue to assist you with your kitchen and appliance needs.
Two of the trends we noticed in 2012 were a growth of interest in outdoor kitchen and living spaces and an increase in concern about energy and water savings. Many of our customers have expanded their homes to include outdoor entertaining and dining spaces. We’ve been pleased to offer assistance with our many outdoor appliance options, from Komado-style grills and the latest in gas grills to outdoor refrigeration units, pizza ovens, outdoor heaters, and even outdoor cabinetry. The Big Green Egg continues to be a popular option, and the pizza ovens we’ve supplied from both Sole and Woodstone have been a welcome addition to our pizza-loving customers. It’s highly rewarding to watch an outdoor kitchen come together – we’ve been honored that our customers have turned to us for everything from premium appliances to design advice.
At Atherton Appliance & Kitchens and BSC Culinary, we’ve long been proponents of ENERGY STAR® appliances. As more of our customers have become concerned about climate change, preserving natural resources, and saving money on their utility bills, we have been pleased to offer numerous energy-saving and water-saving options. Some of our premium manufacturers have worked hard to design appliances that save water and energy while maintaining their high level of performance. Miele, for example, takes its “green” efforts seriously while preserving the manufacturing of some of the most effective appliances available on the market today. In addition to being concerned about the environment, Miele makes an effort to be socially conscious on a global scale. On their website the company states:
- Within the framework of supplier management, the top priority of the buyers at Miele is to ensure that they only select and use suppliers who comply with applicable environmental and social standards.
- Sustainability criteria are deeply rooted in Miele’s conditions of purchase. They are aligned with the social standard SA8000, which is based among other things on the ILO core labour standard, as well as the UN Global Compact principles on the protection of human rights and the environment. Amongst other things, these standards specifically relate to the prohibition of child labour, forced labour and discrimination, securing the right to freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining.
Miele also recently donated $5 from the sale of every vacuum cleaner and $10 from the sale of every dishwasher manufactured by the company to the Red Cross in order to help victims of Hurricane Sandy. We couldn’t be more pleased and honored to work with such environmentally and socially conscious manufacturers, and to bring their products to our customers in California. There are many options from a variety of brands available, so please feel free to ask our staff if you are interested in ENERGY STAR rated kitchen and/or laundry appliances.
As we reflect on a busy 2012, we’re looking ahead to 2013 with much anticipation. According to InteriorZine, the kitchen design trends we can inspect in the coming year include an increasing preference for lighter, more neutral colors; energy-efficient LED lighting; even more attention paid to appliance integration for a seamless décor; glass backsplashes that have a simple, clean look; and “social design,” or a preference for design touches that cater to the social aspect of the kitchen and enable more opportunities to spend time in the space. We’ll be watching these trends and will be happy to discuss them and to offer you new ideas. Atherton Appliance & Kitchens offers professional design services that are informative, enjoyable, educational & best of all — free of charge! We’ll also be watching for the latest in laundry appliance trends, of course.
As we wind down 2012, we’d like to thank you again for your patronage at our showrooms and to wish you and your families a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year.
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