Custom cabinetry trends

Masco Cabinetry and the National Kitchen & Bath Association announced the winners of the “Blog Like a Pro” competition.
Grand-prize winner, Marianna Bowker, a student at Virginia Tech, will receive a $1,500 scholarship and the opportunity to blog on one of Masco Cabinetry’s brand websites. Lauren Koncerak of the University of Georgia and Kara Brennan of Virginia Tech received second- and third-place honors with scholarships of $700 and $500, respectively.
The “Blog Like A Pro” competition challenged students to create three blog posts relating to design ideas and themes. Students were provided an image gallery full of products from KraftMaid, Merillat, QualityCabinets and DeNova Countertops and a variety of topics to base their blog entries on. 
The entries were judged by a panel of professional kitchen and bath designers and social media experts, based on creativity, continuity of the posts, knowledge of the topics, and overall writing and grammar skills. For more information, visit the contest website at www.mascocabinetry.com/bloglikeapro.

James C. Lestorti, former CEO of Lescare Kitchens, passed away unexpectedly on April 22, at the age of 53.
Lestorti, born April 17, 1959, graduated from Providence College and went to work for the family business, eventually being named CEO of Lescare Kitchens. Lestorti also served as a member on the board of the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers of America and National Kitchen & Bath Association, and served as a product development advisor for the Formica Corp., among other roles. 
He is survived by a brother, Louis A. Lestorti Jr.; a sister, Joanne Clarke, and her husband James E. Clarke Jr.; his nephews, James Clarke III and Louis Lestorti Jr.; and his niece, Kristin Lestorti.

Custom Cupboards (www.customcupboards.com) announced that A&E TV personality and home design expert, Roger Hazard, has become the company’s official design consultant.
Hazard will promote the Custom Cupboards cabinetry products and make public appearances at specific Custom Cupboards events. Hazard will be introduced to Custom Cupboards dealers at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Chicago and will also make an appearance at Custom Cupboards’ display in the Hafele exhibit.
“We’ve been working with their (Custom Cupboards) products regularly – both on TV and with our client projects in Austin,” says Hazard. “Over the years, I’ve become a Custom Cupboards evangelist.”
Hazard says his passion for Custom Cupboards led him to approach the cabinet manufacturer about creating a formal alliance. ”I wanted to be part of a company that’s easy to work with, flexible and committed to excellence, and that defines Custom Cupboards. They just do things right,” Hazard says. 
“My job is to understand my client’s lifestyle and create a home environment that’s perfectly tailored to his or her needs,” says Hazard. “Custom Cupboards embraces that viewpoint too. We speak the same language.”
Custom Cupboards president, Mael Hernandez, says Hazard’s trusted personal brand and national identity are “a perfect fit for our kitchen remodeling target markets” and align directly with Custom Cupboards objectives. 
“Roger brings more than just a recognizable face. He’s an established and trusted industry personality. Roger will help drive traffic to dealer showrooms with design counsel, tips, information and in-person industry and regional appearances,” says Hernandez.
Hazard and Stout will soon launch a new Web-based design program online at http://www.designhazards.com.

Sylvester Stallone has filed a lawsuit against Mohamed Hadid, according to a story in Vanity Fair, for installing cheap and defective cabinetry and appliances in his Los Angeles home. Stallone hired Hadid, a real-estate developer who has been featured on episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, in December 2009 to expand his kitchen by 1,200 square feet. After paying the developer $1.4 million, the lawsuit alleges, “Hadid and his henchman installed inexpensive, damaged, deteriorating, and uneven cabinetry and malfunctioning appliances.”
The lawsuit also references a faulty fire pit and a $10,000 kitchen island that turned out to be made of “a cheap wood veneer/plywood product” that is not up to Sly’s standards. Stallone continues his lawsuit by declaring, “If you want to hire an incompetent con man to do construction, then Mohamed Hadid is your man.”

Fagor America Inc., a manufacturer of built-in induction cooktops and modern appliances, will collaborate with modern kitchen designer Box Kitchen at the 2012 International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York City to create contemporary cabinet design mixed with modern, efficient appliances. 
The company’s booth 800 will feature new kitchen appliances from Fagor around Box Kitchen’s modular cabinetry. Fagor will be displaying its new Energy Star, 24-inch fully integrated refrigerator.
The ICFF show will be held May 19-22, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. For information about Fagor appliances, visit www.fagoramerica.com, and BOX Kitchen, visit www.boxkitchen.com.

The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association announced that the American National Standards Institute recently approved revisions to the U.S. performance standard for kitchen cabinets and bath vanities, ANSI/KCMA A161.1-2012.
The ANSI/KCMA A161.1 standard has been reviewed every five years consistent with ANSI policy, and has been revised and strengthened seven times since its inception in 1965 to ensure that the standard reflects improvements in technology, materials and construction, according to the KCMA. Changes include: clarification that the drawers, as well as doors, of cabinets should be properly aligned and close without excessive binding; the static loading test for wall cabinets over 24 inches in height has been increased from 500 pounds to 600 pounds; the timing of the open/close cycles for doors and drawers has been standardized; and lighting conditions for observing finish performance have been established. 
For more information on the standard, please go to http://www.kcma.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Visitors.Performance.

QualityCabinets, www.qualitycabinets.com, provided cabinetry for two homes in Oklahoma City and San Antonio, for the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway programs in 2011.
The company provided cabinetry for home giveaway programs in Oklahoma City in June 2011 and San Antonio in November 2011.
“We are proud to participate in the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway,” said Kristen Phipps, senior brand manager for QualityCabinets. “Working with our dealers and homebuilders in these cities allows us to customize our designs to bring these homes to life.”

Elias Woodwork was featured on the Friday, Sept. 23 episode of “Designing Spaces” on Lifetime network.
CEO Ralph Fehr installs new doors and refacing material on-site in Florida kitchen. Fehr and “Designing Spaces” host Debi Marie discuss ways to be environmentally friendly when renovating kitchens or other rooms in the home and how Elias ensures its products are environmentally friendly.  
The episode can be viewed online with the link on Elias’ website.

Wellborn Cabinet Inc. is partnering with HGTV for the 16th HGTV Dream Home 2012.
This marks the fifth year Wellborn will be providing cabinetry and wood products throughout the home. Wellborn designer Karen Stanley will work alongside designer Linda Woodrum and house planner Jack Thomasson to provide the cabinetry.
The 2012 Dream Home is located at River Meadows Ranch near Park City, Utah. Once completed, the nearly 4,000-square-foot home will contain four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, a game room, an outdoor living room, a master suite, a laundry room and kitchen.