Design

Designs and Ideas for Small Kitchen Spaces How to get by when you don't have room. *Designer Joanna Simmons suggests that if you have a tiny kitchen space, blow out the ceiling to create some volume. A skylight like the one pictured below might also help. I also really like the idea of pull-outs such as a cutting board or a drop-down table to create an instant eating area. Another idea is taller upper cabinets for extra storage if ceiling space allows. Depending on your cooking needs, forget the standard 30" range and consider a 24" or even 20" range. Some urban folks, rarely cook at home. You might consider a simple 2 burner cooktop supplemented by a convection microwave, or even better one of the new steam/convection ovens. There are lots of choices for built-in appliances that fit in a 24" cabinet. Creative lighting will help the room look more spacious. Consider under cabinet lighting. LED's give you a lot of light and take up little room. Of course, white or other light colors can make a room look bigger, and even small windows and skylights for natural light help enormously. If you can get by with an undercounter refrigerator, here's one from Danby that has a separate freezer compartment. Perhaps width, not height is the issue. Here's a Liebherr refrigerator that's a tall 79 inches in height, but only 24 inches wide. It's surprising how true the saying is "Necessity is the mother of invention." For more ideas

Design, Food, and Wine Inspiration in 2014 Favorite Los Angeles Area events for 2014 Dwell on Design Los Angeles Convention CenterLos Angeles, CAJune 20 – 22, 2014 Dwell on Design L.A. is touted as the largest design event in the U.S. It's a unique three-day event featuring content from over 200 top minds in design, and exhibitions by more than 400 exhibitors, with exceptional educational events for attendees. Nearly 300,000 square feet dedicated to exhibitions —from Dwell Outdoor to the Modern Family Pavilion to the Tech Zone, the 30,000+ attendees will find themselves immersed in Design. At the kitchen and bath zone on the show floor, brands like Miele, Dacor, and GE Monogram showcased their latest appliances and designs.Over at Miele, attendees checked out the super-sleek Contour Line of ovens and temperature-controlled, under-counter wine storage systems. Dacor welcomed attendees with champagne, and showed off induction cooktops and Discovery iQ Wall Ovens that connect wirelessly to a tablet computer for easy smart phone access. On the bathroom side, Brizo displayed freestanding tubs and tub fillers from the uncluttered, single-handle Odin line. British brand Victoria + Albert brought naturally white, freestanding tubs and Amiata basins made of volcanic limestone and high-performance resin. LA Food & Wine Santa Monica, Downtown, Hollywood, Beverly HillsAugust 21-24 In its fourth year, the Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival, is made possible with generous support from founding partners FOOD & WINE, Lexus, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, JENN-AIR, and

Services for Builders and Designers at UAKC For Appliances and Plumbing Fixtures Designers and Builders Choose Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center (UAKC) is fully equipped to handle the special needs and requirements of the design and contractor communities. It starts with industry leading large showrooms that have extensive live displays such as the Wolf Sub Zero Living Kitchen that allows you to see how everything works. UAKC sponsors showroom events and has culinary experts demonstrating in their kitchens on a regular basis. Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center has their own trained experts on hand at all times in their showrooms to answer questions about the many appliance and plumbing choices available. The staff at UAKC are trained on-site at manufacturer headquarters and training facilities across the country and even in Europe. They have many years of experience in the industry, and can tackle even the most difficult and demanding projects. In addition, Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center prides itself on its efficient factory certified delivery and installation crews. But top notch sales associates and installers are not enough. The warehouse, logistics, scheduling, and back office needed to make sure that the customer is taken care of are also among the best in the industry. They all have one common goal, and that is expressed by the UAKC President and CEO, Igor Royz. "We really want to make our customers satisfied. That's what matters to us." But don't take our word for it. Here's what just

Sub-Zero's anywhere refrigerators and FreezersSub-Zero Headquarters at Universal Appliance and Kitchen CenterThe Work TriangleFor decades designers have been taught and have been teaching about a work triangle in the kitchen. A place to cook food (range or oven), a place to store food (refrigerator), and a place to prepare food (sink). The idea was that these points are connected by an imaginary line forming a triangle and should be in somewhat close (but not too close) proximity.Recently, the work triangle has been challenged by the notion that it might make sense to locate refrigerator or freezer drawers to be placed in a pantry area for example. Beer and wine might be kept cool in an entertainment area, and kids could access fruit and snacks from an undercounter refrigerator located in a rec room. Designers now feel free to adapt the idea of the work triangle to the notion of activity flows.With their new integrated refrigerator line Sub-Zero is promoting the "Anywhere" refrigerator. It's perhaps not revolutionary, but certainly evolutionary as Sub-Zero's new refrigerator lineup makes it easier and more practical to locate refrigerators freezers and wine storage nearer the point of use than in a traditional work triangle. Here are some of the new appliances from Sub-Zero that can expand your work triangle. Find out more at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center (UAKC).ID-24R Refrigerator and ID-24FI Freezer DrawersThe all-new Sub-Zero lineup of Integrated refrigeration includes the widest range of models of any brand, including

They're Here! New E Series Wolf Ovens at UAKCS. Cal. HQ for Sub Zero Wolf - Universal Appliance and Kitchen CenterPart of the largest product launch in the history of Sub Zero Wolf, the new E Series Oven takes the best of Wolf and makes it better with a choice of three distinct styles for different kitchen designs. Read what Wolf has to say about this new oven lineup:Introducing the New E Series Ovens from WolfThe beauty of cooking without guesswork.• Precise control means more delicious meals• Innovation from the cooking specialist, Wolf• Single and double ovens in three distinct looksThe E series made Wolf precision performance accessible for more cooks. Now three distinct new styles make the E series ideal for more kitchen designs than ever. The E series oven controls are a favorite of Wolf chefs for their intuitive usability whether setting the temperature, mode or timer. Meanwhile, dual interior halogen lights and a large viewing window help you keep tabs on cooking progress without having to disturb your dish by opening the door. Other standard convenience features include self-clean and timed cook settings, along with one full-extension, easy-glide rack and one full-extension, door-glide rack that put even the largest, heaviest dishes safely within reach.E Series ProfessionalPro handle, framed door, and an eye-catching new feature: the touch-action stainless steel control panel. Like other E series ovens, it can be installed flush with cabinets for a polished, integrated look. Available as

UAKC Wins Award from Top Social Media SiteSurvey and Analysis of 16 Million Monthly Users Reveals Top-Rated Building, Remodeling and Design ProfessionalsStudio City, February 4, 2014 – Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center of Calabasas and Studio City, CA has been awarded “Best Of Houzz” by Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. The 14 years old Appliance and Plumbing Fixtures Retailer was chosen by the more than 16 million monthly users that comprise the Houzz community.Get the Best Brands and Best Selection at the Best Prices. “Houzz provides homeowners with the most comprehensive view of home building, remodeling and design professionals, empowering them to find and hire the right professional to execute their vision,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of community for Houzz. “We’re delighted to recognize Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center among our “Best Of” professionals for customer satisfaction as judged by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts who are actively remodeling and decorating their homes.”With Houzz, homeowners can identify not only the top-rated professionals like Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center, but also those whose work matches their own aspirations for their home. Homeowners can also evaluate professionals by contacting them directly on the Houzz platform, asking questions about their work and reviewing their responses to questions from others in the Houzz community.Follow Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center on HouzzUniversal Appliance and Kitchen Center, a premier dealer of brand name appliances, plumbing fixtures, bathroom vanities and accessories, carries the most popular and innovative products at its

Stainless vs Cabinet Panels - Pros and Cons Many appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, wine chillers, and ice makers can be purchased with stainless steel fronts or panel ready to accept optional cabinet fronts. In many cases, these are "integrated" allowing the appliance to completely blend in with surrounding cabinets, though adding cabinet panels to your appliances will also add cost. So the question might be, "Do you want your appliances to blend in or would you prefer that your appliances stand out?" Some appliances are just so dominant, that it makes no sense to try to hide them. Look at this Sub Zero Pro 48 Refrigerator. It dominates the kitchen and demands attention.On the other hand, this integrated suite of GE Monogram refrigerator and wine units, tastefully blends into the room and makes a subtle statement of its own.Dishwashers, are appliances that really lend themselves to cabinet panels and can often seamlessly blend into the lower cabinets. Look for a dishwasher that is designed to fit "flush" in a 24" deep cabinet enclosure. Increasingly, we're seeing refrigerator and freezer drawer units, which are great for Universal Design and also nicely lend themselves to cabinet panels. Another great advantage to this appliance category is that they are go anywhere appliances, so they fit in with the design concept of "point of use" appliances. We see them in pantries, rec rooms, and about anyplace

Practical and Original Dornbracht Plumbing Fixtures Tara Ultra Pivot at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center When it comes to new plumbing fixtures, one of our favorites of 2013 is the new Ultra Pivot from Dornbracht. If you're looking for a unique, yet practical kitchen improvement for the Holiday Season, this just might fit the bill. Hurry in to one of the Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center locations to see the entire selection of plumbing fixtures and appliances. Click on the link below to go to read about their Holiday Specials: UAKC Year-End SaleThink of a faucet. Think of a pot filler. Think of a faucet that doubles as a pot filler. Then think of the possibilities of having a sink faucet that swivels 360° so that it can be used on adjacent counter tops in the back or on either side. That's Tara Ultra Pivot by Dornbracht. Here's Dornbracht's more elegant description: Pivot combines high-quality aesthetics with the utmost functionality. It is the first faucet for use throughout the entire kitchen island – with 360° radius of activity, the individual applications throughout the kitchen can be effortlessly combined. Here are the details:Tara Ultra Pivot Single-lever Mixer Product Specifications 21 3/4" projection Swivel spout 360° 1 3/8" hole diameter Height to aerator/spout outlet 11 3/8" Total height 14 5/8" M 24 x 1 aerator Ceramic disc cartridge 2x M 10 x 1 x 16

Why Customers Love Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center During a recent celebrity cooking event at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center here's what UAKC owner, Igor Royz, had to say about his professional sales associates training. "We send our employees to appliance manufacturers all over the world to get factory training. They ARE professionals at what they do." Royz went on to talk about the services after the sale at UAKC. "We do in house installation. Our delivery personnel are our employees. They're factory certified to install the products that we sell." But, don't take it from us. Here's what others that were interviewed had to say. Baron Rogers of Kelly Baron Design says, "Universal Appliance has been an integral part of our business - being able to go from sales all the way through installation. It cuts down a lot of lag time and there's less complication when dealing with one vendor that can cover the process from start to finish." "I've experienced that at some of those big box stores the people on the floor just don't know it. They're like the people that operate the fork lift or the pallet jack. They don't really know how it works or much about it at all. So if you want to learn the features and learn the equipment, you want to come to a place like this."- Ed Begley Jr. Here's the complete video (3 1/2 minutes) featuring interviews from those above as well as others.   Universal Appliance and

When you're making the selections for you new kitchen, you get to choose from dozens of paint colors, a host of cabinet finishes and various flooring and countertop choices. But, when it comes to getting the appliances you want, you're mostly stuck with buying appliances the way they're made. Viking is out to change that with its new D3 line of kitchen appliances.D3 allows customers to customize the knobs and handles on their appliances to complement their kitchen decor. Look at your existing kitchen. Wherever you see an appliance knob or handle imagine how it would look if there were an insert in the knob or handle that color-matched your primary kitchen color or matched the finish of your cabinet. If the idea of having your appliances tie in to your kitchen in this way appeals to you, then the Viking D3 collection might be just what you need.The D3 appliances are shipped with stainless steel knobs and handles with polished chrome inserts. However, the inserts in the knobs and handles are replaceable with inserts that may be painted or wood finishes that may be stained to coordinate with the kitchen decor. The wood inserts are offered in several stains or unfinished to match an adjacent cabinetry finish. Clear inserts can be spray-painted on the backside, and the resulting paint finish looks factory-applied through the acrylic. The D3 product line consists of 30-in. convection ranges, cooktops and built-in convection ovens, microwaves, warming drawers, ventilation, dishwashers and a French door refrigerator/freezer.