Art in the kitchen? Absolutely, says Robert Schwartz

As a lover of all kinds of art, I don’t believe it has to be walled off in formal living spaces. Why not put it in the kitchen where you really live and can enjoy it all the time? That’s why I’ve brought art into the St. Charles of New York showroom. And I often design kitchens with art placement in mind.

I recently attended the opening of the summer salon of the MK Hamburg Kennedy Gallery in Southampton where pop artist Peter Tunney’s work caught my eye. And I hope to have him display a few pieces on consignment in our showroom.

I think this piece by pop artist Peter Tunney says a lot. We've invited him to display a few of his pieces in our showroom on the 8th floor of the A&D Building.

My latest find, an original Woodstock poster, has a prominent spot now in our inspirational showroom. For our opening, we partnered with the sculptor Joseph McDonnell who turned his work “Ice Cubes” into a dramatic light over an island.

Sculptor Joseph McDonnell hung his work "Ice Cubes" when we opened our inspirational new showroom.

And when we designed this Kips Bay Decorator Show House kitchen, we devised lighted niches throughout for display of art glass pieces from around the world. As kitchens today are true living rooms, why not curate your own art gallery there?

Art pieces in thoughtfully designed niches played a starring role in our Kips Bay Decorator Show House.

Steam oven makes the most of summer corn: Karen Williams

Now that we’re at the peak of summer, fresh corn from the farmer’s market is on the menu almost nightly. Here’s where I love my steam oven. I put the corn in for three minutes, in or out of the husk, and it always comes out just right, moist and flavorful. Great for eating by itself, or in a corn, tomato and avocado salad. So much faster and easier than boiling it.

I love my steam oven for corn and three-minute eggs. And because it's also a convection oven, it does double duty.

With all the house guests in the summer, the steam oven comes in handy for breakfast too. I break an egg into an individual ramekin, add some gruyere, salt and pepper, and steam for three minutes. Perfect! And everyone can eat on their own schedule.

Great new prep center sink: Karen Williams

A great prep sink with disposal. I'd put the Crevasse into a butcher block station.

I’m all about the importance of the prep center. Good prep is the secret to great food, so the prep center is really the heart of the kitchen. That’s why I love this cool and convenient stainless sink with disposal. Scrape your peelings into it, touch a button, and the water sends everything into the disposer. There are three rinse cycles. The sink is compatible with all continuous-feed disposals and measures about 31 inches by 6 inches.

Karen Williams loves traditional with a twist

I’m often asked to create a kitchen that’s traditional, but fresh. To keep traditional from becoming boring, I opt for out-of-the-ordinary materials and eye-catching elements. This kitchen is a great example with its dramatic underlit agate island. The semi-precious stone takes the kitchen to a whole new level.

Underlit agate island adds a fresh twist to a traditional kitchen.

The cooking center is housed in a marble-clad niche adjacent to the island and features classic white and stainless cabinetry to contrast with the wood on the island.

Marble-clad niche houses the cooking center adjacent to the agate island.

And for added utility, there are convenient marble-clad pull-outs next to the range.

Cleverly concealed marble-faced pull-outs keep everything within the cook's reach.

Other touches I love in this kitchen: frosted sliding doors that close off the room, a see-through china hutch that reveals the marble tile on the wall, and two sinks side by side, each with their own faucet. Ideal for two cooks working next to each other.

Who says traditional is boring?

Interior design school guest lecturers Schwartz and Krieb

Robert Schwartz, principal, and Ron Krieb, designer, at St. Charles of New York served as guest lecturers on kitchen trends at the invitation of the  New York School of Interior Design on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Noting that he’d just done a kitchen with red cabinets for a Red Sox fan, Schwartz talked about the growing use of color in both milk paint finished woods and powder coated metals.

Mixed materials and exotics

Color is part of the overall trend toward more eclectic rooms combining different materials. Exotic veneers such as fiddleback anegre, bleached English sycamore and fumed oak play a big role in kitchens, Schwartz told the students. What’s more, veneers aren’t limited to flat doors and are being used on recessed panels for dramatic effects.

Robert Schwartz talks about cabinetry trends with students at the New York School of Interior Design

When it comes to countertops, Ron Krieb shared that most St. Charles of New York clients are now looking for unusual materials, often with integrated sinks for a clean, minimalist look as well as ease of maintenance. For example, he’s done kitchens with glass countertops that have a wonderful sheen. And for show-stoppers there are semi-precious stones such as Dumorterite, blue agate, hematoid and even petrified wood. Lavastone, exclusively from France, can be used both indoors and outside, Krieb noted.

Ron Krieb shares with students some of the newest countertop materials

Both Ron and Bob elaborated on advances in appliances, including self-diagnostics, iphone apps and connections to the power grid for optimum energy usage. They pointed out that refrigerators today have filters which eliminate gasses emitted naturally by ripening fruits and vegetables, prolonging their freshness.

Rotisseries and other cooking trends

The new built-in rotisserie, the Flamberge from La Cornue, is a favorite of Schwartz’ partner for its easy, healthy and delicious roasting of poultry, fish and meats. Induction has been taking off, he noted, thanks to it’s speed (4x faster than conventional cooktops), safety and sleek styling. Krieb singled out  built-in coffee makers as a favorite  ”must have” appliance for easing the morning rush.

Decorati profiles Karen Williams

I had the honor of being profiled by the high-end interior design website Decorati in an article  headlined “Metropolitan Moxie.” The author Karin Edwards wrote about my “soft, lovely spin on modern ergonomics” and mentioned that my designs “channel classic couture.”  We talked a lot about the importance of creating kitchens that make everyone feel right at home. And about looking beyond all style idioms to a “shared sense of place.”

Read more at http://access.decorati.com/2010/05/11/metropolitan-moxie-karen-williams

And you can also check out profiles of Geoffrey Bradfield, Charles Pavarini, Barclay Butera, Joe Nahem and other A-list designers.

Daniel Boulud and Bob Schwartz: which wine with lamb?

I had the fun of attending a demonstration with chef Daniel Boulud and Elle Decor magazine at the GE Monogram showroom last week. Daniel prepared succulent lamb kebabs topped with a yougurt sauce and served with a side of orzo with pesto.

Afterwards the chef and I had a friendly banter regarding which wine would complement the grilled lamb. He preferred a rosé  from Provence, while I would go with a rich red Burgundy. Perhaps a Gevrey Chambertin or a Chambolle Musigny.  Either way, a great meal.

Discussing the merits of various wines with celebrity Chef Daniel Boulud.

Also had a lovely chat with the talented Margaret Russell, editor in chief, of Elle Decor.

Chef Daniel Boulud and Margaret Russell, editor in chief, Elle Decor, at the GE Monogram cooking demo.

KAREN WILLIAMS INTERVIEWED BY CBS NEWS

CBS News Sunday Morning’s Martha Teichner interviewed me  for an upcoming design segment on refrigeration. The producers were looking for an expert to discuss the changing design aspects of the appliance as part of a segment on the history of refrigeration.

CBS New's Martha Teichner interviews me about refrigeration.

We talked about when I started 30 years ago in this business, clients were still hauling out their hairdryers and icepicks to defrost their “iceboxes.” And how awful food tasted with that freezer burn. And from a design aspect, there was only a built-in that somewhat concealed the unit…or there was a hulking avocado or harvest gold monstrosity.

Then we fast-forwarded to today’s freedom of design thanks to fully integrated refrigeration, point-of-use units and wine storage. I pointed out how we’ve taken integration to the next level with fronts that are a combination of materials that can reduce the visual size of a unit, as I did in my showroom and my own home.

CBS was interested in the new take on integrating refrigeration in our showroom.

Plus I explained how with the new drawers, refrigeration can move into other rooms like bedrooms, living rooms, dens and dining rooms. Wine units give us even more flexibility. And I showed them how a refrigerator can now take on any style when we specify cabinetry.

I explained to CBS how a refrigerator takes on the style of the room's cabinetry.

Finally we blue skyed a bit about the future. Why not have a small U-shaped larder you can stand in, to see all your party platters? Why not have more user-friendly refrigeration in cars, that moves from auto to home? And units that switch from freezer to fridge as needs change?

You can see the segment at http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/sunday/main3445.shtml. Click on the story Baby It’s Cold Inside that Box.

Bob’s Picks from KBIS

Yes, there were a few cool things that caught my eye at KBIS this year. First, I loved the new take on Kohler’s funky Karbon articulated faucet. There’s a wall-mount kitchen version now and a wall-mount bath version.  Plus more finishes. My particular favorite is the gold. We have the original silver in our showroom.

Another new twist on an existing product was the GE Monogram induction cooktop. It’s in a fresh  reflective stainless metallic finish that’s a great departure from the traditional black.

And of course, being a wine aficionado I had to check out the True Refrigeration under counter stainless wine units. I loved both their digital readouts and their  stainless shelves (as opposed to the wood looks on other wine units.)  Plus, they can be used outdoors as well as inside, and are stackable. The shelves can be changed out, too, so they convert to a regular under counter fridge. Great versatility.

A highly versatile and attractive wine fridge.

Karen Williams on what a kitchen designer learned in cooking school

After 30 years at St. Charles of New York I still love kitchen design as well as cooking. I’m always learning new techniques at hands-on demonstrations. But wanting  a refresher course in the fundamentals, I signed up for a class at the Escoffier school at the Ritz Carlton, Paris.  Whew! We donned our chef’s whites at 8:30 and worked until 5:30 every day. But it was worth it.

Excellent ingredients and painstaking prep, I learned, are the heart of good cooking. I mastered the art of meticulously dicing or chopping everything precisely the same size so that it cooks consistently. We spent a lot of time on this.

If you don’t prepare an orange properly, for example, removing all the bitter white pith, you’ll never make a good duck a l’orange. A boning knife, it turns out, is the best tool for the job.

Once everything was prepped, we took all the ingredients  to the cooking area on a cookie sheet. I loved working on the La Cornue ranges with the French plaque, because it is so easy to control the heat by moving the pan to a hotter or cooler part of the top. You don’t have to fiddle with the burners constantly. It’s perfect for making sauces.

We were graded not only on the taste of the food, but also on presentation which is just as important. We learned not to drown the food in a sauce, but add it on the side to enhance the flavors.

What was the most important thing I learned at the Escoffier about kitchen design? That it’s all about stations, not the work triangle. And the  prep station is key. You don’t need a lot of counter space at the range because everything is prepped first and then brought to the cooking station. So the old rules don’t hold up.