Wednesday Evening Wine & Cheese
at Studio Mehler & DJ Mehler

We have had many clients request after hour opening times in our two showrooms. Starting Wednesday evening July 29th we will be open from 5-7PM. Staff from both showrooms will be on hand to give tours of the showroom, answer general questions and to look over plans of particular projects. Studio Mehler is also offering a free one hour consultation on any new project. If you wish to book a time for a consultation please call our office at 415-864-0800 to schedule an appointment. Since we will never know how many people will be in the showroom at any one time we don’t want you to show up expecting to meet with a designer then not have anyone available. Casual visitors are always welcome.

Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency

If you are remodeling your home or building new this year be certain to check for energy tax credits from the federal government as part of the economic stimulus plan. Items include windows, doors, insulation, HVAC systems, water heaters, biomass stoves, solar panels, solar water heaters and more. These credits are available to you, don't miss the opportunity to upgrade your home, make it more energy efficient and profit at the same time. www.energystar.gov

Aging Gracefully – Functional modifications

There are many clients that we’ve worked with for years, some for over thirty years. We’re now being called back to modify their properties to help them accommodate their home in their less spry years. Each and every time clients mention that it is their home and want it to remain that way without a hint of “special needs” showing in the renovation. There are typical modifications that most contractors recommend for kitchens and bath – better lighting, wider doorways, curbless showers, raised toilets etc. What we’ve found in kitchens, however is resistance to some of the typical modifications – raised dishwashers for example. It’s not just the disruption of the counter surface they’re bothered with it’s the location of the controls. This is one of the very few times we really like specifying dish drawers. The limited capacity that most homeowners complain about is not an issue in a scaled down residence. Under counter microwaves serve the same function for clients with limited reach or access problems.

Sharp undercounted microwave www.sharpusa.com
Kitchen-Aid dish drawer www.kitchenaid.com

Aging Gracefully – Professional Advice

Our long time collaborator and good friend Betsy Brawley is a nationally recognized specialist on design for the aging. Her insights have been extremely useful and at times completely mesmerizing. There was one situation where we walked into a large, chain restaurant after meeting with a client. She stopped us in our tracks and said “Alzheimer’s patients would never be able to walk onto this carpet, it’s completely disarming”. It took two pitchers of margaritas before we all understood how completely right she was about focus, reference points, direction and a myriad of other items that would have never occurred to the layman. Working in tandem with this professional for clients with special needs is truly a revelation.
www.betsybrawley.com

Gaggenau Lift Oven

When this product was introduced a couple years ago we found this fascinating but wondered what to do with it. Yes, the concept of heat rising kept heat loss at a minimum when you checked on the food, that made perfect sense. You also didn’t get a rush of heat when you opened an oven at counter level or below. It was only when an older client said “No bending, brilliant!” that we realized we really missed the main point. Contrary to a counter height wall oven you don’t have to step back or around a door. You can also place the food right on a heat resistant countertop in front of the oven and there is no door in the way. Baste the fowl, add ingredients to the pizza that cooks right on the bottom surface of the oven, flip the fish…whatever task is needed this is right in front of you. Lesson learned. These will be showing up much more often in our kitchens now.

Visit: www.gaggenau.com or contact Dan Odetto at Standards of Excellence (415) 462-7610.

Water Proof Remote Control

Seura has introduced a new 1” deep LCD screen with mirror and optional LED lighting. This unit can be surface mounted or recessed and solves all sorts of installation issues avoiding framing issues, plumbing chases, wiring and all other obstructions found in a bath installation. The water proof remote control, that might land in the tub by mistake, is not a small innovation either! For more information contact the experts at High Definition Home www.highdefinitionhome.com.

A Remembrance

Our client and good friend Denise Glover succumbed to cancer earlier this month. Working with people tearing up their homes is always an adventure and you never know what’s in store. Denise and her partner Lee Ann Kjome were such a joy to work with, whatever the challenge that we encountered. If we messed up something we certainly heard about it, if it was right they heaped praise. At the end we were all smiles, particularly the broad grin shown in this photo. What a lovely woman, what an awful loss. We were privileged to know both of these women and our hearts and support go out to Lee Ann.