Bread and Design: The Search For The Perfect Breadboy

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bread boy, Cathy Hobbs, Design Recipes, kitchen ideas, wesco, wesco breadboy

Recently my travels took me to one of my favorite places Germany. My husband is from there, and we travel there quite often. Typically my trips are purely to visit family, but this time I was on a mission. A mission to find the perfect bread boy. If you are not familiar with the term, you are not alone. I too had never heard the term “bread boy”. Essentially a bread boy is a bread box designed with holes in the back and used to store bread so that it lasts longer and won’t dry out. A bit of a novelty item I know, but I figured why not. What I didn’t know is that in Germany, bread boys are huge! A German based company called Wesco probably does them better than anyone else, making bread boys in ALL sorts of shapes, sizes and traditional as well as bright, fun colors. Below is a sampling of the bread boys I found during my search and the one I scored!

SO clever!! I loved this cute little round one!

Also in White!

The one the left is perhaps what you would expect from a bread box with its’ retractable “hood”, the one on the right is this adorable cube!

LOVE it in turquoise! They even sell it in my favorite color Orange, but that is a special order that takes 2 months and would cost more to ship from Germany to the U.S. than the bread boy itself… ah.. the search continues…

A bread boy potpourri!

One with a bit of an Asian Flair!

SCORE! Home Sweet Home … a bread boy in the kitchen of my country house. While I was crazy for all of the colors, I opted for black, versatile and sleek.

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Cathy’s Tuesday Tip: Dining/Kitchen Area Inspiration

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affordable, budget, Cathy Hobbs, Design Recipes, dining, ikea, kitchen

Kitchen and dining areas are some of my favorite spaces and give off such great energy when decorated properly! Decorating well doesn’t cost a fortune either. I’ve pulled together some wonderful, basic kitchen essentials from Ikea that double in function. They can be used to serve food and they also look beautiful alone!

Serving Bowl | So pretty and simple. Use for a great salad or side dish when hosting a party or store fruits and vegetables when on display!

Vase | This vase can be doubled as a water pitcher or a means for displaying your favorite fresh cut blooms. Hello Spring!

Cake Stand | Cake stands are so beautiful and versatile. Use it in your bedroom to store jewelry, fragrances, etc. Keep it in the kitchen and arrange candles on it for your family (or self!) to enjoy.

Design Recipes Feature!

Check out this fabulous kitchen that I’ve styled, decorated, and made accessible to you!

If you’re interested in getting the recipe on how to create a room like this one, please check out my Design Recipes! I’ve redesigned my website and I’m excited for you to check it out. Each Design Recipe is only $3.00! Talk about affordable.

Be sure to also LIKE Design Recipes on FACEBOOK and FOLLOW Design Recipes on Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter!

Also to personally follow me, you can become a FAN ofCathy Hobbs Interior Designer on FACEBOOK and FOLLOW Cathy Hobbs on Instagram and Twitter!

She Knows.Com Features Do-It-Yourself Kitchen Countertop Ideas From Celebrity Interior Designer/NYC Based Home Stager Cathy Hobbs

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affordable decorating, Affordable Decorating Ideas, Affordable Design, Affordable Kitchen Ideas, Best Home Stager, Cathy Hobbs, Certified Staging Professional, CSP, Home Stager, Home Staging, Home Staging Course, kitchen ideas, kitchen tips, New York City, New York City's Top Stager, NYC Home Stager, NYC Interior Designer, real estate stager

DIY Master Or DIY Disaster?

Your kitchen countertops are due for a makeover, but the cost of a contractor seems excessive. You’d like to try it yourself, but you’re not sure if the time, energy and effort of a DIY project are worth the savings. Make the right countertop decision with a little help from the experts.

Types of countertop makeovers

The decision to tackle a DIY counter project may depend greatly on the type of makeover you want to see. The labor and expense, as well as the risk, are much higher when you consider hand-cutting and installing stone countertops than if you just plan on sanding and painting over your laminate surfaces. The greatest risk when undergoing a DIY project is making a mistake that could require starting over or calling a contractor for help. If the financial risk of a potential mistake is too great– you may want to leave your countertop makeover to the professionals.

Slab surfaces

Single-slab surfaces include stone counters made from marble, granite and quartz, or other materials like concrete or wood. While some of these surfaces are more expensive than others, each of them requires something called templating. Cathy Hobbs, a celebrity interior designer explains this process, “Cut outs are created out of a single slab to allow the holes necessary for a sink, faucet, counter surface appliances, etc. One wrong cut can ruin the entire slab.” With stone surfaces ranging anywhere from $35.00 to $65.00 per square foot, ruining a single slab could set you back a pretty penny. Hobbs’ take on DIY single-slab projects is simple, “Sorry folks, I would definitely ‘not try this at home.’”

Laminate

Taking on a DIY laminate countertop makeover may be worth the cost, but it depends on how you make them over. There are kits available that walk you through the sanding, painting and sealing process for a good temporary countertop update. These makeovers are fairly labor intensive and require close attention to detail, but they’re relatively inexpensive and carry a low financial risk if you make a mistake.

If you’d rather completely replace your laminate counters, you’ll probably want to get a contractor involved. The countertops themselves are fairly inexpensive, but when you add the cost of tools and time, you’re looking at a price similar to the upfront cost for installation.

Tile counters

If you’re feeling handy and you’re set on installing countertops yourself, tile may be the way to go. You can choose from a wide variety of tile styles to get the look you want and you can even create designs by staggering different colored tiles across the counter. Tiles are less expensive than slab, and if you make a mistake you can simply replace individual pieces. You may even be able to get instructions on tile installation from home improvement stores that specialize in DIY projects.

She Knows.Com Features Kitchen Ideas From Celebrity Interior Designer/NYC Based Home Stager Cathy Hobbs

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affordable decorating, Affordable Decorating Ideas, Affordable Design, Affordable Kitchen Ideas, Best Home Stager, Cathy Hobbs, Certified Staging Professional, CSP, Home Stager, Home Staging, Home Staging Course, kitchen ideas, kitchen tips, New York City, New York City's Top Stager, NYC Home Stager, NYC Interior Designer, real estate stager

Create A Cohesive Kitchen

Taking on a kitchen makeover means answering a lot of design questions, and sometimes it’s the little decisions that can trip a person up. If you’re having a hard time picking out the right faucet for your kitchen, use these tips to match your faucet to your countertops.

Decide on a design style

Before you start shopping for countertops or faucets, ask yourself a simple question: “What style kitchen am I designing?” Knowing in advance whether you’re designing an ultra modern, country rustic, industrial or old-world traditional kitchen will help you pick out faucets and countertops that look cohesive with your overall design. It’s way too easy to pick out separate items just because you like them without thinking about how they’ll fit together with the rest of your kitchen design.

Decide on proportions

If you’re inclined toward thicker, square-cut countertops that have a starker, more masculine appearance, you need a faucet that will be similarly bold and substantial. Look for thicker faucets with sharper angles and minimalistic details. On the other hand, if you prefer thinner countertops with curved edges and a softer appearance, faucets with curves and details may be more appropriate. In either case, you want your faucet to match your countertop in overall proportion.

Play up the details

Look carefully at the details in your countertops to help you decide on the details you want to carry over into your faucet decision. For instance, Chicago-based interior designer and owner of the design studio EDYTA&CO Interior Design suggests, “Think about the story you are telling. Veining in marble countertops could be very classical and lends itself to an ornamental look, so choosing a classic style faucet would play beautifully with it.” Similarly, if you choose a granite countertop with flecks of bronze or black, you may want to choose a faucet that plays up those colors with a Venetian or oil-rubbed bronze finish.

More expert tips

While it’s important to choose a faucet and countertop that work well together, Gina Samarotto of Samarotto Designs notes that “Almost any counter will work with almost any faucet; the trick is to make sure the metals apparent throughout your kitchen are cohesive.” So, if you fall in love with a Venetian bronze faucet but your drawer pulls and appliances are all stainless steel, chances are your kitchen will look a little disjointed. Make sure the finishes you choose match well with the rest of your kitchen design.

Finally, remember that the faucet must be functional. Cathy Hobbs, a celebrity interior designer and creator of Design Recipes, a residential interior design firm points out that, “A high spout can be great for aesthetics but not purposeful for shallow sinks as the water with bounce back. Also, for particularly deep sinks a long spout is needed in order to allow ample room for hand washing.”

Design Recipes Founder Celebrity Interior Designer/Home Stager Cathy Hobbs Selected For Prestigious “What’s Cooking In Real Estate” Series

Something is ‘Cooking’ in Real Estate

By Christine Lin/Epoch Times Staff

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  (Amal Chen/The Epoch Times)

NEW YORK—For real estate professionals looking to network, there’s now a tasty way to do it, thanks to the efforts of Vernon Jones and Judy Sahagian, executive producers of “What’s Cooking in Real Estate?”

What’s Cooking in Real Estate is a monthly show on which three real estate professionals pair up with three chefs to prepare a meal while chatting about food, business, and what inspires them.

During the taping of its second show on Aug. 2 at Urban Homes in New York City, Massey Knakal’s Robert Knakal prepared spinach pie (spanakopita) with chef Gregory Zapantis of Kellari Taverna, a Greek restaurant with locations in Manhattan and Washington D.C.

As Zapantis and Knakal layered phyllo dough, feta cheese, and spinach in a pan, they remarked on the connections between the restaurant industry and real estate.

“Many of the real estate people I know started out in retail,” said Knakal. “They bought the space and then from there got into real estate.”

Zapantis noted that restaurateurs built a good part of this city. “Tribeca used to be this out-of-the-way area, but chefs built it up,” he said. Good thing for Knakal, whose company is reaping the benefits. It recently closed a $24-million deal for an apartment building in that neighborhood.

Putting together the entrée for the evening was Kate Shin, president of WEmi:t LLC, and Chef Anthony Acinapura, Jr., also of Kellari Taverna. While Shin introduced the concept of her business, they prepared a simple baked halibut dish with hummus, olive puree, and cucumbers.

Shin, originally from Korea, specializes in converting old townhouses into “modern lifestyle properties.” Last year WEmi:t (which stands for “west meets east”) transformed a brick townhouse at 170 East 80th Street into what is now a 7-bedroom currently listed by Brown Harris Stevens for $35 million. The renovated design was done by architect Toshiko Mori and sports such amenities as a sauna and a 1,000-bottle capacity wine cellar.

For dessert, interior designer and home stager Cathy Hobbs made cupcakes with Serena Ogaldez, owner of Precious Delectibles. Before the batter was set, Hobbs had already designed a store for Ogaldez, painting a verbal picture filled with cream and red colors to mimic the fun and whimsy of a sweets shop. “You could layer fabrics like you would layer a cake,” she suggested.

Hobbs’ philosophy is to “make design affordable” by forming design concepts around found objects. Her advice: “Find something beautiful and build around it.”

Hobbs, formerly a broadcast reporter-then-anchor, has won five Emmy awards. She now hosts and produces Metro Residential, a real estate and design series, and teaches home staging at Certified Staging Professionals.

Finally, manning the bar that evening was Anthony Lolli, CEO of Rapid Realty.

With so much for a chef and real estate pro to discuss in such a short amount of time, the show still has some kinks to work out, but the marriage of food and real estate is an intriguing and promising one.

UPCOMING SCREENING FOR “WHAT’S COOKING IN REAL ESTATE” FEATURING CELEBRITY INTERIOR DESIGNER/HOME STAGER CATHY HOBBS

SCREENING DETAILS:

‘What’s Cooking in Real Estate’ Private Screening Monday, August 29, 2011 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (ET) New York,

Join Us on Monday, August 29th for the screening of

What’s Cooking in Real Estate?

Click Here to Register Online

In the Press:

The Epoch Times

The Real Deal Magazine

Real Estate Weekly

Beverly Hills Courier

 

‘What’s Cooking in Real Estate’ is a unique synergy of high powered

networking and content driven video production. Every month, Real Estate

Celebrities are joined with a live studio audience, which consist of

handpicked industry insiders to discuss specific market trends while

preparing delectible dishes. The goal is to stimulate the Real Estate Industry

by delivering up to date information on an unparalleled platform.

Topic: Bread Winning Entrepreneurs

Featured Chefs:

Chef Gregory Zapantis 

Chef Gregory Zapantis, Corporate Executive Chef, Kellari Taverna, NYC

Chef Anthony Acinapura Jr 

Executive Chef of Kellari Taverna in Washington, DC.

Serena Ogaldez

Owner, Precious Delectibles

Featured Speakers:

Robert Knakal, Chairman of Massey Knakal

Anthony Lolli, CEO of Rapid Realty

Kate Shin, President of WEmi:t LLC

Cathy Hobbs, Emmy Award Winning Host/ Interior Designer

Show Production:

Executive producers: Judy Sahagian | Vernon Jones

Produced By Live Open House

You Must Register Online

Included are: 

• What’s Cooking in Real Estate Viewing
• Real estate celebrities & industry leaders
• Media/Press
• Passed Appetizers
• Networking
• Sponsored exhibit tables
• Video Production
• Solid Business Building Opportunities!

Details:

The event will be held at Kellari Taverna 

See Map for directions.

 

• Location: Kellari Taverna | 19 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036
• Date / Time: Monday, August 29, 2011, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
• Registration: 5:00 pm
• Screening: :- 7:00pm 
• Networking: 7:30pm – 8:00pm

Registration Information: 

Register above to attend this event.

• Single registration: $20
• Group Registration: $15 (3 or more)
• At the door: $30 (Register Online and SAVE!)

Speakers / Cooks:

Above the bar at Kellari, the words “Enter as Strangers, Leave as Friends” are printed on a placecard. A feeling of warmth and hospitality permeates throughout the restaurant; a cozy Midtown gem with wood-beamed cathedral ceilings and walls warmed in sunset hues.

 Preparing the Appetizer:  

  

                                                        Chef Gregory Zapantis 

Chef Gregory Zapantis, Corporate Executive Chef, Kellari Taverna, NYC

Gregory Zapantis is Corporate Executive Chef and Operating Partner of Kellari Taverna in New York City. Prior to joining the Kellari Group, Chef Zapantis worked at Estiatorio Milos and Trata. He went on to launch Thalassa in Tribeca, where he became well known among fish aficionados. In 2006, Zapantis and partner Stavros Aktipis opened Kellari Taverna. A self-taught chef, Zapantis is very knowledgeable about fish, seasons, textures, fishing boats and even the special techniques used by fishermen throughout different parts of Greece.                       

Preparing Entree: 

 

                                                     Chef Anthony Acinapura Jr 

                          Executive Chef of Kellari Taverna in Washington, DC.

Anthony J. Acinapura, Jr. is Executive Chef of Kellari Taverna in Washington, DC. Prior to joining Kellari, Chef Acinapura served as Executive Chef for Rocco’s and China Grill in New York City. While at Rocco’s, Chef Acinapura starred in the reality show “The Restaurant” and was filmed managing all aspects of back of house operations. He has also served Chef de Cuisine at Potenza Trattoria and Special Events Chef at Zola Wine and Kitchen Stir Food Group in Washington, DC; Executive Chef for Blue Ribbon Restaurant in Brooklyn, NY; and Chef de Cuisines at the celebrity-owned Tribecca Grill in New York, NY. Additionally, Chef Acinapura spent four years of cooking under Chef David Bouley at Bouley Restaurant, a four-star French fine-dining establishment. He has travelled extensively throughout Italy and Greece learning about Mediterranean dishes in many coastal village tavernas and trattorias.         

Precious Delectibles/ Serena Ogaldez, Owner

Precious Delectibles is a very prestigous and dependable home-based company gracing the taste buds of many celebrities, families and businesses for over 3 years.

 

As Owner and Pastry Chef of Precious Delectibles I began my expedition into the baking world from my love of satisying my clients tasting experience. I am a mother of two precious children who came up with recipes for delectibles that created an overwhelming response. Beginning with weekend dinners & dessert sales to friends and family triggered a rapid escalation of my customer base.

 My Determination to succeed and to provide my daughters with a fine example is my mantra for consistent hard work. My love and dedication for providing an equisitelty tasting product has put Precious Delectibles on the trail to a “Baking Success”

                                Preparing the Appetizer:                                  

Robert A. Knakal, Chairman, Massey Knakal Realty Services 

Mr. Knakal is the Chairman and Founding Partner of Massey Knakal Realty Services. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. To date, Mr. Knakal has brokered the sale of over 1,100 properties in his career having a market value in excess of $6.8 billion. Mr. Knakal writes a nationally renowned blog called StreetWise and also writes a weekly article on the NYC Real Estate Market called Concrete Thoughts for The Commercial Observer.

Serving the Drink:

Anthony Lolli A Dream Realized

Anthony Lolli is the Founder and CEO of Rapid Realty, one of the fastest-growing real estate companies in New York. He’s also an investor who owns several multi-family properties and he has a background construction and development.

Anthony rose from humble beginnings in Brooklyn to become a leader in both real estate and the world of franchising. From a single office in South Park Slope, Anthony led Rapid Realty through more than 14,000 rental transactions in three years before deciding to start franchising. Rapid Realty exploded from two offices to forty-six in just nineteen months. Today, Rapid is home to more than 700 agents working in all five boroughs, Long Island, and New Jersey.

Anthony avoided the spotlight while he oversaw this incredible expansion. Now, though, he’s taking center stage, sharing the secrets of his success and advising entrepreneurs from the real estate industry and beyond on his new site, AnthonyLolli.com

Preparing Entree: 

Kate Shin   President of WEmi:t LLC                                       

Kate Shin is President of WEmi:t LLC, a New York-based real estate company that develops and invests in high-end boutique residential properties, including 170 East 80th Street in Manhattan, a 19th century townhouse reborn as a modern mansion. The company’s name stands for “Where West Meets East,” paying homage to two cultures that have enriched Ms. Shin’s personal and professional life – West and East – representing the time she has lived and worked in both New York and Korea.

Shin has extensive real estate investment and development experience, with expertise inmanaging projects that require high quality design and rigorous asset management skills. For more than 13 years, she managed real estate investments in global markets through investment banks and consulting firms. Today, she is focused on raising capital in Asia to invest in U.S. real estate.

 Preparing Dessert:

                                                   Cathy Hobbs,  owner Cathy Hobbs Design Recipes

                                                    ASID, LEED AP, Certified Staging Professional

            As many people know I am an ASID, NCIDQ Certified Interior Designer, that said let me make it clear that interior design is very different from staging. Interior Design is about living in a space and to become a professional interior designer requires years of education and experience. Home staging is about real estate and is in its essence about marketing. To cut to the chase, it is about presentation and creating an enticing atmosphere so that potential buyers can envision themselves living in a space. Staging isn’t about custom furniture and personal colors it is about showcasing and styling a property so that it sells for the largest amount of money in the shortest amount of time.

Interior Designer Cathy Hobbs Wins HGTV Design Star EP 5 Camera Challenge Shares Thoughts On Episode

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kitchen ideas, kitchen tips, sears

For Episode 5 of HGTV Design Star one of the prizes in addition to winning the challenge was that the winner of the camera challenge would have their winning video displayed on HGTV.com, EVERYONE wanted to win this one. There was the one catch, of having only one take and the video had to be done in precisely one minute. As someone used to having a director in my ear on an IFB pacing myself would not be a problem, if I at least had a chance to practice and knew my time marks along the way.  As we all waited our turn, we paced on the sidewalk..practicing..it was really funny to see..all of us were in our own little areas, talking to ourselves. I was part of the last group to go.  I was fairly confident I would not go over, which was key, being cut off meant you would not win for sure.  If I could at least come fairly close to one minute, I knew I could pace myself to the finish, which I did. It felt really good to win a challenge, especially the camera challenge! Thank you camera man! As far as the design challenge,  we were faced with designing the “perfect kitchen”. As kitchens and bathrooms are such critical aspects of home design and home selling, I was quite excited to see that this was the challenge.  We were presented with a number of finish options as far as flooring and cabinets, and were allowed to select our backsplash on our own if we desired to have one. My design partner Karl and I felt it was key to have one. I was the one who selected a glass mosaic backsplash with hints of orange, white and brown.  In selecting our wall paint colors, Karl and I selected an orange and celery green.  It turns out selecting the orange wasn’t a good thing, but a GREAT thing. At the end of day one, after selecting the appliances for the kitchen Karl walked in and immediately came up to me. As I had had my head down for the last 3-4 hours hard at work painting our room I had not had a chance to see what color the other designers had used to design their kitchens. To my utter surprise, literally 3 of us had almost used the same exact color green on our walls. That is when the orange paint became our savior in addition to the fact that as luck would have it I had selected a backsplash with orange and brown tones.  There were so many aspects of the kitchen design that I thought we did well. The dining room table which was made of an exotic wood and created from a single slab was praised by the judges along with a bowl from Indonesia that I selected.  The decision to pair white leather chairs with the wood dining table I also thought worked well.  The backsplash was installed impeccably. A ceiling light we selected to hang above the kitchen island was also praised especially by panel member Paula Dean.  This was a last minute find to save the least.  With just hours to go on day 2, Karl and I knew that we needed to add a light fixture and unfortunately we did not have one.  While Karl was out shopping for all of the food to style the room, I called a store that I was familiar with in New York and had the owner describe to me which light fixtures they had on the showroom floor that we could leave with immediately. Luckily it was still there when Karl arrived!

My winning camera challenge

Photographed inside the Sears Kitchen Challenge

Our contemporary kitchen

Our contemporary kitchen

The table I selected made of a single slab of wood. Love this!

Me and my design team partner Karl inside our contemporary kitchen