Home and Garden

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is proud to announce that the 2009 NKBA Design Competition. Art of the Industry will be the largest ever for this internationally acclaimed competition, which showcases the finest kitchen and bath projects of the past year. Recognizing the importance of the competition in our industry, the NKBA has decided to more than double the cash prizes in 2009 to over $100,000. Of that amount, $25,000 will be presented to the winner of the Pinnacle of Design Award, which honors the year’s top design, representing the peak of form and function. Tw o new categories have also been added to the NKBA Design Competition for 2009: Best Sustainable Kitchen, sponsored by GE Monogram®, and Best Sustainable Bath, sponsored by Rheem®.

In addition, the NKBA welcomes This Old House® as sponsor of the Best Before & After category and American Woodmark as sponsor for all of the competitions 3D modeling. The NKBA is also pleased to have Sub-Zero®/Wolf®, Miele™, and Dal-Tile® continue as sponsors for the Pinnacle of Design, Best Overall Kitchen, and Best Overall Bathroom awards, respectively.

A Cappella show on October 6, 2008.

To celebrate World Habitat Day on October 6, 2008, the a capella concert, Harmony for Habitat, will take place and will feature barbershop-style harmony and other a cappella singing from around the Coastal Empire to benefit Hilton Head Regional Habitat for Humanity and commemorate World Habitat Day 2008.

The Hilton Head Lighthouse Chorus has a well-deserved reputation for supporting local charities via their community support program. In the past year, they’ve produced a benefit for Deep Well, donated $1,000 to the Bluffton High School Music Program, performed, and made a donation at the Hearts for Henry benefit concert. So, when Sing-Out Chairperson Paul Jacobson presented the idea for the Habitat for Humanity benefit to the chorus board of directors, it didn’t take much to persuade them.

An elegant & well-appointed residence in Rose Hill Plantation

A veritable tribute to fine and historic masterpieces, this elegant and well-appointe home, in step Monthly’s October “arts-infused” issue, features numerous stunning paintings by 19th century English and French artists, which are as grand as the space in which they are displayed. Note the beautiful heart pine flooring throughout). In the magnificent living room, pictured this page: The painting over the fireplace is entitled, “Japanese Wedding Cart” by Heublant (French school). Over the door, visitors will find “A View of Dordrect - the Grote Kerk” by James Webb (English school). The two paintings on the right, by Vogel, include “A View of a Cathedral” and “An Interior of a Church” (Rembrandt’s mother is buried there).

Who invited them?

The title does not refer to weeds. Weeds are easily recognized for what they are and are not trying to fool you into believing otherwise. The barbarians, on the contrary, appear opulently cloaked and disguised to gain entrance into your garden. And the worst of it is that you invited them, providing space and opportunity to thrive! Thenceforth they are harder to be rid of than the legendary man who came to dinner. For the most part they are introduced through the pages of glossy catalogues emanating from everywhere except the South. Or maybe a garden tour of Europe raised expectations of what is possible in the Lowcountry. It is not news that, in the garden anyway, hope springs eternal.

At the top of this villainous list is the oft-touted Virginia creeper, praised for its stunning fall color adorning walls in England. If you fall for this blandishment, you will never be totally rid of it, as it pops up everywhere but never develops the promised fall color. Every excursion through your grounds will give you an opportunity to pluck out some of it. Well, you say, this is not England after all, but the Lowcountry of South Carolina, so how could one be so foolish?

The many reasons that a property management professional is a must for your rental.

There are those among us for whom the American dream isn’t just about owning their home. It’s also about owning a vacation property with a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean, a large deck, a hot tub and a pool. It’s about having a vacation retreat that’s meticulously maintained and always awaiting their arrival. Such homes can stretch nearly everyone’s budget, especially budgets for those unable to pry themselves away from their jobs for only a few days out of the year. After a quick cost/benefit analysis, some may believe that the dream of owning a vacation home might forever remain solely a dream.

Imagination & creative design transform dreams into reality.

Sometimes you have to be able to look beyond the old and outdated to imagine that the house you have purchased can become the home of your dreams. Such was the case for Dennis Egan and Kim Godfrey, who bought their classic home in The Sea Pines Resort as a second home. “Initially, we fell in love with Sea Pines, Twin Pines Road in particular, and when we found this house, with its beautiful view and spacious floorplan, we knew this was the house for us,” said Dennis.

Although the house had much of what Dennis and Kim envisioned for their home, there were areas that were tired and in need of updating. The couple enlisted the aid of architect Mark Paszek to execute the reinvention of the house. “Kim and I had a vision and ideas that we had collected together over time. Mark was wonderful at translating those ideas into reality, and as it happens many times with a renovation, the project took a life of its own, and our second home became the focus of our time, passion and energy.”

Hilton Head’s TidePointe offers luxury living at its finest.

TidePointe, A Classic Residence by Hyatt, offers luxury living at its finest. A continuing care retirement community, TidePointe gives its residents and their families peace of mind. Surrounded by a beautiful landscape and situated on Hilton Head Island’s south end, TidePointe is safely tucked away in a gated community with 24-hour security. Approximately 10 years ago, residents of The Sea Pines Resort sought luxury retirement living inspiring the creation of TidePointe. Then, about two years later, TidePointe became a TidePointe, A Classic Residence by Hyatt when Hyatt assumed management.

TidePointe offers a variety of well-planned villas, verandas and cottages, which are attractive, spacious and comfortable. Residents enjoy weekly housekeeping services, as well as delicious fare courtesy top chefs, plus a plethora of cultural events, social activities, health services and other amenities.

Adding layers of light and other tips for enhancing the most popular gathering space in your home.

Bring your kitchen to life with carefully chosen and thoughtfully placed lighting fixtures. Whether preparing a meal or hosting a casual get-together, you’ll love how multiple layers of light can change your kitchen’s mood to suit the moment. A well-designed plan provides ideal lighting for every situation.

Begin by imagining all the activities that will take place here – dining on the island, food preparation on the counter, reading the morning newspaper – and consider layering light in such a way that will help you be the most productive and comfortable in this space.

When considering general lighting needs, even light distribution and flexibility are essential. Consider recessed fixtures spaced evenly throughout the kitchen, with additional lighting positioned above islands, working countertops, sinks and ranges.

Good bones make good gardens.

Whether one is aware or not, when a gardener plans and plants a garden he is undertaking to compose a picture, in other words, a work of art; and a work of art is always enhanced by a frame, which focuses and presents it to best advantage. This is usually not initially considered, and the result may be a rapid bleeding of the planting scheme into surrounding areas, diminishing and scattering its beauty. This is where the sometimes misunderstood term, hardscape or “bones” of the garden, comes in. “Bones” is merely an expression of a framework to enhance the plantings, to provide access to movement among them with ease and pleasure, and to connect the house with its grounds.

Paths, edgings and walls are the main elements to lend definition and pattern, while also providing a sense of place and focus. Since walls of any sort are generally discouraged on Hilton Head Island, the hardscape most frequently considered will be that of paths and edgings. It is much easier to plan and plant a space that has dedicated limitations, thus clearly revealing what, where and how much you have to work with and furnish. Furthermore, permanent edgings prevent grass and the inevitable drift of pine straw and/ or oak leaves from blurring the lines.