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Lasting Impressions Along the woodline in my backyard is a small, abandoned cabin, its stone chimney all but hidden among the privet that has overgrown the old, rotting timbers of the site. But what remains there makes me smile every year in the earliest days of spring: a line of daffodils planted long ago. These flowers pop up out of the dead ground with the promise of a new season, a new life. They have spread to form happy clumps everywhere. Around our much newer home, I have installed a number of plants to enhance our landscape. Some have made it and some have not, but those daffodils continue on annually without fail. What makes some plants thrive and others fade? It all has to do with location and timing (and a little luck). Seeing those daffodils blooming by the old stone chimney each year reminds me that some things have longevity while others can be fleeting. And while we tend to enjoy the newest, the latest and greatest of things, we also tend to have an appreciation for things that stand the test of time. This duality reminded me a bit of the designs I saw at the recent Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS). The sheer number of choices available in the kitchen and bath market these days
�Seeing those daffodils blooming by the old stone chimney each year reminds me that some things have longevity while others can be fleeting.� was a tad overwhelming — I loved the new hardware finishes and innovative ways of maximizing functionality and space, but it also was nice to see that some classic designs never go out of style. It’s truly amazing how some companies are taking traditional designs and reimagining them — creating a stronger, seamless composite panel that looks identical to marble or using rice hulls to manufacture “wood” panels. I spoke with several designers to get their takes on today’s trends, and some did not even like that word. The consensus was that if you like it, do it! Don’t worry about what others think—play with colors, with finishes, with shapes and see what feels right. Mixing metals or using different finishes in each room or merging minimalism with your clutterbug tendencies (and finding a stylish way to hide all your stuff). The goal of many builders and homeowners is to create something that lasts. Something that will be valued in years to come. I wonder if any of the trees, shrubs and flowers I have planted will be appreciated by the next generation? I wonder if the person who planted those daffodils had any idea that someone would still be enjoying them each spring, all these years later? And although some would look at my privet-overgrown chimney as something that needs to be cleaned up, each spring looking at the daffodils hiding under that thicket brings me joy and reminds me that this backyard of mine, with my additions of flowers that may or may not survive, will carry on a history that reflects its owners over the years. Jennifer Williams, Managing Editor
JENNIFER WILLIAMS | MANAGING EDITOR | SURFACE & PANEL MAGAZINE | JWILLIAMS@526MEDIAGROUP.COM | 714-486-2735
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