The explosion of home automation and the increasing use of home theatres is a great opportunity for designers and contractors. In fact, K&B specialists already have a real talent for the essentials in many spaces well beyond their specialty. The demand for custom cabinetry solutions extends beyond the confines of cooking and bathing, and is often a must have in great rooms, master bedrooms, home offices, and of course home theatres.

While we have done a great many kitchen and bath remodels, we always included it in the entire house plan and used the same cabinetmakers for work through out. We also bundled technology needs with a partner company realizing economies for our clients by using one vendor for all spaces.

Partnering effectively with fellow design talents, contractors and specialists has been paramount in our success. We are able to provide a one stop shop by presenting a suite of services encompassing all job aspects.

Forming strategic alliances benefits all parties. According to Mark Spears, Director of Multi-Family Design and Sales, Living Spaces based in Atlanta, Georgia, their rapport with the technology gurus at Home IQ is an essential element for comprehensive solutions throughout the home with technology. They represent Woodmode and Brookhaven cabinetry and both companies have been in home theatre design for a long time.

The public is clamoring for the latest, greatest, newest, and slickest. Spears declared that it isnt practicality that people want, it is WOW! It is a great time to boost the bottom line with add on sales in technology in the kitchen and bath. Jill Koepplin, Senior Manager, Outbound Operations, Best Buy says that homebuyers are looking to see . . . solutions such as LCD panels and in-ceiling music.

Upgrades like these are often best done at the onset of construction as retrofitting can cost as much as 3 times more, according to Koeplin. While your laptop may be wireless, homes are not yet there. It takes planning in the design stages to really make a difference and create the home a client is dreaming of. As designers we need to stay one step ahead of what they want so that by the time it happens we arent behind.

Average investments for home theatre packages vary widely and can be designed to fit a range of budgets and home values. Kevin Winneroski, Director of Merchandising for Home Entertainment, Best Buy describes the low end as under $1000 while the high end can run well over $40K.

A whole house system can add tens of thousands in investment but allow convenience and comfort. With schedules becoming ever busier, by the time many get home these days, they dont want to leave again. Homes are their source of entertainment and refuge.

Having completed one clients basement renovation including a guest room, full bath, home theatre, family room, bar, and wine tasting room with cellar, we were delighted to learn that in the ensuing weeks their home has been singularly the most popular in the neighborhood as the best place to hang out for the night. Incorporating technology throughout the space, working closely with the client, and their chosen vendor, Best Buy, we delivered a customized fit complete with built-in cabinetry in the theatre, family room, and bar to suit the needs given. All was completed by our cabinetmakers typically responsible for our kitchen and bath work.

Great design incorporating innovative product and leading edge technology can be truly life transformative. For clients Phil and Gwenn Weiss and their children, they like to joke that rather than buying a vacation home, we remodeled our basement. It is a lot closer, more convenient, and we are the hub of neighborhood activities now. It is almost like having our own private club.

Gwenn has a Desperate Housewives night, Phil regularly has the guys in for sports and wine tastings, and the kids have their friends over for the latest video or computer game, (well within the watchful eye of their folks, but no so close as to feel confined or regulated.)

Moving into home theatre with cabinet capabilities and on the converse moving into the kitchen and bath with home automation are natural ways to grow business without needing to retool or even get new clients. Providing more extensive services to your already satisfied buyers is always the best way to go. After all as designers our job is to create a custom, unique personal experience for our clients. And in this day and age that means bringing everything they might need, want and desire within arms reach at home.

Copyright 2006 Melissa Galt

With everything we moms have to do, making time for our friends seems impossible. Were lucky if we have time to do more than shoot them an occasional email, and its likely that our friends feel like theyre in the same boat.

But have you noticed that your children are happier when theyve had a chance to play with others? That somehow we find the time to schedule play dates for them?

We moms are the same way. We need our friends to make us laugh, share our troubles and just keep us connected to the world beyond children and work. The good news is that if we schedule time to be with our friends well be more likely to keep the appointments and come back feeling refreshed and better able to deal with our family and work responsibilities.

So are you ready for some great ideas for play dates for moms? Here are five that are sure to delight and invigorate you and your friends.

1. Start A Birthday Club. Get together with your friends to celebrate each others birthdays. But dont just stop there. Someone, somewhere is having a birthday every month, so take advantage of it. Schedule a birthday celebration every month to get together with your friends for lunch or dinner. Make it clear to all that presents arent part of the celebration. Being together is the best gift of all and the pressure of finding and spending money on presents wont be an issue.

2. Think About A Cooking Club. This is a great idea for both creative cooks and budget-strapped moms. Each month, let one friend do the cooking for the bunch. You can trade houses and everyone gets a chance to contribute and to relax letting someone else do the cooking for a change. Try different ethnic cuisines and, to keep it interesting, ask everyone to dress as they would if they lived in that country. Dont like to cook? Thats why they invented the deli!

3. Schedule Spa Days. Who doesnt love getting the spa treatment? You and your friends can meet at a local spa for massages and/or facials. Getting manicures and pedicures are also a great way to be together and have a marvelous time. If finances dont permit, get together at a friends house and do each others fingernails and toenails. Youll have a wonderful time, and this is certain to be a crowd pleaser with lots and lots of laughs included.

4. Can You Say Book Club? Book Clubs are still all the rage, and for good reason. People love to share what theyre reading and what they think about it. They offer you and your friends the opportunity to get together and share your ideas and a bottle of wine or two. Book Clubs offer an endless variety of subjects and topics to choose from, so call up your friends and schedule a Book Club play date today!

5. Scrapbook Away, Ladies. Yes, get some scrapbooking supplies together and have a scapbooking party. Throw some Sangria into the mix and this is a definite play date your friends will want to have over and over. Which is the point a play date scrapbook. Each time you get together, everyone can make a page for their scrapbook to memorialize the time you spend together. Not only will you and your friends have tons of fun, youll have something from your play date to keep and cherish.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ideas for play dates for moms. Use this list as a starting point to spark some creative ideas of your own. The important thing is to schedule that play date with your friends today and keep it! You need it, and so do they!

Copyright 2006 Karen Fusco

What is the safest, a forward or rear facing child safety seat? Everyone has a different answer on this and many states have different laws governing the age, weight or size of the child or infant in question. By looking at and interpreting car accident reports and data it is an obvious finding that the severity of accidents were reportedly lower when a rear facing child safety seat was used properly.

It is important to say when used properly here as data from fire department personnel through the years shows upwards of 50% of child safety seats are not properly installed. This could be as simple as the belt tensioner not being pulled tight enough, but there have been instances where the child was sitting on top of the restraints (the restraints were only protecting the seat in this instance and not the child). The latest most famous instance of abuse of child safety seat laws is Britney Spears driving with her child in her lap. There is a lot of literature available on how to properly install and adjust a child safety seat, but more needs to be done to reduce unnecessary injuries due to improperly installed child safety seats.

Even though any child safety seat is better than none, a rear facing seat is especially important for babies and small children as they can face the highest risks of paralysis and permanent injury. Babies and small children are at risk for more severe spinal cord and brain and neck injuries as their muscles are weaker and their head weighs significantly more in proportion to the rest of their body. This increases the extent and severity of whiplash injuries. According to the National Institute for Highway Safety:

Rear-facing car seats spread frontal crash forces over the whole area of the babys back, head and neck; they also prevent the head from snapping relative to the body in a frontal crash.

So, it is obvious that we should use a rear facing child safety seat for as long as feasible and as required by our state and federal driving laws. It is important to note that regardless of the child safety seat used, not all injuries can be prevented. Unfortunately some crashes are unavoidable and unsurvivable. Still, we can do much to increase our chances of survival for our children by properly installing the child safety seats. It is a good idea to stop by your local fire department and have them look at your child safety seats. They are trained to know exactly what is and is not safe in these safety seats and its free. Besides, kids love firemen and fire engines, they will have fun and you will feel better about their safety.

Copyright 2006 David Maillie