Kitchen & Bath Business - July/August 2019 - 38

HOT TOPIC

Four-Part Harmony

Holistic home
grows with and
serves its owners

"THE WHOLE IS GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS," is a phrase

attributed to Aristotle. This ancient philosophy applies to many different
aspects of life, and it's particularly true regarding the design and building
of a home. There are literally thousands of parts and pieces that go into the
crafting of a house, but how can they all work together to their full potential?
I recently visited the KB Home ProjeKt, a concept home built in Henderson,
Nev., that did just that.
Aptly entitled "Where Tomorrow Lives," it was builder/developer KB
Homes' idea to incorporate aspects of what buyers are looking for today
and at the same time integrate some very well-thought-out ideas that can
lead them into the future. KB Homes' initial approach was to collectively
gather all the different parties involved in the creation of the home - from
the architectural design, materials, operating systems and interior design at
the ground level.
Jacob Atalla, vice president of sustainability at KB Homes, stated that the
success of the project was a result of a team collaboration, and by doing this, a
solid foundation of innovation was formed that led to some very interesting
and creative results. What emerged from this holistic approach was a list of
four basic requirements integrated into the design of the home that would
reach across all age groups, allowing the home to 'grow'along with its owners:
1. Sustainability
2. Wellness
3. Adaptability
4. Smart Technology

ABOVE The kitchen in the

KB Home ProjeKt house
features a Whirlpool Smart
Combination Wall Oven with
Microwave Convection in
ﬁngerprint-resistant sunset
bronze with connected features that let you send cooking instructions to the oven
from your smartphone.

ABOVE INSET The Sensate
Faucet oﬀers Kohler Konnect
- a voice-controlled assistant
that can turn the water on
and oﬀ, provide measured
amounts of water and monitor
and track usage.

PATRICIA GAYLOR
is the owner of Patricia
Gaylor Interiors in
Henderson, Nev.

SUSTAINABILITY IS CONSERVATION

A sustainable home includes the conservation of
water, a precious resource in the Southwest. Going well beyond low-flow faucets and toilets, the
introduction of smart technology in the kitchen
and bathroom has become a real game changer in
water conservation.
A faucet that can answer a verbal command to
pour out a measured amount of water is convenient for sure, but one that can turn itself off when
left running too long conserves water, money and
potential damage from flooding. Kohler's Sensate
Touchless faucet, a Kohler Konnect smart product, will answer verbal commands through Alexa,
Google Assistant or the Apple Home Kit.
Wellness is a term we're hearing a lot lately, and
it's more than just eating the right foods and exercising. Wellness incorporates creating environments that foster healthy living, which can address
anything from indoor air quality to noise and sleep
issues and even lighting. All these things affect not
only our mood but can impact our health as well.
An estimated 164 million Americans apparently struggle with sleep issues. Our exposure to blue

/ JULY-AUG. 2019 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of NKBA (NKBA.org) and KBIS (KBIS.com)

http://www.KBBONLINE.COM http://www.NKBA.org http://www.KBIS.com

Kitchen & Bath Business - July/August 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Kitchen & Bath Business - July/August 2019