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August 21 • 2008

9114

II= I= •••

Ilan Hazan and Doron Mizrahi of Aviv Global

Kevin Kerr, superintendent of
operations for 21st Century Building
Co., a West Bloomfield home improve-
ment and construction company, says
his firm is expanding a kitchen for
a Rochester family living on a golf
course. The family took down its 3-
year-old glass-and-screen-enclosed
back room and are expanding the
existing kitchen by 300 square feet
into the back room.
Independent designer Diane Shada
Williams, who works with 21st
Century, says that when redoing a
small or large kitchen, to maximize
space create a triangle design between
the sink, refrigerator and oven or stove
top, making it easier to walk back and
forth while preparing food. She also
says granite, at an average price of
$50 per square foot installed, "is an
extremely good value'
NKBA has held conferences explor-
ing the growing trend of incorporating
sustainable, ecologically friendly green
building design, one of the fastest
growing segments in the market, into
innovative and attractive kitchens and
baths. Green design can integrate cabi-
nets, countertops, lighting and fixtures
to enhance livability and aesthetics.
Much of the popularity of granite is
related to cost and, like so many other
products, those coming from overseas
are cheaper, thanks to low labor rates,
Hazan said.
Aviv Global imports its products,
including sinks and faucets, from
South America and Asia. The company
charges a base price of $39 per square
foot, including installation.
American retailers pay 70 percent
more for similar American-made
products, says Hazan, whose business

partner is Doron Mizrahi.
Price also is a determinant when
people choose the granite colors,
Hazan says. Uba tuba, a dark green,
and santa cicilia, yellowish with cran-
berry streaks, are cheaper colors since
they are readily available. The exotic
colors, such as juparana Sahara, with
lots of veins and swirls in rose, browns
and gold, are more expensive as only
one quarry makes it. Most Aviv Global
customers buy the common colors.
Sallan's customers "are looking for
the real thing ... more expensive,
exotic colors and marbles;' she says.
Her company charges from $75 to
$100 per square foot and more, based
on the rarity of the stone.
Conan remains an ideal countertop
because of its anti-bacterial proper-
ties, she adds. In the typical kitchen,
stainless steel is used as an accent in
smaller areas, such as an island, or on
a countertop near the cook-top area.
Most people prefer white marble,
green granite or dark chocolate in
wood counters. Sallan says, noting that
"ultimately it depends on the color
people are matching to their cabinetry.
Everybody wants an island that looks
like a free-standing piece of furniture.
It doesn't have to match the perimeter
cabinetry."
She says many people are mixing
and matching their countertop mate-
rials, such as wood with marble and
wood with stainless steel.
Another emerging trend is the
growing importance of interior stor-
age for everything from linens to
Tupperware. "We customize interiors
of all cabinets:' Sallan says. "Today,
it is not just how it looks but how it
works!' ❑