Shaw Floors will serve as the official flooring sponsor in this year's fifth annual House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year in New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza. The kitchen will showcase Shaw’s Gold Rush Walnut from the Cradle to Cradle certified Epic Hardwood collection. House Beautiful has enlisted top kitchen designer Mick De Giulio to bring his passion for comfortable, livable and beautiful kitchens to the Plaza.
“It is my job to write the music. I may call myself a kitchen designer, but what I really do is orchestrate and conduct the dreaming process," said De Giulio. Open to the public daily from Monday, July 16, through Friday, July 20, the Kitchen of the Year will be located on the North Plaza Block of Rockefeller Plaza (50th and 51st Streets, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues) in New York.
Made in the U.S., Gold Rush Walnut features Shaw’s EnviroCore, a durable core board made either from post-industrial recycled content or wood by-products. The innovative core allows Shaw to use approximately 50 percent less newly harvested wood than conventional 3/8” engineered hardwood flooring. The floor is additionally MBDC Cradle to Cradle Silver certified. Gold Rush Walnut is used throughout the kitchen, including the airy, French-door clad pavilion.
In addition to showcasing the wonderfully functional aspects of the kitchen, House Beautiful celebrates the fifth anniversary of its Kitchen of the Year with exciting presentations highlighting influential design trends and interactive programs with designers, craftsmen and lifestyle leaders. The 1,000-square-foot Kitchen of the Year contains both an indoor and outdoor fully functioning kitchen area, where visitors can enjoy cooking demonstrations and sample delicious culinary goods each day.
"Mick is not just any kitchen designer -- he is THE kitchen designer with hundreds of projects completed around the globe,” said Newell Turner, editor in chief of House Beautiful. “We've featured his work in House Beautiful and he is admired throughout the industry as one of the very best.”
The 2012 Kitchen of the Year will feature Shaw Floors and numerous other partners, including Belgard Hardscapes, Caesarstone, Kohler, KraftMaid, Whirlpool, Aircraft Scentsticks, Ann Sacks, Circa Lighting, The Container Store, Frontgate, Glidden, Grandin Road, Grothouse, Hickory Chair, iRobot, Kravet, Michael Aram, Napoleon Fireplaces, and VTech.
“Our Gold Rush Walnut has provided a beautiful foundation for Mr. De Giulio’s grand scheme,” said Kathy Young, Shaw’s director of marketing. “Our Epic hardwood is crafted using the most tested and dependable techniques, resulting in a stunning hardwood floor that embodies Shaw’s commitment to innovation and style.”
To learn more about the 2012 Kitchen of the Year and watch House Beautiful’s interview with De Giulio, visit www.housebeautiful.com/KOTY. Visitors will also find an event schedule and, following the event, videos, podcasts and other special features. The kitchen will additionally be featured in the October 2012 issue of House Beautiful, which will hit newsstands in mid-September.
