~ AT-HOME WELLNESS AND BEYOND ~
INSIDE THE KITCHEN & BATH
INDUSTRY SHOW
AND A SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH
WELLNESS EXPERT MARIEL HEMINGWAY
Each year, tens of thousands meet annually for the National Kitchen Bath Association’s (NKBA)
Kitchen Bath Industry Show (KBIS).
This gathering showcases the latest advances and trends in all-things
kitchen and bath for the home, and features hundreds of exhibitors and
thousands of trade attendees from around the world. This year’s event was at Chicago’s McCormick Place April 24-27th.
One of the reasons for attending KBIS was to interview noted wellness expert Mariel Hemingway, who is also the brand advocate for Cambria USA, a leading manufacturer
quartz, marble natural stone surfaces for the kitchen and bath. Other reasons included wanting to gain a
better understanding and appreciation for this industry and what the NKBA was offering in terms of green
initiatives and its commitment to sustainability that included utilizing
natural elements and materials, including those recycled or re-purposed for
cabinetry, countertops, sinks, tubs, fixtures, and other related features,
which would reduce their carbon footprint.
No longer a trend, but a vital necessity to a brand’s
viability and consumer demand, sustainability and green initiatives in most
industries continues to grow in prominence with more and more manufacturers
finding a way to reduce their carbon footprint, streamline their operations,
contribute to improving natural resources, recycling, re-purposing materials,
which leads to manufacturing and production offset costs, which further leads
to lowering their bottom-line and becoming more profitable; all of which
hopefully translates to cost savings being passed down to the customer in the
form of a more attractive price point for the finished product. This growing
trend ultimately becomes a win-win for businesses, consumers and the
environment. I also attended the
industry breakfast, which featured an awards presentation to companies that have
demonstrated a commitment to giving back to the community with surplus building
materials for programs that benefit the disadvantaged. Aside from the show’s enormity and
significance in consumer-driven products, it was also a very impressive showing
for this industry’s best.
~ WELLNESS EXPERT MARIEL
HEMINGWAY ~
While at the show, I had the pleasure of spending some time
with this extremely busy wellness expert to interview her on related issues of
wellness and a healthy lifestyle.
Besides being the brand advocate for Cambria
USA, she was also the national spokesperson for this year’s SpaFinder Wellness Week and was a featured
guest speaker at the recent international Global
Spa and Wellness Summit. She is also
a celebrated actress, having starred in thirty films, a frequent guest on talk
shows and television sitcoms, an author, a yoga expert, blogger and
spokesperson for Tatschme, a
paraben-free, natural skincare line from Italy.
When not juggling all of these demands, she finds time for her partner, Bobby
Williams; fiercely devoted to each other, they maintain a healthy and active
lifestyle.
While tragedy has been a part of this beautiful woman’s
life, such tragedies became the catalyst for her determination to live a life
to its fullest with purpose, passion and humility. Her lifetime has been a journey of
discovery. She learned along the way
that not only was it important to take care of others and oneself, it also
required becoming committed to living a healthy lifestyle and experiencing aspects
of wellness consistently. This included
regular exercise such as yoga, hiking, or rock climbing, and eating a healthy
and nutritious diet of natural or organic whole foods that were ethically
raised. She extends this principle by
raising her own chickens in addition to having a vegetable garden. She admits that over the years she’s tried
many different eating trends, which helped her to discover what worked and what
didn’t work. The nutritional aspects
also led to her authoring two successful cookbooks that served as guides to
those in search of redefining their eating habits and transforming them into
healthy and nutritional ones.
Along the way, she feels she has become her own best teacher
while also learning from the examples of everything and everyone around her. She also believes that by changing small
things in one’s life that over time, those changes will lead to making things
better and intrinsic to one’s life of health and well-being. At this point in her life, she is feeling
better than ever and in all aspects of her life and fully appreciates living
her life in balance with those things and choices that made for a healthier
lifestyle. She also enjoys going to spas
and loves how spas have been transformed into places that more and more are
emphasizing the importance of health and wellness and then incorporating those
aspects into the guest experience.
It wasn’t just one thing that transformed her life, but
rather a lifetime of experiences that included self-discovery, education, trial
and error, determination and acceptance.
In addition to finding balance, she also believes that a person has to honestly
assess what they want to accomplish in their life and need to achieve a
healthier lifestyle. After all, life is
about choices, but understanding those choices and knowing how they’ll impact
one’s life.
Lastly, a major part of her life’s journey was not being
afraid to openly discuss issues related to mental illness that has been a part
of her family’s history. All too often
those suffering from mental illness have a societal stigma making them ashamed
of their illness and making them withdraw, which often leads to depression,
anxiety and even schizophrenia. The
issues of mental health are a critical part of living a life in balance, full of
health and well-being.
Mariel Hemingway
remains a highly regarded wellness expert whose life continues to be a work in
progress. I have no doubt that the best
is yet to come and look forward to her continuing to be an exemplar in areas of
health and wellness. http://www.marielhemingway.com/index.php
~ SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN
INITIATIVES ~
Following are just a few of the companies at KBIS that are committed to
sustainability and green initiatives; each company offers products that are functionally
beautiful, technologically advanced and environmentally-friendly.
Native Trails ~ http://www.nativetrails.net/cm/our_story/why_native_trails.html
Premier Copper Products ~ http://premiercopperproducts.com/green-solutions.html
Wellborn Cabinets ~ http://www.wellborn.com/index.php?nav_id=9
Rohl Home ~ http://rohlhome.com/sustainability.aspx
TOTO USA ~ http://www.totousa.com/Green/Totology.aspx
~ PERSPECTIVE ~
If you’re in the market for upgrades or renovations to your
existing kitchen or bath related living spaces, make sure to research and
familiarize yourself with the specific company’s positions on sustainability
and green initiatives, in addition to checking out their full range of products
and price points; do comparison shopping using the same criteria to arrive at a
comparison that is as closely matched to the materials you’re considering. The research will be well worth your effort
and time. Check to see if your local area
has a manufacturer’s showroom to visit and see actual products on display. In Chicago, the Merchandise Mart offers “Luxe
Home” on it’s first floor where “Thirty
Boutiques” of finished rooms representing various manufacturers and their
unique products for kitchen and bath are on display; the showrooms are open to
the public. Many consumers make this
their first stop before planning any type of home renovation or upgrade,
regardless of the project size. It’s
also a great way to get samples and cost estimates that will assist in developing
a project budget. Remember to that labor
costs generally represent the greater percentage of the total budget. Lastly, if you have a designer or architect
working with you, make sure they accompany you whenever you visit a showroom; http://www.luxehome.com
Having the right mix of kitchen
and bath products will contribute to achieving a healthy and wellness focused
lifestyle. You needn’t have the grandest
or most elaborate of set-ups, either; when choosing them, however, try to
acquire those that are green and sustainable, while being functional and cost
effective. Plan your budget within your
means, even if that means smaller, incremental additions to your living space;
this will also help to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Remember, it’s the journey that matters, not
how soon you arrive at the destination or how much you possess.
That’s it for this edition.
Until the next one, remember to take care of yourself and those you love.
By Terry Herman
Terry Herman is a recognized expert in the industry, and
regularly covers issues that include business, management, operations, customer
care, treatments, products, and trends. In addition to writing and reviewing,
she is also a management consultant and motivational speaker. She also serves on EXPERIENCE
| PREMCHIT Journeys In Retreat To Wellness Advisory Board, which is comprised of ten international
experts in various fields of wellness and spa.
She also serves as a Group Manager for the popular LinkedIn group, The
Spa Buzz. You can email her at
terrysspabeautywellness@gmail.com.
ALL MATERIALS COPYRIGHT PROTECTED
(Photo credits: Mariel
Hemingway, Cambria USA; kitchen design, Kohler Company.)
