Casual Wine Storage

If you don’t go through a lot of wine, a corner of your dining room buffet or an accent table might be the perfect space for your stash. Avoid a cluttered look by arranging several bottles together on a silver platter or other decorative tray. For added flair, group this with a few wine glasses or a pretty bowl of corks.

Built-in Storage

If your collection is larger, Merillat offers a number of built-in wine storage options for kitchen cabinets and dining room sideboards. Built-in options are ideal since they are the most stable, can be designed for areas that would otherwise be wasted space, and blend in to surrounding cabinetry.

Freestanding Storage

But if a remodel isn’t in your near future, a freestanding wine rack may serve well temporarily. Wine racks come in a huge range of sizes and styles and can be tucked into dining room corners, set atop bookcases, or stowed inside a cabinet. The best locations will be areas out of direct light and with the most stable temperature. Avoid the top and either side of a refrigerator or other sources of heat. Laying the bottles on their sides, as most wine racks are designed to do, keeps the corks from drying out and letting air in.

Is wine storage a priority in your home? Where do you store wine currently?

Better Homes and Gardens Kitchen and Bath Ideas - October 2010

Merillat is so excited to be featured in one of the most respected home improvement magazines around, Better Homes and Gardens Kitchen and Bath Ideas! The October issue is all about functional storage and Merillat’s latest research, along with their innovative storage solutions, are highlighted in the magazine.

From the Editor

The editor’s column in this issue focuses on how the economy is affecting remodeling.  Eliot Nusbaum explains how tighter budgets are dictating that making the most of existing spaces is top of mind.  That’s where smart storage comes in!

To support his point, he notes Kitchen 4mula II, Merillat’s research aimed at understanding the mindset of consumers when they make buying and remodeling decisions; insights noted in the column include:

• 84 percent of consumers surveyed indicated they want more and better storage in their kitchen.
• More than 50 percent of consumers who either built or remodeled their kitchen said not asking for additional storage was their biggest mistake.

All About: Kitchen Storage & Organization

Creating an effective use of space and optimizing kitchen functionality was the focus of this article; so it’s no surprise that Merillat was included.  Ten steps spell out a game plan for getting the most out of your kitchen.  Merillat is included in Step Four: Accessorize Your Cabinetry.  According to the author, from cutting board kits, to spice drawer organizers, Merillat offers “accessories that can transform ho-hum cabinets into super storage.”

Click here to read the full articles, as seen in the October 2010 issue of Kitchen & Bath Ideas® magazine.
© 2010 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

More great ideas for your kitchen and bath from Better Homes and Gardens can be found here: http://www.kitchenbathideas.com.

Merillat's New Television Commercial with Curtis Stone

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our new national marketing campaign: The Dream Kitchen for the Real World. Why are we so excited?  Because, we’re determined to let homeowners know, “Merillat has the tools to help make prepping, cooking, entertaining and living in your kitchen easier!”

Through a variety of advertising and public relations efforts, this campaign shows homeowners firsthand how Merillat kitchens are highly functional, and jam-packed with a variety of smart storage solutions. Overall, Merillat can help turn your kitchen dream into a reality.

Tune in!

The campaign kicked-off July 1 with a national TV commercial that puts the “fun” in function and highlights what Merillat is all about — meaningful innovation and functional storage.  To illustrate this message, we’re partnering with renowned chef Curtis Stone. Who better to illustrate the importance of a well-designed kitchen than a professional chef!

The commercial will air for six months on select cable stations such as HGTV, Food Network, DIY and the Cooking Channel and during some of the networks’ most popular shows including House Hunters, Giada at Home, and Kitchen Impossible.

In addition to the TV commercial, you may be able to see Curtis Stone put a Merillat kitchen to the test LIVE on July 6. Curtis’ interviews will focus on tips to entertain and cook with ease, while pointing out Merillat’s great organizational features. Check out the air dates below to see if your favorite morning news show made the list:

• 6:10 CST KIMT-CBS – Mason City, IA
• 7:15 EST WMYA-MY NETWORK – Greenville, SC
• 7:20 EST WPMT-FOX – York, PA
• 7:40 EST WHAM-CW – Rochester, NY
• 6:15 MST KWGN-CW – Denver, CO
• 9:15 EST WTOL-CBS – Toledo, OH
• 8:20 CST WCIA-NBC – Springfield, IL
• 8:40 CST KABB-FOX – San Antonio, TX
• 7:45 PST KCRA-NBC – Sacramento, CA

Listen In!

In addition to TV, Curtis will be doing a number of radio interviews:

• 7:35 EST   WOBM-FM – OCEAN CITY, NJ
• 8:23 EST   USA RADIO NATIONAL
• 8:00 CST   KKVI-FM – DALLAS, TX
• 9:35 EST   WMZQ-AM BALTIMORE, MD

Stay tuned for more information on how Merillat can help make your kitchen dreams come true!

Watch our new TV commercial with Curtis Stone.

The New Merillat.com

I hope you’re enjoying Merillat’s new Web site! With a fresh look and innovative functionality, you’ll find it easier than ever to plan your dream kitchen.  New features allow you to gather info on your own or be guided through an intuitive process to help you hone in on your design, layout and product preferences before visiting a showroom.

We know the Web is often the place where homeowners search for information and inspiration. We want to help homeowners combine inspiration with smarter kitchen design decisions that fit their lifestyles so they get the kitchen of their dreams.

Inspiration for the changes to the site came from our Merillat customers themselves in a usability study conducted by Merillat. Through this research, we learned that our consumers wanted changes that would improve the overall selection process and user experience. Today’s Merillat.com site combines the best of these ideas with additional industry research and includes:

• Improved product navigation that allows you to search by color, making it oh so easy to find your perfect door style.
• A new style selection tool to help you find the design style that fits you best.
• A decorative enhancement tool that helps you visualize the difference small touches can make in a room.
• An inspiration gallery that showcases a number of design ideas and lets you explore unique features.
• New accessories allow for optimal organization and storage solutions.
• A new Ideafolio™ that allows you to transform your kitchen visions into 2D reality. With this tool, you can develop a floor plan and a design scheme that can be printed and shared.
• A new step by step planner is coming soon! This feature, available in late July 2010, will guide consumers through a customized planning process in order to help them find the most appropriate styles, products and features for their lifestyles.

Explore the new site at Merillat.com and let us know what you think!