The future comes home: TVs in the fridge, coffee makers in the microwave -- and more

House Doctor | Gary Dymski

March 11, 2004

LAS VEGAS

TV-refrigerator by LG Electronics

Refrigerators that keep the milk cold and tell you the balance in your checking account. Storage rooms that give new meaning to the word organized - with hooks, shelves and drawers for everything you own and then some. In-home dry-cleaning systems that take the wrinkles out in 30 minutes. Three-rack dishwashers, combination coffeemakers and microwaves, and fireplaces with air-management systems. All this convenience - and more - is right at your fingertips.

Today's homeowners - whether buying a new McMansion or remodeling an old high ranch - want everything in its place, and they want a place for everything. On top of that, they are in love with high-tech appliances.

These preferences were never more evident than during the International Builders' Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Approximately 105,000 people visited during the five-day show in January, checking out the products of more than 1,400 vendors stretched across 1.6 million square feet of exhibition space - the equivalent of 40 football fields. Power tools, building products, appliances and entertainment systems led the array.

The annual event is a window to the near future - where manufacturers, contractors and suppliers reveal the products consumers will soon be demanding. And the things they'll be demanding, experts predict, will be showy and stylish.

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Years ago, your parents' and grandparents' houses had only one so-called "display room" - the room that was its public showcase. Remember the living room, with its plastic-covered sofa that was off-limits to the kids? Well, forget about it. Baby boomers and their children have grown up wanting more. They want "display houses," which explains master bedroom suites and three-car garages and mega laundry rooms. And there's more just around the corner. New houses will boast home theaters, automated lighting controls and second kitchens. At the convention, seven different show-houses provided glimpses into the future - including the New American Home, a low-maintenance, rectangular loft dwelling made of high-tech cinder blocks, and the 5,300- square-foot Ultimate Family Home with a plasma TV in the air-conditioned garage and an amusement park-like backyard. And, of course, these trends will be reflected in home renovations as well.

Here are some products you might want to watch for.

Clutter busters

Clutter is out. Organizing systems are in. Especially built-in ones. Closets, garages, laundry rooms and basements will feature integrated storage systems with adjustable components that can be adapted to fit changing needs. Companies such as Cincinnati-based Schulte Corp. provide do-it-yourselfers and contractors with a range of systems. The freedomRail Garage System offers adjustable shelving, color-coordinated cabinet doors and accessories, and hooks and racks designed for hanging everything from hockey sticks to bicycle helmets. Garage systems cost about $2,000 for a two-car garage. Visit www.schultestorage.com.

It looks like wood

Synthetic lumber - a combination of wood fibers and recycled plastic - has been around for a few years. The attractive thing about it is that it resists rot. What makes it unattractive is simple - it's ugly, with the texture and color of a faded paper bag. But a new generation of synthetic lumber is here, featuring colors and wood-grain textures that pump personality into decks - and might even fool a hungry beaver. Trex Co.'s Accent line comes in a shade of tan called Saddle, Winchester Gray and reddish-brown Madeira. Other lines include CertainTeed's Boardwalk, Louisiana-Pacific's ABTco and Epoch's Evergrain. From about $2 a linear foot, uninstalled. Visit www. trex.com and www.evergrain. com.

Extreme toilets

If your toilet is less than 10 years old, it's probably a low- flush model. These use a maximum of 1.6 gallons of water and meet the efficiency requirements of the National Energy Policy Act of 1992. Older toilets use 5 to 7 gallons. There's no delicate way to put this: The low-flush models don't always have the muscle to empty bowls in one flush. Well, technology has finally caught up, in the form of "intense-flush" toilets that use about 1.4 gallons. Just about every major toilet manufacturer has or is introducing such a line. Kohler's offering, the Cimarron Comfort Height Toilet, features a 3 1/4- inch flush valve. You see a lot of strange things in Las Vegas. In demonstrations, the Kohler toilet disposed of 2 pounds of cocktail wieners or five rubber ducks in one push of the handle. American Standard's Champion toilet whooshed away a dozen golf balls in a single flush. The Cimarron is priced from $200, depending on color and style. Visit www. kohler.com and www. American Standard.com.

Cool to watch

Watch the news and chill the chocolate mousse at the same time. LG Electronics offers a side-by-side refrigerator with a 13-inch color TV - cable- ready, of course - embedded in the fridge door. The 25.5-cubic-foot refrigerator- freezer has all the expected features, including automatic icemaker-cold-water dispenser and an EnergyStar seal of approval. The suggested retail is $3,000. Oh, and if you'd rather pay bills online while the mousse cools, LG's Internet model comes equipped with a 15-inch LCD computer monitor, stereo speakers and a digital camera. That one costs $8,000. Visit www.lge.com.

Same-day service

When you've spilled that chocolate mousse all over your suit and you can't get to the cleaners, just hang it in your very own "fabric revitalizing system." Whirlpool's Personal Valet, a featured appliance in the New American Home showhouse at the convention, deodorizes and smooths away wrinkles in about half an hour. A cleaning mist envelopes your dirty clothes and cleans them for less than a $1 an item. Maytag's Neptune Drying Center ($1,200) also refreshes clothes and removes wrinkles, but it's a climate-controlled drying cabinet that keeps delicate fabrics from being tumbled to smithereens in the dryer. Special hangers and shelves hold the clothes and steam-infused air circulates in the cabinet to dry the material. For information, visit www.per sonalvalet.com and www.may tagneptune.com.

No cold feet here

There are few things worse than stepping out of a warm bath onto a cold floor. Electric radiant floor heating will put an end to that stone-cold feeling. A micro-thin heat blanket installed under tile or stone flooring acts like a heating pad when activated. Several companies - including Nuheat, SunTouch and Flextherm - manufacture these thermostat-controlled heat blankets. They must be installed underneath the tile - so you can't retrofit - and wired to an individual circuit. For do-it-yourselfers, mats measuring about 3 by 4 feet start at about $250, with thermostats priced at about $175. Custom designs for larger areas run as much as $3,000, with thermostat. Visit www.nu heat.com, www.flextherm.com, or www.suntouch.net.

Walk on glass

Glass tile in the kitchen, bathroom - and even on floors - is catching on. The tiles come in clear, opaque and glossy styles, and the colors range from muted earth tones to bright blues and reds. Some of the prettiest ones look like beach glass. One-inch squares have been around for a while, but now larger 2-inch and 4-inch squares are being manufactured by companies such as Idaho-based Sandhill Industries. It's a sure sign of their growing popularity. Of course, they're more expensive and trickier to install than ceramic tiles, but that may add to their allure. Prices start at $10 to $30 a square foot and go up to $100 a square foot. Visit www.sandhill ind.com.

Mark your calendar

Visit the Spring Home Improvement and Remodeling Expo, March 25-28, at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale. The show features more than 300 exhibits of new products and ideas for your home. For a schedule of seminars and other highlights, visit www.longisland homeshows.com.