You Eventually Get What You Want

Several years ago . . . actually, almost a decade ago; yikes! . . . I blogged about Shou Sugi Ban here; the ancient Japanese art of charring cedar with fire to preserve the timber; make it rot and rain resistant, and paradoxically, make it fire-resistant. The visual end result is a scorched finish with a magnificent charcoal black color taking on a crackled or alligator skin look depending on the wood species and the burn intensity.  

Well, I was smitten.

But, it wasn’t meant to be for me when I fell in love. I had to wait a period of time for this to come along. Or, I suppose better said, for it to come back to me. Finally, this old, yet thoroughly modern look in the best color ever (according to moi; shades of black. gray, white, greige, charcoal . . . you get the picture) is now available commercially in the US. Pioneer Millworks offers Shou Sugi Ban style wood in Larch. Pioneer’s material, especially when installed on exteriors, does evolve over time suggesting the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi—a reminder of the transience and imperfection of all things. And, their commercial process is almost as magnetic and hypnotizing as your teenage fascination with bonfires.

So patience, Grasshopper. You eventually get what you want.

The Art of Induction

Working on the design for what I call a “mansion tiny home”; an ADU (accessory dwelling unit). Coming in at about 500 square feet, it’s not quite a tiny home but, it’s definitely compact! In order to free up counter space in what needs to be a complete kitchen but very efficiently organized, we’re looking at possibly using induction hobs instead of a gas cooktop. The client has one in his primary residence and loves it. Still relatively unknown for the average American homeowner, it has many advantages but, also some downsides in comparison to gas. Almost immediate heat to the food yet cool to the touch (yes, like magic. . . really electromagnetic field), the temperature can be reduced or increased far more quickly than gas (i’m not even mentioning electric cooktops because any reasonable Cook can’t stand them), it is safe to touch (a new complaint is needed in place of, “I’ve been slaving over a hot stove!”) and doesn’t heat up the air around you (cost savings for air conditioning), and a cool surface men’s there is no burnt food left on the cooking surface that is difficult to clean up completely. Some of the downsides are that gas still works when the power goes out, it doesn’t work with wok cooking because there isn’t any heat to go up the sides of the pan, no charring of vegetables such as peppers to remove their skins, and it only works with ferrous metals such as steel or cast iron; aluminum, ceramic or glass will not work. The ideal would be to have both gas and induction. But, in the mansion tiny home cost efficiency is a key element. Why not buy one hob (IKEA sells one now) or this fantastic looking one by Adriano Design?! It may be this particular client’s choice.
What has your experience been with induction?