Cabinet Manufacturer Goes Exotic and Green

Today’s consumers want socially conscious manufacturers. Yet while many companies are trying to get on the Green manufacturing bandwagon, other companies, like Pacific Crest Cabinets are ahead of this movement by leaps and bounds. While cabinet dealers like the look of their contemporary cabinet line and the beautiful and exotic woods, Pacific Crest makes extraordinary efforts to reduce waste and support sustainable forest practice from start to finish.

According to Glen Ferguson, owner of The Kitchen Warehouse in Los Angeles, “The Pacific Crest line offers our customers a beautiful, exotic, wood kitchen that is manufactured with wood not only from a sustainable forest practice, but they also follow California’s stringent Air Quality manufacturing standards (today and the higher standards set for 2009, far above the standard in Washington). My 8 full time kitchen designers feel good about specking out a job using Pacific-Crest Cabinets. They’re beautiful and good for the environment.”

Pacific Crest’s Ultima collection features unique door styles with engineered veneers. Using different types of tree veneers and colored resins they composite them into large blocks and then cross cut to replicate exotic woods like Zebra, Wenge, Macassar, Ebony, Teak, Birds Eye Maple, White Oak Mahagony. So clients get the look without cutting down trees that are not as readily available. In fact the engineered product offers more color consistency throughout the kitchen. In addition, their Bamboo Burma Door shows a flat door in two colors, natural and caramelized. Since Bamboo is a grass, not a wood, it is sustainable as the plant continues to grow after it is cut.

According to Pacific Crest, green is not just about the forest materials or formaldehyde use, they follow a holistic approach to manufacturing. Their program meets the tough standards of the worldwide Forestry Stewardship Council (FFC) on sustainable practices, which require certification based on a set of guidelines from the forest to the mill including their hardwood distributors. Those guidelines require that companies achieve high standards for: Air Quality, Waste management, Energy savings and Sustainable Materials.

In addition, Pacific Crest Cabinets is in the Environment Stewardship Program developed for the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA.org), which incorporates social responsibility by requiring participating manufacturers to include community outreach. Pacific Crest joined AGROS international to sponsor a village in El Salvador to help people break the cycle of poverty with marketable skills.


The professional designers at The Kitchen Warehouse use 3-D computerized design and unlimited cabinet and countertop selection. They’ll ask about your lifestyle and incorporate your ideas to achieve your with your budget. Call 323-734-1696 for an appointment with one of their professional designers. Visit their showroom with over 30 Kitchens On Display at 2149 West Washington Blvd., LA, CA. Off the Santa Monica Freeway at Western Avenue (2 blks. east on Washington Blvd.). Visit their website at www.thekitchenwarehousela.com.

Renewal Replacement Windows

Are Custom-Made to Mix and Match

Though they have revolutionized the window industry for more than 100 years, in 1958 Andersen Windows refused to sell vinyl windows because vinyl expands and contracts in extreme weather, causing cracks, bowing, and leakage of air and water. However after decades of development and testing for the best replacement windows, in 1995, Andersen patented and introduced Fibrex material windows and called the windows Renewal by Andersen.

In addition to out performing vinyl windows in winter and summer, Renewal by Andersen Windows addressed other customer concerns that vinyl windows overlooked. For instance, discriminating customers want wood interiors to beautify their homes and make a dramatic statement, but consumers also wanted low-maintenance window exteriors to avoid damaging the wood when it is exposed to the elements.

In addition to exterior and interior colors, Renewal by Andersen Windows come in a variety of grille patterns including colonial (select the number of squares desired per sash), prairie (pattern with two vertical and two horizontal bars per sash), modified prairie (two vertical and two horizontal bars per window), or farmhouse (a classic design where two vertical bars meet a horizontal rail or bar at the center of the window). These grille options allow customers to complement the architectural look of their home, resulting in a very detailed presentation. The results are beautiful and give customers more control than ever before.

For more information on Renewal by Andersen’s Fibrex windows, you can contact Clark Adams Co. Windows and Doors, the exclusive distributor of Renewal by Andersen Windows in Greater L.A. Their showrooms located at 2411 Artesia Blvd. (Redondo Beach) and 23841 Hawthorne Blvd. (Torrance) display low-maintenance Fibrex Windows, including wood interior options. For more information, you can call 310-214-2222, or visit their website at www.clarkadams.com

The Doctor For Faces Discusses ALL of the Facts and None of the Hype

Many people believe that they should wait until some arbitrary age to have cosmetic surgery. However, according to Dr. Harold J. Kaplan — The Doctor For Faces, early intervention allows for longer lasting results since underlying muscles and tissues are likely to be more resilient. Another benefit to addressing concerns as they arise is that less pronounced problems usually require less extensive solutions. The most valuable benefit of early intervention is that you can feel good about yourself and enjoy your improved appearance sooner.


Have friends or co-workers or family members mentioned that you look tired or angry when you’re not? Heavy eyelids, under eye bags and a sagging brow can create that impression. To achieve a more refreshed or alert look, Dr. Kaplan subtly repositions the brow and when indicated, corrects droopy upper eyelids and lower eyelid bags. Dr. Kaplan has modified these surgical techniques so that they are minimally invasive with a quick recovery time.

Do you have concerns that your chin seems to be disappearing or that you are developing jowls or a “wattle?” As we age, the skin and muscles of the neck and jaw line become lax, causing skin wrinkling and excess folds. In some people, loss of bone density of the jaw exacerbates the problem due to a lack of bony support. These factors contribute to a blurring of the jaw line and a loss of definition of the jaw-neck angle. Additionally some people, including many thin people, accumulate excess fat beneath the chin.

Several procedures correct symptoms of aging in the neck and lower facial area that give more striking definition to the jaw line, eliminate jowls, correct a sagging neck and smooth facial grooves. Localized liposuction and/or submental repair possibly combined with a chin or cheek implant are minimally invasive procedures that can help to reestablish a normal neck contour and jaw line. If the problem is more advanced, a mini-lift, full face lift and/or neck lift is likely to be necessary. When done in conjunction with a face lift, extra skin can be reshaped by uplifting and smoothing it over newly-tightened neck muscles.

Dr. Kaplan is often asked if surgery is the only option for improving one’s appearance.
The answer depends on the results that you’d like to achieve. There are several non-surgical procedures available that improve one’s appearance without surgery and with little or no downtime. Botox® and the injectable fillers Radiesse™, Restylane®, Perlane® and Juvederm™ temporarily, yet effectively, reduce lines and wrinkles. The MicroLaserPeel™ precisely removes the outermost layers of the skin to successfully treat skin conditions such as wrinkles, laxity, scars, and texture or pigmentation problems. The greater the skill and experience of the person performing these procedures, the better the results are likely to be.

Many other non-invasive and non-surgical procedures that are hyped in the media often promise more than they deliver and have not proven to be effective. Dr. Kaplan says, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is and you will likely be disappointed.” Unfortunately, if your concerns are about sagging skin or the need to recontour facial features, surgery is the most effective option. And surgical results are the most significant and longest lasting. Since all plastic surgeons do not have the same training and experience, common sense says it’s best to go to a specialist with the most experience in the procedure(s) that you are considering. Facial plastic surgeons, like Dr. Kaplan, are super-specialists in cosmetic procedures of the face and neck since the breadth and depth of their experience is exclusively in those procedures.

For more information or to schedule a consultation, visit Dr. Kaplan’s website at www.thedoctorforfaces.com or call his office 310-378-3444.

Cooking In Style!

Designing a Kitchen That's Right for You

Was your family’s lifestyle a consideration when your home’s kitchen was designed? For homeowners that inherited their kitchen, customizing it requires a remodel. In fact, enlisting a professional kitchen designer to help you meet your needs will pay off for years to come. They will examine how you use your kitchen and help manage your budget and deliver a superior kitchen layout.

Cabinet suppliers and refacers will want to simply replace your current cabinets – without improving your kitchen’s functionality. You are left with an outdated kitchen layout. A professional kitchen designer, however, will improve your design by first considering your family’s lifestyle.

1. A family where both partners work and cook less often will not require a large oven/stove space. Their kitchen would become more of an area to reconnect at the end of the day, providing more workspace between the microwave and the refrigerator (their two most used appliances).

2. A family that has two or more chefs will need more space. In fact, some require a space for kids to help prepare daily meals or lunches. A suitable design for that family maximizes the countertop space to create elbow room for each chef around each major appliance.

3. A gourmet cook will want to utilize the full technology that today’s kitchens offer. A professional designer will efficiently integrate all the possibilities into an aesthetic presentation that looks beautiful and makes cooking a pleasure.


The Kitchen Warehouse is L.A.’s largest cabinet showroom with over 30 kitchens on display and 13 major manufacturer lines (providing hundreds of cabinet styles). Their 8 full-time professional designers are trained to design and display your new kitchen on their computer. You can visit their beautiful 8,000 square foot showroom located at 2149 West Washington Blvd. in L.A., off the Santa Monica Freeway at Western Ave. To schedule an appointment, you can call 323-734-1696 or visit their website at www.thekitchenwarehousela.com.

The Green Seal Choice

The Perfect Choice for Environmentally Conscious Consumers

The true test of a company’s integrity today is how environmentally conscious they operate. With many companies looking to maximize their bottom line, it is refreshing to see companies like Clark Adams Co. Windows and Doors who put the environment up at the top of their list. Adams chose to sell the Renewal by Andersen® replacement window line after he learned about their Green Seal Certification. According to Adams, “ Choosing the Renewal by Andersen window line was a no-brainer. Everyone knows that they make a superior product and have a 100-year-old company behind them. So it didn’t surprise me that this is the only replacement window product that carries the green seal certification. What could be more perfect for our environmentally conscious Californians who also demand a great looking window product?”

The Renewal by Andersen line was awarded the Green Seal Certification for many reasons. All of the wood fibers used in the compounding process, as well as some of the thermoplastic polymer are reclaimed directly from the 65-acre Andersen Corporation manufacturing plant operations in Bayport Minnesota. In addition to the manufacturing benefits of the Renewal product, the use of their patented Fibrex material is an excellent insulator preventing heat or cold transfer into or out of your home to maximize energy efficiency.

As a consumer, you have the right to research and get a clear understanding of how your purchase of items can affect the environment. One way to determine if a product is environmentally responsible is to look to see if the product you are buying is Green Seal Certified. The Green Seal organization is an independent non-profit dedicated to safeguarding the environment and transforming the marketplace by promoting the manufacture, purchase and use of environmentally responsible products and services. The Green Seal mission is to achieve a more sustainable world by promoting environmentally responsible production, purchasing and products.

Green Seal certification ensures that a product meets rigorous science-based environmental leadership standards. This gives manufacturers the assurance to back up their claims and purchasers confidence that certified products are better for human health and the environment. To find out if a product you want to purchase has been green seal certified, visit www.greenseal.org.

For more information about the Renewal by Andersen Windows, contact Clark Adams Co. Windows and Doors at 310-214-2222 or visit their showrooms at 2411 Artesia Blvd. in Redondo Beach or 23841 Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance. Please visit www.clarkadams.com.