Belgard® Hardscapes Finalizing Construction of House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year to Be Unveiled July 18

ATLANTA, July 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Construction is nearing completion on the annual House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year in New York's Rockefeller Center and will be unveiled Monday, July 18, and open for tours, tastings, and presentations through Friday, July 22. Belgard® Hardscapes is currently finalizing construction of the first-ever outdoor component to this annual showcase project.

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"The street is blocked off, and we're building everything right where the Christmas tree usually sits," said Mike Miles of Belgard Hardscapes and Harmony Outdoor Living, who worked with celebrity chef Tyler Florence to design the 1,500 square foot outdoor kitchen and living area. "Thousands of people pass us every day, and it's creating quite a buzz."

The structure of the custom U-shaped outdoor kitchen was created using a combination of modular components from the Belgard Elements Collection. The Elements Collection includes outdoor living room and kitchen units that are manufactured by Harmony Outdoor Living in a controlled factory setting using Belgard pavers and wall products and shipped in sections to where it can be assembled at the site using a bobcat.  

"Our line of factory-built modular units provides a way to easily create luxury hardscape kitchens for a fraction of the time and cost of a site-built kitchen," says Miles.

The fully functioning outdoor kitchen will include a charcoal grill, brick oven, working bar with Kohler sink, KitchenAid appliances, Rocky Mountain Hardware backsplash, and two Grotthouse butcher blocks. The kitchen will also be outfitted with a paver patio that continues around the entire building, creating a wrap-around dining and living area flanked by a fireplace and matching woodbox, all created with pavers and garden wall products from Belgard Hardscapes. The wrap-around patio is enclosed by a wrought iron fence from Merchants Metals and Belgard pillars, with decorative paver ramps at either end to provide easy access to the raised building.

"Most of the outdoor kitchen has been installed, and we're now curing the brick oven to get it ready for the cooking demonstrations," said Miles.

The showcase kitchen will be open daily to the public July 18-22, where fans will have the opportunity to meet Tyler Florence at free events throughout the week. For design and cooking enthusiasts outside of the New York City area, the Kitchen of the Year will be featured online at www.housebeautiful.com/KOTY with videos, podcasts, and other special features. You can also follow the construction and all Kitchen of the Year events on the Outdoor Living by Belgard Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BelgardHardscapes.

About Belgard Hardscapes

Since 1995, Oldcastle® has set the standard for innovative outdoor hardscapes with the Belgard® collection of paver and wall products. Offering a versatile range of styles – in antiqued, classic, and natural textures – premium Belgard products are found in America's finest homes and dream homes. When quality matters – Choose Belgard.

1-877-Belgard (235-4273). Belgard is a brand owned by Oldcastle Architectural, a U.S. subsidiary of CRH plc. Additional information and product offerings can be viewed online at www.belgard.biz.

Contact: Mary Beth Sharp, Oldcastle Architectural
(678) 731-8001
[email protected]

SOURCE Belgard Hardscapes