Gorgeous Flat Panel Cabinets!

These images make me rethink my love for traditional style cabinetry in the kitchen.........

A Reader's Kitchen Design Dilemma!

"I need ideas for our kitchen. We have an oak floor. We will refinish that and save some money there. 

But I was thinking of putting in a rolling island. We have a cart now and I like the extra work space and storage. I was also thinking about putting in more cabinets than we have so they go to the ceiling to avoid all that wasted space. I don't know where to begin with a color scheme. I would like to change the appliances with stainless steel but will have to see what we can afford. I know we need to update. The sink is stained white porcelain and the faucet leaks. I would love some tips. I don't know what you call my style. I don't like too over the top contemporary but NOT country or traditional either. I love the beachy with a clean look not beach hut just as if I live by the sea."

I received this email a couple of days ago from a reader in Missouri! It is always exciting to learn that people from all over the US read my small NJ blog yay! I did some research and I think I found some photos that are not just designer kitchens but are real homeowner's kitchens. Hopefully, these can give her some great foundation ideas for color and design. These photos highlight the option to possibly paint the existing cabinets if the budget is tight and some photos that incorporate new cabinets! Creamy blues, grays and green are wonderful beachy tones to bring in either with the cabinets or just the rolling island if she desires. What would you do for her kitchen, I would love hear your ideas! Please leave me a comment!!

My Living Room and Kitchen Update...Long Overdue!

Well, the summer is keeping me busy with traveling and visiting friends....but that is not an excuse for my lack of posts the past couple of weeks:(  I have been busy with a few clients and I have also been busy with updating our living room and kitchen. It has been a lot of fun and I am loving the results so far. I hope you do to. It is always a lot easier to do designs for others than it is for yourself and we have changed our look a lot and both the hubby and I are really happy with it!

So here are some before shots of our living room. We recently moved back in, so these are photos we took the day we were moving back in, sorry for my lack of expertise......

Like in most older homes, the room is quite small and has low ceilings but we are trying to give the room an open feel and make it feel clutter free. That I have to say is really hard! But this quote from Leonardo Da Vinci reminds of why I love smaller rooms...

"Small 

rooms or 

dwellings 

discipline 

the mind, 

Large ones 

weaken it."

I made a design board like I do for all my clients and that is found here. We painted the walls Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter and gave all the trim a fresh coat of Super White and it brought a fresh clean feeling that we were looking for. We are not quite done yet with wall decor and some other furnishings but I wanted to share some of what we have done so far! Do you like it?? I know it is not every one's taste but I love the neutral backdrop and the mix of metals and ceramic pieces together.

The other side of the room is not finished...so that will be coming soon. We did paint the built in and replaced the knobs with those great little ones from Anthropologie. A few more additions and tweaks and it should be done. Built ins are very hard to style and next week I am going to do a post on tips for putting them together.

Also, we did a couple of updates in the kitchen. We hung a small gallery wall of photos which used to be in another room. I set them quite high but I feel like it draws the eye upwards and gives a little more height to our 7 1/2 foot ceilings. Adding the upholstered chairs makes it feel a bit more formal and gives the table a presence. We picked up those goodies at Marshalls for $99.00 each, love it when you can find a good deal!

Then there is this small wall next to our front door that never gets used. So we set up this small table with some candles and pretty things that I love!

 When all is said and done....I will get professional photos taken and share the finished space! Thanks for reading today and for following.

I wanted to ask you my readers...

What is specific design challenge you are having in your home? Write to me about it and I will post some suggestions that all can benefit from especially me!!

Kitchen Help Please!

So you may remember, last week I posted some ideas for a galley kitchen. A reader wrote to me for some help with a small kitchen renovation. Originally they wanted to keep with the wall structure already in place BUT she wrote back and they are thinking of taking out a wall that holds the opening to the dining/living room area. I immediately thought of this layout......

OR.....

What I think is great about these two kitchens above is the practical layout for a smaller kitchen....

and these views of the kitchen from the dining/living room are magnificent!

The island with the kitchen sink and dishwasher is a really good design. It keeps the one and only wall open to hold the range and refrigerator. There is also extra storage, seating and counter top space in the island, love that!

Here are some other samples with the same layout below!

via Here

A Galley Kitchen!

A very dear friend recently asked for some help with a design for her new kitchen! So I wanted to post some inspiration photos that I think would help her greatly with the size and shape of her current kitchen. Some of the challenges is that the space is quite small as with most older homes and there is a doorway leading into the dining room and on the same wall a door leading to a storage space and into the basement. The placement of the two doorways limits the use of space on one wall but the opposite wall is a straight run without interruption! She wanted to know……. should she embrace a galley or l-shaped kitchen design. I have given it some thought and think a galley style kitchen would be best for the space. One reason is the l-shape can only go one way and cabinets or appliances on that wall could interfere with passage in and out the basement. Think about carrying laundry or moving larger storage containers and having to maneuver around that.

Notice the suggestions from a kitchen designer.......
Galley kitchens are great since you have everything you need at arm’s length. So if you have a small house this is a nice design to try for your kitchen. Here are tips on how to make your kitchen a galley kitchen.

Like what is mentioned above, a galley kitchen is filled with cabinets on both sides. So, the very first thing you need to do is to install cabinets. It is dependent on the homeowner how many cabinets should be installed. But make sure they are ceiling height cabinets placed over both countertops. Make sure that there is a unity of design in your kitchen so you should use the same material and color for your kitchen.

Next, mount lights under the cabinets of your kitchen to provide a better, dramatic look. This idea will turn your old kitchen into a modern room. Do not only install lights under the ceilings, but also under cabinets especially those are in the countertops.

You can also opt to change the position of your appliances once in awhile. Try to use a smaller sized refrigerator since the kitchen is small. Avoid placing the garbage can to one corner but, instead, use a trash compactor under the counter, garbage bin inside the cabinet of the sink or a garbage disposal in the sink. Since you have two counter tops you can arrange your appliances on top or put them inside cabinets if not in use.

A galley design kitchen is very practical for small spaces. A galley kitchen is always a practical solution for space challenged homes.

With that said, I would say keep the range, sink and dishwasher on the same wall with a window above the sink that the homeowner wanted. Natural light can never be underestimated in a small space and brings charm into the room! On the opposite wall, I would have the refrigerator and a small banquet. I love banquets in kitchens, they provide a great place to eat for two. So that quick breakfast on the run can be had there or it can even be a workspace and serving station when you have company. You can just tuck backless stools right underneath when you don’t need them and you have the extra storage on top! I think they are so versatile. So enough of my babbling on and on, here are some amazing photos that demonstrate my thoughts for her. Enjoy!

Nice straight run design for a smaller kitchen!

If you take this L-shape and make it straight, this is a great layout for the full wall! You would just need change the cook top to a range!

The small nook on the right wall, this is sort of a banquet. The counter top height would match the other part of the kitchen and have room enough for at least two stools. Love it!

Our House Renovation - Kitchen!

Many thanks to all of you for your comments on my latest design of the lake house! I failed to mention that Dana is fabulous photographer and you can view her work at StriplingPhotography.com! Your feedback and compliments of the design are so encouraging and motivating! I have other projects that I am currently working on that will be posted soon!

Onto to other things........

We wanted to share with you the first part of several renovation projects on our 1800 colonial that we love!

The kitchen!

When we orginally moved into the house we did a low budget, slap it in kitchen that included bits and bobs (for all you british friends) from other kitchens. We had cabinets and appliances from two different kitchens that we inherited and we installed them on laminate flooring and painted the cabinets, replaced hardware and wallpapered. After all was said and done, it wasn't that bad. After several years though, the cabinet doors were falling off, storage was an issue and there was damage to the formica countertops. My husband who primarily works on renovating kitchens said "it is time to do ours!" I was excited and nervous at the same time because I knew it was quite an investment of money and whatever we chose was something we would live with for a while. I became overwhelmed with all the choices and options, maybe you have felt that way? So we teamed up with Melissa Seibold of Canterbury Design and she helped us design a functional and beautiful kitchen that we love!

So here are some shots of the construction phase.........

So as you can see we had some issues.....The sub flooring was so uneven and rotting that my husband decided it all had to come up.  That reveals the large tree trunk rafters that acted as structural beams for our house!

The framing around the back door was also rotting so that had to addressed. Don't you love the loose stone foundation wall that we had to build on, the joys of owning a historical older home!

After reinforcing and replacing different structural elements the finish work began............

Drum roll please!

Mouser Cabinetry with a beaded, raised panel inset door was selected. Sand blasted Cambrian Black granite was picked, sand blasting takes away the shiny finish and provides the slightest texture which we loved!

We thought the dark stained interior for the seeded glass cabinets would be interesting visually.

Jenn Air and Bosch appliances are used and my grandmother "noni" sewed these sweet little roman shades for me!

We opted for the larger Shaw farmhouse sink! My husband was skeptical at first but we both love it! We can wash large items like trays with no problem!

Adam made this hood for our range with MDF material, ordered the trim pieces from the cabinet company and had it finished with a local plastering artist. It came out just as we had imagined.

A few added touches for storage is the built in wine rack. Melissa took advantage of every possible inch in our smaller kitchen, for that we are thankful!

These photos were taken a few years ago. Since then we have painted the walls a creamy gray. The bistro sign is gone as are some of the decorative pieces. We have some other changes planned for the future, so stay tuned for an update soon! So, if this was your project what would you have done differently? Please post your comments for me to read! Thanks a million!

Ohio Farmhouse Revival That I Love!

Country Living is one of my  favorite magazines of all time! We own, as you know by now, a historic colonial and live in such a fantastically quaint  historic area! I just fell in love with this farmhouse restoration below in Ohio featured in Country Living!  It reminds me of home. There is a simplistic, crisp and modern flare that works so well together, it is inspiring! I hope it does the same for you!

These great cabinets are painted a sober charcoal grey (Ralph Lauren's Surrey). Classic marble emphasizes the utility of the Viking range.

I love the french doors that make the outdoors seem like part of the inside. The sisal rug and upholstery keep the feel more casual.

This fabulous dark paint (Ralph Lauren's Grange Hall) really distinguishes this space. Like Kevin the owner, try not to use no less than three and no more than five paint colors in the similar tones to create a flow through out a smaller home.

Dark ebony stained floors are consistent throughout also to create flow.

Salvaged doors and the original claw foot tub add that historic charm but they don't all have to match in the home.

Classic white paint is the perfect choice for the outside!