How To Make a Child-Size Table

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birthday party, build, child-size table, children's play table, children's table, craft table, diy, how to make a coffee table, How To Make a Kid's Play Table, how to make a table, kids play table, kids' table, kitchen table, Wood

With two little ones, the need for a child’s table was needed for many reasons, but came in handy for more occasions than I imagined when I made it…

Patterned Stained Floors

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border, diamond, diy, family crest, floor inspiration, floor patterns, hardwood, harlequin, how to stain a pattern onto your floors, inlaid, inlaid wood floors, medallion, patterns, Stained Concrete, stained floor, stained floor patterns, wood floor

I think I have a DIY ADD (Do-It-Yourself Attention & Daylight Deficient). There are only so many hours in the week month that I can work on house projects, but my mind is running constantly – and there are SO many projects and rooms that I want to do … with the list growing 😉 (Plus, I’m not one to pull the trigger unless I’ve thoroughly researched the possibilities.)

You may remember the stained harlequin floor from the post I did profiling a designer’s apartment… I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. (The interior shutters from that post went on “THE List” too, but I haven’t been able to shop fabrics.) I thought the stained diamond pattern on the hardwood floors would look wonderful in my kitchen or foyer.

Heck, while I’m researching, why not see if there are other stain patterns for wood floors that would be nice too because the first and second floors of our house (minus the orangerie) are hardwood. What was out there was a mixed bag of nuts:

Clive Christian Kitchens

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backsplash, cabinet moldings, Clive Christian, countertop, cream, creme, green, high-end kitchens, kitchens, luxury kitchens, Marble, molding, Moulding, oak, painted, white, yellow kitchens

Clive Christian is a fabulous cabinet manufacturer – a very, very high-end cabinet manufacturer that focuses on details like no other. Their millwork is so impeccable that their cabinets with the Edwardian style and the preponderance of moldings transcend kitchens and enter the realm of libraries, bathrooms and closets.

Since I didn’t want to drop $250,000 just for cabinets in my kitchen, I studied one of their designs, picked it apart and based my kitchen upon it.

This was my inspiration. Rod Stewart dropped the money this kitchen.

Courtney Cox’s Modern Malibu Manse

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étagère, Bourgeois Bohème, Celebrity home, Celebrity homes, Charles Pollock, Christain Liaigre, Courtney Cox, Elle Decor, Haenisch, Hans Wegner, Harland Miller, Hermès, Intérieurs, Kent Williams, Malibu, Massimo, Matt Palmer, Matthew Heller, Michael Kovac, Minotti, Paul McCobb, Rug Company, Trip Haenisch, Vitali

Courtney Cox recently moved from a house that she adored because it was level with a public beach and she couldn’t even go for a walk without pictures being taken. The home, designed by famed architect John Lautner, was “futuristic”, “modern” and, according to Cox, “the most amazing place I’ve ever lived in.” (See bottom for details on the house.) But, the silver-lining in all this is that she got to buy and renovate a new home!

According to Elle Decor, before becoming an actress, Courtney Cox wanted to become an architect. Hmm…that sounds familiar (Brad Pitt). Difference being, she actually took college courses in the architecture before pursuing acting. She has been very involved in every home and this project was no different. She held weekly, 3 hour meetings with the architect, Michael Kovac, who was referred by Laura Dern, and her designer (and friend), Trip Haenisch.

The team took this house, which they were not allowed to demolish:

Smart Little Laundry Rooms

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city kitchens, city space, Closet, dryer, ideas, laundry, laundry room, laundry room ideas, laundry room inspiration, Renovation, small laundry room, small space laundry, washer

A small space takes above average creativity. With a large space, things can be put in willy-nilly and without much thought. That is just not the case if you live in a city or a smaller and/or older home. The placement of a washer and dryer is one of those things that takes some thought. A laundry room just may not exist, so it’s going to have to be tucked in somewhere…and addressed aesthetically.

How gorgeous is this? The tile floor, the wallpaper, the molding, the side panels that are hiding…??? Of course laundry supplies, but how great would laundry bins be too? It appears that this was fitted into an awkward space (with the ceiling slanting in on one side) that would have been unused if not for this brilliant concept.

Small Kitchens, Big Style

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A Detailed House, blue kitchen, city kitchens, Construction and Maintenance, design, green kitchen, House Beautiful, inspiring small kitchens, interior design, Jonathan Berger, Ken Fulk, kitchen, kitchen colors, light fixture, NYC kitchens, Pendant light, Shelving, small kitchens, space saving kitchens, Suzanne Kasler, White kitchen, yellow kitchen

In a previous post, Small Kitchens That Still Inspire, I traversed the world of small kitchens and showed examples of space-starved rooms that were full of beauty. Although space may first be perceived as an issue, creative solutions can be jaw-droppingly elegant and finishes, that would be cost prohibitive in a large kitchen but affordable in a small one, can make the diminutive dimensions quite exquisite.

I love the dichotomy of the worn, warm, wide-plank floors with the sleek, modern appliances …. and the pendant light fixtures centered on each window looks smart!

A great example of maximizing space by going up to appropriate the dead area above the cabinets. The arches take it a step further to make this kitchen grand. Who would think that a galley kitchen could be described as grand??

However….

Kitchen Islands with Legs: Hybrids of Farm Tables and Cabinets

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A Detailed House, Construction and Maintenance, Cream kitchen, High end kitchen, high-end kitchens, home improvement, How to make a kitchen island, kitchen, Kitchen farm table, kitchen island, Kitchen island cabinets, Kitchen island with legs, Kitchen islands, Kitchen islands with bookcases, Kitchen islands with shelves, kitchen renovation, White kitchen

A reader (Diane) has a quandary with her kitchen renovation, which she and I discussed in the comment section of a previous post, so I wanted to do a post on kitchen islands that will hopefully benefit her and others. Besides showing some inspiration, I also wanted to show how basic cabinets can be transformed with a larger countertop and legs.

Cents and Sensibility: How to Make a Penny Floor

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A Detailed House, Floors made out of coins, Floors made out of pennies, How to make a nickel floor, How to make a penny floor, Nickel floor, Penny floor, Portland Press Herald, Standard Grill

With two little ones running around the house, I am always picking things up off the floor. I am amazed, though, by the sheer number of coins! Granted, we play “store” a lot, which involves a cash register, spare change, and my youngest setting up “shop” where ever I am… no matter what I’m doing, working or not! They have piggy banks that they love to fill, so why are the coins spread cavalierly on the floor?

I tell myself it’s good for me – like exercise – and picking them up is the equivalent of toe touches, but not even an Army Drill Sargent would put someone through this 😉 Now my thought process is that I’m just going to start cementing them down, so I will eventually end up with these floors:

Beautiful Fire Extinguishers – Safety First, But Let’s Make It Pretty too :-)

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A Detailed House, Afar magazine, antique, artisitic, artist KR, brass, chrome, coordinating, Copper, extinguisher, Fire Design, fire extinguisher, stainless steel

It’s easy to forget to keep fire extinguishers in the house, but they are essential, especially in the kitchen. But the ones on the market are not the most attractive, so they are squirreled away in places that can be forgotten. That’s why having a beautiful one is a great idea. And who doesn’t like everything to be pretty 🙂

I found these that were more appealing than the ‘norm’:                                         

Tuesday Trivia Answers

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A Detailed House, Celebrity Kitchens, Cher, David Furnish, Diane Keaton, Elton, Elton John, Gerard Butler, Hank Azaria, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lance armstrong, Metro Areas, Neil Patrick Harris, New York, New York City, Stephen Shadley

Thank you for participating! Difficult, wasn’t it?? I could have selected names randomly and scored better than if I had tried to take the poll!!

Cher‘s disguised kitchen. I thought her kitchen would be somehow grander – I really like the fact that it’s not.

Tuesday Trivia: Celebrity Kitchen Match-Up

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A Detailed House, Celebrity Kitchens, Cher, Diane Keaton, Elton John, Gerard Butler, Hank Azaria, Katy Perry, kitchen, Lady Gaga, Lance armstrong, Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, Million Dollar Decorators, Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Shadley

From doing my post yesterday, I held out on you. There were a few pictures that were  surprising, so I thought we could make it a game 🙂 Match the kitchen with the celebrity! It is sooo much harder than it looks and, if I took the quiz, I would get every single one wrong!

Celebrity Kitchens

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A Detailed House, Andie MacDowell, Angela Lansbury, Architectural Digest, Billy Joel, Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, Carole King, Celebrity homes, Celebrity Kitchens, Ellen Degeneres, Giada De Laurentii, Hailey Idaho, Hilary Duff, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jerry Seinfeld, Justin Timberlake, Katharine Hepburn, Kevin Fitzsimons, kitchen, Lee F. Mindel, Lee Mindel, Molly Sims, Neil Patrick Harris, Portia de Rossi, Sagaponack NY, Sting, Taylor Swift, Telluride CO, Tracy Morgan, Trudie Styler, Will Smith

Thanks to Architectural Digest, HGTV and MLS listings, it’s possible for us to be a little voyeuristic and get a glimpse into homes that would normally be inaccessible to us, in this case, celebrity kitchens.

Maybe some of them will speak to you – maybe some won’t; the styles are all over the place!

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi‘s kitchen.

Prince of Darkness

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America's Got Talent, Architectural Digest, Brown marble, Brown marble floor, Celebrity home, domed chair, hooded chair, Jack Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne, Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, Million Dollar Decorators, MTV, Napoleon chair, Osborn house, osborne house, Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne's house, Porter chair, Sharon Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne's house

Ozzy Osbourne’s house was put up for sale several months ago, which gives us a look inside his house, designed by Sharon Osbourne’s favorite designer, author, and star of the one time show Million Dollar Decorators, Martyn Lawrence-Bullard.

I don’t know what their house looked like in the height of Ozzy’s fame, but this is a far cry from what I would expect, although if you watched the MTV show, The Osbournes, you saw another one of their homes that had some of the same sensibilities.

Love the porter chairs!

Mid-Century Make Over in Georgetown

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Ann Sacks, Black and white tile design, black and white walls, blue and yellow bedroom, blue dining room, blue living room, Conservatory, custom built library, Farrow & Ball, gold ceiling, greek key, green sunroom, Hillary Thomas, huge orb chandelier, huge orb crystal chandelier, Jeff Lincoln, Kendall Wilkinson, La Murrina, library inspiration, lucite bar stools, lucite chairs, lucite dining table, mid century chairs, mid century wallpaper, Mid-century design, modern white kitchen, Montgomery 1, nailhead, red chandelier, red sofa, round crystal chandelier, silver ceiling, Solarium

Georgetown, DC has many historic homes, but this townhouse, recently profiled in House Beautiful and designed by Hillary Thomas and Jeff Lincoln, was built in the 1960s. Since it was in my neck of the woods, I was very interested in the home. While some rooms I found a little “busy” for my personal taste, the home had some ravishing rooms as well.

I thought you might enjoy looking at it as well…

For a small foyer, having a table with an open design is smart…and I love it! Plus, with black and white pieces, you can switch them where ever you want throughout your house – and in the case of this table, even outside. I have several pieces like this that I switch from room to room.

Celebrity Style: Jennifer Lopez

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American Idol, Art Deco, Arts, Bedroom, Celebrity homes, Dining room, Easter, Easter Bunny, foyer, Hollywood, Inspiration, interior design, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Lopez's home, kitchen, Marc Anthony, Michelle Workman, Past, Pastel rooms, Staircase

Happy Easter Everyone!! For obvious reasons, I’m keeping this brief, but wanted to give you some pastel eye candy of your own!

Following up on the last post, Celebrity Living Rooms, I wanted to show the rest of Jennifer Lopez’s home and the work of interior designer Michelle Workman.

The home is layered with pastel rooms in shades of blue, pink and peach with lots of texture, reflective surfaces (have I mentioned before how I LOVE those?), velvet, silks, leather, dark wood, and furniture with clean lines, giving the Art Deco style a distinct “old Hollywood” look.

So, sit back, sip your coffee and nibble on a chocolate bunny (or three – no judgement here!) and enjoy the pictures:

Closets Need Love Too (aka What I Bought Today)

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chandelier, Closet, design, Do it yourself, kitchen, light fixture, Overstock, Overstock.com, Overstocks, Shopping

It is my belief that every inch of a house should feel the love and it is because of this belief that I paint the insides of my closets. Now, it may take me years for these closets to get my affection, but I eventually get around to them!

This is the case with my kitchen pantry. I did paint it, several times, but it needed a new light fixture, beyond the generic one that had been slapped up on the ceiling to pass inspection…11 years ago!

It hasn’t been for a lack of looking; I have off and on through the years, but have never found something that would sufficiently match the chandeliers I already had in the kitchen and since there is a window in our pantry (and the children have claimed it as their “office” and is large enough to store their toys), the door is open a lot.

Well, I finally found it! And I wanted to share because it is a bargain and there is nothing that I love more than a bargain! It is brass, which is contrary to today’s trend towards chrome, but I’m not redoing all my light fixtures to follow a trend!

I got in on Overstock.com for $39.50 with $1 shipping 😀

Real Kitchen DIYs That Are Easy, Inexpensive and Transforming

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A Detailed House, appliques, Cabinet making, Craft, Do it yourself, Furniture, furniture feet, furniture legs, kitchen, kitchen cabinet upgrades, kitchen diy, kitchen fixes, kitchen renovation, paint, plaster, Stencil, stencils

There are things that can be done in the kitchen that are super easy and inexpensive (beyond the stale advice of a coat of paint) that have a serious impact.

Sometimes small, subtle details can be more powerful than large, and as simple as adding half round molding to the side of an island in a diamond shape:

I’ve shown the picture below before, but it bears repeating, as this is something we all could do.

An inexpensive, round table was transformed by skirting it with colorful fabric. Can’t sew? No problem – you can buy tape to hem the fabric with an iron. How to attach? I’m not sure how they did it, but when I’m in doubt, I use either my staple or glue gun 🙂  A square or rectangular table would be easier. You could even get fancy with ribbon or trim…

Small Kitchens that Still Inspire

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inspiring small kitchens, kitchen inspirations, kitchens, small kitchens

A commenter or two said that their kitchens are small and that the dream kitchens didn’t do anything for them.

While it was not my intent for us to take these literally and for us all to go out and emulate the dream kitchens (they were meant to inspire in terms of style, accessories, architectural elements, colors, etc.), I did take note of their message.

So, I started searching for smaller kitchens that would still meet our level of style, but also limitations in terms of space. Needless to say, there were not as many. Some of the “dream” kitchens I had pulled from cabinet manufacturers websites, where they had large showrooms with mock kitchens that literally had everything and the kitchen sink!

House Beautiful had an article about small kitchens, but some of the kitchens that they considered “small”, really were not small! But I did find some that were gorgeous with some ideas that are unique.

Some ideas to maximize space? Use an electric cooktop to serve as additional counter space. With such a small space, try to use special touches, like drawer pulls.

Note on the lower left how a bathroom hand towel holder was used! Unexpected and rich looking with the brass finish! I love it!

OCD Eye Candy – aka Keeping Kitchen Clutter at Bay

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Atticmag, Bilotta, Build.com, cabinet, container store, Habitat for Humanity, Home Depot, kitchen, Kitchen cabinet, kitchen clutter solutions, kitchen island, kitchen storage, paint, pilaster, ReStore, Wood-mode

My mother used to say, “Everything has a home and a place.” This is a great philosophy in theory. She, however, did not have my two little ones going behind her taking everything out! My point is, storage solutions need to be easy in order to be ongoing. Otherwise, it was a nice idea that lasted a month or so.

Adding bottom cabinets to your pantry is a nice idea and I believe in making every space attractive. However, I would probably go to Home Depot and get stock cabinets, instead of incurring the cost of the higher quality kitchen cabinets for a pantry. OR there are building “left-over” stores and nonprofits, like Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore that run building supply depots.

I also have to comment on the curved cabinet of the kitchen island! I have never seen a cabinet that has a bow before! Gorgeous!! Via AtticMag

More Inspiration with Colorful Kitchens

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Blue Arnold, Charles and Hudson, Clive Christian, Design Galleria cabinets, Designer kitchens, dream kitchen, Dream kitchens with color, Elizabeth Betsy Speert, Francois and Co., Gary McBournie, high-end kitchens, Jack Arnold, kitchen cabinet manufacturers, kitchen designers, kitchen inspirations, Louise Brooks, Mary Kathryn Timoney, Matthew Quinn, Michael Bell, Michael Oh, Michelle Allman

More colorful kitchens anyone? Ok, ok, so they are out of our budget, but does that mean we can’t look, right?

Plus, this eye candy serves a purpose. Just because we’re not going to run out and replace our cabinetry, doesn’t mean we can’t glean ways to emulate some of the architectural elements, accessories, paint colors, styles, light fixtures and artwork. I mean, look at the painting below:

This kitchen belongs to Brooke Shields. Note the glazed tiles used in the range insert and the chimney breast plate, where she displays a Malcolm Liepke painting – a huge one! Why should the kitchen be deprived of artwork? via Architectural Digest

Back to Reality: DIY Door Surrounds

After looking at the beautiful, no expense spared, dream kitchens, I’m coming back down to Earth with a DIY project that (I think) adds an element of interest, value, and sophistication…

With all the architectural activity in our kitchen, the poor, lowly door surrounds really started to look puny and pathetic. They had to be addressed! I wanted to copy the cabinet design, so all the molding currently around the doors had to go – meaning ripped down.

Luckily, all my HGTV viewing had finally paid off and had taught me to do this: Spray warm water around the molding to soften up the caulk and just leave it there for a little bit. With a knife score the caulk around the doors. Then, insert husband 🙂 Works every time!! He then hammered a chisel into the molding in different spots and pried it off.

You Asked for It: Kitchens with Color!

I am so sorry this took so long!!! I wanted to offset the white kitchens I’ve shown with some colorful options, however, it was not an easy endeavor. I had a few, but I wanted to show a large range to cover everyone’s style….

I had imagined splashes of vibrant colors, but those were usually on the walls offsetting white cabinets. While I did find some with vibrant colors, I mostly found a trend towards dark “neutrals”: greys, taupes and blacks. Buttery yellow and creams were in abundance, but some were so light, that I really thought they belonged in the white category!

So, without further ado:

I think I’ve made no secret about my love for black and white flooring…coupled with black cabinets, it looks sharp! via John Jacob Interiors

This range is just crazy beautiful!!! The brass knobs, the matching hood, the rich, deep color! It’s a La Cornue range and the make them in just about every color. I’ll take one of each 🙂

Ordinary to Extraordinary with the Crown Jewel – Molding!

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architectural detail, architecture, cabinet, caulk, ceiling, crown, Crown molding, diy, Home Depot, kitchen, molding, nail, paint, pantry, Pine, putty, Wood

Our completed projects: crown molding, cabinet molding, mantle shelf and pullout spice cabinets! This took our kitchen from completely boring and ordinary to extraodinary!

I love molding – just adore it. It takes a plain box and makes it pretty.

So with the success and ease of adding molding to our plain cabinets, surely the ceilings can’t be that hard. I applied the same principle, except the top piece had a 9″ face. That made corners very difficult…for my husband 🙂 Oh, Lord, were the corners difficult!!

But the beauty of 12′ ceilings is that mistakes are impossible to see and caulk can do wonders! I became a master sculptor, sculpting caulk and putty to fix the corners where we didn’t get it just right.

More Kitchen Inspiration in Whites and Creams

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Business, cabinet, chandelier, color scheme, Construction and Maintenance, design, dream kitchen, Home & Garden, Island, kitchen, Light, light fixture, paint, Shopping, stainless steel, tile

Following up to my previous post on drool-worthy, dream kitchens, here are more kitchen designs in white/light shades meant to inspire.

Although lovely, they are without a doubt exorbitantly expensive, but all the features aren’t. Sometimes switching out a light fixture, faucet, paint, accessories and/or cushions can breathe new life into a kitchen.

Just stunning! Why? Because it’s different. A new, fresh take on the standard island and cabinet front…

Taking Plain, Stock Kitchen Cabinets and Making Them Look Custom…and Expensive

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Adding molding to kitchen cabinets, architecture, Business, cabinet, Crown molding, Custom cabinets, Customizing kitchen cabinets, diy, Home Depot, kitchen, Kitchen cabinet, Making kitchen cabinets look custom, making stock cabinets look custom, Making stock kitchen cabinets look amazing, Making stock kitchen cabinets look custom, Making stock kitchen cabinets look designer, molding, paint, pilaster, Plain cabinets to fancy

Unless you are willing to shell out oodles of money (and I’m talking $100k +) for a custom kitchen, you need to work with stock cabinets. But, all is not lost – there are many ways to make them look custom and take them beyond what is the norm. Since I adore historic homes, I had decided upon 12′ ceilings.

At one point in my kitchen design, I had thought about stacking smaller, glass-front cabinets on top (which I still think would look great) but my mother talked me out of it.

(Note to any and everyone: it’s hard enough determining your own likes and style…involving another, ESPECIALLY your mother, makes decisions become painful. She will invariably insert her opinion in everything, like it or not, and it seeps into your brain, making you second guess every decision.)

This is what I envisioned:

Between the ceilings and the cabinets left a great disparity – not so great that I was alarmed, because I knew I had huge copper kettles that I could finally display, but it was noticeable and the scale wasn’t quite right. They simply must be adjusted and customized. My absolute favorite solution: let’s put molding on top! No, let’s put a LOT of molding on top!

But We Need Spice Cabinets!

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architecture, cabinet, cabinet face, Cabinets, diy, drawer, drywall, Filing cabinet, High end kitchen, Home Depot, home improvement, kitchen, luxury kitchen, Mantel, mantle, molding, pullout, rail, range, Spice, spice cabinet, stud, Viking, Wood

The bottom, pullout cabinets were already there. The top, pullout cabinets were not. This was not a good project for first-time DIYers, but we got through it!

Back to reality – we had finished the mantle above the range. Of course I *could* have stopped there. But really, I couldn’t.

I had seen the pullout spice rack cabinets and thought they would look oh-so-lovely on either side of our range. Problem was, NO cabinets fit the dimensions we were left with…GRRRR. I told my husband though, that I didn’t think it would be a problem because I was *pretty* sure I saw a segment on HGTV (or some home improvement/DIY show) where they made their own and it *looked super easy*. Plus, it was essential to my  design and would mirror the pullout cabinets underneath! Poor guy…he had no idea how frustrated he was about to become.

Inspiring Kitchens in Shades of Whites

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kitchen

It’s been 14 years since I designed my house and I’ve found my taste has morphed through the years. I find myself now more interested in kitchens that span many different styles instead of locking myself steadfastly into one.

But one thing I have always been drawn to: a kitchen with light cabinets. With two young ones and four dogs, this is a never-ending battle in keeping them clean. Did I mention we live on the Potomac river and the dogs love to go swimming?

Pictures are so exciting to me –  I find myself not necessarily buying into the whole design concept sometimes, but picking and choosing different things that inspire me.  Maybe you will too. Take a look:

The transom grilles on this house are so appealing and how the drapery rod is curved to accept the drapes is genius. How the sparkle of the metal in of the range hood correspond with the drawer pulls, lighting, faucet and accessories is luxurious.

To the Kitchen!

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accessorize, architecture, corbel, crown, diy, Home Depot, kitchen, mantle, miter box, molding, shelf

The most blaring vision of debauchery was our kitchen as it was left vacant of the intricacies and details that had inspired me. It was not how the kitchen design was even specified. I had cut out pictures and shown the kitchen designer and my awful builder what it was supposed to look like:

Yet I faced a striped down version of it that was void of any detail. When I pointed it out to my builder that I had wanted an over mantle at the very least, he quoted us a figure that was 1/4 of the cabinet cost!!!!