ever since i saw a post that things that inspire did on bringing the outside in, i have become obsessed with the idea of windows taking the place of upper cabinets in a kitchen. it is just amazing how beautiful it looks to have all of that space open. i am a huge fan of not using upper cabinets and this allows so much light into a space. then i saw this picture of the shower enclosed with window panes and i think it is just genius! so if you are building think windows...and lots of them!
i think one of my favorite parts of having this blog is the visual reminder of what i am inspired by...having all of these images saved, gives me a great resource to go to when i am helping a client. when you are building a house or hiring a designer, images are so vital in expressing your individual style. you can learn so much from looking at pictures: obviously i like open kitchens with a combination of light and dark elements, i lean towards no upper cabinetry and i like introducing industrial touches either in lighting or in a piece of furniture.
the look is popping up everywhere, even in those pesky mail order catalogs that arrive at your house daily. the industrial look is something that makes my heart skip a beat. i don't need a whole house filled w/ stainless steel but little bits of it interjected into a space makes me happy. that is why when i saw the kitchen w/ the locker baskets, i freaked. that image quickly jumped to the top of my "favorites list". i found the article from country living and read the story on the designer, Aaron Foster, who created that awesome kitchen- everything was from ebay, home depot, or flea market fairs.....
i inherited my love for antiques and vintage finds...my parents have taken me to antique stores my entire life. i spent many saturdays wondering around the huge warehouses at lakewood and scotts...unfortunately, i could have cared less at the time...it pains me to think about it. i would kill to be able to go to lakewood now (may it rest in peace)!
the kitchen is the heart of a home...the spot i greet my husband everyday when he gets home from work, it's the office when i am trying to talk to a "potential" new client and i don't want them to hear my daughter screaming in her room, it's where barron hunts for food that might have been thrown overboard by a little someone, it's our favorite place in town to grab a glass of wine or beer, and of course- it's a karaoke bar/dance floor when no one is looking.....
open shelving
i love the farmhouse sink...probably b/c it has that vintage feel that i am constantly going back to. i can't help it, it totally gets me. there are so many choices out there when it comes to this deep utilitarian sink basin. believe me, i just spent my afternoon yesterday and then again last night, trying to decide on the right one for a job i am working on. there are so many sizes out there. we have found that it is really important to know exactly which farmhouse sink you are going to use when you start the "kitchen designing process"....this is especially true if you are going to use a vintage one. and the quality of the product varies a lot according to the vendor (we weren't very pleased w/ one we just put into a kitchen this week). plus, you have to keep in mind that many of them taper at the bottom- generally this is found in the ones made from porous fireclay. just a little info i thought i would pass along in case any of you are in the market for a fab farmhouse sink!
nothing makes my heart skip a beat more in design then being surprised by the unexpected. this kitchen takes the cake by introducing thrift store drafting tables for it's kitchen island. i just have such a love for bringing in vintage finds and incorporating them into the design of a home....especially when the results look so effortless! i hope y'all have a wonderful weekend! we sure are thankful to my mom for babysitting!! maybe i should send out a service announcement: watch out for new parents running kid -free!
we spent new years in atlanta (football game...not my number one choice of ways to bring in the year but it was fun none the less). in our hotel there was a magazine of atlanta homes which somehow happened to make its way home w/ me (i justified it by thinking of it as if it were the toiletries they offer in the bathroom...just another friendly jester to welcome you). it's a very good magazine. i especially loved this one house which was featured in an article titled "the un-white house". the architecture was amazing. it was a contemporary house built in a traditional bungalow neighborhood. the architect used angular walls and windows that really make the house stand out. it has loads of light pouring into the house and the kitchen is beautiful. i love the limestone ann stacks tile they used in the backsplash, very modern- sleek and sophisticated. i was also pleased to find that the magazine had a great website. (i can now access the mag even if i am not staying in an atl hotel!)
one of my favorite things about having this blog is that i feel like it keeps me in the "know"; i am challenging myself to want to keep up with the latest and greatest, as well as educating myself on things that i may not have known previous to this....which leads me to today's post on pickling... i think we are going to be seeing a lot more of the "pickled" look in wood finishes. it seems like the weathered, distressed, almost drift wood look is where designers are heading- and i love this. maybe it's because i live in a beach town but i love the soft, gray hues that are given off by the wood and the rawness that it produces. i guess i am kind of over the really dark stained cabinets and this is my way of opening myself up to a new evolution of wood cabinetry. i adore this kitchen done in the pickled white oak. it is so clean and crisp...something that i find myself gravitating to much more in design. pickling is definitely not limited to cabinetry; it looks amazing on furniture, applied on floors or ceilings (oh, love it on the ceilings).
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