Remodel Mode

Well, we are in full remodel mode around my house.  I wish I could say it’s well planed and that we are ready with decisions, contractors, and a bank roll but, were not.  And yet we are already in deep in demolition so you can imagine I’m “designing” as fast as I can.  I do have a spreadsheet ( I love google sheets) going so I can track and estimate exactly how much I’m going to overspend. But i think I might be a bit ahead of myself…

In early January our little house on the cape took on a significant amount of sea water, so we are forced to open and dry out walls, replace ruined floors and repair damaged systems and woodwork.  I’m a little (ok a lot) heartbroken, but trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel.    That light looks like a garbage disposal, a dining are that seats more than four, and maybe… just maybe a washing machine and dryer.  The picture on the left is whats left of the kitchen, and the right is a deVOL kitchen I’m using as inspiration.  Those little cabinet doors vent holes are too cute, and I’m going brass with the hardware but the truth is I’m not sure if I’ll commit to grey of just do a classic white kitchen.

The bathroom will be Painted Simply White with white subway tiles in the shower – with light grey grout – and this pretty palette on the floor.  The tiles are from Heath Ceramics, I’m picking a 4″ hexagon mixed in these three colors.  Currently our plan is to use a washstand and basin from Duravit and a toilet from Duravit – designed by Philippe Starck – that I really like.  I think the tile colors will mix well with Carrara curbs and thresholds.

We might end up moving the kitchen to the room we currently use as a dining room, this would allow us to have larger dinner parties and the dining space would be directly off the living space making for one larger entertaining space. I think I like the sounds of that, but I have to make sure all the charm and the old-timey vibe is not lost.  This will require special attention to the millwork; chair rails, paneled walls, cabinets and the like.

White kitchens are pretty… and the brass looks sweet against it.

And I think thew white against these Carlisle Wide Plank floors would look pretty fresh.

SUMMER (house)

Believe it or not it’s finally time… Memorial Day is fast approaching and the season is beginning!  Its time to paint the shutters, clean up the yard and air out the house. Roll up rugs if thats your thing. I’m thinking that the sand from the beach will be easier to get up with out the rugs in the way. Plus I love the look of the bare floors so I’m going naked (floors of course). I just finished painting the shutters Chrome Green (Ben Moore) the color is so old-timey/wasp/preppy… to be honest I might not have picked it, but it’s the color they have always been, so it suits me.

 

This tiny guest room recently got a fresh coat of paint. in fact it went from dark taupe walls and wall to wall carpeting to simply white (Ben Moore) everywhere.  The walls are flat, trim satin and floors high gloss.  I’m not going to lie, the carpet came up easy, and those wide board floors were there, so a simple rough sanding was all it took for the painter to get the finished look you see there.  I tried to paint this room and the color was so dark, I gave up during the 3rd coat!  Some things are better done a pro.  The look certainly captures the spirit of an old beach house and looks chic mixed with the “unintentional” look of family cast-offs, “temporary” furniture that never got replaced  and nautical kitsch collected for generations sprinkled in.

There are still gallons and gallons of paint left to go, but this little house at the end of the road is quickly becoming a charming little beach house that is sure to see plenty of fun, laughter, relaxed days and maybe a few rowdy nights for years to come.  The dogs certainly love running leash-free on the sand and going on walks (something they do do much of at home) so everybody gets a change of pace – not just me.  Below are some inspirational images of rooms I like the look of… maybe some of these details will find their way into this little house.

     

White Kitchens & Stainless Steel

Trophys of culinary design, stainless steel appliances still reign supreme, but the trend in kitchens seems to walk a fine line between hiding appliances behind cabinetry and celebrating them.  These days I lean toward minimizing them without hiding them.  I  do like a refrigerator behind paneled doors but choose to leave my range, dishwasher and hoods exposed… a dishwasher can sometimes be hard to find when hidden too well and when did we all get so busy hiding everything that is so essential in a kitchen anyway?  It’s a kitchen!  I do think about sight-lines from doorways, banquette and other rooms and try to place attractive cabinets in highly visible areas vs. a trash compactor or dishwasher.  But, come on… we all have kitchens, we all need appliances… do kitchens really have to look like dens?

 

What I do covet and hope to use on a small project coming up shortly are stainless countertops.  I am over marble and granite.  I want to do something that feels less fancy, less expected and frankly more industrial and user-friendly.  I will combine butcher block and stainless in my next kitchen renovation.  White cabinets and walls and maybe even floors, but no granite for this guy.  I would rather have an integrated sink and back-splash all made from stainless steel.

   

I am still a fan of  restaurant style tables and fixtures… for me a kitchen is a kitchen.  It doesn’t need faux painting, it doesn’t need carved grape leaf corbels and mahogany hood covers.  Gosford Park, Downton Abbey, The Breakers… these great old houses and many, many others got it right.  Their kitchens are utility driven, simple, clean and efficient.  It’s not as thought there isn’t still a “look”.  The images I’ve posted show a kitchen can still chic without trying to fool people into thinking they aren’t in a kitchen.

White and stainless is nothing new, it has become a classic that can be used in unlimited ways to suit space, style, budget and project.  it feels effortless, easy and unfussed.  I love a clean simple space – with some exuberance injected, I’m still a designer after all – that allows the function of the space drive the aesthetic.   what do you think?

A Dash of Brass

I thought I’d make my point by posting this the day after I suggested brass if you’re thinking about going grey…

The timelessness of a white kitchen is not lost on me, it’s something that will NEVER feels dated, or a relic of a time-capsule from days (or years ) gone by.  Brass on the other hand has had its heyday and has been out of favor for some time.. but “it’s back”!  The younger set who didn’t live through the last go around have discovered the warmth and beauty of brass and other warm finish metals are showing up everywhere. Show here with White and Grey, the brass is the perfect complement to the cool crisp aesthetic these kitchens possess.  And, yeah… sure, brass could fall out of fashion again too, but remember it’s a lot easier and cheaper to change than countertops, cabinets and other major kitchen items.

Fearful of taking the plunge but love the look?  Add some accessories to your countertops or swap out a light fixture to update your kitchens look.  Mixed metals is OK, trust me.  Gone are the days of matching dining room sets, and matching metals… you just have to do it in a way that feels thought out, designed.

I’ll be honest it took me a while to get on this train.  I have disliked brass for many, many years… but to be honest now that the market is so oversaturated with nickel, pewter, stainless and chrome a dash of brass really feels special.

(mostly) White Kitchens

Give me a white kitchen with open shelving any day.  I love the simplicity, the straightforwardness and the cleanliness of the combination.  I’m not really interested in gimmicky back-splashes or tricky knobs and I believe that restraint is the both the most difficult in a kitchen design and the most rewarding.  I don’t want to cook in a room that feels more like a den or library and I certainly don’t want to buy into the stove as trophy aesthetic that is still so prevalent in “current kitchens”.  For me white base cabinets look best with paneled appliances or a white dishwasher and refrigerator, allowing them to meld into the cabinets and walls.  I don’t mind a bit of stainless and wouldn’t want a white range or stove (unless it’s an Aga) but I don’t want a massive range, hood, combo that overpowers the space.  Here are a few great kitchens…

I’ve been sitting on these photos for sometime, I’m sure you won’t mind the “over-share”… there were just too many to edit them down.  Happy Labor Day everyone! I hope you spend it with loved ones and/or friends doing something you love.

 

WHITE KITCHENS

Hello and thanks for stopping by to see what I’m going on about these days.  For me a white kitchen is always the best, most chic, timeless choice a home owner can make when remodeling, building or up-dating.  It’s just fresh.  And, who doesn’t want a fresh and clean kitchen to prepare food in? to spend time with friends and family in and to use as the nucleus of the home.  I know I do.  I know it so much that I’m not only planning for a summer-house I don’t own yet… I’m even collecting things I plan to use in said summer-house.  What you might ask? How could I possibly be buying things for a house I don’t own?  Well… I’m in love with this white kitchen that has antique wooden boxes as the upper cabinets.  And so when I was faced with choosing things from my father’s workshop that I wanted to keep, I chose many beautiful wooden boxes, some with metal corners or trim work, that will someday grace the walls of my white kitchen in the summer-house I don’t own yet. Crazy maybe… But I’ve got a large basement, some great things to remember my father by and a vision I can execute the minute I buy the little house by the sea of my dreams.

I get that an all white kitchen can run the risk of feeling drab or uninteresting or lacking in warmth, but there is an easy way to make sure you don’t create an “operating room”or the “refrigerator interior look”… it’s simple.  One merely needs to add texture and warm tones via wood floors, butcher block counters, lighting and other “warm” elements.  Life enters a space once its been designed and installed, I tell clients not to rush the embellishment phase because things have a habit of simply collecting, it’s just reality.  the point: you don’t need to add a decorative strip into your back-splash, because once the toaster, coffee maker, plant, spices or what have you come back to, you don’t really want or need the 1/2″ band of mosaic back there.  Better to make an impact with broader strokes.  Big lights, a fancy range, stylized chairs around the island… choices like those take ordinary to extraordinary.

  

Hello Again

It’s been a while.  I’m sorry.

I’ve been distracted by, I’ll admit it, Instagram.  It’s so narcissistic and a bit voyeuresque… but for a kid with a little ADD, it’s great.  I still troll design sites, blogs, retailers, vendors, and manufacturers of blog worthy design.  I have a desktop full of images I had intended to say something about over the course of time I have been neglecting this blog.  So here is a deposit of chic white rooms, with black and natural wood tones dominating the aesthetic.

I do love a clean and serene environment but damn if I don’t fill up every table top with birds nests, twigs, stones form trips to beautiful beaches and do-dads I pick up along the way.  These rooms for the most part have a un-designed design to them, intentionally “thrown together” creating an environment that is comfortable, feels organic, and is beautiful to experience.

 I should mention two things: There is not really anything new about black and white in design with the exception that it seems to go along with the quirky anti-design design and feels current and clean and edgy.  2. Black and White was the strongest trend to come out of High Point ( the furniture and lighting and home show in North Carolina).

The rooms shown here are curated, found objects, collections… each item chosen for it’s color, texture, shape value and  visual weight.  A balanced room dosen’t feel like a museum, or shed for that matter.  Don’t over do the amount you decide to display or live with.  Less is typically more (unless however, the pieces used in the simpleset of vingettes must be of stellar quality beauty and form.  Put your best feet forward kids!

(my) WHITE KITCHEN(s)

Believe it or not… this is my dream kitchen.  Now I realize that I might have said that about another kitchen or several kitchens but in my dream house this is a near perfect kitchen, really.  What I like is the stove, hello.  There is nothing about the vintage charm of an old enamel stove like this one. It sets a mood and adds charm no other piece of machinery can.  Sure there are other stoves that are sexy, Aga stoves among them, but vintage is vintage, old world, time worn, classic.  I love the kitchen supply tables to either side of the stove too.  Stainless countertops all day long thank you!  I might make the center island butcher block or marble but I love the restaurant kitchen feeling this stainless gives, and it’s a good play to the stove.  Frankly, this type of cabinet and counter is fairly inexpensive too.  Thats another reason I like it.  If/when I get that dream house, I don’t want to over design, add too many fancy finishes and over spend… I’ll spend my days worrying about my trophy kitchen instead of whipping up a meal and spending time with visiting friends. 

 So for that I’m thinking I’ll have a High/Low kitchen, and stainless tables from kitchen supply are pretty darn low on the price point.  Now because I’m not after a total vintage or Low/Low style kitchen I love the idea of a modern light fixture like the one in this image.  I might not have the ceilings for this exact one, maybe it will be an over the top pot rack or some other lighting wonder, but this is a good place to make a $tatement.  I also love the vibe of the metal framed cabinet door on industrial track, no swing into the room to worry about and I’m planning on my dream houses kitchen being pretty snug so this is good.  The industrial mixed with a bit of modern luxe and the dash of vintage is a recipe for the dream kitchen if you ask me… did you ask? I don’t remember but there it is.  

As to not bore you with the ME, ME, Me of this blog here are a few additional White Kitchens, in every style you can imagine, something for everyone, no doubt.

White Kitchens

This one is yummy, isn’t it? It has everything I love, painted floors, Beamed ceilings, and clean simple lines.  The dark floors really give this kitchen a glam moment don’t they? I have to say for a fan of no upper cabinets, these are done well.  Love the straight line, white back-splash (for a seamless look) chrome apron…  the “wall of cabinets” is also nice.No other way to say it, this Kitchen looks expensive!  LOVE the marble niche, and the white knobs on the range are perfect.

Can’t say I’m a fan of the white faucet, but everything else looks pretty darn god to me.  I would have put bi-folding doors on this little  kitchen to make it disappear  when not in use.

White Kitchens

Some day I’ll have a summer-house, and in it a small WHITE KITCHEN.  Not a trophy kitchen, just a simple white kitchen, with cutting board countertops and painted floors.  My big splurge might be a soapstone or farmers sink, and maybe inset doors on my base cabinets, that is of course they need replacing.  I’m hoping for funky, old and paintable.  Easy feeling and relaxed… I might even paint the cabinets taupe, who knows… inside glass cabinets could end up a color… if it’s really tiny, I might put a shelf in front of the window…...but it will be white, easy and casual.  I want to feel relaxed in my summer (all year) escape and for visitors to feel like they can exhale.  Til then, I’ll keep dreaming.

White Kitchens

LOVE the stainless shelves in this simple kitchen.  I also think the thin marble counter is a good fit for this modern kitchen.  Some people are a little bit country, some a little bit rock and roll… this ones a bit country, but I like it. And who says you can’t have a little punch of color in your all white kitchen?  Open shelves and a punch of color and you’re part of the in crowd.  White kitchens, but in review many have grey cabinets, another giant trend in kitchens… GREY!  

Borrowed Blog – Beachbungalow8

ROMAN & WILLIAMS was featured on the Beachbungalow8 blog back in November, and some how I missed this beautiful spread.  I was intreged by the first image…

It quickly moved to crushing on the second and I knew it was a reblog by the third.  When you get to the vintage inspired bathrooms… Your welcome.  Beautiful!!!

 Their designs and color use, never feels regurgitated. (and I love the feel of this white kitchen)

There’s a sort of macabre thread that they masterfully weave into beautiful and cerebral design.

 This bathroom…is absolutely beautiful, in a haunting, 20s laboratory way. Gorgeous. (WANT)

 Their website has even more……Here

 photos by Grey Crawford. 

Open Shelves in White Kitchens

Open shelves and white kitchens, nuf said really…

It’s ALL about open shelves in today’s kitchen.  Modern or traditional… both benefit from easily accessed and visually “light” shelves.

Try a floating box if your look is modern, brackets if your so inclined.

What you choose to display or store will set a mood so fill in accordingly.

I like my drinking glasses out so folks can help themselves. Shelves over the sink mak putting the dishes away easy.

Keeping like items together (glass or all white) maintains a cohesive look.No budget to remodel your kitchen?  Take off a few cabinet doors.

Paint the insides to match the walls for a seemless look or an accent color if you like color.

White Kitchens (and maybe a tiny bit of color)

Ok so maybe there is a tiny bit of color one or two of these kitchens, but the idea is to keep it neutral.  I promise it won’t age to something dated or a trendy look no longer on trend.  Classic & Simple add up to elegant.  And yes a beat down, patina stained, worn out kitchen can still be elegant… so don’t let the word fool you or scare you out of staying on message.  WHITE, WHITE, WHITE (and sometimes a blip of a color, a small amount of wood, or a must have item – like orange counter stools).

Glavanized light fixtures and chairs/counter stools seem to be popular.  I’m guessing it fits the trend of industrial chic – yes still very popular – and the indestructible nature of its material.  bottom line, it looks good and it lasts.

A little bit of wood adds up to a lot of warmth if you’re afraid of the antiseptic kitchen try a little wood.  For me even the wood of the floor and the wood island are too much wood, I would have gone for painted island with wood top… but that’s just me, just sayin.

YUM.  Pistachio white is what I’m  gong to call this color – so it can be included – because I’m SO IN LOVE with the clean cabinets, slab backsplash and the thin shelf AND the cool Tolomeo task light AND fine ART in a kitchen… all genius!  nuf said.

Comfortably traditional, but clean and bright… Daryl Carter can do no wrong in my book even if this white kitchen is safe.  The exposed beams, dark floor and wonderful light fixtures all suggest this kitchen is in a home of quality… one with a masculine edge, filled with warmth, tradition and strength.

All I’m gonna say about this one is… IN MY DREAMS!  They had me at indoor/outdoor.  This California born and raised boy loves the idea of living outside, cooking outside and eating outside.  who cares if it rains on your butter.

Just the classiest kitchen I’ve seen in a long time.  It’s designed but not over designed.  The statement lights – Thomas O’Brien for Visual Comfort – are perfect and the warm color and texture of the backsplash is the perfect amount of “other than white” to make this room livable, comfortable and interesting.

 

I’m a big fan of open shelves and I’m sure we will all look back and say “remember when open shelves were all the rage?” Yes, this trend could have a shelf life (pun intended) but they have been around for a century or more so we might have to wait quite a while before someone complains that the trend is over.  

White Is Right

Sometimes I know what I want to write about, sometimes I have a picture, a room I love and the words just come to me… and, sometimes I’ll pull a few photos from the littered desktop on my laptop and see what stands out.  In truth, this was going to be a White Kitchen (and technically still could be)  but I wanted to post these images too:

So I guess it’s a White on White post.  Everything white is so fresh and clean and cool in the summer months, but it is oddly comfortable in the colder months too.  Autumn and Winter are highlighted by the neutral and simple look, branches of Fall colored leaves on a dining room table or a snowy view blurring indoors and out.  It doesn’t have to be all white mind you, a black floor or a neutral sofa or coverlet adds depth especially if your room is lacking architectural interest, texture or other focal points.  Not that I’m suggesting your coverlet become a focal point! …I simply mean with multiple whites and neutrals the over all palette gives the eye something to discover, layers.

 But then, of course… white on white on white is so pretty.  I’m dying to paint floors white, in my house or someone else’s the problem is my floors are so nice (original quarter-sawn oak circa 1097) and clients are afraid of the maintenance (who can blame them?).  I’m sure the effort is worth it… maybe I’ll go paint the attic floors.  

almost WHITE KITCHENS and a few other rooms

Yummy rooms.

Love the colors, the ease of the spaces and natural elements mixed with paint.

White Kitchens

So I usually go on about the details in each image I post for White Kitchen blogs but today if simply like to remind readers that its all about the details, but don’t over do it… less IS more! If you like a farmers sink, you don’t need a razzle dazzle backsplash, tricky pendants and a mosaic floor, pick one QUALITY detail (put more of your money into one great thing, not 3 not so great things) and I promise you’ll be happy with the outcome.

I’m giving color consultations all the time. You would be surprised to know how often I get the “are you crazy?” look from clients when we get to the kitchen and I beg them to consider white. “With kids?!” Is usually the first response, and “how boring” is the second… But these people have asked for professional advice because they don’t possess the ability to see the final vision in their mind. Creating a white kitchen is probably easier that matching colors – tile, floor, countertop, paint, etc – but it’s actually harder to “stay on message” and not deviate from the vision. Trust me on this I know. A wooden counter top or a grey floor is acceptable, but wouldn’t you know it… Take a client tile shopping and getting out the door with white can be quiet a challenge. What the customer isn’t remembering is how much they like the look of all white, and how a busy multicolored, multi textured, multi countertop kitchen goes wrong long before the clutter if day to day life moves in. If you are gearing up for a remodel or even just a coat of paint here is my advice: Bring your tear-sheets from magazines and the internet of looks you like to the store with you, spread them out and remind yourself as you shop what the end game is. Don’t be seduced by a impulse color… And if you are buy only enough for the powder room and then go back to shopping for white.

I love a White Kitchen – but buy what you love.

Life comes at you. You can’t avoid the difficult days, the hardships, and yes even the sorrow and pain your heart experiences.  I know that life is so much more than a white kitchen…  Frankly it’s more than the perfect home, the right car, the best watch and even your tennis or golf game.  Being surrounding by love and people who love you for who you are, the good ( ok great ) and the not so great.  It’s about appreciating the moments as they are happening and locking them in a place inside you that you’re able to access when darker days require strength.  It’s about the unconditional love pets give us and the joy of house training success, a game of tug of war and a long walk in the snow with your best canine friend.  Sure, we all love to put of “best foot forward” represent ourselves via our homes and work hard to have nice things… but keep in mind that your avocado range and the harvest gold refrigerator aren’t really the things to blame if your life isn’t what you want.  I think it’s safe to say fear, insecurity and self-doubt and perhaps limited capacity (due to not living your professional dream and giving your career 110% ) are what really hold you back from being content with life, not the stove you cook dinner on.

That being said, coming home from giving 110% to a pretty house you are happy with and one that suits your taste is a pretty good feeling.  Try and let that be a motivator… buy what you like as it presents itself, curate a home of objects that give you pleasure to look at or work with or touch or simply to look at… but don’t count on them making you happy.  That comes from cuddling with your honey, or cooking dinner with friends or napping with your dog in the sun in the middle of the day ( on a monday ).  In the end your house and everything in it is just stuff.  The friends you invite over, the special person you might share it with, the meals you cook, the conversations you have in it and the dog that greets you at the end of each workday are what matter.

I can’t teach you in a paragraph or two everything you need to know about picking out the right fixtures, colors, and details for a kitchen… but what I can tell you is how you live within that space is really what matters most…  with that in mind buy what you love… Moroccan tiles for your backsplash, salvaged wood dredged from the bottom of a river in New Orleans, a vintage stove that works when it wants to and yes… even walnut stained kitchen cabinets if that’s what you like.  I like white.  I never get sick of white.  White feels and looks clean, its bright, textures and architectural details stand out and a crisp modern look is often the result – although you can have a traditional kitchen with and all white palette too.

Little details will add up once the majority of the kitchen is in place.  If you follow my white on white on white mantra, you can still add accents ( love the door above!) and give the space your signature… the nice thing is you can repaint a door in a few hours and most obvious details have a shelf life so pick and choose those carefully.   Take risks with light fixtures – the payout is usually huge – and please, please, please think outside the box of what most designers might throw at you ( that includes me ) because at the end of the day I’m going to guess you’d rather spend time in your chosen kitchen than mine.  You love white kitchens? then buy everything in white, but buy it because you love it.

White Kitchens

There should always be a light side to any dark side, and as you all know I love a whit kitchen.  So here are a few beautifully done kitchens kept to nearly all white.  Maybe it’s just me but have kitchens become a little tiny bit predictable?  Change out the sinks, lighting and countertops and these kitchens could really be one.  Don’t get me wrong, all are pretty… all I’m saying is the person who invents the next must have stove/range that isn’t stainless will get very rich.  I love the look of an Aga stove, but I’ve never owned/operated one.  Anyways… enjoy the kitchen eye-candy!

White Kitchens

I don’t care whats trendy or whats the latest and greatest… I’m always going to love White Kitchens.  White on White on White, throw in and under-mount sink and I’m sold.  Heck it could have formica countertops and I’d be happy but this polished composit looks great.  The pulls are a bit mundane for me and there isn’t a wow moment in this kitchen for me, but it’s still pretty because it’s so fresh, clean, bright and WHITE.It’s summer and my mind is on a small shack near the water, some where with lots of light and a breeze… away from the heat of the city.  I’ll get there someday, I just hope it’s not when a master on the first floor and being close to a hospital is more important than how close the nearest latte is and how many people I can have over for dinner.  So when I get it, there will most definitely be a white kitchen and I think this tiny kitchen is pretty sweet.  great back-splash, peninsula as island as table is really nice.  Cabinets to the ceiling is so key!  Please tell me why people stop the cabinets 6 inches from the ceiling?!? I hate that.