One Of My Favorite Kitchen Projects

Back when I lived in Washington DC, while working at Case Design / Remodeling, I had the chance to work with a wonderful client on what turned into a whole-house remodel.  To this day, their kitchen is still one of my favorite projects.

I love the mix of white cabinets, carrera marble and lagos blue limestone countertops, and the subway tile.  And the tile floor really sets it all off.  I have to give credit to my client for the floor, as I was worried it might be too busy but she pushed for it, and it looks fantastic!

SemiHandmade Cabinetry

Someday I might kick myself for posting about this, because I'm in the cabinet business, and a majority of my income comes from selling cabinets.  But I'm really intrigued by this concept.  

Many of us are familiar with the term "refacing", and many of us in the industry cringe when we hear it.  In the world of kitchen and bath design, refacing means keeping existing cabinets and replacing the doors, to give the illusion of a new kitchen.  It sounds easy enough, right?  The problem with this process is that to do it right can be very labor intensive (both in the planning and the installation), and you don't have flexibility to change the layout.  In the end, you still end up spending a lot of money, and beneath the pretty new finishes you have the same old kitchen. 

The SemiHandmade line by John McDonald is interesting because it falls somewhere in between refacing and replacing cabinetry.  It starts with mass-produced cabinet boxes, mainly from Ikea.  But rather than using Ikea door and drawer fronts, he makes custom fronts in beautiful materials such as teak, walnut, douglas fir, etc... beautiful options you'd never find at Ikea.   

This appeals to me because (gasp!) I don't think Ikea boxes are really that bad.  I know.  I said it.  Don't get me wrong.  They're not great.  They won't hold up as well as the more expensive options, but.... they're not THAT bad.  And the drawer systems are actually pretty decent.  The idea of putting custom non-Ikea fronts on these bases makes me wonder...  It's less bothersome than refacing, because you can tweak the design and take advantage of modern door/drawer technology, as well as new appliance options that may not fit in older kitchen cabinetry.

To be clear, I'm not considering buying all my boxes from Ikea from now on.  But it's just nice to know there's another alternative that just might be worth considering for my budget-conscious clients who might need a new direction and still want a personal custom touch.

I'm guessing there's not much of a warranty though.  I'm pretty sure the custom shops I work with would void all warranties if they knew their products were going to touch something from Ikea.  

Upholstery Class Success

One of these days I'll be able to show you my finished product from upholstery class (the unfinished chairs are patiently sitting in their spots in our dining room, begging for attention).  But in the meantime, here's an even more amazing project by Susan over at Freshly Picked.  I met Susan & her husband in the class and loved to see the weekly progress on the sofa.  Almost just as cool is the time lapse video they created.

Before....

After...

The Video...

See more here on Susan's blog.

Black Kitchens - What Do You Think?

You know I love crisp white kitchens, but I've also seen a lot of beautiful kitchens with black cabinetry lately.  What a stunning look!  I think it can work really well when used along with lighter countertops and floors.  (I've seen black cabinets with dark tops and dark floors and dark backsplashes and, well, they're just too dark.)  

We've been tempted to paint our ugly oak cabinets black.  And I really wish we could.  However, if you've seen my kitchen, you know how off-balance it is.  Half the kitchen is full of cabinets that run all the way to the 10' ceiling.  Painting all of these cabinets black would be just too heavy.   So we decided to get our black fix by painting our Dining Room black instead.

This looks like a DIY project?  I would expect that painting old cabinetry black would be much easier than painting them white.

from design manifest 

There's a lot of cabinetry here, but it works because of the tall ceilings and abundance of natural light.  Don't you love the chandeliers?

Gwyneth Paltrow's Kitchen

This kitchen shows a black paint on oak.  I'm not a huge fan of oak grain, but it looks great in black.

from Desire to Inspire 

I'm curious to hear what others think!

Microwave Hoods

I am a Kitchen Designer, and you know the saying about the shoemaker's kids?  Well, that applies to our kitchen.  It's terrible.  It's ugly, outdated, and extremely inefficient.  Fixing it would be a major undertaking (i.e. completely gutting the whole thing and starting over), which we just can't do right now.  So we've done little things over time to make it a little more tolerable, like replacing the awful tile countertops with laminate.  Yes, laminate doesn't have the best reputation in the industry, but guess what... it doesn't have grout lines, and that's a major step up in my book.

I really don't like microwave hoods.  And I especially don't like them at the end of a run of cabinetry.  The sides of these hoods are not intended to be exposed.  And I really really dislike them when they are mounted too low.  (Note:  Most manufacturer's specs will typically say the recommended mounting height is 66" from the top of the microwave to the floor.  In my opinion, this is WAY TOO LOW if you actually want to be able to see and stir the contents of the pots on your back burner.)  Regardless, this is exactly the set-up that came with our house.  About 6 months ago, our microwave exploded.  Fortunately it was covered under our homeowner's warranty, though unfortunately our claim got lost and it took months to sort it all out.  We finally got the replacement microwave but hesitated to actually install it, because both of us hated having the microwave in that location.  So, after days of pondering over our options, we decided if we had to have a microwave in that location, we should at least be able to raise it, which might make us despise it a little bit less.

microwave BEFORE

I'm lucky to live with a handyman who loves to cook and was therefore just as motivated (probably even more so) to do something about the microwave.   He took the upper cabinet down and somehow miraculously rebuilt it in the garage (note, we don't have a woodshop or most of the tools needed to do this type of work).  So now we have a shorter open-shelf cabinet, which is great for storing everything from the bulk food aisle.  The microwave is now much higher (maybe too high for some, but we're tall and have no children, so it's perfect for us), and we can happily cook without cursing about the microwave getting in the way.

microwave AFTER

Lesson to all of you:  I didn't think to look into what the side of the replacement microwave would look like.  If you are in a situation where you must have a microwave/hood, and it must be installed at the end of the run of cabinetry, try to find out what the exposed side will look like.  Again, these sides are not intended to be exposed, and they can be pretty ugly.

Breakfast Nooks

from Southern Living

Ah, the weekend is here!  One of my favorites parts of the weekend is the thought of waking up slowly and enjoying my coffee and a book either in bed or on the back patio (though tomorrow there will be no lazy morning because I'm heading to the infamous Caitlin Creer yard sale to see what I can score!)

I hope you all have a favorite morning luxury.  For inspiration I'm posting some images I've collected of breakfast nooks.  On nice mornings I will always prefer the patio, but it would sure be nice to have a bright & cozy little corner nook like one of these for those days when sitting outside is not an option.

source unknown

from Apartment Therapy

source unknown

from Country Living

Have a great weekend everyone!

Transitional White Kitchens

via raenovate

I've had several clients recently who are interested in traditional white kitchens with a modern edge.  White kitchens are classic.  If you keep it simple you can create a timeless look with modern touches that will demand attention.  For example, the above kitchen uses a pop of orange, stainless floating shelves, and retro pendant lights.  Yet behind all that is your basic traditional white kitchen with subway tile and wood floors (and a beautiful gray island!) that would blend into any type of home from Colonial to Victorian to Cape Cod.

Below, the modern hardware, simple lines, glass accent tile, and gray undertones keep this white kitchen elegantly modern.

Amoroso Design via raenovate

And this boring white kitchen becomes fun with the addition of eye-catching light fixtures, turquoise accents, and modern chairs.

Amoroso Design via desire to inspire

Yet again, simple lines, gray tones, and retro fixtures define this basic white kitchen.

Amoroso Design

Or, you can make a modern statement in stainless with a bold range hood and floating shelves.

Amoroso Design via raenovate

Again, see how color and furniture add drama to this white kitchen.

via desire to inspire

The Saarinen Tulip Table looks great in this white kitchen.  And check out that hood!

Peter Pennoyer via coco cozy

I really think white kitchens are the safest bet if you're looking for something that won't go out of style.  Woods go through phases. (We all remember when honey oak was all the rage, then maple, then cherry, now horizontal-grain veneers... what next?)  But white kitchens, if done right, can withstand the test of time.  Some new accessories, hardware, light fixtures, or seating, and you can completely transform the look of a white kitchen!