In Honor of Valentine's Day...

I thought today would be a great day for a post dedicated to red kitchens.

Whether it's cabinets, countertops, appliances, or even faucets, red is an energetic, bold, and passionate color.  Side effects:  the color red is also known to enhance appetites, so whether you want to risk putting it in your kitchen is up to you.

Cabinets:

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image source:  decodir.com

Countertops:

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Silestone Red Eros via

Vetrazzo countertop

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Tile Backsplashes: 

image source:  tileanddesigns.com

Appliances:

Big Chill Appliances

Faucets:

Delta Fuse

Office Remodel Reveal

I recently finished an office space renovation with a past client of mine.  

My client, Scott Cheney, is the founder of Twin Peaks Wealth Management.  He provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting services for individuals, families and employers.  We worked hard to create a space that reflected his professionalism and level of service.

We literally started this remodel with a blank slate:

Floor Plan Before:

We wanted to ensure that all clients of
Twin Peaks Wealth Management would feel comfortable, so we divided the space into a private working office, with a separate waiting room that was intended to be warm and inviting.  

Clients arriving for appointments are encouraged to help themselves to a beverage and to make themselves comfortable while they wait.  

While they lounge, they are still reminded that this is a professional business, as money & business news is always streaming on the TV.

The wet bar provides all the necessary function in a small amount of space, while also acting as a focal point for the room.

Once you enter the main office, it's all business.  But it's still comfortable. 

If you're in need of a wealth advisor, I highly recommend contacting Scott.  He's a genuine, honest guy, who truly cares about his clients.  He's also fun to work with (and how many people in the financial world can you really say that about?).

Twin Peaks Wealth Management

Kitchen Remodel - Concept to Completion

Kitchen designers can work in non-traditional ways.

Last summer I was referred to a family who had recently purchased a new home. They loved the home but despised the kitchen.  They consulted with me to come up with a new design and help with finishes.  From there, the client took over and managed the rest of the job themselves.  While this isn't the standard way of working, and playing your own general contractor can end up in disaster for many homeowners, they pulled it off.  I stopped by to see the kitchen last week, and it turned out great.

Here's what the kitchen looked like before (they had just moved into the home the day before these photos were taking - nothing was unpacked yet):

I proposed reorienting the kitchen to make it more functional and more open.  We looked at several options, and eventually settled on this design:

With this finish collage:

The rest was up to the clients.  

And, with a few changes and plan evolution, this is what they ended up with:

These are obviously not professional photos, and I didn't take time to stage the space (hence the ladder in the foyer!), but I think the final product looks great and I'm so excited for my clients and their new kitchen!

Guest Posting at Utah Style

I briefly mentioned this before, but I'm currently a guest blogger at Utah Style & Design's website.  I'll be posting every 2 weeks, on Thursdays.  So if you feel like I'm not blogging enough here, feel free to wander over to Utah Style to see what I'm saying.

This week's post is all about home office space, and how to make it functional and clutter-free (i.e. how to conceal the mess), regardless of size.

So, hop on over to Utah Style and check it out!

Healthy Kitchens

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How many of you have already given up on your New Year's resolutions?   I'm not typically one for resolutions, but I was definitely feeling that a detox was in order after the holidays, so my husband and I decided to do a 3-day juice cleanse.  And this got me thinking about how to encourage better health in kitchen design. Not only does this apply to your own physical health, but also your psychological health and the health of the environment.

I've come up with a whole list of things that contribute to a healthy kitchen:

Healthy Appliances

via Breville

There are plenty of countertop appliances that encourage healthier eating.  For example, we purchased this juicer from Breville and have used it everyday since.  Whether it's a juicer or another specific appliance, evaluate your own habits and make sure you think about whether you'll actually use the appliance before you invest the money (and countertop/storage space).

image via Sub-Zero/Wolf

For built-in appliances, steam ovens are the way to go.  Not only do they cook foods faster, but cooking with steam also allows optimum retention of vitamins and nutrients.  AND you typically don't need to add oils or fats during the cooking process.

image via Sub-Zero/Wolf

Eating healthy means buying more produce, and needing storage for more produce.  Refrigerator drawers right at your prep surface make veggie storage ultra convenient.

Healthy Aesthetic

Aesthetics can impact how healthy you feel.   A crisp white kitchen with subtle (not overpowering) citrus tones can make you feel healthier and more cheerful.

Natural Kitchen

Nature plays a role too.  Any way you can bring the outdoors into your kitchen will impact your health.  The easiest ways to do this are through natural lighting and indoor plants.

Healthy Pans

Many people are concerned about Teflon non-stick coatings, which can release toxic fumes when overheated.  (The chemical is polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE).  Many new non-stick surfaces are being introduced, including this set recently launched by West Elm Market in partnership with GreenPan.

image via West Elm

Composting:

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Composting is a great use for all those leftover healthy food scraps, and is an environmentally-friendly option compared to garbage disposals or landfills.  I did an entire post about working composting into kitchen design, using anything from countertop containers to full composting built-in units.  (See here for a good article about landfills vs. garbage disposals vs. composting).

What a Year!

2012 has been a year full of great people, fun projects, and new experiences!  This post is not about patting myself on the back, but it is about looking back and feeling good about the year.  It was an incredible learning experience full of both good and bad, and looking back at what all my hard work has accomplished gets me energized for the year ahead.

My year in review:

I was invited to Brizo Fashion Week:

I took part in a live TweetChat at KBIS:

(photo courtesy of kbtribechat on facebook)

As President-Elect of our chapter, I attended Neo-Con and ASID Leadership Conference:

myself with current President, Crystal Arreola

I won a design award in the ASID Intermountain annual design competition:

Other firsts for the year:

• I have an intern, Brittany, who has already been a huge help!
• I've started guest blogging twice a month for Utah Style & Design!

In 2012 I was fortunate to be a part of some amazing projects:

I enjoyed the custom design & execution of millwork, doors, cabinetry, and trim in a contemporary office space.

We made progress in the Park City condo.  Note that my client has made this project a hobby, where we have fun with the design & selection of every individual item, one piece at a time.  This year we designed a custom dining hutch, dining table, entry bench, bedroom set, and living room rug.  And we finally ordered / installed the dining light fixture.

I designed and furnished the custom cabinetry in an amazing home in Deer Valley.  Full project photos will come later, but in the meantime, here are a couple details I took while visiting the site:

You already saw the big transformation that took place in this kitchen remodel:

And you saw the photos from this kitchen project:

 

I did a beautiful bathroom project using this seamless tub (more photos to follow):

And I have several other projects under way - I'll be sure to include finished photos once I have them!

And then, because one of my main goals for 2012 was to focus on work-life balance, I've had some wonderfully fun (non-work) experiences with my husband, family, and friends:

Hiked to Jackal Hut in Colorado with friends

First ever backpacking trip

spent a week in camping & hiking in Southern Utah / Grand Canyon with in-laws

Little Red Century Ride 

Hiked Deseret Peak

Anniversary biking - Mid Mountain Trail in Park City

Rabbit Valley camping & mountain biking

Just this week - skiing on Christmas Day

2012 was a year full of new things and learned lessons.  I hope you all can take the chance to reflect on everything you've learned in 2012,  and to use it to make 2013 even better.  

Happy New Year from enzy design!