Dwell on Design - Best Impressions

Last week I had the chance to visit Los Angeles for the ASID Leadership Conference, in conjunction with Dwell on Design (that's me on the far right).

While the conference was filled with ASID seminars preparing us for our leadership roles within our chapters (I'll be President of the ASID Intermountain Chapter starting in October), we also had some time to wander the show floor for design inspiration.

I had so much to see in a short amount of time, but I thought I would post some of the things that stood out most to me, whether it was for their great design or their colorful imagery.

1.  Miele's limited edition white appliances.  I heard rumors of their new white appliances on twitter, and was thrilled to see them in person.

2.  Miele's flush-mount gas cooktop

3.  Wet Style's tub made of WETMAR BIO - an eco-friendly thermo-insulating material made primarily from a mix of soy and mineral stone. 

4.  Shared booth by WhyrHymer and Semi-Handmade.  WhyrHymer showcased some great custom light fixtures / works of art, and Semi-Handmade showed off their custom door fronts designed to fit on ikea cabinet boxes.  I met John online a few years ago when I came across his product and posted about it here.  It was great to meet him in person and to see how well his business plan is working!

5.  House Fifty Two.  Aside from being an attractive booth full of geometric pattern and pops of color, I met Erin Adams, the designer, and got to see her passion and excitement first hand.  Their products include coordinating wallpaper, tile, and fabrics.  But when I say coordinating, I mean they complemented each other nicely without being identical "matchy-matchy" patterns.

6.  Stikwood.  This product has SO many possibilities!  It's essentially a peel & stick wood.  That's it.  Just peel and stick.  But it's real wood - not a fake wood-look imposter.  The photo below shows part of their newer reclaimed flooring series.  They've converted their own industrial scraps into a really cool geometric pattern suitable for flooring or walls.

7.  Range hoods keep evolving into decorative fixtures, as shown in the Sphera hoods from Best by Broan.

8.  Dacor's new WineStation, designed for residential use.  This unit will keep opened bottles of wine fresh and ready for up to 60 days.

9.  Hansgrohe - I simply just love the modern-yet-classic lines of this Axor faucet.

10.  JC Penney is stepping it up with new lines from Jonathan Adler and Michael Graves! (sorry about the blurry photo)

11.  I lost the contact info for this company, but these mountain hooks are begging to be placed in a Park City home.  And their custom storage units in materials such as chocolate bamboo deserve a good home too!  (I will post their info once I find it.)

12.  If you read my blog, you know that I'm obsessed with outlet and switch cover options . Lutron did not disappoint.

13.  Walker Zanger tile never ceases to amaze me.  They were a sponsor of our ASID Leadership Conference, and I love my new notebook with the tagline "What will you create?"  As noted in the speech given by their rep, they are a company dedicated celebrating and inspiring all designers, which is evident in their social media sites.

Project in Progress: Craftsman Master Suite

I'm back!  After a blog hiatus full of studying and more studying, I'm back to blogging.  I thought I'd start with a project that's currently in the middle of construction - an attic we're converting into a master suite in an historic Craftsman style home.  This space is going to be beautiful!  With exposed beams, separate office, built-in cabinetry, freestanding tub, french doors and balcony - this project has it all.  And we're doing our best to stay with the original design of the home, which is making for a warm and cozy space.  The collage above is just a sample of some of our finishes.

You can see more on my pinterest inspiration board:  http://pinterest.com/enzydesign/craftsman-master-suite/

It's been a long process thus far, much of which is due to shoddy un-permitted DIY work of previous owners.  But we passed the framing inspection yesterday, meaning we're in the clear to move full speed ahead!

A Luxurious White Kitchen I Just Have to Share

While browsing around facebook over my morning cup of coffee, I stumbled upon this kitchen, newly installed in a showroom in Ireland.  The showroom is O'Conners of Drumleck, and I'm now a fan.

I just had to share a couple of the images, and I think you'll see why I had to post:

I love the lines of the island, and the furniture look of the island & china cabinet.  I also love the ceiling feature over the island, with plenty of task lighting and the inconspicuous yet strong recessed ventilation.

The interiors of the cabinets are stunning, with walnut shelving, drawer labels, and surprising marble & mirror surfaces.

The curved corner cabinet adds a luxury look, as does the full-height backsplash.

See more of their beautiful work on their website and their facebook page.

enzy design is featured in Utah Style & Design!

I am thrilled to announce that one of my master suite remodel projects is featured in the Spring issue of Utah Style & Design!

This was such a fun project to work on, and getting it published is just the icing on the cake.  The clients were wonderful, and I got to work with architect Hans Hoffman and contractor Bruce Anderson, 2 people I really respect.  I also got to coordinate with Cora Stjernholm from elume distinctive lighting, Janice Israel from Closet Factory, Jodi Nelson from Mountainland, and other industry pros who make up a great team.

My client Danielle has incredible taste, which is really what made this project possible in the first place.

So please, check out the spring remodeling issue of Utah Style & Design (I believe it officially hits the newstands April 1st) to see the whole article!

My Blogging Absense

Sorry folks.  I haven't been blogging much at all.  There's a reason:  I'm taking the NCIDQ exam next month.  For those who don't know what NCIDQ is, it stands for "National Council for Interior Design Qualification".  Per their website:

"Interior design requires specialized expertise and skills that are distinct from those of other building and design professions—encompassing everything from choosing safe indoor materials and furnishings to ensuring compliance with building codes. By setting the bar for professional competence and administering the NCIDQ Examination, NCIDQ identifies for the public those interior designers who are qualified to design and execute interior spaces that protect the public health, safety and welfare. In fact, 27 U.S. states and Canadian provinces require the NCIDQ Certificate in licensing and regulating the interior design profession."

And while I feel that I'm very qualified to do what I do, this exam focuses on a lot of commercial aspects of interior design, which I haven't dealt with much in my career, as well as a lot of textbook practices that aren't necessarily real-world scenarios.  So in many ways I'm relearning everything I learned in college (that I don't currently practice).

So, bear with me, and please wish me good luck!  I'll be back in May once all parts of this exam are over (and hopefully you'll see me before then, as I have a lot to share, just no time to share it.)

Attic Master Suite

I thought I might add more photos from this charming remodel featured yesterday on the Utah Style blog.

I mentioned this was a small space, so I thought I might elaborate on the space-planning challenge.  The main part of this project involved the stairs.  We redesigned and rebuilt the stairs (including the staircase to the basement) in order to gain more room on the upper level for the bedroom AND a new bathroom & closet, creating a private and cozy master suite.

Here's the "before" floor plan - notice how the stairs chopped up the whole space:

And here is the "after"

The space BEFORE:

And the space AFTER:

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:

image source 

image source:  decodir.com

Countertops:

image source unknown

image source unknown

Silestone Red Eros via

Vetrazzo countertop

image source

Tile Backsplashes: 

image source:  tileanddesigns.com

Appliances:

Big Chill Appliances

Faucets:

Delta Fuse