Showing posts with label decorative storage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label decorative storage. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Kitchen Inspiration: Craving Gray & White

I've been obsessed with kitchens lately.  I don't know why.  Maybe it's a combination of the fact that I'm a self-professed food addict/cook, and that my husband and I are starting to look for our dream home.

Either way, I am dying to get my hands on a kitchen reno project! Since 99% of the kitchens that I see in the houses that I've looked at make me cringe, I'm fairly certain that there will be a major kitchen makeover in my future when we buy our first house.

When I say I've been obsessed with kitchens lately, let me be more specific:

Grey and white Bianco Carrara marble countertops, neutral backsplash, stainless steel appliances, glass and wood upper cabinetry, dark wood floors, turn of the century antique white cabinetry with double crown molding and trim.  **SIGH** Perfection.  The kind of kitchen that is elegant and classic, a look that never goes out of style.



I'm very fortunate in the fact that my husband and I share very similar tastes in almost everything, and thankfully, we share the same vision for our kitchen design.

Despite the fact that the very idea of cooking stresses him out, I think he's almost as excited as I am about the prospect of building our dream kitchen.  He is a big fan of anything that looks cool, and is definitely more emphatic than I am about the types of appliances that we should have.  One of the things at the top of his list is a stainless gas range:


I really love the look of mixing in glass-front doors with the rest of the cabinetry.  It really creates interest and lightens up the space, don't you think?  These X front glass cabinet doors pictured below are my fav:


I'm also really in love with the idea of a mirrored-tile backsplash with finial separators like this one:

Amazing, right?  And just think how great it would look against creamy white cabinets instead of gray.  It's also a great way to bring light and depth into an otherwise small kitchen space.  Definitely a must-have in our future kitchen.

And of course, everyone needs an oversize catch-all island:

By the time we find "THE" place to buy, I'm going to have everything so planned out that it will be the fastest kitchen remodel ever!

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Creative Storage & Shelving --- Organize with Flair

From Better Homes & Gardens
Storage doesn't just have to be practical---it can be pretty too!    I absolutely adore the look of customized storage & shelving, and it's right on trend at the moment.   One of my next DIY projects is going to be installing small spotlights in the bookcases in our family room, along with lining the back of the inset shelves with patterned fabric.    

There are so many different ways to beautify and customize shelving and storage areas.   Wallpaper (usually on the back or interior of shelves), paint, baskets, decorative knobs, crown moulding, glass doors, and adding hanging picture frames/mirrors are just a few ways to spice things up.   Especially since most people feel that they never have enough storage, it's very important to make the most of what you've got!   Here are some great examples that I got inspiration from.



From askdecor.com
From bhg.com


From hit-decor.com
Courtesy of designsponge.com





Photo from decorpad.com,
featuring the IKEA Expedit bookcase
decorpad.com
Photo from fengshuicrazy.net
Photo from housetohome.co.uk








By M Design LA

Martha Stewart
Photo from paloma81.blogspot.com
Via personalorganizing.about.com


Design by Olivieau,
photo from heartfireathome.blogspot.com


Design by Ruthie Sommers



Photo via simplifiedbee.blogspot.com


From styleathome.com
The Traditional Home online
Via thedecorista.com





From the IKEA website
Photo from decorologist.com,
Featuring the IKEA Expedit bookcase


From the lifeofarealochousewife.blogspot


I'm thinking that using a stencil to create a custom pattern would be really beautiful too.... how cool would that look on a wall behind floating shelves, or on the interior of bookcase cubes?   Another thing that inspired me about these pictures is the WAY that things are arranged on the shelves.  Instead of just organizing books vertically, try stacking them on their sides to create little horizontal book towers.   You can use simple and colorful organizing containers/boxes to clean up the clutter, re-purpose glass and decorative scupltures as book-ends, and hang framed pictures on the shelves to dress up the storage vignettes.