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!

Spring Updating with Lavender

I love this time of year.  It's not scorching hot yet, and the chilling bite of Winter is gone.  During Spring, the weather here in NC is a refreshing balance between the two extremes --- at least, it is when it's not raining.  I swear that the way it smells when you're outside during March & April is like a cliche Febreeze commercial.  Imagine a light breeze, clean sheets blowing in the wind, birds chirping, flower buds blooming for the first time.... you get the picture. 
Along with a variety of other flowers, Lavender comes back in season in Spring.  Lavender has always been a favorite of mine.  I love the way that it looks, the way that it smells, and I love that it represents everything that's wonderful about Spring.  I also love the color (along with other various shades of purple), and I think that it can be great design inspiration.

USES OF LUXE LAVENDER HUES THAT I'M IN LOVE WITH:

Using lavender shades in spaces can be feminine, sophisticated, and soothing, without being over-the-top girly.  There are plenty of gender neutral shades of purple (like French Blue, for example) that have just a hint of lavender or plum.  The great thing about using purple as a starting point on the color wheel is that it works so well with other colors!  It's pretty much impossible to find a color that doesn't work well with some shade of lavender or purple.  I also personally think that graphic patterns and/or textures are complimented by this color, as opposed to competing with it.

www.southernaccents.com

                                                                                          Adding this spring-inspired into your rooms can be as simple as painting an accent wall, or it can be as elaborate as incorporating a wide array of fabrics, patterns, and accents in varying hues of purple & lavender.  Furniture is another great opportunity to bring in pops of color; I love the look of an antique painted finish, but a saturated clean paint technique can work just as well.

from www.davinong.com

Whenever I'm contemplating adding (or DIY-ing) a significant colored item like furniture into a room, I try to make sure that:

• a.) I'm not going to get tired easily of the color/finish that I chose, and
• b.) the R.O.I. outweighs the risk that I'm taking by changing or customizing the item.

from www.maisonandviolet.com

Or in other words, you might want to think carefully about wanting to paint your two-thousand dollar bedframe a deep shade of purple..... it probably won't give you the best return on investment.  It's also probably not a good idea to spend an exhorbitant amount of money on elaborate purple draperies that you'll want to change in two years.  That's not to say that doing either of those things wouldn't work for some people.  I'm just saying that you should give some thought to where you place your color (and your money) before you do it. :)

All-over purple too much for you?  No worries.  You can still incorporate this color by adding small accents like lamps, pillows, candlesticks, artwork, rugs, or picture frames.  If you're wary of the commitment of large-scale color, don't underestimate the alternative options.  Small touches of purple tend to showcase the color nicely and make it more of a statement piece rather than a theme.

from www.squidoo.com

www.homeaccessoryaccents.com

from www.pillowpeels.com

www.etsy.com

 Smaller pieces in the lavender accent color are very easy to switch out if necessary, and you can use different shades of color easily without it looking haphazard.  Places like Pier 1, ZGallerie, Target, Tuesday Morning, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, and Michael's can be good places to scout out small accessories and knick-knacks (another one of my words from my up-bringing in Connecticut).  If you're sitting there wondering what the latter means you probably aren't from north of the mason-dixon line.  Knick-knacks are small statues or collectible items usually grouped together and added to a room for decoration..... my Grammy had TONS that she had acquired over the years from shopping tag sales every weekend.  Another bonus of small accessories & knick-knacks: they are usually very unique and relatively inexpensive! 

If you want to go the route of mirrors/frames/pillows, and you don't feel like buying them pre-made, many of my favorite looks featured here can be DIY'd without a significant amount of time or money..... just a little elbow grease and imagination, and you have custom luxe additions to your space!  In any event, Lavender is a FANTASTIC color to wake up your space for Spring and every other season of the year.  Next time you're in the paint section or the home decor store, don't overlook this incredibly beautiful and versatile option:)


 

The "Light" side of Flea Markets

from http://styledip.com

I've been on this kick lately where I love acquiring vintage pieces; partly because I love the history that comes with them, and partly because they have a certain look that can't be found in mainstream stores.  Don’t get me wrong, I like the 'Homegoods/Target/Ethan Allen/Pottery Barn' stuff just as much as the next girl.  But I think that adding in those unique pieces can add much-desired eclectic flair to a room. 

Flea Markets, thrift stores, estate sales, and yard sales (I'm originally from Connecticut, and we call them "tag sales" there) are great places to find fodder for DIY projects.  Looking for beautiful items that you can refurbish also allows you to achieve that high-end, designer-sourced look in your space -- without the hefty price tag!

While my husband and I were at the North Carolina Fairgrounds flea market this weekend, I spotted several very cool retro lamps & chandeliers.  Some of them had beautiful hand-blown glass bases, or had iron frames, and others even had intricate engraving and scrollwork.  There were even old-fashioned chandeliers designed to hold candlesticks (although I'm sure that you could wire them to be compatible with light bulbs too).  I also noticed that the circa-1980's style lamps are starting to make a comeback, along with art deco sconces.  It got my creative wheels turning, and I started thinking about DIY ways to transform these old light fixtures.



To be honest, you often have to use your imagination when you see items at the flea market.  Most of the time they're rusted and dirty, covered in cobwebs, or possibly scratched and missing parts.  You need to look past what they are, and see what they can be.  When you see something that intrigues you, and you're wondering if you should buy it or not, try to envision what it would look like if you:

• clean it with steel wool or apply an antique finish
• spray-paint the entire surface a bright color
• add a metallic crackle finish to highlight interesting details
• add a new lamp shade
• apply decorative embellishments like trim, glass beads, metal hardware, wood finials, tassles
• replace missing parts
• paint a pattern onto the lamp shade
• wire crystals onto the stem or arms
• hand-paint or stencil designs onto the surface

 Before I buy, I always ask myself two things: "Do I love this?" and "Can I use this in different ways long-term?".  You should acquire pieces that you LOVE, not just like.  You can avoid buyer's remorse by making sure that the item can be used in various places in your home, again and again.  I also like to take pieces and re-purpose them for something other than what they're designed for.  For example, you could take old sconces and secure them to a wall in your entryway to use as coat hooks.  Old five-arm chandeliers can be turned into a custom baby mobile using ribbon, paint, a rotating spindle, and dangling objects.  And those cheap and un-loved brass candlesticks can take on a new life by being used as a base or vessel for floral centerpieces.

I find that it helps me get inspiration when I look at a finished product, pictures of rooms, or colors.  I try to catalog pictures of things that I love (lighting, rooms, furniture, etc.), so that when I see raw materials, I already have a vision of what I could do with them.  Websites like www.pinterest.com and www.polyvore.com make it really easy to create your own digital inspiration "cheat sheet" of what to look for when you hit the thrifty shopping scene.  I just recently discovered that they make apps for both of these sites, so if you have an iPhone or an iPad, you can literally take your inspiration with you wherever you go!