Kitchen Obsession: Great Out-Of-The-Box Kitchen Inspirations

I would LOVE to renovate my kitchen- both my husband and I love to cook –(actually Kevin is the cook and I play cook on his off days)  In our house we have a formal living room, formal dining room, formal foyer and kitchen - that makes up the first floor.  We are really BIG on family dinners and try to have a sit down dinner with our kids every night.  We eat in our formal dining room and we play games like: high/low, what's the best “high” part of your day and the “low” the worst part of your day.  This is the only way we get more than a grunt from our kids about their day.  This also involves them in our day and shows them that grown ups have great parts and not so great parts of their life too.  I feel we are really missing the casual eat in and family room part of the kitchen of my dreams.  I do love the look of my eclectic, totally out of the box kitchen but we need to take it up a notch in functionality.

I am constantly scouring images in magazines and on the web for interesting kitchens.  Spaces that are done differently, kitchens that wouldn't date as quickly, kitchens that maximize drama and functionality.  I want a space with a ton of personality (our house has a ton of character- that's code for old piece of crap!)

I want warm, friendly, personalized, sunny, happy and carefree.

Metropolitan home
Like most kitchens ours is the heart of our home and needs to help keep our super busy lives organized and clutter free - everything needs a place.

Sun is so important to me- i want to open the back of the house up to our Awesome backyard that no one uses and that visitors don’t even realize is there.  I want a wall of windows in the kitchen - the morning sun!




MS Living

Apartment therapy

House Beautiful

Coastal living



Jill Kantelberg/ Angus Fergusson



Jonathan tuckey

Richard powers

www.decoriz.com

Desire to inspire

Gianetti designs




www.junkinescapeds.com

Some of these kitchens are quirkier than others, but all challenge the way to think about kitchens.  The hardest thing to juggle when your wanting out of the box is resale value.  Do you do it for yourself and hope in 10 years someone else will appreciate your vision?  In 10 years will that new person rip out any kitchen you put in place anyway.  Hummmmm, what to do?  Everytime I think I’ve found the perfect idea, I find a new picture of something more interesting.  in the end I’m so fickle I might just have my current kitchen forever.  If I were my client, I would have to fire myself.

Media- the perfect storm

Ok, so I want you to know I am not trying to make you vomit by patting myself on the back (you say: yada yada yada here it comes- eyes rolling).  My life is usually fairly (correction: completely) boring and I am just so shocked at whatever this freak Twilight-like stuff that's happening in my life- I wanted to share my thoughts and thanks.
The past year and a half has been nothing short of amazing (no really- freakishly amazing)!  I put up my website, I started writing my blog (something I never thought I could do or had the time for), I started tweeting (ditto, and I suck at it), I got photographed for Country Home magazine, I (my house) appeared in Kitchen and Bath Makeover magazine, I was hired to be the Interior designer for This Old House TV show, My work was in This Old House Magazine a couple times, An article about me was published on the front page of the Newton Tab newspaper (Thanksgiving week no less), I have been quoted in Better Home and Gardens magazine, I was in New England Home Magazine, I did a piece for HGTV Blog and website, This month my house is in a four page spread in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine and I am guest Blogging for New England Home Magazine.  All of this after 12 years of obscurity, keeping my head down, working hard for clients and living on word-of-mouth referrals.
Holy shmoly!!!!!!

Last night at my book group someone asked me why all this is happening now?  Was it the TV show, was it the blog?  What was it and how did it start?  My answer???? I have no flipping idea! (I am surprisingly eloquent at times).  My grandfather used to say “luck is when hard work meets opportunity”.  Is that it?  is this just good luck or hard work meeting opportunity (notice I put luck first)???  Over the last 12 years of working in this industry I must say I always try to do my absolute best.  I am honest to a fault, straight forward, happy and friendly.  I believe in making my client’s feel good about their taste and choices and hopefully they love the design process.  I am by no means perfect, I am a small company and if one of my kids, husband or I get sick, the world stops.  I try to return phone calls and emails within 48 hours (I get hundreds of emails everyday)  Could I be speedier- yep, absolutely, but there is only one me and I do my best.  I am 15 min late for everything and the hip outfits for the first few appointments degrade into just shy of my gym clothes as time goes on (you think I’m kidding- you’re lucky I shower most of the time). Of all the amazing designers out there, I am as good as others at some stuff, and I am far worse at some stuff than many, but I do try hard and I really care.  I just can’t believe that after 12 years of designing people’s homes- I am finally getting noticed.  Ya freaking hoooooo!!!!!!!

For all this I want to thank all of my wonderful, incredible clients who have made my job so amazing- I adore every one of you!  I also want to thank all of my vendors, you are the backbone of my success.  In an industry that Designers work alone or with a very small staff, it is the wonderful relationships with my vendors and clients that make my job so amazing and supremely satisfying.  I love that my kids see that mommy loves what she does for a living- I wake up and can’t wait to start working.  I hope they find the same passion for their careers in life. 

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

'Mirrors have come to mean much more than the original 'looking glass.' They are now a part of the decorative scheme of a modern home. By using them, there are no dark, gloomy corners, no drab caverns for halls. There can be a feeling of freedom, light, air, space.' Quote from designer Dorothy Draper - 1942

bluetramontanastyle

History Lesson from Patricia Grey Interior Designer
“Everyone has either seen or heard of the famous Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, built by Louis XIV in 1678. The principal feature of this famous hall is the seventeen mirror-clad arches that reflect the seventeen arcaded windows that overlook the gardens. Each arch contains twenty-one mirrors for a total of 357. In the 17th century, mirrors were among the most expensive items to possess, and at the time, the Venetian Republic held the monopoly on the manufacture of mirrors. In order to maintain the integrity of the French philosophy of mercantilism, which required that all items used in the decoration of Versailles be made in France, several workers from Venice were enticed to make mirrors at the Gobelins Factory in France. The expense in manufacture of mirrors has come a long way since those days, and now mirrors have become a staple in every home.”


Decopad
Add a little twinkle in the kitchen- bounce the light around- give an airy feeling to a small utilitarian space.

Domino
Why leave the back splash in shadow- with great under cabinet light you create a truly magical space.


A little windex goes a long way!

Lisa Epley



Atlanta homes and lifestyles
Antiqued mirror add just the hint of age and mystery this space needs.

Use mirrors to reflect an incredible view- why only enjoy it from on direction?
Patricia Grey

lovinglivingsmall
A teeny tiny bedroom get some needed drama.

Janet Lohman


Steven Gambrell

Theglamlamb
Ok seriously – I would kill for this room, beautifully done.  For my This Old House clients, Allison and Raveen, we went for a similar effect in their “dressing corridor”.

Southern Accents

Emma Jane Pilkington

House Beautiful

Carrie Hayden
The silver mirrored pieces and the gilded gold on the mirror marry perfectly in this high drama space.

Huntley & Co.


This is one of those amazingly creative ideas that’s pure brilliance!

Before- dark boring, gray and just sad!

Huntley & Co.
After, albeit closer up- warm, twinkly and sensational!

Rajeesood
Mirrored dining rooms however beautiful are a little hard.  Diners tend to catch and hold their own reflections without meaning to.  If you want to use them in a dining room, keep them well above eye level for diners.

Miles Redd
Ok – other than the enormous crush I have for Miles Redd and the fact that I think he is one of the most amazing interior Designers of this time- his bathroom rocks (as does everything I have ever seen him do- a blog post in itself)

How to Hire the Right Design Professional. Decorator vs. Interior Designer

A couple of posts back, I tried to answer the question “Why hire an interior Designer?”.  Now I would now like to go into the natural follow up to that question.  What type of Design Professional is right for you and how do you find the right person?

TV Show Designing Woman
There are a few different types of Design Professionals you could hire for your job.  The decision of who to work with is very important, as it is a very close relationship based on many levels of trust.  This is someone with whom you will work with for at least a few months and usually more like a year or two (I have many clients that I have been working with going on 10 years).  You have this person to your home and they work with you to make decisions about how you want to live.  It is a very intimate working relationship. 

The first decision you will need to make is do you want a “Decorator” or an “Interior Designer”.  A Decorator is usually someone who handles the finishing details of a project: color, window treatments, furniture, rugs and accessories.  An Interior Designer does everything a Decorator does but also can be involved in the architectural design and building process (not in place of architect or builder but in conjunction).  An Interior Designer reviews architectural drawings, lighting plans, molding, millwork and built in plans, bath and kitchen design, tile layout and design, flooring decisions….then they finish with the color, furniture, carpets, window treatments, accessories, art, etc..  The Interior Designer can provide a soup-to-nuts solution, from construction design to finished house, or help you with any point in between.

Not to confuse you more, but there is another decision to make when it comes to hiring a Design Professional.  Do you want to hire this person for their style, or do you want to hire someone to interpret your style? 
There are many Decorators out there who have incredible “signature” styles and your house can look just like that with the guidance of this type of person.  Sort of like,  if you know that you love Ralph Lauren clothing exclusively - you love the look and fit and the store is your only “Go to” destination for your wardrobe, then you might find someone who’s “signature” style you love and go for it!  Look at their portfolio- it will likely reflect slight variations on a single style and be very consistent. 

Ralph Lauren Home
If you want your house to reflect you, then look for someone who has the ability to listen and understand exactly what you want.  Most people in this category may know they want their house to reflect them and their family but they may not know exactly what they want or how to achieve what they’re imagining.  This is where the Designer proves their value.  They will guide you and your family (always balancing the individual needs of all members of the family… can you say design therapist!) through the process of decision making and learning about your likes and dislikes.  This type of Designer must learn who the clients are, how they live, work, relax and entertain, where and what they study, their hobbies, ethnicities/family history, where they’ve traveled, etc…the complete identity and function of the family.  Then the Designer sets forth to help make all design decisions through the filter of this client’s identity.

When looking for a Decorator or Interior Designer ask your friends, neighbors, co- workers, relatives.  Word of mouth is the best way to find a designer.  When looking at a portfolio (keep in mind unless you’re hiring this person for their style) the pictures represent the client the Designer was working with, not the Designer’s taste or your project.  You may really like a room but hate the weird chairs flanking the fireplace- naturally you would doubt the Designer’s judgment.  But don’t - most likely those chairs were the client’s favorite grandmother’s and the Designer needed to use them to make the client happy.  The best way to vet a Designer after you’ve gotten their name is to not only look at the portfolio, but to ask their former client’s if they are happy with their home.  Did it turn out how they wanted, did they have a good trust relationship with the designer, did they have fun and enjoy the process?  Secondly, meet the designer.  Do you like this person, do you think you could spend a lot of time with this person, do you feel listened to and heard, can this person make you feel confident in the decisions you need to make (all 300 million of them). 
At the end of the “finding a designer process” the final decision comes down to a gut reaction.  There is no science here - is this person likeable and good at what they do, do they make their clients happy?

I have never actually had clients do this but I have received very nice notes of gratitude.

best bunk rooms EVER!

Remember when you were a kid and the only person you knew who snored was your Dad and your grandpa? (like a jack hammer, right?)  Certainly none of your kid friends- they would be laughed out of their sleeping bag at slumber parties (tough to be a kid!).  Remember staying up late at sleepovers? When people finally started falling asleep there was no doubt you’d sleep like a rock until the first giggle of the morning. Even if you were sleeping on the floor with just a sleeping bag- you slept like a rock.  Now a good night sleep is just about the best thing you could wish for.  And by the way, when does the snoring start (being an adult is so unfair)?  Step back in time with me as you look at these pictures (sorry for so many but how do you leave any of these out?). 

(Coastal Living)

(inside and out)

(willow decor)

(Emily Jenkins followill + folder of ideas.com)

(Southern Accents)

(Coastal Living)

(Rod Mickley)

(Traditional Home)

(Traditional Home)

(Country Living)

(Apartment Therapy)

I have a tough time romancing the idea of a sleep over on the floor (I can’t go that far back!!!).  However, I don’t have a single problem dreaming about a super fun slumber party in these totally fabulous rooms.

Oh to be a kid again!