Always Look a Step Ahead

Today's post is a continuation of yesterday's.  I wanted to explain HOW I would select a fabric for the kitchen windows.

1.  Because white blinds are on the windows, if a fabric selection is made like the one above- it will look a little "dingy."  I would use the white.  Selecting a fabric that has white in it will help to pull the room together.  (even if just a little white)

 2.  Most of the guesses were for this fabric above.  However- this would not be my selection for a pretty important reason.  This is a kitchen.  There are not a lot of other opportunities to add a unifier of your colors.  If this fabric above were your window treatment color- what would you use on your walls for a paint color?  You have painted yourself into an interior design corner.  We all know the bright orange would be hideous on the walls.  The white would offer absolutely no contrast to the baseboards or blinds.  There are no other colors to pull from.  Using an additional color would be your only real option, but the result is a room that is a bit disconnected.  This is a perfect example of why you should make all of your decisions before purchasing anything. 

My selection was #3.  Is the pattern too large? No.  In upholstery you see a pattern, but window treatment fabric is best looked at by bunching the fabric up, how most treatments show the material.  I really appreciate large patterns.  If you were to use this material in a flat fold Roman shade- railroading the material would be perfect- creating a very interesting feel.  Look at what the fabric offers as far as wall color options.  There are nice lighter shades of greens and blues.  There is also a lovely linen color that would be a perfect wall color.  I also like how this fabric pulls in a little of the cabinet color. 

Yesterday Cheryl e-mailed me and let me know what the granite selection was.  It is  Giallo Veneziano.

This new information changed my mind altogether on the fabric.  I selected a new one- the Waverly piece below.  It has white in it, as well as some great options for paint selections.  A material as colorful as Giallo Veneziano needs to be treated as part of the color pallet in most cases. Be sure to look at the actual slab.  Colors vary widely.

 With  the dark cabinets- a light paint selection - like pulling the color from the plant with the roots above- would be a very nice selection.  This fabric also brings together the existing disconnect that is found with the cabinets and granite- not really going with "white" blinds.  Add this fabric as a unifier- and it will go beautifully.  Have your parents use the fabric on ALL of the windows- not just the windows over the sink. Window treatments should be layered.  I am not a big fan of most valances- instead I would use Roman shades or cafe curtains, or panels.   

You will have other ways to bring it all together.  This color pallet reminded me of a post I did in January of 2010.  Some of the selctions I made for Kathy would also be good for your parents.  For example- art work.

Perhaps a runner or rug:

Good luck to your parents.  I hope they take your (my) advice.  :)

fabric: Waverly, fabric.com; art: Uttermost; Rug: Capel 

The Blue Kitchen

Are you considering a blue kitchen? This post is all about adding blue to your kitchen space. Where do you add the color? Above it is the backsplash and fabrics. (also note the sconces above the windows in the photo above- I really like those.- and the beadboard ceiling.)

To go blue on the cabinets themselves- make sure you really are a fan of blue. Have you loved blue for more than three years? Or are you simply liking blue because of recent marketing and styles?

Just the paint is a great place to put blue if you fall into the "I like to follow the fads" category.

Another backsplash in blue..

This is a nice high end kitchen- but can be a great idea for those of you trying to update an out of date kitchen. Remove doors- beadboard the backs- and paint!

Here you find the trendy blue and green- but only in the accessories.

I like the ceiling and floors in the fun and funky kitchen above.

For the Tuscan blue look - check out this kitchen- it is a piece of art. Don't go trying this at home if you are not really an artist. I feel like I need to include that disclaimer as if this is some extreme sport program. You really could hurt your kitchen. :)

Have a favorite? I love the tiles in the fifth photo.

Photos from House Beautiful.

Tamlynn's Kitchen Remodel

Hi Christine!

I hope you are doing well, your blog is still very fun and informative. I am dreaming here, but if I could rip out everything in my kitchen and start over, I would still be at a loss where it comes to layout. My main problem is that I would like to keep a small eating area in the kitchen. We do have a dining table in the family room/great room, but we do our school work there, so it is not available for breakfast and lunch. So disregarding plumbing, gas, electric, etc. and just keeping existing walls, what do you think would be the most convenient kitchen layout in this space?
Thank you,
Tamlynn

Hi Tamlynn,
Your floorplan was too light for me to read exactly- but I got the measurements and the basic idea- I have two plans for you. #1 is above. In this plan I would add a nook- built right in- matching your cabinetry material- not missing a beat in the flow. It is only large enough for a 36 x 36 table- but the floorplan doesn't sacrifice too much counter and storage space.
Notice in this picture above the shelf above the windows. You have several windows in your area- I would have a shelf like the one above. It adds some continuity to the flow of the area. Compare that with the picture below with no shelf. I like the shelf.

Below is an idea for your built-in. With such a narrow room- this will seat more people than you could at a table. If you have small children- they can just pile in. :)

I wanted to show you the picture below for the ceiling- I love how the horizontal slats of the bead board help that long narrow room feel less long and narrow.

I would have your kitchen be white- like those in these pictures- whenever the space is as narrow as yours- I feel it makes for a much nicer feel than a wood stain. More open- less claustrophobic.

Overall- you don't have a lot of storage- One idea is to use extra wall space to hang things like your pots and pans. You have to have decent looking pots and pans- but the look could be really cool- and not take up valuable cabinet space.

Notice in the picture below more hanging storage- this time of utensils.

A different look below with hanging pan storage.

To increase your cabinet and counter space- I have a couple other ideas for you- floorplan #2 is at the very top of the post. Here I put a little bar along your wall- similar to what you find at Chipotle- it doesn't take up a lot of space- and with your dimensions you should be able to fit three barstools. It's perfect to have the kids eat a bowl of cereal- or have a snack. It is not very "family conversation" friendly- but hey- look how much more cabinet space you have. :)

Well Tamlynn, I hope I gave you some ideas- good luck with the remodel! Anyone else have ideas for Tamlynn? Her room is a challenging 8' x 19' with three doors and two windows!

The New White Wash Kitchen

A few months ago, I posted a bit on what I called "The New White Wash." see here , here and here. My latest House Beautiful magazine had some great example of this that I wanted to show you, starting with this fabulous kitchen.

In addition to the cool finish on the cabinets, and the contemporary bead board doors, I also wanted to point out some great design features of this kitchen.

1. The hood is the focal point. Notice how it is even larger than the cooktop, by quite a bit. The natural instinct might be to "maximize storage" - but what a difference that nice large hood feature makes in this kitchen.
2. Notice too the prep sink exactly opposite the cooktop. With the confines of the space- this is the best "triangle" that can be made.
3. Notice too that the ceiling was not forgotten. It is simple, elegant- not "too much"- and yet not neglected.
4. I also appreciate the understated lighting fixtures. Notice the can lights are cut out square- inside the square design of the ceiling- really nice touch.

For those of you that have your 1980's white wash kitchen and you are now wondering if it is in style again... well- hopefully no one is wondering that.