Lauren's Anthropologie-esque Kitchen

Open Shelving Style Kitchen Uppers

Hi Christine!
I just found your blog! It's amazing! I just bought my 1st house, and I move in on June 1st. Right now, all I have are pictures of is from how the owner has it. So, none of my furniture. My taste cottage/eclectic (I love Anthropologie-esque stuff and vintage/antique).

The house itself is 100 years old and cottage looking from the outside. I love older homes- and I love that your interior is going to be consistent with your exterior. Anyway, I have time to paint and do other things during the month before I move in, and I'd love some help.

First of all, I'm trying to figure out what to do with the walls in the kitchen (maybe more white, instead of brown??). I would not go white unless it was white beadboard- just painted white would be too dull. The tile on the floor is a gray tone. I'm also not sure about the countertops (maybe wood? but would the gray floor look weird with that?). Wood counters are a classic. You could always bring in some gray in the backsplash to help tie in the flooring. I put a picture in below of a hand painted tile from Country Floors that has some white and some gray- you could absolutely use a tile like this on the backsplash and add a wood counter. Repeat the wood somewhere in your room- like your furniture. I also feel like the fridge looks bulky where it is, but I'm not sure what other option there is. Just replace it with a counter depth refrigerator. You pay more for less square footage- and it killed my husband to do it- but after bugging him for about 2 years- I got mine- and love it. From a design standpoint it is the best solution- and if you run out of room- just clean out your refrigerator- you don't really need more space. (coming from a mother of 4) I also thought about changing the hardware on the cabinets- what do you think?? I don't have a real good look at the hardware.... it is hard for me to say- but in general I'd like to see something with more contrast. Anthropologie has some really great hardware to check out- I like their button knob.

Check out I am cutting your e-mail in half- I will finish it with an additional post and just focus on the kitchen in this one.

Thank you soooo much. This is the best blog ever. ANY advice is appreciated!!!!
Sincerely,
Lauren

Well Lauren,

Congratulations on your new home! I'd like to add a few more thoughts to what I said above. I would have one dining set in the center of the room- and no additional furniture. The arrangement the previous owner has is really not good. If you are interested in making any structural changes or additions- consider adding a display area above your cabinets- where there is space- like in the kitchen above. Or you could take down all of your upper cabinets- and have a more open feel like in the photo at the top of the post.

Over your dining room table- remove that horrible ceiling fan and add some charming lighting. I found this glass jug pendant from Shades of Light- I would do a little collection of three of them- hung in staggered heights.

Add some Roman shade or cafe curtains on your windows. Find a fun vintage fabric like the one below from Amy Butler. Your curtains and backsplash will bring in your character.

I would put beadboard on the wall- floor to ceiling would be perfect- painted white. Then add a vintage plate collage to the larger back wall.

Consider some retro chairs like you see in the red and green kitchen photo above- paired with a simple wood table that brings in the colors of your counter- and adds warmth to the stone floor. The addition of the retro will give you more of an Anthropologie feel- and not too country.

Any more ideas for Lauren? Anyone seen any cool vintage Anthropologie-esque kitchens lately?

Jill's Kitchen Part II

Today’s Post is a continuation of this post, on Jill’s kitchen.
Jill’s kitchen is a great example of a very nice room, good selections made, a good sense of scale and proportions used, and yet, you could say that something is still lacking

In my first post on her room, I suggested wallpaper- A good wallpaper would do several things:
1. Add pattern- that would act as a unifier in the room, to keep the room from being multiple separate groupings, to being a unified whole.
2. It will also add more color.
3. It will add texture.
4. It will create rhythm. Rhythm is one of the principles of design that is sometimes harder to explain. But essentially it is the flow of elements in a room. This is created in different ways- repetition and alternation, progression or gradation, or opposition and contrast are some examples. Notice in Jill’s room there is a nicely decorated console table, a beautiful hutch, lovely cabinets… But perhaps, what is lacking is rhythm that takes your eye from a focal point, and helps it to do a lovely dance around the room. In answer to where to have it start and stop- I don't see an area that would not benefit from wallpaper- and if it doesn't go throughout- it no longer acts as a unifier, or a source of rhythm. Put it throughout- in both the kitchen and dining area.

Today, I wanted to mention a few other items that will add to the finished product of the room.

1. Focal point
2. Lighting

3. Above cabinet décor

First of all- the focal point. Where is it? For those of you that have yet to have your cabinets made- I would say that the focal point should be the hood of the stove. A microwave hood would be a last resort. Put your money in your hood- that is the heart of the kitchen. For you, Jill, don’t worry about it- that advice was for people who haven’t had cabinets done yet.

Lighting. I can’t see much of your ceiling, so I don’t know the extent of the can lighting in the room, but from what I can see, I would add some pendants over the bar, and a swing arm sconce at the desk. Do you have under- cabinet lighting? How about rope lighting above your cabinets? Do you need the ceiling fan? Do you need the lighting in the ceiling fan? Ceiling fans are generally better looking without lights. A good lighting plan is an integral part of a kitchen design.

Above cabinet décor. You have a pretty small area there between ceiling and cabinets. I would say that you don’t have room to do what you are trying to do, with the groupings of accessories. I would simplify it more than that- with just one thing. By one thing, I mean, one idea.

1. You could have a collection of beautiful pitchers or perhaps cake plates or large vases, or tea pots or baskets- filling the area. Check out the cookie jar collection below- They are in glass cabinets- but it is the same idea.
2. You could hang plates on the wall- all along the area.
3. You could find some cool “grass”- today’s answer to the 1990 “ivy.” Put lots of it up there- again, all along the area.

4. Another option would be to have nothing at all up there.

These ideas are separate- I am suggesting that you take just one idea- and fill the area. Don’t do plates and vases and grass… No- just one thing- keep it simple- like the kitchen above with just plates.

Hey Jill,

Thanks for writing in, you have been doing a fantastic job on your room!

Photos from Great American Kitchens and Kitchen Trends.

Mischa's Kitchen

Today's post is a continuation of yesterday's.

Check out the chandelier- and high cabinets- sure, you can't reach them-

but you need a place for your platters and Christmas dishes- right? I find high cabinets to be "luxurious" looking. What do you think?

Notice the subway tile and ceiling below... (designer Phoebe Howard)

Christine,

We would like to change the existing carpeted area into either wood floor or tile. Our problem is the indoor area is on OSB subfloor, while the new added area would be on concrete slab on grade. We have ceramic tile in the entry area, kitchen, and breakfast nook area, carpet in the living room. What/where would you suggest for flooring? We would like to demo the 42” bench height countertop and replace it/lower it to the standard 36” height, since we never use the higher height. What type/color of floor, type/color of cabinets, countertop, finish trim would you suggest for the new areas? We are also thinking about getting a TV and using it as a digital slideshow for family pictures. Is that tacky? Is a digital picture frame just not large enough for you? My gut says to stay with that- as they take up so much less space... Would you suggest drywall archways between areas? sounds great- I drew in a third set of French doors for you- just an idea.

Dear Will,

You were pretty wide open- and did not include pictures that show your architecture- so if what I suggest would not go architecturally- send me pictures and we can re-do. Other people get just one post- but for you- my good friend... ;)

First of all- for your floors. With the change in subfloor- this was an easy call for me- go with Kahrs brand wood flooring. Why? You want to avoid glue down flooring- which eliminates tile, stone, and some of your hardwoods. From there- Kahrs is the leader in floating wood floors. Textures come and go- select something timeless as this is a big investment. This is a floating floor- very high end- absolutely no overwood- really fabulous floor. The color I selected for you is Dana Point Oak. I like how well it goes with dark woods, as well as "today's white wash." It has a cooler gray undertone- rather than a more golden undertone of a more "typical" oak floor. Being not typical is always a plus.

With all of that wood flooring- I say go white on your cabinets- I recently posted this white kitchen (from Vernada) and really love everything about it. The washes and stained white cabinets are pretty- but for a truly timeless kitchen- solid white is the choice for me. (in other words- I am not going trendy here).

Counters? I love a timeless look here as well- honed absolute black granite- and soap stone (above) are two of my favorites. Keep your backsplash sophisticated and lovely with a white subway tile, or white glass. Add a gorgeous chandelier or two. And have me over for dinner. Then we can get you all new furniture...

Steve's Place

( I will interrupt in orange.)
Hi Christine,
I came across your blog and was very impressed! I have an apartment I want to put some creative touches in order to accomplish my goals:
1-Make the place look larger and possibly taller. You do this by keeping your wall colors light, and adding more of a vertical emphasis.
2-Improve the overall design/look. One way to do this is by increasing your variety of wall decor. I see a lot of walls with one picture on each wall. Check out this post where I addressed this in more detail.
3-Eventually add some better wall art.

A friend suggested the following:
1. Take one wall, the one with the TV, and make that all wallpaper, essentially the focus wall with a single color but a texture design of some sort. This wall is what you see first when you walk in. It is so good to get advice from friends. Especially when their own home is clearly well put together- it is a great idea. In your case- I am glad that you are asking for a second opinion. Do not break up the space by having a different wall surface on one wall. This will do the opposite when trying to make the room feel taller. What I would do with that wall is this: Eliminate the trunk- make it go away. It is giving the space a cluttered feel. Get a smaller table (if you have to), and pull it out from the wall. I see one at a pub height, with barstools that tuck in to save space. Replace your drapes on the slider, and add matching panels flanking this window. These strong vertical lines in the window treatments will help make your room feel like it has a higher ceiling. I would mount the drapes from the ceiling- maximizing the possible height. Use a clean simple black metal rod. Make sure the drapes go all the way to the floor, but do not puddle on the floor. Have them hit perfectly.
2. Add a chair rail on all 3 of the other walls, about 42inches in height and take the darker color on the bottom. No no no- a chair rail will emphasize the horizontal and make the room feel shorter! Plus- there is no reason to have a chair rail in a room small enough where you have to have the furniture against the wall like you do. It would be awkward. In addition I am not a huge chair rail fan to begin with- as shown in this post. Also- you have a modern contemporary feel to the room- and a chair rail is traditional and formal. Was I too blunt on that one? Don't have your friend read this- it might hurt his or her feelings.
3. Then above the couch add a molding frame long rectangle with accent color inside (darker inside) and leave about 10 inches of wall space on the outside of the lighter color. No- no no no...
4. Then on the other 2 walls add a molding frame as well to be able to hang art and such.
Attached are some photos... no- no.

hope these help.
Your thoughts?
Suggestions?
Thanks
Steve

Dear Steve,
Let me give you a few more ideas- You have a contemporary/modern feel going here- I love it- it says, "I'm a super cool dude." OK- maybe it doesn't say that exactly- but I say- keep with it- make it work even more- add more contemporary elements- not the traditional ones your friend suggested. Check out the artwork below from Mike Klung. A fabulous piece like this, hung horizontally above the sofa would be awesome. (you need a larger one- about 60 x 36 or so) It would fill a horizontal space with a horizontal item that has good scale and balance, but the nature of the piece itself would still add a vertical emphasis.

To give your room more style- consider grasscloth all around. This will add texture, warmth and interest. When selecting the paper- find one like the piece below with a subtle vertical line.

Here is a little unsolicited advice. This is where you are getting what I try not to ever give to my friends- but since we don't know each other... Your sectional is wrong. It covers up half of the slider... Christmas is coming- be good to yourself- go get a new sectional- facing the other direction- where the L comes out into the room on the left side, not covering up the window on the right side. I like the sectional below- from West Elm- it has a nice low back- which will make your walls appear taller again. I would go for the color as well- and the two trunk looking pieces for a coffee table. It would be fun.

I can't see much of your rug- but from what I see- it doesn't work like I'd like it to. It is the only strong pattern in the room. You can't have just one. Your patterns need to be in balance with each other. I see the place with a super subtle pattern like the one in the "sweater rug" from West Elm below. I like the name of it- "sweater rug." Isn't that inviting...

While I have you spending all of your money- add can lights also. The darkness of the ceiling adds to the lowering of it. Your track lights are good- but more lighting is needed. Have you read my rules on lighting? You need a minimum of five sources. Check out this post. In your case, I would add to what I told Kim- to put in can lights- in general- your room is too dark.

Hey Steve- that's that. I hope that wasn't overwhelming... ;)

Kitchen Lighting

Today I speak in pink. :) - Or maybe it is more coral?

Hi Christine,

I think I had mentioned we are going to be remodeling our kitchen soon. I had a question for you regarding the good old fluorescent kitchen light fixture so common in dated homes. I hate it just as much as you do! However I don't have money in the budget to put in recessed lighting at this time although I would love to in the future when the money fairy comes to visit. Meanwhile I am left with finding a temporary solution. (Our light is that 4 foot rectangle). Yes - everyone that has a home built between 1980 and 2000 knows about the hideous 4 foot rectangle. Would you favor putting in track lighting? or would you do a regular incandescent fixture (but I can only find round!), or is there anything else I can do? A friend of mine did a little do-it-yourself project - where she and her husband took out the rectangle and added crown moulding- and put in cans. This made it so she didn't have to completely re-texture the entire ceiling - I need to go to her house and get a photo... I thought this was a great low- budget way to address the "situation." OK - more than a week has past and I have not made it to my friend Mary's house - so I found a couple shots on the Internet that show what she did (pics at top of post). What I liked about Mary's kitchen is that she painted the recessed portion a darker shade- which really set off the crown moulding- it looked pretty good. Also - the crown moulding in the top picture is too wussy - (small). My style is more traditional/transitional but track lighting tends to look very contemporary so I'm not sure if this is one of those situations where "mixing" styles is good or bad? Track lighting will not give you the kind of lighting you need in a kitchen. A kitchen is a workspace and needs good overall floods of light - not directional accent lighting that you find in track lighting - but yes - there are cool traditional styles. :) Or are there more traditional looking track lights? My cabinets will be painted maple in an ivory color with brown glaze. Granite top and stained oak floors. I will have 2 pendant lights over peninsula that I need to coordinate with. Check out this post for pendant ideas. Lastly, is there such a thing as a "nice" ceiling fan??? We have an ugly one over the kitchen dining table and would love a different fixture, however it gets muggy in the summer here (even with AC on) and the ceiling fan is used EXTENSIVELY for several months out of the year so I hate to lose that comfort, plus I think if I did away with it my DH would bring out our even uglier pedestal fan and set it right in the middle of the kitchen!! The ugly ceiling can - of course- what I hate in ceiling fans- is the kind where you look up and see the light bulbs. UGHH! You should never see light bulbs! The problem comes in when the light is facing up on a ceiling fan - the light tends to be pretty dim. (I know this from personal experience - my husband stills grunts in pent-up anger at me when he turns on the light in my family room - and there is hardly a noticeable change.) So - try to go with one where the light is facing down - but the bulbs are not exposed. You will - and probably have also noticed - that the best looking ceiling fans have no light at all - or get expensive. However - with all of that negative talk - let me show you a few good choices:This first one is from Restoration Hardware. It is available with a light. The rest of the fans are all from Lamps Plus. What do you think? Any favorites? I really like that one above - but it is over $900 :) The rest are pretty reasonable though. Another concern I have is that I've read taking fluorescent out will spike our electric bill and a different light will make the room feel hotter. Another thing to worry about - or not- is that taking them out may not be to "code" - depending on where you live. I think spike is too strong a word - but I shouldn't say - I don't know exactly how much it would increase... I guess there is a reason to the madness?...apparently fluorescent saves energy and doesn't warm the room as much? Yes- perhaps - but they cast a blue light- that is the worst light ever for food! Consider LED's - they are the best choice in lighting out there as far as going "green" is concerned- and they have a much better color than florescents- the fixtures cost about $100 more than a standard incandescent - but they are designed to save you money in the long run. In your experience is it still a no-no choice? yes yes I also read there's different levels of warmth in fluorescent bulbs - would the warmest bulb still be that ugly light? They are getting better - but... yeah - I still don't like them. Hope this makes your blog. I appreciate all your help!!

Sonia

Anyone else have some advice for Sonia's dilemmas?