Kitchen Design: August 2012

Corner furniture designs ideas.

friday observations

Happy Friday. Here are some shots from over the week.

1. I picked up a Hape Alphabet Puzzle from Mastermind Toys for Oscar.
2. I think it's time I admitted I have a pillow obsession
3. Anyone know where I could find a similar scarf as in this shot? Love the style. *Note, I love the length especially. I find it hard to find LONG scarfs.
4. I joined a gym. I went at 6 am each morning for one week and quickly realized I am NOT a morning person. I now workout in the evening....and I'm much happier. ;)
5. Went to a wedding and it was gorgeous. I noticed that people (like myself) didn't bring cameras - everyone whipped out their iPhones to take photos. A lot has changed since I got married.
6. Peel + Stick Moustaches are a hit over here.

Other things I've boomarked because I enjoyed:

1. I loved how Joanna's husband diffuses an argument.
2. Love the packaging of these soaps
3. Behind the scene video shoot of the 2012 Princess Margaret Showhome. Gorgeous.

xo Linds

Modern stylish sofa chairs designs.

new kitchen accessory...

Some girlfriends were visiting Monday and one of them presented me with a little kraft box from The Ontario Craft Council. I opened it up to find my very own Heydey Design ceramic jar that I have been coveting since the Spring One of a Kind Show and just blogged about. I flipped out. It's beautiful and has a place of honor in the new kitchen. Yay! Ps., Thanks Kareen. xo

Modern bedroom furniture designs ideas.

dishes // bone china

A few weeks ago Kay was asking via twitter where to find good white dishes and it made me think of our dishes that I adore. When Aubrey and I were married 8 years ago we received formal china for entertaining. But we totally cheaped out on our everyday plates. Total regret. Our everyday plates were heavy and chipped easily (they may have been ceramic?) Although they were inexpensive per piece, it still adds up to be an investment when you buy a number of place settings. So should you be looking for everyday plates, I wanted to tell you about what we did.
As our everyday plates dwindled (due to chipping/cracking/breaking) I decided that we should maybe invest in good "everyday" plates. My Mom has beautiful dinnerware and she's the one that told me about bone china. Bone china is lighter and more resilient to chipping than our ceramic plates.

Although we picked up our set of bone china a few years back at the William Ashley Warehouse Sale just as recently as last week I was at HomeSense and found plates that were bone china. How can you tell? Pick up a piece and turn it around. You can see that it says what it is. As above, it says in small type "Bone China".

Anyhow, that conversation on twitter really sparked this post as I really adore our dinnerware. So if you're looking for new awesome dishes, maybe source out bone china for your house.

Update: We have the Dutchess brand of plates & bowls via William Ashley and a set of 8 of the Wedgwood "Night and Day" small bowls in addition (as shown above) The night and day bowls are perfect for berries or ice cream. :)

Wrap Around Kitchen

Having the extraction system suspended from the cabinetry provides this kitchen with some real architectural independence; it also creates a functional bridge uniting the cooking zones in two separate locations.

The tall oven housing is singled out from amongst consumable storage and presents an inverted cantilever to facilitate the needs of the hob! This feature creates a “wrap around” effect, a soothing embrace that has the power to cocoon and envelop the kitchen user in functionality and precession engineering. Add to this the elegant combination of walnut and stainless steel which has been detailed to enhance the physical form of the design and you have got a kitchen that will exceed expectations.

thanks for the help....

I got a amazing feedback on where to find blue & white pottery much like the ones I found antiquing in cottage country. Shadi snapped a photo of a page from HGTV magazine (shown above) and it showed these Chinese Ginger Jars are from a shop CWonder.com. (Thank you for taking that photo!) Robbin via the comments told me that Bowing having a collection (and they are on sale!) and LouLou via the comments sent me a link to the Bombay Company's collection. Of course, there is Chinatown which is actually where I did find one similar a year ago, but the pattern wasn't totally to my taste. But I should go back down for fun to search out more treasures. Anyhow, just wanted to say thanks for the help but also - pass along these links should you want to find some too! xo Linds

Modern dining furniture designs glass tables designs ideas.

Decoración de Dormitorio Exótico Minimalista Blanco por MobilFresno

Decoración de Dormitorio Exótico Minimalista Blanco por MobilFresno. Exótica decoración de estilo de dormitorio con el color blanco como el predominio de la idea principal, la decoración dormitorio también se combina con un concepto minimalista que presenta algunos de los muebles de madera en el dormitorio. Se trata de algunas ideas de diseño de interiores de dormitorios Mobilfresno.

Colección dormitorio es perfecto para aquellos de ustedes que quieren una habitación de lujo con estilo exótico y minimalista. "Abril" es un conjunto de dormitorio con un diseño de lujo Epoch encantador y con estilo. Decoración del dormitorio centrada en una cama blanca y en un adorno central en el dormitorio. Cama blanca con hermoso diseño, este hotel de aspecto lujoso y simple. Con unos pocos elementos tradicionales que agregan valor y llevar el arte de la atmósfera exótica en el diseño de la habitación. Decoración de Dormitorio Exótico Minimalista Blanco

Casas Decoración

Cómo Decorar el Dormitorio de Invitados - Estilo Minimalista y Funcional

Cómo Decorar el Dormitorio de Invitados - Estilo Minimalista y Funcional. Si a menudo recibes invitados en tu casa, entre ellos turistas que necesitan descansar o pasar la noche en tu casa. Si esto sucede, entonces necesitas consejos para decorar la habitaciones para invitados, tus invitados estarán encantados si les proporcionas un dormitorio que puede hacer que se sienta cómodo.

Aquí están algunas ideas de diseño interior de su dormitorio de invitados, dormitorio de invitados con la presentación del concepto de ambiente confortable y relajante para los huéspedes a relajarse en su casa. Por lo general, la gente tiende a adornar el dormitorio de matrimonio en su casa tanto como sea posible, pero se olvidó de que los dormitorios de invitados también necesitan atención. Diseños Cuarto de invitados no tienen que ser de lujo como el dormitorio principal, consolar a una máxima prioridad a eliminar la fatiga. Cuarto de invitados no tienen una función permanente, el dormitorio sólo se utiliza si usted tiene amigos o familiares que vienen y necesitan un lugar para descansar. Por lo tanto, el diseño de habitaciones para los huéspedes no debería ser demasiado por lo que son fáciles de limpiar y mantener ordenado. Para aprovechar las ventajas de la habitación de invitados al máximo, entonces usted necesita para mejorar la funcionalidad de esta habitación. Si no hay huéspedes que se alojen en su casa y su dormitorio de invitados está vacía, entonces se pueden asignar fácilmente a otra habitación, esto debe hacerse de manera que la habitación de tu casa no es en vano. El uso eficaz del espacio puede hacer que usted más fácil mantener la limpieza y pulcritud en cada habitación.

Casas Decoración

grouting surprises

Grouting the kitchen backsplash is complete. :) We had a little surprise when the grouting was done - Although the container from Home Depot said "Bright White" as you can see in the image below, it definitely isn't bright white.

It's kind of gray .... no?

Thankfully it was a happy surprise. For the longest time our kitchen was being used without grout and the spacing between the tiles made it look like we had done gray grouting. The look was growing on me and I was nervous to go completely white with the grout. But we did - partially because I like to play it safe. When Aubrey was done the grouting I said to him cautiously - "It looks kind of gray doesn't it?" He agreed, but then we kind of moved on because we both liked the look. It also plays well with the Caesarstone Misty Carrara countertop.

So conclusion to the pre-mixed grout? Awesome as there is little cleanup and you can use what you need, and put the rest away. Downside - the colour was a wee-bit off from the label. ;-)

Tv Show Floor Plans

I am a sucker for rendered floor plans. I mean, I swoon over them. They are a piece of art, hand crafted to perfection. I really need to render floor plans these days, so when I see work that is rendered, I drool. Rendering, more specifically hand rendering, is a drawing created for the viewer to understand the space in perspective. It helps to explain the textures, colours, perspective and dimension of the space. This is traditionally done by hand, but with today's technology, computers can replicate a similar look.

The reason why I tell you this is because I got really excited over some renderings I found on a magazine site called Short List. Their blog featured floor plans from a few iconic shows such as Frasier and Friends. Cool, right? At least, I thought so. But then again, I am a nerd like that.

via

The artist, Iñaki Aliste Lizarralde did a fabulous job on recreating these sets that we all grew to love and feel a part of. They are now a piece of art.

Kids bedrooms furniture ideas.

Making Ikea cabinets look custom

I have always loved the look of crown moulding around kitchen cabinetry, especially when you're using "Big Box Store" cabinets. I think it's one of the key elements in making something out of a flat packed box look custom. (See Carol Reed's blog for inspiration on ways to make Ikea kitchens look custom) Early in the design process we accounted for having crown moulding above the cabinets.

First thing - we went with the tallest Ikea cabinets possible. After accounting for the space between the counter and bottom of the cabinets (18") we were left with enough for a 2" crown moulding. Prior to installing the crown moulding, I painted it in Benjamin Moore's Paper Mache. Because we're working with a lot of whites, it was important to match the Ikea doors.

If you're going to do the same - make a note of the fact that Benjamin Moore's Paper Mache is a perfect match for Ikea's Adel Doors. Ikea Adel doors are not white - they are a creamy tone. I fretted about this originally, but I'll tell you now that the cabinets are gorgeous and I love the tone. I think if they were any whiter they would look too white. You can see in the photos above the crown moulding against the ceiling colour (bright white). The cabinets are definitely cream. By painting the crown moulding the same colour as the doors it makes the entire upper cabinetry look built in. Best decision.

Almost there! We really have only one thing left to do.....

Ps., Thanks to Leigh-Ann for helping me figure out the paint colour for the doors! If you don't have a friend that is a part of the Benjamin Moore Design Team then do what I also did and bring an Ikea door with you to your paint store and start pulling out paint swatches to try to match. (I did this to double check that we were going with the right tone)