kitchens

Patience Makes Perfect: Part One

November 7, 2022

A beautiful transformation years in the making …

I am so excited to share photographs of this project with you today. I first started working with this client exactly five years ago. When we first met, she walked me through the house they had built 20 years ago. It was a beautiful traditional home on a grand scale filled with lot of antiques and furniture they had invested in. As in so many homes built and decorated at that time, there was lots of red and gold, formal custom draperies, honey oak floors and overstuffed upholstered furniture.

She explained to me that they wanted to start updating things. But in a house of this scale, they knew it would not be an overnight process. They weren’t interested in “quick fixes” and changes. She wanted to take time to make the right selections, save for pieces she really wanted, invest in custom pieces, sell many of the investment pieces she had collected but no longer fit her style, and have fun in the process.

I am kicking myself that I did not take more “Before” pictures – but at the time, it didn’t feel like a typical Before & After project. We were on a journey and the destination seemed far off. Throw in a worldwide pandemic and the resulting product and shipping delays, and the years stretched on.

My client is also an avid art collector – and she had already purchased quite a few pieces she had fallen in love with. Many were abstracts, modern, light and airy with bold and fun colors. These certainly didn’t fit in with the traditional Red, Gold, French Country vibe of the rest of the house, but they became a jumping off point for our overall vision.

So floors were refinished, walls were painted shades of white, things started to be sold on Chairish, we decided what pieces could be incorporated into the new design (I still love a mix of vintage and modern) and started searching for the perfect … sofas, tables, lamps, rugs, nightstands, bedding … each and every item was very thoughtfully selected.

Of course, paint and furniture can only take you so far … what about an outdated kitchen? Well, of course, we brought my favorite kitchen designer, Stephanie Frees of Plain & Posh in for that!

And so that is where I will start with the photographs. I am going to break this up into three posts of my three favorite rooms. Part One today is the Kitchen. We did take photos right before demo started and this is what it looked like.

And here it is today …

Can you believe it? And this was not a full gut remodel. The perimeter cabinetry mostly stayed but got new doors and height added at the top. The island and tall wood stained cabinet to the left of the sink are new and custom built and Stephanie hand-drew the design of the new range hood. Isn’t it gorgeous?

The beautiful reeded detail came from our idea to add this special element to the new island and cabinetry. Bringing it over to the hood just tied everything together, don’t you agree?

Here is that same view before …

Lets talk about that sink, shall we?

We were so in love with this stunning Quartzite we chose for the countertops we wanted to feature it further in a custom apron-front sink.

We scoured Etsy for vintage runners and this one was our favorite for pulling in colors from some of the artwork we commissioned for these spaces … such as this whimsical piece by Marissa Voytenko.

After falling in love with her work, we realized Marissa is local to the Chicago area. She graciously hand-delivered this piece to my client, saying it isn’t often she gets to see in person where her art will hang in someone’s home.

This area used to be a small desk – common in so many kitchens for many years, but no longer needed or practical in a modern kitchen.

The new cabinetry by Plain & Posh is a beautiful replacement, don’t you agree?

Some other special features of this kitchen – the lighting. That picture light above (a favorite), the pendants over the island and all sconces are from Circa. (I actually have those same Goodman pendants in my own kitchen – I love them so!)

Styling this new kitchen was such a treat!

Of course, I must talk about this backsplash! There were so many times in the design of this house that my client and I could almost agree on things telepathically. We were both in love with the look of Zellige tile and it seemed that all of our favorite kitchens we had Pinned or saved pictures of used Zellige tiles … so it was just one of those … “Well obviously we are going to do Zellige!” moments.

Zellige Tile is a variety of glazed terracotta tile originally handmade in Morocco. It is kiln-fired over olive-branches, giving each tile a unique glaze, color and texture. No two tiles are exactly alike, so every application ends up being a unique tapestry of color and texture.

Once again, rather than make a quick decision, we got samples from a few different companies. And then, because there is inherently so much color variation, we ordered more samples over time to get an overall feel for the variation. Ultimately, we chose Clé Tile’s Zellige in Weathered White.

Installation of this tile, especially in the herringbone pattern we wanted, is not for the faint of heart! It took 5 days of labor and many hours of going through boxes to mix the colors. But definitely worth it!

Another way we added texture … these beautiful stools from Restoration Hardware.

As we get ready to head into the family room in tomorrow’s post, these shots below give a good example of how we were able to incorporate the old with the new …

The dining table and chairs were custom well-loved pieces my client had invested a lot into years ago and wanted to see if they could still work.

The chairs were so unique I definitely wanted to be able to keep them. We had new cushions made of faux ostrich leather by Sew Special Designs and a custom rug made by Carpet Showcase to break up the wood-on-wood. I think the setup ads a lot of unique character to the space.

A huge thank you to Marina Storm of Picture Perfect House for capturing this space so beautifully. Be sure to come back tomorrow to see the Family Room. It’s a beauty!

A Divine Downsize

June 4, 2018

I have such a fun remodel to share with you today! My clients decided to downsize from their large family home once their youngest was off to college. They love to travel and also have a beautiful lake house they spend their summers at. So, for the rest of the year, they knew they could get by with less space and less maintenance, but still wanted to stay in the same community they raised their family in. They found a townhouse in the same town, but it needed a major overhaul. The fun part – my clients decided this was the perfect opportunity to start from scratch and create something very different from their original traditional-style home. Sleek, modern … with a touch of mid-century glamour. As you’ll see below, we had our work cut out for us. First up – the kitchen.

This is the kitchen shortly after they purchased it, looking towards a little eat-in area, seen below. Nothing sleek and modern about it! (Except maybe the chandelier?)

Everything had to go …

Ready for the After?

Quite a change, right? It now feels so fresh, bright, sleek and modern. My clients came to me knowing they wanted to do all white tile with radiant heat through out the kitchen and the living room. I had never done this before but loved how it opened up our options for wood finishes in the kitchen! So many people are doing white cabinetry with wood floors but we did the opposite. We picked a pretty textured tile and Cambria quartz for the countertops.

You can see we combined light and dark cabinetry in two custom stains. We went through many versions to find just the right complementary combo. Coming from a large kitchen in their previous house, our clients wanted to make sure they had enough storage here, even though this kitchen would be much smaller. Stephanie of Plain & Posh Distinctive Cabinetry Designs once again came up with a smart and functional plan that included extending the cabinetry into the breakfast area. We wanted it to look more like a wall than a wall of cabinetry so we kept things very minimal and carried the cabinetry from floor to ceiling with the crown and trim flush with the cabinets. The light wood stain that shows the natural grain of the wood adds warmth to the space as well as a kind of textural element.

A Saarinen-inspired tulip table in unexpected black ties this area in with the darker colors of the kitchen and adds a touch of mid-century glamour. These acrylic chairs are from Ikea and so comfortable to sit in!

Here is another view of the kitchen’s old layout. The island in the middle and door on the right that lead to a stairway to the lower level and garage ate up a lot of space in this already tight kitchen. Plus, the island provided no additional seating.We removed the door and the island and reconfigured the space with a peninsula and 3 counter stools.

You’ll see we also added a wonderful wine and coffee bar in the corner.

Let’s take a closer look at that backsplash … it is a back-painted glass. Perfect for the modern, minimalist look we were going for.

I absolutely love how this dark gray stain shows off the the striation in the wood.

Okay so here is the old view standing in the kitchen looking towards the living room. My clients wanted this to be one open space for entertaining, so this wall came down.

Ready for the new view?

With the door gone and that stairway more open, we added a fun geometric wall paper to the stair well. And the living room? Let’s take a closer look at the before …

And the after …

As you can see, we ripped out the fireplace mantel and surrounding tile and covered the entire thing in a gorgeous stack-stone mosaic tile. It provides gorgeous texture and a touch of shimmer. My clients did not want a TV in this room. I suggested doing four chairs surrounding a round coffee table to make this more of a conversation space with a loungey vibe. These mid-century inspired chairs from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams swivel, so they can turn towards the kitchen area and unite the two seating areas. The wood and glass coffee table is from Wisteria and brings in a sculptural and organic element. The geometric rug from Loloi was the perfect way to ground the space and tie all the colors together.

New built-ins were added in the same custom gray finish as the kitchen cabinetry. Floating shelves and no hardware are in keeping with our minimalist aesthetic.

Now it is one big light and bright space, perfect for entertaining but also a cozy spot for my clients to relax, read the paper or chat after dinner with a cocktail.

At the front of the townhouse is the family room and my client’s home office. This was what it looked like when they moved in.

And now …

Cozy was the theme in this space. Since we did chairs in the living room – this is where we put a sectional – so the family could come in here to stretch out and watch TV. The shag rug from Loloi is so soft underfoot.

The sectional from MGBW is upholstered in a luxurious velvet fabric and the polished stainless steel legs add the modern touch we were looking for.

My clients have traveled the world – and they have collected quite a collection of eclectic art and accessories. I really wanted to keep the walls light and neutral throughout the space so that their pieces could really pop. Below you can see a favorite colorful piece from their travels that we incorporated into the front entry.

As a I mentioned before – this was such a fun project to be a part of as my clients were so open and eager to step out of their comfort zone. What a transformation!

Napa Valley Design Inspiration Part II – Oxbow Market

June 3, 2014

There were so many great design elements all throughout Napa Valley, but one place I thought was really fun and captured the laid back, colorful, sensory experience Napa offers was Oxbow Public Market.

Their website calls it “The local gathering place for great food & wine in Napa Valley” and I think that’s a perfect description. It is at the base of the valley, in the town of Napa, so we stopped there on our way up from San Francisco.

Not only is it a visual feast for the eyes … but you can have a pretty tasty feast just walking around to all of the vendors.

Besides sampling your way through wine, cheese, oysters, spices, liqueurs, honey, olive oils, cupcakes or ice cream, they also have a fun restaurant called the Kitchen Door.

The vibe inside is just what I like a kitchen to feel like … light and bright with some rustic and vintage elements and pops of cheery color. Nothing too precious or fancy … just warm and cozy and the kind of place you’d like to hang out, laugh and eat!

( A much larger version of my copper pot collection!)

The bar was very cool … made of old wine riddling racks …

This would be a fun idea to copy at home!

If you are in Napa, be sure to make a stop at Oxbow Market. We were glad we did!

Living Joyfully

February 28, 2014

That’s the motto behind Pirch, the new store opening next week at Oakbrook Center in the old Bloomingdale’s Home building.

And, after our “Sneak Peek” tour last night, I think Kristy and I would both agree that we could live joyfully with many of the things we feasted our eyes on.

Like this for example …

A Tiffany Blue La Cornue range … are you kidding me?

Pirch is definitely not your average kitchen and bath store.

Upon entering the store you will be offered a “hand-crafted beverage” from the Bliss Café.

This is to put you in just the right frame of mind to Dream, Play and Choose. The showroom is loosely divided into these 3 concepts.

For example, these vignettes might get you dreaming …

We were swooning over this Zebrawood vanity …

Loved this countertop steamer … makes eating healthy a little easier in this kitchen!

Definitely still dreaming about this new Sub-Zero …

But this could be just plain dangerous …

And then there are the “Play” areas …

If you like the look of these shower heads, but want to see what they feel like …

no problem! You can bring your swimsuit, (or not) pull the curtain to this room and shower away!

Same goes for this tub where the water comes out of the ceiling.

Pirch also has it’s own chefs on staff, so if you’re thinking of the La Cornue range, but want to see how it cooks your family’s favorite recipe … just call ahead and they can have the ingredients on hand. (Their philosophy … you wouldn’t buy a Mercedes without giving it test drive, would you?)

Of course, after the dreaming, and the playing … if you are so lucky as to be ready to choose … well, get ready. The choices in each category are endless …

All of those faucets are working faucets by the way! (Not sure if I want to bring my kids here.)

There is also an area dedicated to outdoor kitchens … (still prepping for next week.)

All in all, a showroom like you have never seen before. We are super excited for the Grand Opening Party next week!

Mixing Metals … yay or nay?

August 16, 2013

The short answer is – yay!

You can read on if you want my explanation or if you need convincing… 🙂

Remember the days when most everyone bought matching sets of furniture, especially in bedrooms and living rooms? How boring was that? But now the trend has totally changed and not too many people I know buy that way anymore. It’s just too predictable and yes, a bit boring.

I think the same could be said for matching hardware in a house. It used to be that brass and chrome were about the only choices out there. We didn’t have the full spectrum of metal finishes that are available today, so now mixing things up gets a bit more complicated.

Or does it?

The question of mixing metals often comes up in kitchens, probably because there are so many possibilities for metallic finishes … faucets, cabinet hardware, light fixtures, appliances.

If you have polished nickel faucets, does that mean you have to go with polished nickel hardware? And what about that amazing antiqued brass light fixture you’ve had your eye on? Is it a no-go unless you do all antiqued brass?

Here’s a few examples that will give you an emphatic “No!”

I am obsessed with these giant brass pendants in Bobby Flay’s lovely Hamptons kitchen. But brass everywhere would be a bit much. See how nicely it pairs with wrought iron table legs, polished silver hardware and rustic silver barstools?

Ok, so I kind of have a thing for antiqued brass light fixtures. I realized that lately they have been popping up in many of the inspiration images I’ve been pulling out of magazines or pinning online. I really like how they become the star of the room and other metals become kind of neutral.

Niche Interiors

The kitchen below mixes brass lighting, chrome stools and a silver mercury glass backsplash gorgeously, don’t you think?

Pairing antiqued finishes like brass or bronze with something like chrome is a great way to get that mix of old and new that I love.

Here’s another kitchen that uses brass for the cabinet hardware, mixing it with polished nickel shelving brackets, an oil-rubbed bronze pendant and stainless steel hood.

via House and Home

This time, in the bedroom …another gorgeous antiqued bronze lantern … mixed with gold and silver accents … including a polished silver reading lamp. Who says all the lighting has to be the same?

via Lonny

Gold frame, brass lantern, antiqued nickel table legs. I love it.

Country Living

Again, some might think that with a silver-based coffee table you need to do silver frames on the wall … not so! The mix of metals makes this room feel so much more layered and interesting.