Cinde’s backsplash and counters are now installed. The new rug we ordered has arrived and the Garland Casual Dining Set is on sale and will be purchased this week. She gave me some options for barstools that she is considering. My choices are in order from best to worse: 1 2 3 4 5 6
The threat of bodily harm was everywhere. Booby traps lie at my feet, missiles hurdled across the ceiling, flails dangled just above my head. I tiptoed between hundreds of domino lines of tenuously balanced boulders.
I was a natural born klutz in a warehouse stocked with hundreds and hundreds of 7 foot slabs of granite.
My client is having her Kitchen counters redone and I accompanied her to Marble Systems Showroom to choose her slab. We had one of her cabinet doors, and I had selected the paint colors in most of her house, so it was easy work.
…outside of how ridiculously dangerous the place was. It was soon very clear why we were not able to enter the warehouse without signing a waiver. Long metal bars projected out at very different lengths from each stack of stones, so navigating the aisles was difficult. To make it worse, the paint on the metal had worn away, leaving them camouflaged against the concrete floor. In spite of the recession, the warehouse was bustling with activity. Workers moved stones on hydraulic cranes all around us. Big black boxes hung from the ceiling right at our heads. One of the slabs we considered was only feet from a huge pit that had been dug right in the center of the space, with little railing around it. In the middle of the pit, workers loaded a truck with slabs.
Beyond fearing for my life, I loved it there. Each huge slab was a work of art fashioned with nature’s fancy. I especially admired the pieces with Labradorite. For Cinde, we chose Shivakashi Gold with a 2 inch Copper Slate tile backsplash. It’s going to be perfect and definitely worth the jeopardy.
I don’t know why I have an urge to post these photos. They are so old that all of them but one were taken with a camera with film. They were scanned so long ago the quality is horrible. They are so ancient they predate ubiquitous stainless steel and granite, in fact.
I created all these mosaics. I remember at the time thinking the red tiles were so cutting edge. I used to spend hours milling around showrooms. So much so some of the employees began giving me broken tiles that were brightly colored or patterned.
I remember the first time I saw glass tile. I was blown away. I still am. Just wait till you see what I’m putting in the Rooftop bar….
You can't see it from the poor quality, but some of these tiles had navy flowers on them. The rest were solid in ice blue, pale butter yellow and emerald green.
This mosaic features at least 20 different tiles in earth tones. There are even a few with a mettalic finish, which was really funky at the time.
Not a backsplash. This fireplace was in my old townhouse. It had been horrible builder grade brick. Most of the tiles had been recycled from another project.
Above a bathroom sink. Some of the tiles were periwinkle with a slight squiggly design.
This was my first. My friend saw how to do it on tv and called me to watch it. A few hours later I was done. I remember her freaking out that I would do something so quickly.
This one was done with the same colors in the same proportion to a huge piece of art in the sitting area opposite. I think the painting was of poppies, but I honestly don't remember.
I received a series of emails from Suzy in Maryland yesterday. I will copy the first here:
Denise –
I came across your website looking for ideas for my kitchen/family room.
We are in the process of redoing the kitchen. The layout of the area is very open and includes the kitchen, a nook for the table, the family room (with a reddish brick fireplace – brick to the ceiling) and a hallway area that connects the kitchen to the ½ bath and foyer. This hallway area isn’t really a hallway, it is more an extension of the kitchen. The family room is one step down. The family room has a vaulted ceiling on the fireplace side.
The whole area is southern exposure with lots of windows and tons of light. The family also has 2 skylights.
The space before had very little color. White walls with a stenciled design around the top. Cream sofas with small colored pin stripes. Cream tile floor in the kitchen, light oak cabinets…you get the picture. BLAH.
My goal was to add lots of color.
The new kitchen cabinets are a medium-maple shade. The counters are “verde butterfly” granite – a grey/green/blue with black, gold, cream and specs of deep red. The deep red you really only can see when the light hits it right. The floor will be a 13 x 13 porcelain tile – colors vary from deep grey to light grey and various shades of beige (i.e. LOTS of variation in the tiles). The backsplash will be fully tiled with a natural stone tile that is creamy colored.
Now I am trying to decide what to paint the walls. I have already added a lot of color just with the cabinets, granite and floor. So perhaps I no longer need to worry about putting lots of color on the walls. I don’t know whether to paint each distinct area its own color – (1) nook (2) kitchen/hall (3) family room, or if 3 colors is too many, given all the color in the new kitchen.
The colors I am drawn to are earthy reds, greens, tans/browns and golds. Although the granite has a lot of grey/blue in it, I really do not want grey or blue on the walls.
I would like a bold color in the nook – 3 sides of the nook are all windows (the 4th side being open to the kitchen)…I was thinking of something in the deep red family. But then I am lost as to what to put in the family room (which has LOTS of wall space) and the “hallway”.
Any advice or ideas? I can send pictures of the space if that helps.
Thanks-
Suzy in Maryland
Ok, deep breath. This is not as hard as it seems. First off, I want to congratulate you on your Kitchen remodel. You have made some wonderful choices. I am especially delighted in the backsplash. Using a darker tile as a border and then rotating the creamier remainder will be unusual and interesting. And your choice for a variegated tile floor will be very dynamic.
Your biggest challenge is finding a way to blend the older but still pristine wallpaper with your more current choices. Since the Dining Room wallpaper is so visible from many angles in the Kitchen, it would be a mistake to just ignore it. The good news is the teal tone below the chair rail, though dated, coordinates well with the new granite. The bad news is….the very 90′s burgundy in the stripes make using red virtually impossible. Today’s reds are very “earthen”. In other words, they have a lot of orange in them. Plus, you already have a lot of tones of red: in the brick fireplace, in the cabinets and, of course, in the wall paper.
My solution would be to paint the Eat-in Nook, which butts to the exigent wallpaper, Waterbury Green. (HC-136 from Benjamin Moore). This tone is bluer than the sage green choices you already tried, but it will act as a perfect connector to from the old to the new. Plus, it is really beautiful. I believe it will draw some color out of the granite and will harmonize perfectly with the orange undertone in the cabinet and the teal in the wallpaper.
The Kitchen proper, and the hallway containing the Mudroom and Half Bath should be a soft but strong gold. Try Henderson Buff (Benjamin Moore HC-15). A soft gold that is not too yellow or bright will set a perfect note that allows the cabinets to sing. The cabinets should steal the show here, not the wall color. (Ok, enough with the theatre metaphors.) You should also sample Summerdale Gold (Benjamin Moore HC-17) since there is a lot of light entering the room. Repaint all the trim and doors and ceilings white. My favorite is Cloud White OC-130.
Now for the finale. Oh no, I said I was done with the metaphors…I want you to paint the Family Room a deep rich brown. Don’t be scared! This will be stunning. You have all the elements to make it work— A tall vault in the ceiling, skylights, and a pair of glass doors. Use Middlebury Brown (HC-68, also Ben Moore). This brown has enough red it in to make it lively, and will bridge the three colors of tile and the accent stain in the ridges on the cabinets with the reds in the brick on the fireplace. If facing the fireplace, paint the wall to the right brown all the way to where it ends on the short wall to the left of the refrigerator. All sides of this short wall will be gold. You can decide which of the three colors you would like on the half wall on the back of the second island.
Bold reds aren’t forever gone. They can be added back in on furnishings and in accessories. I would love to see a huge piece of art on the long Family Room wall with brighter, bolder tones of all the colors we used.
Thanks for writing, Suzy! Remember to send pictures of the “After”!
Bamboo is a medium not often seen on Kitchen Cabinets. After viewing only a few photos, I am surprised that using this ecologically correct material in the Kitchen isn’t more popular.
Here are just a few stunning examples:
Kitchen
Let me start by saying: Jim and Roseann know the Myrtle Beach area restaurants better than Tom Sietsema knows DC. I heard much about which has the nicest staff, the best view, the freshest catch, the fluffiest omelet, the best grouper sandwich…and of course, Jim and Roseann do not agree as to who is the winner in each of the said categories. (Read my post from Tuesday to experience a little of my culinary tour.) So it was a bit obvious that the Kitchen in their new home will never be properly loved. Still, I had amazing spa-like breakfasts of precisely sliced grapefruits, juicy blueberries, plump sweet strawberries and moist zucchini bread.
The Kitchen allows plenty of options for relaxing with a cup of coffee. A tall bar divides it from the Great Room. My clients had this area wired for pendant lights, but have not been able to find something they both like. Lots of Venetian Gold granite counter space, tall warm cabinetry and bay windows leave little wall space to inject personality, but a pair of Banana Leaf Mini Pendants will do the trick.
And a nice grass green, Benjamin Moore’s Ivy Lane, will complement the bit of wall there is. They chose-without my help!-a wonderful glass and wicker dinette set. When it arrived, two pairs of different chair backs were mistakenly shipped. But both Roseann and Jim thought it contributed to the interest and decided to keep them. Do I need to explain how proud of that I am?!? I am still working on finding just the right drum shade pendant to hang over it. I need pattern and color here…
There was some discussion about decorating the space at the top of the upper cabinets. This is one of those areas where I have a strong opinion. I say NO WAY. Just a repository for nasty grimy kitchen dust, if you really want to know how I feel. Roseann wanted to collect some large colorful platters and display them there, so when we found a large metal art piece at Pier 1 she was very pleased. This would satisfy her wishes nicely except…
Jim hated it. A few times more around the store we went, debating various shelving units for the half bath. Roseann slips into the conversation admirations of the piece with unwavering commitment. Jim meets them with a steadily increasing agitated “NO” until it crescendos into, “THAT IS THE UGLIEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN!”
So as we began to collect our purchases at the register, Jim tells the clerk, “Don’t ring it up.” But since the van was already packed, and we had just bought two more substantially large items and a bevy of littler things, he had to go to parking lot and rearrange. Roseann took the opportunity of his absence to return the art to the pile. Seconds later, the manager walks to the register, on a mission from Jim to see if Roseann had done just that. The poor girl, forced to choose between satisfying her best customer all week and actually INCREASING the sale. This is why the couple has been so loyal to me: I know when to step in and make the final decision before any feathers fly.
The piece has found a perfect home nailed horizontally above the pantry doors. Jim hung it where I asked him and I ignored the mutterings under his breath.
Den
This is Jim’s domain. He has a large desk, a credenza, and a file chest and hutch. A console is still on backorder. Jim displayed his collection of old cameras on the hutch, so when he expressed an interest in the Photographer’s Tripod Floor Lamp from Pottery Barn, I agreed. We picked up the Adeline Rug as well, since if you remember from yesterday, finding rugs was such a challenge.
This room has wide, dark cherry planked wood floors. Crisp white beadboard would really add architectural detail. And Jim agreed. I imagined a richly textured green grasscloth to grace the upper portion of the walls. And Jim disagreed. Again and again. I worked on him over three days and many meals, and as often as I thought I could get away with it. I flew back home understanding my place as the employed one and before I left I chose Benjamin Moore’s Chopped Dill. But insisted it be done in the Matte finish. Maybe I will come back and faux finish it…
Ikea Kitchens have contributed to the increased accessibility of design for all. Like Target, Ikea expects its customers to be savvy. There website proclaims, “Kitchens for Everyone. One for You.” With Allen Wrench in hand, a credit card in the wallet and determination within, the only thing between you and a beautiful home is a paltry instruction manual. The best part is you don’t even have to be able to read to use it! Anyone can do it, right?
As a child, I never remember anyone remodeling a Kitchen. You just moved. And I still think it would be like this, to some extent, if it were not for Ikea.
The beauty of Ikea cabinetry is that the box -the structure -the base cabinet is the same regardless of choice. The process begins with size. You simply chose the Akurum you need. The components (called Rationell) and doors are secondary.
If it sounds like I know what I am talking about…Yes, I did it. Almost 7 years ago we moved to Ohio for 8 months. My husband, his best friend and I remodeled a Kitchen in a 60 year old house. By using Ikea and installing the cabinetry ourselves, we saved 15K. As some readers know, my sister lives there now.
Currently, I have two Ikea Kitchens in process. I consulted with a couple last Saturday who are trying to decide which cabinets to use. Mike and Suzanne are young and modern, and a contemporary styling suits them. We discussed at length whether they should choose a door style more transitional, like Adel, to appeal to more people. I hope I convinced them to use Nexus, their first choice. They have the perfect midcentury home and Nexus will be wonderful there.
Betsy has been my friend for as long as I can remember. She lives in Charlottesville in an 85 year old house. Her choice, Stat, is more suited to her style of home. I am so proud of her choices. (Do you think being friends with me for 35 years has anything to do with it? …I didn’t think so.) She chose green penny round tiles for the floor and butcher block counters and a milk chocolate wall paint. It’s going to be perfect!
I hope Betsy doesn’t mind. I stole the photo from her Facebook page. She tagged me on it! Maybe we can get more photos as the process continues…hint hint.
