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We are in the market for a new kitchen this year. It’s going to be a huge relief to finally get rid of the ancient cabinets, cracked floor tiles and crazy layout. I’ll try to record the process here and will get the first few ‘before’ shots up soon. Meantime, I’m at the inspiration-collecting stage. I know I want a streamlined white kitchen but I don’t want it to look too clinical. So I plan to introduce some warm wood tones, probably in the flooring since that will also provide continuity with the adjoining rooms. And, you know me, a little bit of sparkle wouldn’t go amiss either… Anyway, here are some of the images currently fueling the creative process…
This one doesn’t have the wood floors, only a wood countertop. But the open shelves are great. Via Eloisa & Abelard.
This is one spectacular kitchen, via Design Manifest. Probably not exactly what I’m looking for as it has no wood at all and uses Shaker-style cabinets. But I do like the steel (or is it zinc?) doors.
This is a very streamlined kitchen but still manages to incorporate warmth with the taupe walls and pendant lights. I’m not looking for glossy cabinets, but they do reflect the light beautifully here. Via Living Etc.
This one has a much more organic feel with open shelves and wood-framed doors. Stepping out onto a deck with a pool wouldn’t be bad either…! Via Coco and Kelley.
Another lovely light kitchen, which shows how well the white cabinets look against the flooring. Via Desire to Inspire.
This wall of cabinets is cute, but it’s the wide drawers that really appeal here. Photo by Per Magnus Persson.
What a great mix of old (herringbone flooring and cornicing) and new (lots of horizontal lines, wide drawers and the Moooi Random light fixture). Via this photostream.
Now I’m probably not going to end up with a Bulthaup kitchen, but if I did, I’d like it to be this one.
This kitchen mixes materials very effectively. The Carrera marble makes a stunning backdrop to those open shelves. I’m also a big fan of the ‘waterfall’ countertops down the side of the island. From Canadian House and Home.
Not a fan of the flooring or the countertops here, but the chandelier light fixture adds just the right amount of sparkle. Also from Canadian House and Home.
Ok, this isn’t exactly a kitchen, but I do love the combination of white chairs and vintage wood table. By Vicente Wolf.
The last two are via Houzz. Lots to love about this kitchen: the unique hood, the little floating block shelves on the backsplash, the high stools, the mini pendants over the island.
More beautiful Carrera marble, dark wood floors and some striking glass pendants.
No doubt there will be many more twists and turns in this particular design journey, so watch this space…
If I’m going to continue the theme of red-accented spaces, this unique house is the perfect place to stop next. It’s the home of portrait photographer, Emily McCall.
Why do I love this house? Because it intrigues me and is truly one-of-a-kind. For a start, you’d think a palette of black, white and red would be brash and in-your-face, but instead it’s quiet, almost monastic, but with a twist.
Great mix of textiles from Suzani to sackcloth to leather.
Any place that can combine a white bust with a Panton chair and look great is ok by me!
The bedrooms are like negatives of each other (how appropriate for a photographer!) Here’s the light and airy white bedroom, with a few graphic punches in the form of the pillow, lamp and quirky clock.
And here’s the black bedroom – a perfect foil for a vintage bus route sign….
…and a red velvet wingback chair! Genius. Makes me want to break out the black paint.
Thanks, Emily, for allowing me to post photos of your lovely home. Hope everyone else enjoys them as much as I did!
Check out Emily’s blog here.
Maybe it’s a sign that I need some warmer weather and brighter days, but I’m on a roll with red rooms. How stunning is this dining room, spotted on Norwegian interiors site, Bo Bedre?
They say red is ideal for dining rooms because it stimulates both conversation and appetite. But this one turns tradition on its head with an all-white room, except for those gorgeous curvy chairs. So simple, sweet and stylish…
Are you over Ikat prints yet? If the big furniture retailers are anything to go by, far from it. Ikat-inspired patterns are still sprouting up everywhere – not least on some pretty stylish sofas.
I’m a fan of this sofa from Wisteria, made from one-of-a-kind bridal rugs.
Good old West Elm, of course, has its own version. The print that it actually calls Ikat is less inspiring, however, than this paisley one for the Essex sofa. It still has that ethnic appeal but is slightly more subtle.
Urban Outfitters has had Ikat chairs for a while, but they are obviously in high demand as it now has a bigger – and brighter – collection. I like this one in Indigo, but you should check out Watermelon, Sundown and Peacock for a mouth-watering selection of colors.
Maybe I should still find a spot for some Ikat somewhere…
Do you still think of some spaces as ‘grown-up’? Maybe it’s just me, but every now and then I come across a room that exudes a certain refinement, elegance, taste and confidence that can only be described as grown-up. These spaces have no gimics, no attention-grabbing features, no whimsy (although they may have wit). They are somehow both effortless and aspirational. And they remind us of who we wanted to be when we were all grown-up.
Now, for the cynics out there, by ‘grown-up’ I don’t just mean ‘expensive’. Of course, these spaces all look expensive (and some probably are given that there are at least two celebrity homes here). It’s more to do with the sophisticated color palettes, rich textures and confident styling. Clearly, somewhere in my subconscience, grown-ups also have metallic fixtures and lots of velvet!
1 & 2 – Lonny Magazine, 3 – Automatism, 4 – Living Etc, 5 & 6 – Elle Decor (Monique L’Huillier and Kelly Hoppen’s homes).
For fun, and on the suggestion of a friend, I entered my four-year-old’s room into Ohdeedoh’s ‘Small Kids, Big Color’ contest. What a kick to see it actually featured on the home page of that blog! Apparently they only select a few and there are some amazing entries there, so I’m thrilled to be in such good company. If you liked the room when I first posted it here, feel free to vote for it here 
And check out some of the other entries – truly inspiring.
My son is beyond excited to have his room appear on the site – even if he doesn’t quite get how it ended up there!
As you can probably tell from my lack of posts recently, life around here is a bit hectic. Birthday parties, babies, schools, travel and lots and lots of work – frankly I’m amazed we’re keeping it together. It’s at times like this that I crave a home that is an oasis of calm. Of course, that’s not easy when you’re slowing disappearing under a sea of toys and laundry. We manage it for a few hours each week, after a major clean-up and when everything is sparkling and tidy. But, for the rest of the time, I have to resort to my favorite books and blogs to find the kind of simple, streamlined, relaxing interiors that make the perfect antidote to a stressful day.
Here are a few of my recent favorites.
This kitchen, featured in Skona Hem, via Emma’s Design Blogg, sums up my idea of restful design. Although it’s predominantly white, it’s not spartan (which I try to avoid as it just makes me feel uneasy). It has honey-colored wood, sloping ceilings, organic shapes, and some symmetry (those beautiful yellow and white glass pendants), all of which contribute to the sense of simplicity and calm.
A calming living room is the perfect balance of formal and casual, organized and relaxed. I’ve found the ideal combination in this room, from Greige, found via Fondly Seen. The art is what really sets the tone. But the comfortable chairs with a touch of formality, the slightly distressed wood paneling, the tall multi-paned windows – they all combine effortlessly to create an ideal of lived-in luxe.
A calm space doesn’t have to be entirely clutter-free. This living room (via Lilac and Gray) manages that relaxed feel, despite having open shelves. The neutral color palette helps but it’s the choice of materials that really creates the mood here: linen, cotton, wood and seagrass and the use of unpretentious and unchallenging ticking stripes, give the place a soothing, shoes-off vibe.
Can you have such a thing as a relaxing dining room? After all, isn’t a dining room’s design supposed to invite conversation, hilarity and stimulate appetite? Well, not in my book, not today at least! I like this dining room, from Elle Decor, via Arianna Belle, because it combines furniture styles and materials so effortlessly, is pretty and yet simple, and it combines striking full-height windows with softer drapes and chandeliers.
It sounds counter-intuitive, but for a relaxing bedroom, I like a lot of light. It doesn’t make any difference to me if the sun’s rays burst in at dawn because, with two young kids, chances are I’ll be up by then anyway! But I do like the sense of space and calm a light room provides. I don’t think I’ll ever have a canopy like this over my own bed, but the effect here is pretty dreamy. With the soft blanket, acres of white bedlinen and simple furniture, this is pretty much the perfect place to retire after a busy day. Via BeautyComma.
Now, for bathrooms, I’m going to have to go with this one (also from Emma’s Design Blogg). It has the cool neutrals, plenty of greenery, symmetry, organization and storage, but a relaxed organic feel, especially with the slate floors.
So what makes a calming room? Answer: whatever relaxes you. For some people that might be features like open fires or soft rugs, for others certain colors relax, for others it’s all about organization. For me, it’s neutral colors, plenty of negative space and light, a touch of greenery, organic shapes and textures and an effortless mix of styles that looks like it has evolved over time.
What about you?
I’m always attracted by unusual and imaginative pieces of furniture. But how cool is this jewellery-inspired table? And I guess you could reconfigure the pieces how you like, as the mood takes you.
Spotted on Emma’s Design Blogg, it’s from Swedish furniture brand, the home company.
So inspiring…
I’m not usually a huge fan of wallpaper or fabric geared entirely to kids, but the Zagazoo collection from Osborne & Little is utterly charming. It’s designed by Quentin Blake, the children’s book author and illustrator. His books have such a distinctive style that this range is bound to transport you to your own childhood (well, certainly if you grew up in England). My older son now has a couple of his books, including Cockatoos, which inspired this wallpaper – one of my favorites in the collection.
By the way, doesn’t this look like a humorous, kid-friendly riff on this rather more grown-up wallpaper?
I also love the adorably-named Butterfly Meadow:
And the delightful Menagerie design:
For something truly original, how about ‘All Join In’, which is described on supplier Fabrics and Papers‘ site as depicting ‘children and flustered adults playing with instruments in a musical mayhem of all colors’? (Definitely been there!)
There’s even an alphabet and numbers design which looks great with its chalkboard-like black background:
All of the designs are available as wallpaper and fabric and in various colors.
So, which story from your childhood would you like to see rendered as wallpaper? Presumably not ‘Where the Wild Things are’? Not sure I could handle the colors in ‘Goodnight Moon’ either! Any suggestions?
A few weeks ago my sister asked me to help revamp her Manhattan apartment. Only trouble was, I wasn’t planning to head out East and so any help I could offer had to be remote. Luckily, my sister has excellent taste and so all she needed was some help in bringing her ideas together into a cohesive scheme. Sometimes, all it takes is a fresh pair of eyes…
She didn’t want to replace any major pieces and was limited on the decorating front by the fact her place is a rental. But she did want it to be more pulled-together and ‘grown-up’. It also had to function for a 20-month-old.
My sister loves eclectic spaces with anything from French to Moroccan to Asian influences. She also describes herself as a ‘color tart’ (!), loving pretty much any color under the sun. How to combine all this into an open plan apartment?
As a first step, she sent me a couple of images of rooms she liked, answered some of my questions and then I created an inspiration board (above). The goal here was to consolidate all the hundreds of ideas racing round her head. We found that warm colors, luxurious textures and pattern were recurring themes.
Then we built the color palette, based on the inspiration board. I felt that a relatively complex palette was needed in order to accommodate her love of color. It also needed to complement some of the existing hues in her space – chiefly the moss green. Pinky-red, gray and taupe were perfect solution. I also wanted to introduce gold for that luxe element. Finally, I felt that some rich, ethnic-inspired embroidered textiles would be the way to introduce pattern without looking too cluttered.
Finally, we put together selection of furniture and accessories to complement what she already had. Product details are below.
A big focus was the TV area, which needed organizing and defining. I found this room (via MadebyGirl), which inspired an asymmetrical arrangement of shelves and a media console around the TV:
She’s still working on implementing the ideas so we’ll have to wait and see how it turns out. But it was fun to pull together and a great example of bi-coastal sibling collaboration!
Here are the product details:
1 – Lamp
2 – Media cabinet
3 – Pillow
4 – Side table
5 – Lamp
6 – Tray
7 – Bus stop sign
8 – Pillow
9 – Lamp
10 – Vases
11 – Pillow
12 – Tray table
13 – Media cabinet
14 – Lamp
15 – Pillow
16 – Pillow
17 – Otomi textile throw
18 – Ikat chair
19 – Lamp
20 – Pouf
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