Nostalgia or Shredder Material? #7

Here's an interesting image! Time again for "Nostalgia or Shredder Material." In design school, I learned of the element of "continuity." It appears that this designer did too. Of course, if this is a 70s kitchen, we must have yellow and gold, and some orange too. That hanging lamp was a typical lamp of the 70s, I forget the name it was called. The cooktop is on the rear wall. Makes me wonder if there is actually wallpaper behind the cooktop!?

One thing we know for sure...they are very important people! See the two phones?

It's fun to look at these images. I think there is a LOT to learn too. Pattern was very important in this little micro time period, it seems pattern anywhere and everywhere, it almost was a measure of creativity, how many patterns could be used together or over how much square footage it could cover. I'll just bet that the ceiling was considered too. To me, the strict symmetry of the cabinetry and the constant pattern equals a dead feeling, void of dimension and interest, even with the beams. To me, they just confuse things. Have fun looking back! 

 

What's On Your Kitchen Counters?

I like to be surrounded by my favorite things. I just need to have things around, meaningful things,...memories. I'm sure many of you are the same way. It is what puts "soul" in our kitchens. Personally, I much prefer meaningful things than decorative items selected for the design of the kitchen, but, that's also a look that certainly is viable and can be a lot of fun and of great interest, and I will be showing this look as well on these pages..

Here's what I have on my counters and also what they mean to me:

A bowl of shells - picked them up at Jenny Lake out west with my husband many moons ago.

Wooden sign with lettering on it - picked that up off the ground. It is the side of a herring box. Got it in a little island called Bornholm, when I was 16 and visiting with my Danish aunt and uncle. I knew at the time that I'd have it forever. I can't tell you how long ago I got it.

Bottles - many of these were recently acquired as my husband and I found a man who searches for bottles in construction sites in the New York area, antique bottles. He knows many details about these bottles. One by one, at the upper west side flea market in the 70s in New York, we pick a bottle up and add to our collection. These bottles will soon be filled with roses from my garden!

Shoe form - my uncle from Denmark, Thorvald, sold shoes for 50 years and ultimately met the Queen in tribute to his life's work. He's always been an amazingly wonderful uncle.

Other images are of useful items that I think look great together, the oils, utensils, a few appliances. I'm fine with that. Not everything has to have a perfect place. Bring out your precious items and put them on your kitchen counter. Anywhere.

This last image is of a vase bought at a Scandinavian auction and is by a well known ceramic artist. The painting is of a little fishing village in Denmark, near where my cousin has a summer house. This is at the area of my kitchen where I have a second sink. Nice memories...

 

Normal Room - The Best Kitchens!

Many of you have heard of Normal Room, the website where people from all over the world upload images of the rooms in their home, just to show others how they live and to see how others live. A great concept to make the world a little bit smaller and to understand a little bit better how other cultures do what we do, cook.....and, think about what's the same, what's different....it's all good, right?

So, as a dutiful editor of a kitchen design blog, I went through the entire category of kitchens and chose the ones I thought were most interesting to me.

The rest were, well....normal, not that there's anything wrong with that!  :-) 

The first image IS a kitchen, a typical kitchen somewhere in Africa...the 2 just below, I did not take note of, the 3rd image on the left is from the U.S., the 4th image on the right is from the UK, and the bottom image is, of course, from Finland. Oops, the one with the postcards before Finland is Germany. And, check out my friend, Peggy's post too on an unusual kitchen.  Enjoy!

 

2007 Kitchen Contest - Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy - The Kitchen is hosting a contest for kitchens, "Smallest Coolest Kitchen 2007" The deadline has been extended through April 16, so there is still time to enter!

 
The entries are being rolled out now, one by one. I think it's great that the smallest of kitchens get a chance for some, well, respect! Small kitchens always need useful ideas, and every inch counts. It should prove to be a great collection. More inspiration, again, from Apartment Therapy. The image is from This Old House.  

Moody Kitchen Dining Areas

We talk about the kitchen, and there is lots to talk about, but an equally important part of the kitchen design, whether it is situated in the kitchen or just beyond, is the dining area, also called the breakfast room. This room, sometimes a part of the kitchen, should be wonderful as well, as it is an area in which we linger.

As we know, life happens in the kitchen, and often, life's most serious issues are discussed, where else, but at the kitchen table. Here is what we do at the kitchen table, we:

      prep food
      eat
      relate
      love
      laugh
      fight
      read
      work
      plan
      spend money
      relax
      make up

...and so much more. Adding warmth to your dining space, personality, softness, and good lighting can create a soft, relaxed, feeling. Having candles nearby, music accessible, books stacked, magazines, all the things needed to relax, and unwind, is a good thing. Last week, I spoke about the logistics of the dining area. Those logistics will lead directly to "quality of life" in the kitchen, in which so much of life takes place. I suppose you can call it "setting a mood".

 

Will your relationships be better, given all that happens at the kitchen table, if you set a particular mood? Interesting question. My guess, ultimately, is no, but I do wonder if there is indeed any sort of mood effect which can occur, between being in a dining area that is designed in a minimalist decor as compared to one with more decorative detailing in it. I almost used the word "soul" in place of "decorative detailing", but you know, the owner of the minimalist dining area sees elegance and depth as well, in what first appears to some, as "simple".

 

Decor8 has shown us a great image of a dining area, somewhat minimalist in nature, but with soul, as seen in color and texture. The floor adds warmth, the colorful mobile adds whimsy and interest....it looks like a great place to sit down and relate to one another.  How can you be in a bad mood in that spot? Food for thought! It was a great find.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Holly at Decor8 for selecting me to be the "Blog of the Week". This is a great honor, as Decor8 is one of the finest design blogs, and Holly is very gracious. Thank you! Decor8 is a blog that needs to be read continually!

Back to kitchen table decor! In this particular discussion, the images shown are those which are more soft and romantic, and colorful. The images are from the catalog Gudrun Sjoden, the Swedish home/clothing company. I found this company via their store in Norway in December and really loved their look. Hope you do too. Speaking of color, check out Apartment Therapy's color therapy links for starters. I will have much more on color in the kitchen/dining area down the road, as of course, this is also a factor affecting mood. See a post on this same designer, by me, in Shak In Style. I'm in a good mood, are you?

 

American Idol Kitchens - NKBA 2007 Design Contest "Showroom Kitchens"

I have a confession to make right here and now. I'm addicted to American Idol. There, I said it. I never watched this program before, ever. About 4-5 weeks ago, my husband and I were surfing the channels (I can't remember who had control of the remote, but I can say "stop right there", right?) But, I digress. 

At first we thought "this is way too bubble gum". We're New Yorkers, we're beyond this! But, we quickly got into it. It's appointment tv for us. We talk about it, judge the contestants, judge the judges, love/hate Simon, have a great time with it. I KNOW who's going, or who should leave, after last night's performances! It WON'T be Sanjaya (he was perfect for that song last night.) And, we'll find out TONIGHT! (Melinda Doolittle, you really needed to move much more during that song, as I suggested to the tv!) Do we call in? No, THAT'S where we draw the line.  ;-)

So, what does American Idol have to do with kitchens, kitchen design, kitchen remodeling, etc?? It occurs to me that all of the kitchens from the 2007 NKBA Design Contest thus far are American Idol kitchen contestants of sorts, which are competing for the kitchen design equivalent of American Idol in each of their categories! I'm not a Simon Cowell judge, however, more like Paula Abdul - "Your outfit is great". What about you? Here are the contestants entries for "Showroom" kitchens, where you go to dream. Enjoy!

Kitchens In The Blogosphere

Kitchens are popping up like spring flowers around the blogosphere. All sorts of good stuff I am finding on kitchen design, kitchen products, kitchen remodeling too.

I was almost blown away when I saw images of Julia Child's kitchen on The Happy Living Blog. I suppose the kitchen is pure function! I remember hearing about the pegboard somewhere being in Julia's kitchen. Here is a link to the exhibit at the Smithsonian of Julia's kitchen. Thanks for this reminder of this interesting kitchen! And, what is this about a kitchen consultation you were at, as seen on your blog? Keep me in the loop!

 

 
A great segue to The Kitchen at Apartment Therapy, filled with not only recipes, but lots of stuff for the kitchen, including tips on products, cooking methods, and more.

What really blew me away this morning were the images on Desire to Inspire. The kitchens! They're filled with soul, and earthy textures. Eclectic, with pieces of this and that, thrown together, yet, warm and welcoming, which is what a kitchen should be, right? The image is from Desire to Inspire, by Elle Decor.

Luxist is talking about this new product from LG Electronics. It is a combination toaster/microwave and toaste/coffee maker in two different models  I suppose there is something to be said for saving space, and the toaster is wide enough for bagels, a good thing. They are not overly wide in width either, compared to other microwaves. Makes you go hmmmm....

All around good stuff too in Appliance Notes.  This blog is authored by my friend, Peggy, and I think she'll be coming up with all kinds of interesting pieces of good information in this new blog of hers. Take a look.

Scandinavian Kitchens - Black & White 2

Since last week's black and white Scandinavian kitchens had such interest, I thought I would do it again! You know, I have to admit, something struck me this week that did not strike me last week.

Part of the reason, I think, that these kitchens appeal to us is that it is not just the white cabinetry and great accessories and materials, it is that, surprisingly, and very unlike what is done, at least in the U.S., the walls are also white! The decorative/accessory layer also has much white in it as well. That is what is distinctive about these kitchens and their "look". We see the first image a million times, it is a popular look. But, we do not often see it with that type of lighting or with the simplicity of white walls, or, for that matter, the raw look of flooring such as we have here, which I hope you can see.

As I have said previously, I really believe the Scandinavians do electic "right", and, added to their own distinctive look, with color and light elements, and even the use of restraint, it ends up being stunning kitchen design, and very exciting! The images are from the Danish magazine Bo Bedre, with the bottom right image from the Swedish magazine  Skona Hem.

Good timing, still in the Scandinavian mood, since Saturday, I viewed the Danish movie, nominated this year for Best Foreign Film, "After the Wedding." It was fantastic, please rent it. Oh, and by the way, there are some kitchen scenes in the movie and the kitchen is.....white!

And, as usual, a few great Scandinavian blogs, in which you will see still more kitchens! an angel at my table and  I min vackra varld

Enjoy! 

UPDATE:  Just saw this post on Scandinavian tableware in the new blog Blink Decor...perfect to get a little closer to the look, and it's authentically Scandinavian, Danish to be exact!