Randomly Gorgeous Kitchen Styles

Hi dedicated readers and new ones too. I'm feeling a little fluid in the aesthetic part of my mind today. We're in the city this weekend, which always makes me think more specifically about the coming kitchen renovation, and now, more and more, in terms of style, theme, the general look and feel of the room rather than the mechanics of the kitchen, for now. Once the wall came down, it opened up more than the physical space, it opened up questions about the entire space, as I said before.

Short note...my husband further cut the half wall down below the countertop. Looks even better. As we speak, he's removing some soffit pieces (as quietly as he can,) 

So, I move to questions of style, as I surprisingly came up with the plan for a 12' sofa the other day! I didn't expect THAT, but we're on board with it.

Having a home on Long Island, which is somewhat eclectic in style, more of a soft contemporary, very soft, with more of a touch of an artisan feel than a contemporary feel, I'm thinking, what look do we want in the city?

Our instinct is to go beyond our comfort zone.

We're liking very clean lines, at least one burst of color, perhaps bright white walls AND painted floors, and, as always, pieces of artwork that are stars, not supporting players.

Yet, when I go on Desire To Inspire, which always inspires me, I see these kitchens, some which are so country in their feel, that are stunning as well! Nonetheless, I think we're still leaning toward more modern, a bit eclectic, a bit artisan, that's where we seem to be headed.

Here, then, are some randomly gorgeous kitchens...enjoy them. :) 

OH...the last image is the sofa we're seriously considering, really, sold on. It's shown in a sectional, but we'd have it in two 70" sections, one a right arm and one a left arm. What you can't see is the fabric is quite textured. The image and the sofa is from Design Within Reach.  

But, honestly, what about you? Are you ever conflicted as to what style you REALLY love and can commit to? 

Kitchen Design Musings...II

Back to contemplating, confronting and exposing potential biases based on this post, regarding a book I was asked to review, in which my immediate reaction to its images was not favorable, having ended with the question "Am I a kitchen design snob?"

I am one who likes consensus, not to follow it blindly, but for the information value it provides. I look for consensus in my own mind, by reacting, then verifying what/how/why I'm feeling, sometimes over and over. It's sort of a "checks and balances" thing, and I'm sure many of you do the same.  Thus, the "kitchen snob" question came into mind to verify my immediate reaction, as I do in my design practice, to make sure my ideas and opinions a) are not too personal to me b) survive the "verification" process I give it c) have real merit. I torture myself! "The images are 'eh' " followed by, "Am I a kitchen snob?"

Each of us, whether professional kitchen designer, or consumer, have, and are entitled to, our opinions...but it's helpful to be open, at least preliminarily, to multiple sides of any issue.

Back to my reaction to the book. I'm a different person than who this book is directed to, and I think I forgot that, when I first opened it up and had a negative reaction to the images. I think each of these images represent dream details or dream kitchens to someone. And that's GOOD. To others, those who do not need to follow the "typical," (and there's nothing wrong with typical, seriously) it won't be satisfying. I also feel the image descriptions are too simple, without any "whys" connected to them, which could have been VERY useful. That makes me nuts, quite frankly. The whys are everything to those just starting their kitchen design journey.

But, regardless of what I or the author thinks, people will buy the book for their own personal reasons known only to them and may not even read the text at all. That's ok too. They may like a rug, or a tile, or a color, or they may read every word, keeping it nearby throughout their process. I think the book has value, but more attention to detail could have been taken in several areas. As a kitchen design professional, I'm bored by the images for the most part and disappointed by the information. Putting my consumer hat on, it has value for beginners in the process, yes. I'm choosing to be honest rather than polite, admittedly, not always easy to do, or enjoyable. I have a couple of other quibbles not necessary to note.

ANYWAY, the flip (positive) side to "am I a kitchen design snob?" is this: I'd say I'm on the right track, as long as I keep those checks and balances happening for the benefit of my clients, encouraging, yet not pushing (for too long!), allowing the client to decide what works for them, and supporting their choices in the end. This secondary reaction I had (the snob thing) is an example of the checks and balances in action..

I couldn't recommend this book for one sort of industry bias that is clearly noted in the book, and which is absolutely, positively, not a "must" for consumers looking to use a professional kitchen designer. The text in question adds confusion and influences consumers buying the book to go down a path that has no compelling merit to it.. Sorry to be a bit mysterious here.

This has been helpful for ME to put this into words, sort of a public dissection, and subsequent reaffirmation of my approach to  issues, as they arise, and what happens next. if it's aided as a nap inducement for some of you, that's good too! 

Kitchen Design Musings

I received a book in the mail as a request to review it, the other day, which I subsequently declined, for reasons not relating to what's written below. Being a kitchen design pro, and especially, a blogger focusing on kitchen design, I see MANY kitchens, many more than I ever did before I blogged. It's been great!

That part alone, to be exposed to new kitchen design concepts, day after day via my blogging efforts, again, has broadened my aesthetic horizons, leaving me, continually, newly inspired.

The vast majority of the pages of the book I was asked to review contained what I'd call "bread and butter" kitchens. At first glance, I found many of the images in the book to be either dated or uninspired, with a few gems here and there, for sure. On second and third glance, my instinct was further confirmed. I didn't care for the layout of the book, either. I've seen it all before. I had an immediate, "eh" reaction.

Then, another voice (there are many voices in my head) interrupted and said, "excuse me, are you a kitchen design snob? Are bread and butter kitchens of no, or little, worth?"

Interesting question!

I will leave you with that question, as I have to get ready for an appointment. The image, here, is of a kitchen I did about 10-11 years ago, which is typical of many of the kitchens in this book, although way too many images were nowhere near even this level of "nice" and should never have made it into the book. And, again, yes, there were those which were of great interest and innovation. But, those were few, and I wanted more from the book...

More later, as I contemplate, confront, and expose potential biases which may be lurking...stay tuned!

New/Cool Kitchen Products!

It seems I'm seeing more and more natural, textural, and exotic themed products coming down the pike. With a mainstream eco friendly trend happening, I think we'll see some interesting product introductions in the months ahead, and I'll keep you informed, as spring is the season for the most new products coming to market. Take a look!

Stone Forest introduces a sink made of a black granite polished interior and rim with a natural front apron. The sinks are carved from a single block of stone. Each is unique, and color and texture will vary. The sinks will fit most 3.5" drain assemblies or disposals. Weight: is approx. 300 lbs. It's natural/organic and has non-toxic/low VOC.

The Mandalay Collection of knobs and pulls by Atlas Homewares brings the essence of Burma to you. The intricately woven design is reminiscent of the mastery created by Burmese artisans. Available in finishes of brushed nickel and venetian bronze, Mandalay round knobs are $7.90, square knobs, $9.90, pulls, $14.90, and large pulls, $18.90. Coordinate your appliances with Mandalay appliance pulls, new from Atlas.

Elkay introduces its new Gourmet egranite, a family of granite silica and acrylic resin-formed sinks that bring a granite-like luxury material into the kitchen. The egranite sink line features spacious compartments and a non porous surface, which prevents staining and reduces any absorption of bacteria or odors. Sinks are available in black, biscuit, and white.

Kitchen Week At Design Hole Blog

Lots going on over at Design Hole, on my blog roll for a long time. Jennifer Mitchell, an interior designer, is quite intense about her work, and what she's doing this week on kitchens are, well, kitchens on steroids! Go and take a look, and while you're at it, take a look at my little chat on kitchen trends.  It's all very good stuff. All this week.

Meanwhile, I've played around with my apartment floorplan for a little bit. It's funny how taking a wall down makes one rethink the entirety of the space, not just the kitchen! That's what I'm doing, having had no previous intention to do that. I felt the furniture worked. Now I'm not so sure, and I never really loved the sofa against the half wall.

Here's the thing. My husband and I require, NOT the typical sofa and one or two chairs in our living space, as is found in nearly all apartments of our size. We need the ability to stretch out and gaze mindlessly at the tv, in between napping, doing computer work, or yes, even talking to one another! Stretching out is an absolute must and non negotiable. Forget a chair/ottoman, it's not really nap-worthy.

So, am I really crazy to consider a huge, I mean huge, sofa in this otherwise small apartment? I'm almost embarrassed to say the size of it. It's nearly 12' (yes, 12') long. Oddly, to my eye, it seems to work. We should both be able to stretch out at opposite ends. It would have to come in two pieces. Here's what I'm considering. I'm not afraid to go beyond what's typical, and sometimes, doing something oversized can be exciting, and in this case, MAYBE it would serve to elongate the room as well, especially if it's on legs and in a light color?

Tell me what you think, please! UPDATE: THE LOWER IMAGE IS WHAT WE LIKE NOW (WE'RE TOTALLY BUYING INTO A 12' SOFA IN A 550SF OR THEREABOUTS APARTMENT!) HUSBAND ENTHUSIASTICALLY AGREES!

The Kitchen Walls Came Down! My Apartment Remodel

I met my husband at the apartment in the city on Friday. I drove in, unloaded my stuff, my son loaded his stuff in the car and drove the car home to Long Island, to return sometime on Sunday, at which time we returned to the Island (yesterday evening, car in front of the building, he again unloaded tons of laundry, still undone.)

So, my husband walks in the apartment door at 2:45 pm on Friday, I had just arrived a little earlier, and we both look at each other and know that noisy work in the building has to be done by 3 pm, Monday to Friday, no weekends. He has 15 minutes to cut through the kitchen walls with his sawzall, or whatever it's called. Twenty minutes later (so shoot me!) the wall is cut in half, via horrible noise! Yay!

Just enough time to get cleaned up and go off to see Martha Stewart, in person, at the NY Times Talks series, her biggest fan (HE is.) The walls remained in place until the next day, Saturday, at which time he removed the sheetrock, twisted out the studs and cleaned up the mess. That's all relatively quiet work.

Me? I was out on a girls' day with my daughter...one she owed me for my birthday from July! MOMA, lunch, walk through the park, it was lovely. Trust me, my husband prefers to be alone so he doesn't have to tell me what to do. I'm fine with that!

Upon my return, around 3 pm on Saturday, I opened the door to the apartment, and WOW, what a reaction I had! It looks fantastic...so open! So in need of emergency surgery!

What I felt right away was that this kitchen (obviously) needs to "talk" to the living area in an important way. I want to make the place really flow. In an apartment this size, this kitchen is actually big!  I think that's a good thing. I think, to be able to:

a. have great counter space

b. be able to be at the main counter space and communicate with someone beyond

c. stand at the sink and look toward and out the window

d. watch the tv when desired

e. have nearly full size appliances

is a really, really, great thing in an otherwise tiny New York City apartment!

I won't go into ALL the ideas I have, that's for later...but, I wanted to share this progress with you. A few things I WILL tell you:

a. the tv cabinet goes...a flat screen will take its place

b. the cluttered looking green dining chairs will go...maybe an Arne Jacobsen Series 7 chair?

c. the black sofabed will go...in its place will be a loveseat with legs and arms back a bit, for a lighter look, but we definitely want two sofas in the space, and that's the best place, I think, for them to go.  Putting them opposite one another makes the floor space very narrow, too narrow IMO.

I'm also up for suggestions!  Please take a look at the flikr slideshow for more details.

Here's the before, that's a mirrored wall (came with the apt.) behind the black loveseat:

This is the after: