Kitchen | Design Happens

ALL POSTS TAGGED "[kitchen]"

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Daily Delight: Ziva Colander

by Briana Mowrey October 20, 2011 4 Comments

“Could you be/the most beautiful colander in the world?” is what Prince would sing if he saw the Ziva Colander, I am pretty sure. Frankly, the colander is such an overlooked workhorse in the kitchen that I’m glad designer Anna Rabinowicz gave it an inspired makeover.

ziva colander

The look was influenced by sea fan corals, which gives the strainer a lovely organic feel, even as the shiny finish of the stainless steel glams it up. It’s pricier than all the plain colanders out there, to be sure, but thinking about also using it as a fruit bowl on the counter or serving bowl for bread at dinner parties does make such a splurge tempting…

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Daily Delight: La Cornue CornuFé Stove

by Briana Mowrey October 17, 2011 4 Comments

Here’s how I know this delight is pretty delightful: When my boyfriend saw it, he said, “That’s a cool stove! I would totally put that in my awesome future country house.” And I might be biased because he’s my boyfriend, but I think his assessment of this La Cornue CornuFé Stove is spot on.
cornufe stove

With five gas burners and two electric convection ovens that open with French side-swing doors in a comely Provence Blue…I really hope he meant “our awesome future country house.”

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Daily Delight: Oilcloth Placemat

by Briana Mowrey October 2, 2011 1 Comment

Have a messy little eater or two on your hands? While it’s tempting to just throw a tarp over the table at mealtimes, I think this DIY oilcloth placemat I spied on Wren Handmade is a much more elegant and ingenious solution.

oilcloth placemat

The oilcloth will wipe up easily, and the pattern is pretty enough to leave on the table even when it’s not in use. Bon Appétit!

How To Tile A Backsplash + Kitchen To-Do List Is Done!

by Erin Loechner August 17, 2011 19 Comments

Let me share with you a peek into our minds when it comes to renovating a home, yes? Shortly after our massive kitchen makeover, Ken and I celebrated by doing nothing for an entire weekend. And when I say weekend, I mean eight days. Probably more, really.

Introducing...our kitchen backsplash!

Renovating is a marathon, and as rewarding as it is, we often find ourselves sitting on the bench like after a long race, catching old re-runs of Murder She Wrote and eating pints of ice cream.

Our backsplash-less kitchen.

This explains precisely why it’s taken us nearly six months to finish our kitchen, even though we only had one key project to complete: the backsplash. Sure, we’ve been preoccupied with the laundry room, guest bedroom and living room, but in all actuality, we embrace snack breaks and lounging far more than I’d like to admit.

Look! A backsplash! We chose Modwalls' Lush 3x6 subway tile in Cloud.

Regardless, we finally bit the bullet and tackled the final project on our kitchen to-do list this past weekend. And surprisingly, it was far easier than we’d imagined! Here’s how we made it happen:
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Daily Delight: Kitchen Conversion Poster

by Briana Mowrey August 4, 2011 4 Comments

I fancy myself something of a chowhound, and love to experiment in the kitchen, but my preference to freestyle a recipe sometimes illustrates the rift between culinary brainstorming and practical experience. Turns out, there are some things you can’t just wing. Like baking. Oops.

kitchen conversion poster

This graphic kitchen conversion poster by SweetFineDay is here to save the day. The attractive and practical print eliminates any confusion in a recipe, and illustrates exactly how much of each ingredient you need to use. So there’s no more blaming “the altitude” if your pie doesn’t come out. (Apologies to my foodie friends in Denver!)

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Daily Delight: State-Shaped Cutting Boards

by Briana Mowrey July 31, 2011 11 Comments

They say that home is where the heart is, and in the case of these darling AHeirloom Plyboo Cutting Boards, that can be true, literally. Amy & Bill, the husband and wife design duo behind AHeirloom, will customize the board by putting the little heart carving anywhere you’d like on the state, so you can mark your home, your birthplace, where you got married — just about anything!

nevada cutting board

I love this concept and think it’d make a great gift, though I must say, some states are better suited than others for the purpose. (I currently live in New York, but I think I’d buy the state where I’m from originally instead. Pennsylvania = the perfect shape for all your chopping needs!) I’ve featured Nevada above, since that’s where I’m headed today for the upcoming Las Vegas Market. I hope to soak in some design and spot even more cutting-edge (forgive me) trends to share here.

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Daily Delight: Pass-Through Shelving

by Lili Zarghami May 31, 2011 6 Comments

A beautiful facet of open floor plans is the light that gets to pass freely from one space to the next.

open kitchen shelves
But an open plan can cause some logistical problems, namely where to put all your stuff. This kitchen shelving by Berg Design Architecture solves that problem in an elegant fashion. The pass-through shelves allow unobstructed light from the wall-sized windows to filter through to the kitchen. Just make sure your dishes are in tip-top shape for this kind of storage.

Monthly Design Tour: Check Out Velvet Hammerschmidt’s Santa Monica Loft

by Karli Sanders Cook May 28, 2011 9 Comments

Velvet Hammerschmidt Design always delivers style and class to their many projects that range from high-end residences to boutique hotels and office spaces. This contemporary loft in Santa Monica is a prime example of what Velvet Hammerschmidt does best — design a high-style living space that improves the client’s lifestyle and embraces their personality — all with a modern California flair. In this case, the client was Velvet herself, and she wanted a place that simplified her and her husband’s busy lives and allowed them to embrace the beautiful scenery and terrain surrounding their SoCal home.

Velvet accomplished this by designing every last inch of this “smart home” from the ground up. The home was made “smart” by creating lighting, fans, window treatments, HVAC, digital music and AV that are all controlled entirely via remote and integrated keypads. Both the design and technology in this loft are streamlined. Bottom up shades and custom floor valances were designed to control urban views, provide privacy, and yet still allow for access to spectacular vistas and plenty of California sun. And then there is the rooftop deck, complete with outdoor kitchen, fire pit and water feature. Read on to learn more about how Velvet created a dream space that embraces technology, art and nature with a tour that starts on the roof

Up on the Roof

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Daily Delight: Fancy Trash (Can)

by Lili Zarghami May 25, 2011 2 Comments

In the perfectly appointed kitchen with no cabinets for refuse, what does one do about the utilitarian and often unappealing trash can?

seletti trash can
Why you get a fancy one, of course! I spotted this Trash Chic receptacle from Seletti and thought that it might just be fancy enough to redo an entire kitchen based on it. The spunky yellow handles could even make me look forward to emptying the trash. (One can always dream, right?)

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Daily Delight: Animal Motif Mugs

by Lili Zarghami May 12, 2011 1 Comment

Grumpy mornings just may turn out to be a little less so if you had an adorable, vaguely animal-shaped mug from which to sip your coffee.

animal mugs

Generally I’m not a fan of pale pastels like the ones on these silicone wraps, but snuggled around the white porcelain bellies of a bear, a pig, and a deer, I adore them.