Farmhouse Sink Love

When I grow up and have a large converted farmhouse, my first order of business in the kitchen is to have a farmhouse sink. I just adore them. They look soft, smooth, luxurious and beautifully country.

Usually when I think of a farmhouse sink, I think white glazed ceramic. I do love this stainless steel one though. By Ruthie Somers via House Beautiful.

Woah I adore this. This might rival my favorite kitchen ever by Joan Schindler. I know those are strong words but this is so spacious and calming looking. From Living etc.

Gil Shafer can pretty much do no wrong in my book. Painted floors in a kitchen? LOVE IT. Painted interior cabinets? LOVE THEM. Farmhouse sink? You get the gist.

Via Simplified Bee. You can use many different materials for the same idea. I wonder how well copper holds up in a kitchen though...

Kyle Timothy took something pretty traditional looking and made it super edgy! I love this look-it's so chic with the glass tiles on the backsplash and this modern looking farmhouse sink.

I'm not sure if its the fact that it looks like a tiny tub, or how well it looks with a sweet country kitchen but I must have a farmhouse sink one day. I love how it extends down into the cabinetry below it too. Do any of ya'll have one? Is it everything I think it is?

Alicia B.

Modern Kitchen Discoveries

I know I've been lagging on my posts of late and this acknowledgment doesn't mean that's going to change because I'm still just as busy. Don't worry though, I'm still here, still loving the blog and still loving design. I've been working tres hard (7 hours at school yesterday drafting) on this town house project and guess what...it's MODERN. I started out with a traditional style because that's what I naturally drift towards, and the professor told me that I needed to challenge myself more. I decided on a somewhat industrial glam look and I'm actually warming to it! The room that I've had the most trouble with is the kitchen though. It's hard to design an industrial kitchen with some Alicia B. personality in it because of all the appliances and stainless steel.

If I could have any kitchen in the world, this would be it. Designed by Joan Schindler, this kitchen has so much character and amazing details: mini tile flooring, glass door fridge, and the most beautiful pendants I've ever seen.

Here are some modern kitchens that I actually like! They have some personality in them and they're sleek as can be (in my eyes).

The different greys and blacks (and whites) add lots of interest to this kitchen though I'm not sure how that table works so close to the counter space, right? I do enjoy the appropriate seasonal accents of orange though! From Marie Claire Maison.

I kind of super like this industrial look for this loft kitchen. I love how the counter juts out of the wall with the mysterious opaque glass on the wall and rough wooden column to contrast the sleek finishes. From Marie Claire Maison.

I like the natural wood paired with the hard steel surfaces and art in the kitchen always gets me! Elle Decor.

Another kitchen with black glossy cabinetry! This one designed by Eldon Wong has open shelving under the island with pretty glass dishes which as a bit of sparkle.

If you imagine this open kitchen in a different finish than the wood as it currently is, it would be super streamlined. In the wood though, it gives off a softer more textured look. Can anybody explain the super thin sink in the island?? Designed by Ann Wolf.

I will admit, if pushed to it, some of these modern style kitchens do have their own personalities. Its hard to balance a contemporary look without it looking too much like a restaurant kitchen. I have certainly learned a lot designing one for my class and I guess I've come around! Cement counter tops, opaque glass cabinetry, and who doesn't love a brand new ultra sleek Wolf range?? I definitely do.


Alicia B.

Discoveries in a Small Kitchen in NYC

Chris Welsh, the designer, had to deal with this alcove kitchen. he used light colors and maximized the light he had with that one window.

That title kinda sounds like a romance novel possibly involving an interior designer. Oh well, I'm keeping it. As you all know, I have a mini kitchen. Seriously, everything is lined up on one wall and the tiles stretch literally less than a foot until it hits the parkay flooring which indicates the transition to the living room. I thought I'd share a few tips for maximizing your space here.

1: Efficiency. Everything must have a place. I have very little counter space so every little inch is precious. To maximize your cabinets, don't feel bad about stacking things more than you normally would. Get cute canisters, too, for silverware or large spoons and spatulas.

In this kitchen by Chad Eisner featured in House Beautiful, he used seeded glass in many of the cabinets which makes them feel lighter. I love the look of open rack shelves in kitchens but in a practical sense, I don't think it works so this is a great alternative.

This is one of my fave kitchens on the planet. It's small but look how well each space is used. Canisters for utensils, little cook book nooks, and custom cabinets. By Stephanie Stokes

2: Wall space. A good place to store things is on the wall. Use this space for a potrack, a magnetic knife strip, or a bulletin board.

These sleek racks are from Pottery Barn. I have my own little rattan spice rack but these are nice and don't take up a lot of space. HERE.

Living Etc. Vintage canisters and a handy wall mounted pot rack.

3: Junk Drawer=NO. I had to forget about having the all purpose junk drawer (the thought scares me anyway) for anything that didn't have a space. Everything MUST have a home so make a bulletin board like I mentioned above. You can tack up invitations, reminders, lists (yay, lists!) or just notes you like that make your day a little brighter.



Here is a cool DIY bulletin board you can make with old corks and a vintage frame. Plus, it has a kitchen vibe. From Apartment Therapy HERE.



4: Color. I think you have two options here based on your space. If you have a narrow galley style kitchen you can paint it but make sure everything is the same color. If you have a monochromatic room, it makes it look bigger no matter what color you paint it (almost). I have a one walled kitchen so I painted everything a very pale yellow to bring light into the room.

Living etc. Sunny yellow kitchen. Make sure you don't use the wrong yellow though. Results could be shaky.

5: Mirrors. I don't LOVE mirrors as paneling but I've noticed a few designers using mirrors in kitchens to give the illusion of a bigger room. Here you can see it in the inset on the cabinets or the backsplash as in the one above by Stephanie Stokes


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By Jonathan Berger.

You and I can have great kitchens and be gourmet cooks too even if we have small kitchens! If you have a large one, make sure it works and it isn't just a massive waste of space. Thoughts? Do you have any tips from your kitchen you'd like to share?

Alicia B.

De Giulio Kitchens

I've always had a fascination with Degiulio Kitchens because I used to work with them at my old/first job. They have amazing lighting, and are very grand and top of the line everything. Designer, Mick de Giulio used to work as a craftsman so everyone of his kitchens is different and amazingly constructed.

This kitchen could so easily feel heavy and bulky because it is quite large but instead of a solid island, De Giulio used one with legs to bring it off the floor. GORGEOUS: potrack, subway tile backsplash, window, and shelf next to window.

He can work with a mini space too! This tiled floor is perfection.

Does anybody have one of these "flexible sinks" in their kitchen? Are they functional or a mistake? They look amazingly handy, and everything on it looks so fresh!

He doesn't believe in trends really and thinks a kitchen should feel like a furnished room, just like the rest of the house. Which brings me to the refrigerator which is disguised behind a faux Gothic tracery cabinet. I usually am put off by when people hide refrigerators but I really like these!

De Giulio says he doesn't do such things as "Italian kitchens" or "country kitchens" but he takes the needs and desires of clients and works that into his design. HOW NOVEL.

I've visited their showroom in the Merchandise Mart in Chicago and it's so amazing. If you live in the area you should take a walk through. It's clean, fresh, and uplifting. What do you think of his kitchens? Take a look at the website and Decorati's article on him as well.


Alicia B.

Kitchen Dilemma

Kitchen featured in the 1950s in House Beautiful. WOW.

Yesterday afternoon as I was looking out the window in my parents' kitchen to watch the neighbors walk by (it's what we do in the country to pass the time apparently), I was blinded by the sunlight streaming in and had to look away. It made me start to think about the idea of curtains in the kitchen. My mother says she doesn't want them because they will get cooking debris (oil etc) on them and get dirty. She also really likes the light and openness in the kitchen and doesn't want to feel closed in by curtains. I wanted to see what other designers have done in kitchens, as the 3M filters on the windows my parents have just isn't cutting it. See below.

T. Keller Donovan uses a pretty blue toile valance in this otherwise white Nantucket kitchen.

Wooden roman shades would def solve the problem of cooking oils/dirt and since these are pretty thin, they still let the light in. By Noel Jeffrey.

In this uber colorful french style kitchen the designer, Michele Allman uses a red toile fabric and a traditional pinched pleat drapery style in the windows.

One of my now favorite designers John Peixinho who works mainly in Newport, RI also used a roman shade style in this kitchen, but I think it's a thin parchment colored fabric. Low maintenance, light blocking and good looking.

James Michael Howard designed this sleek clean kitchen and used an ivory linen shade in the large window. I like how he continued the strong dark horizontal line on the mouldings into the curtain.

Though the stove is right in between the two windows with long drapery, the designer used floor length drapery and a valance. This may seem like a lot, but it starts to become an architectural element as it echos the door off to the right. From Domino.

Another simple roman shade style but with a little kick with a small vertical stripe running down it. By Caroline DeCesare for the movie Something's Gotta Give. (Good movie but uncomfortable to see with your grandmother.)

One of my many design heroes, Victoria Hagan solves the entire problem of the light by creating these beautiful clerestory windows which provide great but indirect light.

If you're feeling DIY-ish, Martha provides this how-to on making your own curtains in my old fave magazine Blueprint. I like this one because it lets in light but it has very pretty and subtle polka dot texture. So cute!

Well, I helped my parents with their ivory shades from Kravet in our den, so maybe I can help them solve the dilemma of being blinded by too much light and feeling too closed in inside a big kitchen.


Alicia B.

Kitchens Galore.

Designing a kitchen can sometimes be the most challenging room to design. They are so personal to the individual that every one is different. I think we might have moved on from the avocado appliances (although I've been seeing a lot of soft greens) by now but what are the trends in kitchens? In my research I found a LOT of things--and like I said, I think that kitchens are SUPER personal and individual. See below some of my favorite picks.....

From Living etc, this kitchen has an industrial feel with metal cabinets and a sleek shiny subway tiled wall. Not really my favorite.

In this tiny Stephanie Stokes kitchen, customization of cabinets are very important. No space is wasted. She customized the floor too, which is beautiful. Also, she used green marble for the counter tops here.

Here is the ever popular farmhouse style kitchen with white marble, white wainscoting, and industrial holophane pendant designed by R. Roman Hudson. Personally I love this look--the pitchers on the open shelves are just adorable.

If you don't have a farmhouse style house, this house in the south shows you can still have a calming, simple kitchen (by Ken Pursley). Wood paneling can sometimes be intimidating, but this looks so soft and has a gorgeous contrast with the white marble countertops and backsplash of the stove.

I grew up in a house in which everything was behind a cabinet door, so the trend of open shelves was a new one to me. I have taken a liking to it though and it's nice to display your nice dishes etc. Ken Pursley again.

From House Beautiful, this designer used Jurassic Green Granite. Go green?

This reminds me of what a french farmhouse kitchen might look like. Hillary Hayne uses this wire in place of glass in the rustic cabinets. LOVE THIS.

A fun color like this blue and a fun chandelier is nice for a small kitchen to take the focus off the fact that it's such a small space. From Domino.

I really love this idea of adding this custom copper grill inside the frame of the cabinets. There is a physical barrier but not a visual one. WOW. By Sandra Bird.

Custom storage spaces created by kitchen genius Christopher Peacock.

Christopher Peacock is pretty much the authority on kitchens. This one is crisp and bright and clearly made for someone who likes to cook. How many stoves are there--four??

In my adoration for farmhouse kitchens, I love the farmhouse style sink which is deep and clean white! From House Beautiful.

Again, I am really leaning towards a french farmhouse sort of look if I had my choice. It looks easy to work in, and if you make a mess it is easy to clean up. What is your favorite new kitchen trend OR lasting style!?

Alicia B.