Old Meets New

I want to share this great Kitchen I found on Bloomacious, a fun blog full of style, entertaining and health tips.

This is the personal kitchen of Lara Fishman, founder of Storm Interiors in Los-Angeles. I love the mix of modern and vintage finds set in neutral tones. I think the dark Moorish doors on the sleek white island is most striking. This is a great example of how a modern white kitchen can be warm and inviting.

The paired-down styling is very popular right now – especially since the world outside is hectic and uncertain. Re-purposing vintage legs for the eating area table also makes this kitchen Eco-chic.

December 15, 2008

Electrolux Icon Kitchen Contest Winner Named

Electrolux named Marcello Zuffo as the Grand Prize Winner with his futuristic kitchen entry. The conceptual kitchen has movable components that can be reconfigured to adapt to the task at hand and is a sculptural component to a typically rectangular space.

“As a city dweller myself, I congratulate Marcello for addressing lack of space with a completely unique concept,” said Cindy Allen, judge and editor-in-chief of Interior Design Magazine. “The jury especially loved the ‘knuckle,’ which swivels, and allows the kitchen to serve utilitarian and sculptural purposes simultaneously.”

In its second year, the design competition, challenged members of the architect and design community to present innovative, thoughtful concepts for a kitchen that meets the changing needs of today’s modern family.

Marcello is a Senior Designer at Motorola’s Consumer Experience Design Group (CXD)

Congrats Marcello!

November 8, 2008

Around the Web November 2008

Brown Turtleneck Sweater is a wonderful blog with decorating and entertaining ideas you’ll love to bookmark. Here’s a photo from Brittnye’s Blog that shows another use for Chalkboard Paint. By painting the back of the shelving dark the objects on display really stand out. The paint is also a great way to make a new shelving unit look instantly older. You can personalize this further by writing out a daily menu. If you are entertaining guests you can list your feature coffee bean next to the coffee machine.

If you like to watch HGTV, you’re going to love visiting Interior Designer Kenneth Brown‘s Blog. His popular TV shows “reDesign” on HGTV and “Over Designed” on TLC have help catapult him to being one of the most sought-after interior designers in Los Angeles. In one of his posts he gives easy examples of how to use containers and backyard cuttings to freshen up a room.

Over at decorology, another fabulous design blog, you can get a pictorial tour of the home of Patti Silverman. The white on white palette is stunning. You would never use the word sterile to describe this home. All the posts have beautiful pictures for providing lots of inspiration.

A life’s design has a great post showing re-purposed industrial items. This is another well thought-out site great for inspiration. I also really enjoyed the post showing some great alternatives for decorating with seasonal pumpkins.

October 21, 2008

Where to store the toilet paper

Often when homeowners remodel a bathroom they choose to do it in a contemporary style. One of the reasons for choosing a contemporary styling is for it’s clean and uncluttered appearance. It’s much easier to relax and enjoy the serenity of the new bath when there are no distractions.

One of the huge hurdles homeowners face in planning for their new bathroom is how to cope with the decrease in available storage area.

Hopefully your bathroom has a linen closet. If it doesn’t then you may want to consider adding a cabinet beside or even under your vanity like this example below showing the Deko vanity from the Idea Group.

Another option is to choose accessories that can give you storage for items like toilet paper and hand soap. This next picture shows a few accessories on a small shelf keeping the bathroom very sleek. Hiding the toilet paper in the canister is a convenient way to keep it close by. This is not the toilet paper cozy your Great Aunt used to keep on the back of the toilet.

If you find the previous examples still have much clutter, and you want the most minimalist bathroom design possible, then you will be glad to know that Kohler offers an extra deep medicine cabinet. This simple mirrored cabinet recesses into the wall and has a small reveal to allow extra depth for the storage of toilet paper and other items you might need handy. This is also a great option if your bathroom project has a small budget. Both the aluminum and polystyrene option are under $200.