The Estate of Things

I was looking through Steven Gambrel’s portfolio yesterday for the 100th time because it’s pure genius and got to these, they are quite unique. Does anyone know where I might find these glass canisters?
 

You might remember my post about my friend Kristine’s house.  She and her husband Fred are remodeling their kitchen and redecorating their living room.

I’ve been helping Kristine a bit in both of these pursuits.  Kristine has chosen IKEA cabinets in the new Ramsjo door style, which is a shaker/traditional fusion. By electing to install IKEA cabinets she and Fred will save thousands of dollars without having to sacrifice quality.

Here is the space after drywall repair and floor installation,

Kristine completed the demolition herself to save money and when I say “herself”…I mean just her. She rented a dumpster and went at it! She hired a plumber and an electrician to come and terminate the connections and to relocate some of the plumbing and install recessed lighting. For the new floors, Kristine chose  4″ wide white oak which was continued from the kitchen in to the living area, down the hall and in to the master bedroom.

After Kristine and I talked through the layout using a measuring tape, a pencil, a calculator and a little painter’s tape, Kristine got to work and downloaded IKEA’s kitchen design software and begin putting the layout on paper. She and Fred travelled to IKEA and loaded it all up themselves. The couple is lucky enough to have a contractor friend who is experienced in installing IKEA cabinets. 

I have been encouraging Kristine along the way to wrap the island with wood. The reason why–because we (I’m) are shooting for a modern rustic, Southern California aesthetic. Kristine really had her heart set on white cabinets and so in order to warm things and play up the rustic vibe, I have suggested wrapping the living room side of the island in teak or another warm modern wood material. It also acts as a compromise between the natural finished wood cabinets I wanted her to get and the white kitchen she wanted.

Some images to illustrate,

Living Etc

Real Living Australia

Jeffrey Alan Marks, Elle Decor
 

I think its an excellent idea. I did it in my last home - a shiny glossy black over my dining room table, and I think I will more than likely do it to some scale in this new LA rental………

Talking about replacing light fixtures with spray painted brass chandeliers from the thrift store. An easy find, and a good idea for renters, especially if you don’t break your landlord’s piece that you are gonna stash. It is a great way to replace some lacking style with your own cheap trick for the temporary.

I’ve created this AWESOME photoshop sketch to map some ideas for my new tiny kitchen.

As I plan a rental version of an update, I am wondering if a kinda tiny interesting chandelier is what needs to hang above the sink??? I like the idea of the ornate fixture being in a less expected location - rather than the trad placement over the dining table. Can you envision it here?

Eh.. I’m not totally sold…. just thinking of options…. Meanwhile, take a look at this great collection of spray painted chandies. (an image that i grabbed directly from Apartment Therapy). Yay!!

I wanna eat this, multi-textured tile BLACKSPLASH from the Heath Ceramics website. Great. I want my boyfriends to have it. (sans horizontal cabinetry)

I also want my boyfriends to stack up a bunch of mis-matched vintage stereo speakers and line them up against a wall. I recall a time when Urban Outfitters had speakers all over their stores. I really loved the resulting aesthetic. I was just reminded of this by one of the blogs in my reader that I most love. There’s Something Hiding in Here.

Okay, just one more. We’ve talked about chalkboards and chalkboard paint quite a bit here at TEOT. Perhaps we’ve talked about it enough…. after this. Cause, I’m making up fantasies about what my boyfriends’ homes could be like, and I imagine that at least one of them should have a room that is fully painted as a chalkboard (like the boy from 500 Days of Summer). Then I can draw on it in my PJs when I go for sleepovers.

Corkboard vs. Chalkboard? I think I’m leaning towards chalkboard.

Hi Friends.
Today I have a question for you. (Specifically you Sarah! What do you think?)

When you are a renter and you would like to make updates to your home to make it more enjoyable, and you know that you’re ideas are in good taste and will more likely improve the quality of the home - is it better to ask for permission - or forgiveness!? I’m thinking about my new and tiny kitchen.

This is what I’m working with. (thanks iPhone cam)

Sarah added the image below to her Tiny post, about small kitchens. It gave me a bit of vision for the kitchen in my LA rental. Obviously, I cannot replace tile or reconfigure the appliances (as much as Kate would love to be able to). But, I believe I can replace hardware and paint the ceiling. Also, there is a lot of wall space over the sink that needs to be treated with some special attention. Should I be thinking metallic?? What kind of light fixture needs to hang over my sink? I can get those real tall cabinet pulls from Ikea for a price that I like, and I know a boy that might be down for painting the cabs a nice GLOSSY clean white….

No I’m not talking about the linebacker on your high school football team with the ironic nickname.

What I am talking about here is a small kitchen that was featured in House Beautiful.   One of our readers Joseph wrote in about his small kitchen and it instantly reminded me of this kitchen.

 photos by Jose Picayo

The above kitchen is 60 square feet and there are even smaller kitchens out there with a huge amount of style. Take a gander at Katie’s little kitchen, at a mere 36 square feet I think Katie rocked it.

Here are a few more small kitchens to wet your whistle…

Joseph don’t lament for too long, there is a bangin’ kitchen in your future even if it is small.  Layout, creativity and organizational skills are imperative in these small kitchens.

I love all rooms in the house but one of my favorites to look at is the kitchen, notice I said look at because I don’t really cook.  It takes skill and creativity to weed through all of the innovations in kitchen design to arrive at just the right plan that suits you and your family.  People are looking at kitchen organization and layouts in all new ways and the progressive thinking is what makes kitchens so fun to design.

One kitchen that I keep coming back to recently is a kitchen that was featured in Traditional Home, designed by the talented Molly Frey and photographed by the equally talented Michael Partenio.

This kitchen has a fresh, beachy look (its in Naples, FL) and the layout is unusual and totally amazing. There are too many things to love in this kitchen from the chunky antique legs on the island to the walk-in pantry.  The placement of the TV and the microwave, snuggled in to the built-ins is perfection.  Did you notice there are no upper cabinets?

Incredible.

And PS- Molly Frey’s portfolio is loaded with beautiful spaces and tons of inspiration.

So last week we discussed Pegged…. and I begged of you to tell me what you think of hanging your pots and pans out for everyone to see on a peg board in the kitchen. Thank you for all the great feedback.

This week I wanna see what you think about Exposed Shelving in the Kitchen. I’m pretty sure how I feel about this one, but let’s hear it from you!!

From Desire to Inspire (Check out this chick’s pad)

Source unknown

Lauren’s remodeled kitchen, Pure Style Home

I’ve read this twice now…Canadian House & Home could be the new Domino.

Does it really have the potential to take D’s place? Could just be desperation, something to fill that void that becomes apparent at the beginning of each month.  I got really revved up about the issue of CH&H I picked up a couple of months ago and said ok Met Home you’re out, Canada you’re in.  But then I didn’t follow through with getting the $50+ subscription.

In a transformed economy, maybe Conde Nast would revive Domino? After all Sex in the City became a movie and every night crowds somewhere chant bands back out on stage, it could happen.

Take a break from lamenting and check out this kitchen from CH&H, hello monster kitchen with high industrial ceilings and a vast amount of cabinetry. Is that a stained concrete floor?