Planning A Kitchen Island

Hello there! After a week long, spring break staycation, things are finally getting back to normal around here. The older kids are back to college and the younger ones back to school. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend- ours was exceptionally nice this year. I probably say that every year but it's just so nice having the family all together! 

I've picked up a couple of jobs over the break, one of them being a kitchen design. The focal point of this particular design is the island. In my recent guest post at West Pear Avenue, I discussed how important it is to consider how you actually live in your kitchen. This particular client explained that her daughter and her daughter's friends hang out around the existing kitchen island all the time and that they all like to cook and prepare food together. That got me to thinking about islands like these:

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A second consideration is that a wall between the kitchen and an adjacent sitting room was just removed. Now there is a clear line of sight directly from this sitting room, as well as the front entrance, right into the kitchen. That got me to thinking of islands like these:

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One last consideration is that a cramped eating area could be eliminated if enough seating could be incorporated into the island or possibly a small, (potentially portable) table could be incorporated.

Something like this:

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 I wish I had enough room in my own kitchen for any one of these awesome islands. 

They definitely would encourage gathering in the kitchen!

Do you have an island and is it the "hot" spot in the kitchen?

PS I've really missed reading all of my blog friend's blogs! I'll be making my way around to see what you've all been up to :) 

Guest Posting at West Pear Avenue

Holly over at West Pear Avenue has invited me be a part of her Tools Of The Trade Series where she invites a fellow blogger to share some of their background and a few design tips. I'm thrilled to be a part of it- please stop by and check it out and check out the rest of her blog. It won't take long for you to see that Holly is a young and enthusiastic mom- well on her way to establishing her own decorating business. We've chatted about her business on and off the blog and I'm looking forward to watching it bloom!

Isn't it hard to believe that this weekend is Easter? Every year my mom and sister and I exchange egg ornaments that we have decorated. I usually make an Easter tree out of pussy willow branches to display them but with the unusually warm weather that we had a couple of weeks ago, the pussy willows came and went before I even noticed. I was so mad- it was mid March for crying out loud...that is just unheard of.  

The tutorial from last year is HERE. 

wisteria.com

These hand painted porcelain eggs at Wisteria had me thinking. It might be fun to try. I could use a blue sharpie for the outlines and fill in with watercolors.

Some other ideas that are inspiring me are these.

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My thirteen year old, Dominic, whose becoming a talented artist in his own right, was the first to tell me about zen doodles. I hadn't realized that this so called conscious doodling had actually become such a popular art form. It's pretty cool. I like the eggs in black and white- just grab a black sharpie!

 I'm trying to come up with that perfect blend of pretty but quick and easy.

marthastewart.com

These lace eggs are quite lovely and very simple. Just wrap lace around an egg and secure it with a rubber band before dying them. A very pretty alternative to hand decorating.

Of course just spray painting is easy. These look so very elegant.

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At the other end of the color spectrum are these vivid silk tie died eggs. Come to think of it, my husband has a few silk ties that are sooo ugly- I'm sure he wouldn't mind! I'm going to try this right now!

[Time Elapsed 30 minutes]

Oh my gosh...I can't wait to show you! 

That was soo easy!!!

Because I'm making egg ornaments, I blew out the eggs that I used. 

Tutorial for blowing out the eggs HERE. You could also do this using whole eggs.

Seriously, he is not wearing this tie! 

1.) Start with a silk tie and some eggs

2.) Cut the tie into pieces large enough to wrap around the eggs and secure with a piece of string.

3.) Wrap a piece of white cotton around the silk covered eggs and secure that with a string. You could use an old t-shirt or pillow case torn into smaller pieces.

4.) Put the eggs in water (I used about a quart of water and about 3/4 cup white vinegar). 

Bring to a boil and boil for 20 minutes. Since the eggs were hollow they wanted to float. I weighed them down by laying a lid on top of them.

Then I rinsed the hot eggs under cool tap water and carefully unwrapped them. I really was shocked!

Now I'll just add a ribbon to hang them and voila! I'm still going to try and do the blue and white ones and maybe even the zen doodles but these were just so quick- I can't wait for the kids to get home so we can do more.

You've got to try these!

Modern Vintage Style

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Good morning! First, let me start with a cute little story.
My eight year old son picked up a tape measure and was walking around the kitchen measuring things. I heard him say that something was sixteen inches plus tax. I questioned why he said plus tax and he explained that when something cost two dollars you actually have to pay two dollars plus a little bit more. To clarify, I asked him what he thought "plus tax" meant, to which he replied, "plus tax means a little bit more, right?" Isn't that sweet!
I said actually it means too much more!

Anyway, in my last post, I alluded to an emerging design trend where "old meets new" or "vintage meets modern" What?! you say-that's not new but, how it's being done is new.
It's more refined, more calculated. It's like shabby chic goes to the big city. More and more I've been noticing vintage furniture being updated and made to look modern either through the use of paint in modern colors or modern fabrics and patterns. 

What do you think of this sofa by Moda-USA?

Moda

Moda

I'm a huge fan of mid-century modern furniture and I'm loving pieces like this being thrown into the mix, Do you like this trend and where would you try a sofa like this?

 I think I would consider it for any one of the rooms below:

gregnatale.com

How about in Greg Natale's gorgeous, classic foyer?

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...or this home office

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It would work next to that table and lamp.

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How about this dining room?

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This chair makes my heart skip a beat- weird, huh? 

It could see it in the same room with the sofa.

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How about this room with the zebra rug? ...too much?

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...and wouldn't it be great in a room adjacent to this kitchen! I think that may be my favorite.
Which space from above do you think would be the best space for the Modern Blue Vintage Sofa?

Look What's Trending Now!

I thought I was on a spring break vacation last week -wow! It was a hot one! I think I only was only inside to sleep. I knew this week was going to be chilly so I put off my kitchen remodel work and allowed myself a week of working my butt off pruning, raking, mulching and getting so sunburned that I couldn't sleep at night- when will I ever learn!

Back to the title of today's post: "Look What's trending Now"

Neons 

via Room Envy

If you are wondering how to change up your decor a bit for spring it's easy! Add a splash of neon color. What I've noticed this year, that is different from previous years, is that the neons are not highlighter marker neon- they are classier than that. They are tangerines and jewel tones like amethyst and turquoise. They are the perfect compliment to the more refined old meets new style that is emerging. 

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 A little bling mixed in with natural materials and textures is "the look" 

and it really is fun!

 

Notice the small details- a brightly colored frame, lime green matted prints 

and of course fresh flowers to finish the vignette.

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Simply adding a couple of brightly colored pillows transforms the look but it's that little Greek key border on the pink pillow that connects both bright pillows with the rest of the space.

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Add a brightly colored book or some neon candies in a cut crystal bowl to a "tablescape" and that will do the trick. 

via GlitterandPearls.com

Gray, oh beautiful gray, my favorite neutral, is the perfect backdrop for this new neon trend and if you ever wanted to use orange as part of your decorating scheme- now is the time! 

Decor Pad

Pantone's Color of the Year 2012 is Tangerine Tango

Decor Pad

The Enchanted Home Shop

Tina, the editor of the jaw dropping blog The Enchanted Home has this traditional needlepoint pillow with an unexpected pop of color as part of an entire collection of gorgeous needlepoint pillows. Do check it out!

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Get your neon on! You know you want to :)

...and tell me, what do you think of this new trend? 

Bed & Breakfast Inns of Ireland

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I've never traveled to Ireland but have always been overwhelmed by the gorgeous countryside vistas, the rolling green hills and stone buildings that I've seen in books. 

 

If/when I do visit, I imagine myself traveling from town to town, staying in bed and breakfast inns, strolling through gardens and local pubs.  

Barrowville Townhouse
Carlow, Ireland via Trip Advisor

Today, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, I will play travel agent and show you a few inns ...for those of you who might be a wee bit luckier than I :)

 

So many of the bed and breakfast inns are old country homes with enormous rooms. I can imagine spending at least one night here.

Image via GaeltachtTravel.com

 In contrast to the large stately homes are the many old stone cottages- often more than one on a property. How darling is this cottage?!

Roundwood House
Mountrath, Ireland

Can you imagine staying at this Palladian style villa nestled in the woods?

The Yellow Room

The Green Room

I do love those countryside bed and breakfast inns and of course Dublin would be a must visit destination but I think I found a place, in the heart of Ireland,  where I could stay for weeks!
An eighteenth century country house!



It's called Ashley Park House- a bed & breakfast in Nenagh, Co. Tiperrary located on the shores of a lake  Lough Ourna.

The house was fully renovated in 1993 with most rooms being redecorated in 2003. In particular, the drawing room and the red dining room were completely upgraded using fabrics and wall paper from Zophany and Colefax and Fowler.

 

 

If you thought the interior was fabulous, wait until you see the grounds of the nearly 80 acre estate!

Visit ashleypark.com for more info. 

Oh how I could while away the days here!
Are you ready to pack your bags?!

Have a Safe and Happy St. Patrick's Day!