Kitchen Design

Hey friends!

The design for our kitchen remodel is complete, and now we are playing the waiting game while our cabinets are being built. 

I thought you might like to see the direction we are heading ...

We will be doing a simple, shaker style cabinet. The perimeter cabinets will be painted white, and will be topped with a honed black granite countertop.  

The island will be gray with a marble or quartzite or quartz countertop. (How is that for a decision?) I need to look at what slabs are available when we get to that point. More on that in another post...

The backsplash will be a simple, classic white subway tile. I have always wanted a farmhouse sink, so that decision was a no brainer. And, I have been dying to use this library sconce ever since I saw this pic years ago…

Of course, it's been popping up everywhere since then, but I still love it. I'm planning to put a couple of them above this window…

If you read about my flooring dilemma, you know that the hardwood floors we put throughout the rest of our house were discontinued in the solid planks. After much research, debate and conversations with flooring experts, we decided to go with the 3/4" engineered floor that matches the other floors.

We will be carrying the new floors into the family room too…

Oh, I can't tell you how ready I am to rip out the nasty carpet in here!!! Sometimes I start to peel up an edge of it, wondering how bad it would be to live with subfloor for a month. Then I come to my senses and tuck it back in :)

The family room will be getting a bit of a makeover at the same time as the kitchen. I'll share more on that soon.

For the kitchen eating area, we are switching to a round table to allow for better traffic flow. Here's my plan for that space...

I've already ordered the table from Overstock. It is a 60" round to accommodate our family of six. 

I absolutely love these chairs…

And, I am hoping to use a chandelier from Ro Sham Beaux. They stole my heart at the High Point Furniture Market last Fall. I love their "Fiona" chandelier with robin's egg blue beads …

And their "Malibu" in recycled Coke bottle glass is equally awesome…

I may forego pendants over the island so I can save money for one of these beauties. We'll see…


So, that's the plan, Stan. I will share the layout and floor plans, as soon as I figure out how to do that. Technology is not my strength. I'll see if my 6 year old can do it for me :)

Have a great day!!

Kitchen Pass Through Window

Perhaps it was the teen years I spent working the Burger King drive thru window. 

But, there is just something about passing food and beverages through a window that appeals to me. (Minus the hairnet and polyester uniform.)

I mean, doesn't this look appealing to you?….

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Maybe it was the years I spent sitting at bars. But, I'd like to belly up to a bar like this and have my husband pass me out a margarita...

Rice and Brown Architects

Wherever the idea originated, we've decided to create a pass through window as part of our kitchen remodel.

It might not look exactly like these inspiration images. Because we live in Indiana. Where there are bugs. And hailstorms. And freezing cold winters. And really hot, humid summers. 

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But, I'm convinced that we can create something that will work. You see, we've got this really large sliding glass door in our kitchen…

And, we literally never walk through it. Well, okay, maybe 10 times in the past 8 years. We always use the door next to it. 

So, the plan is to remove the door, replace it with a window and add cabinets with a countertop under the window. This will give us additional storage that we need, and will be nice for serving food out to the deck.

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It will be especially nice when the kids are swimming and want something to eat. I can throw a sandwich out to them versus having wet swimsuits dripping all over the kitchen floor. In fact, I may never have to let them in the house again...

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I think our window will most closely resemble this one...

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But, these others are sure fun to look at… and dream...

Pottery Barn

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Do you have a pass through window? How does it work for you?

In case you are wondering, our kitchen remodel is really going to happen! I've signed off on the final design plan, and the cabinets and appliances have been ordered. The cabinets are being made by some local Amish, and there is a 10-11 week lead time. So, I'm anticipating that we'll get underway by the beginning of July. 

In another year, my oldest can get a job at Burger King and help pay for it :)

The Look for Less

I recently completed this design board for a client...

She is a physician and busy mother of two boys, and she wanted to update her dining room with paint and accessories to make it a "sanctuary from the chaos."

Well, you know I can relate to that!

Using her drapes as a jumping off point, I set out to create a soothing room with a neutral palette and a mix of shiny and rustic objects.

Since everyone likes to save money, I try to offer the "look for less" option whenever possible. With this particular project, my client could choose to go high or low on a couple of the pieces.


First up is the fabric for the dining chairs. Option 1 was this beautiful Kravet fabric...

The colors were perfect, and it has wonderful texture. But, we have 8 chair seats to recover, and at $69/yd, it's a bit pricey.



Enter Option 2…

This fabric offers a very close colorway, and a similar pattern despite being a bit busier. However, this fabric was available on ebay for a steal…. $8.98/yd.

My client actually preferred the look of Option 2, so it was a no brainer to save the money!



Next up… the chandelier! In this case, we had three options -- high, mid, or low. Option 1 was the high-end beaded glass trim chandelier from Shades of Light. Price: $1,050 ….

Option 2 was the Pennington chandelier from Wayfair. Price: $399 ...

Option 3 was the Hampton Bay Estelle chandelier from Home Depot. Price: $169 …

We are going with Option 2, because my client liked the extra crystals at the bottom. I think she made a great choice, and I can't wait to see it in the room. I'll do a before and after post on this project when it's complete, so you can see how it all comes together.



If you've been eyeing an expensive fabric or light fixture, but can't bring yourself to fork over the cash, do not despair. Somewhere there is a look for less, and with a little research, you can find it. Heck, you might even like it better than the original!

Kitchen Remodel: Let's Get this Party Started

When we bought our house 7 years ago, we knew a kitchen remodel would be in our future.

But, there were little kids running around, other projects to be done and not enough money in the budget. So we removed the wallpaper and prettied it up with new paint.

There. All better. Well, except for the 25 year old appliances. 

We knew they wouldn't last forever. When it takes 30 minutes to boil a pot of water, you know the end is drawing near.

We decided that once the appliances bit the dust, it would be our cue to start the remodel.

Well, in July this happened...

The glass cooktop completely shattered, shooting pieces of glass everywhere. 

But, did we start the remodel? Nah. We just lived with two burners. (There may or may not be a lot of gourmet cooking taking place in this kitchen.)

Then in November the dishwasher caught fire. I didn't get a picture of that one. I was just trying not to be electrocuted.

My husband just happened to be in India on business when both of these incidents occurred. I think he is convinced that I was sabotaging the appliances. 

Anyway, we really couldn't ignore the fire. We got a new dishwasher, and started planning the new kitchen. I am currently gathering quotes from a few contractors, and hope to make a decision in the next couple of weeks.

I have a vision for the room, and I'm pretty set on most of the materials I want to use. I'll share the nitty gritty as we move forward. 

If you follow me on Pinterest, you've seen a lot of kitchen pinning going on! Here are some of my favorites…

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Okay, so I think you get an idea of the direction I'm heading. Definitely losing the dark cabinets in favor of something lighter and brighter. Shocking, I know! Our kitchen is so dark, despite its 8 million can lights! I need a change.

So, there are still little kids running around (although they are all in school now), and there are still other projects to be done (aren't there always?), and there still isn't enough money in the budget (is there ever enough $$?), but somehow we're going to get this kitchen party started!

Stay tuned for more details...

High Point Market Fall 2014

Last week was Fall break for my kiddos. Two of my sons were spending the long weekend on a class trip and a scout camp out. So, I let my husband have some quality father/son time with the two younger boys, and this mama headed to the market!

High Point Market, that is.

Or, as I like to refer to it… "Disneyland for Designers."

If you aren't familiar with High Point Market, it is the largest furnishings trade show in the world, featuring 11.5 million square feet of showspace. That doesn't sound a bit overwhelming, does it?

I've been trying to get to market for a couple of years, but the timing always interferes with our Spring break and our Fall break. So I was beyond excited that I could make it work this Fall!

I had just three days to take in as much of the market as possible. I stayed with my dear friend, Amy Hale, who is a designer in Cary, NC. Every morning we got up early and made the hour drive to High Point to shop until we dropped (literally!).

We had a list of showrooms that we wanted to be sure to see, and also left ourselves time to explore  and discover new places. I felt like a kid in a candy store!

Here is a little snapshot of the eye candy...

Mr. Brown

Mr. Brown

Bobo Intriguing Objects

World's Away

World's Away

Karen Robertson Collection

Dunes and Duchess

Ro Sham Beaux

Lillian August

Lillian August

Lillian August

Lillian August

Chelsea House

Blue Ocean Traders

I'm officially addicted to High Point, and hope to return for the Spring market. I've got more photos and stories to share, so stay tuned.

If you need any of this yumminess in your own home, contact me. I'd love to help you design your dream space!