Kitchen Tour Week: Day Six

How was your Thanksgiving? I imagine that this next kitchen on the Wenham Museum Heart of the Home Kitchen Tour would be a great spot to host a big family dinner. Designed by Wilson Kelsey Design, it features plenty of counter space, a variety of seating, and efficient work zones with top of the line appliances.

I love a round table. Besides encouraging engaged conversation, it also breaks up the horizontal and vertical planes in a traditional setting. These chairs look super comfy, too. What a great spot to enjoy a home cooked meal, second helpings, dessert, drinks. The bar in the distance features black granite, while the center island and sink counters feature white and gray Calcutta marble. It is a very elegant combination tied together with crisp white cabinetry with frosted glass accents by The Cabinetworks of New Hampshire.

Designer Sally Wilson of Wilson Kelsey Design 

John Kelsey in front of the commissioned wall mural by Zoe Design

A hammered metal bar sink with traditional dual-lever faucet

A slightly contemporary single-lever faucet with pull-out spray at the main sink

The first floor powder room is equally impressive with its black leather embossed wall covering, custom designed console, and stand-out-in-a-crowd fixtures.

A sitting area at one end of the kitchen provides additional room to gather, allowing guests to relax out of the way while keeping the cook company. The combination of gray blue fabrics with zesty pops of orange injects a subtle energy to the neutral palette of the surrounding spaces.

Sally recently shared her bath remodeling expertise at the “Studs to Stunning: Remodeling Tips from the Pros” design seminar hosted at Designer Bath. Take a peek at her presentation here.

Come back tomorrow for the last set of kitchens from the Wenham Museum Heart of the Home Kitchen Tour!

A few client “Afters”

Step one: color consultation and linen choices for the bath

Step two: find artwork to hang over the spa tub

I forget sometimes to show what I am working on with my decorating clients, so today I am featuring a few homes that I have helped transform with fresh paint colors, new art, decorative styling or design coaching. The spa tub above needed a piece of artwork that could fill the space and still make sense with the colors in the adjacent master bedroom. The bedding, which the homeowner chose, is a multicolored small print floral (scroll down below to see entrance to bath). I found this large canvas with tall flowers bordering a sandy beach. I like how it references water (i.e. being in the tub or in the ocean) plus the flowers in the painting are shown in the same rich colors that are found on the bed.

I suggested monogramming “his and her” towels
to add a personal touch to the new bath.

A cool blue was chosen for the master bedroom walls to coordinate with the bedding and to add a contrast to the warm wood tones of the furniture and the sandy palette of the bath. On top of the dresser, I created a focal point that would also anchor the flat screen wall mounted television. I added a pair of candlesticks for a touch of romance and to help bridge the visual gap between the television and the bureau.

For this vignette, I chose objects that were a variety of heights, finishes and textures. A painted vintage box acts as a pretty catch-all for small jewelry boxes along with the odds and ends that typically end up being emptied from pockets at night.

HOUSE NUMBER TWO:

A modern light blue-gray wall color was chosen to compliment the more traditional slate covered floors.




An extremely long hallway was given architectural interest by adding crown molding and wainscotting detail. Now the walls are ready for a gallery of family photos. By keeping the palette monochromatic, the focal point is on the master bedroom at the hall’s end, instead of drawing attention to the expanse of walls.

The master bedroom in this home is a
rich contrast of chocolates and creams.

HOUSE NUMBER THREE: BEFORE

Existing cabinets in this home were refinished and given new hardware to match the new stainless steel appliances. By keeping their existing cabinets, the homeowners were able to splurge on a new granite countertop and tumbled marble backsplash ...

AND AFTER

We chose a cranberry, gray and cream colored granite that would pull out the colors in the stained glass door on one of the upper cabinets. The yellow pineapple plays the same visual trick. When you work with what you have, instead of fighting it, the final design looks much more planned.


Learn my decorating tricks ...
Could your home use a little “design coaxing?” Do you have decorating questions that you would like answered? I am going to be presenting a series of evening decorating workshops at TaggArt Studio in Wakefield starting in January. If you would like to sign up, email me at yblacker@verizon.net and I will send you info.

Special holiday shopping event ...
There will be a holiday shopping open house at TaggArt Studio on this Friday night, December 2nd from 6pm to 8pm and on Saturday from 10am to 4pm. Along with fine artwork from studio owner Mary Taggart, jewelry, hostess gifts, and custom children’s clothing and accessories, my friend Beth Hylan will be there with her always creative holiday trimmings so don’t miss out! For more details, click here. I will be sending over some fliers with the information about my upcoming classes, and you will be able to get on the class list by signing up during this weekend sale. Decorating consultations also make great gifts and I will have some discounted gift certificates available for those hard-to-buy-for someones on your list!