Kitchen Tour Week: Day Five

Happy Thanksgiving! Today’s kitchen from the Wenham Museum Heart of the Home Kitchen Tour was staged by Indigo Blu Trading Company of Beverly. The kitchen itself was custom built by Meadowview Construction. It is a real beauty!

Dave West of Meadowview Construction

Dave pointed out to us that the counters are made from a granite named “Blue Eyes”... can you see the bits of sparkling blue mixed in with the gray?

Six-burner French range from Lacanache. Plenty of room to cook side dishes while the turkey roasts. The range hood is hidden nicely behind custom millwork.  

We all really liked the details on the cabinetry, like the extra bit of trim on the bottom of the upper cabinets.

Stainless steel sink with pull-out faucet.

The dining area is just off of the kitchen, as is the living room. Even with an open floor plan, this home has a cozy feeling to it. 

A wine fridge built into a separate set of wall cabinets is out of the way of the main traffic flow of this well-designed kitchen. 

Thankful for my friends who joined me on the tour this year: Katherine Hawkins, Rosanne Palazola and Tina McManus.

More kitchens to come after I enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal and some real-life quality time with the family : )

Kitchen Tour: Day Four

photo courtesy: Howell Custom Building Group

Howell Custom Building Group worked with the homeowners to create, design and build this inviting family space. The goal of the design was to improve traffic flow between the kitchen, mudroom and family room by replacing walls with half walls and columns. The centerpiece of the kitchen is an oversized island featuring one piece of black walnut for the counter top. Diagonal flooring visually expands the space and diverts the eye in the open floor plan. 

– from the Wenham Museum Heart of the Home Kitchen Tour 2012 program book

A herringbone pattern mini-subway tile backsplash creates a modern focal point above the cook top. In a large kitchen like this, a pot filler is a welcome luxury.

Columns and half walls separate the kitchen from the family room. In this photo: Steve and Susan Howell of Howell Custom Building Group.

Next up ... a NorthShore Kitchen

This traditional cherry and granite kitchen was designed by NorthShore Kitchens Plus. The custom cabinetry has many hidden features from a warming drawer under the cooktop to an uber-efficient pantry just around the corner.

The double oven pictured below is probably the most coveted item of Thanksgiving Day cooks across the country.

I still have some more kitchens to share, but before I get to them, below is a photo of our post kitchen tour snack: pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips (an unusually good combination) served with champagne (which is always good ; ) Thank you, Katherine!

Kitchen Tour Week: Day Three

The third kitchen we visited on the Wenham Museum Heart of the Home Kitchen Tour showcased the design talent of Lisa Kawski of lmk interiors. Besides some really smart space planning, this French country kitchen really sparkled with its well thought out layers of light.

Lisa was on hand to answer before and after questions. She has worked on most of the interior of this recently renovated home, including a fabulous wine room which unfortunately I did not get a picture of as I was distracted by complimentary scones and lemon curd from Kim Gregory Pure Pastry. So very delicious!!

We could easily see that this kitchen is perfect for entertaining. Lots of room to walk around, plenty of space for the cooks to do their work, a variety of seating options, plus efficient storage solutions. Very pretty, too, with its toile wallpaper.

Of course I had to get a closer look at the generous sized sink and uniquely sculptural faucet. The abundant counter space and ledged  kitchen window were also quite attractive.

One of my favorite accent pieces in a working kitchen is a brightly colored colander. I actually have a red enameled one just like this at home. Even in a not-so-new kitchen they make a great designer statement.

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!