No Top Brass for Me!

White kitchens are one of my favorite looks, too....but not sure I agree about the brass fittings. To me, they seem dated and fight with the gloss.

Mother speaks!

"Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master." Leonardo da Vinci
This is the quote that comes to mind as I enter the MaDDi blog as partner and Mother.

Kitchen Mood Board

I've got kitchens on the brain today. High-gloss, bright, white kitchens to be precise. Ryan's apartment, for all its charm, is painted a creamy off-white that borders on banana in the right light. And it drives me bananas. Whites that verge on yellow tops the charts of my design peeves.

I so desperately want to submerge everything  in Benjamin Moore's super white. But until we work our way through a number of other priorities higher up on the list (e.g. air conditioning...78 degrees today!), I will content myself with day dreams, mood boards and a blog post.

In my very own personal apartment (yes, that's an Infinite Jest reference), I have an Ikea kitchen. And it's a dream-come-true. Even though it's a rental, I couldn't love it more if I'd designed it myself. Most of all, I love the akurum cabinets in abstrakt high gloss white. They look great and they're a breeze to clean.

So what about Ryan's kitchen? Here are a few inspiring high-gloss kitchens that signal the general direction in which I'd like his kitchen to mosey:

Source: DesiretoInspire.net

Source: Canadian House & Home (Sept 2011)

Source: Madebygirl.blogspot.com

Source: Housecrush.blogspot.com

Source: Lovehousedesign.com

The shared characteristic of these kitchens is the high-gloss cabinets, of course. But there are two additional trends represented towards which I'm gravitating heavily. The first is brass fixtures in a white kitchen. It's unexpected and tends toward either formal or funky, depending on how it's executed. The second trend is white tile with dark grout. Not only is the contrast cool, it's immensely practical! (Dare I say dark grout might even merit a post of it's own? I'll mull it over.) White grout just gets nasty. I'd post a real live example if I weren't so embarrassed about the mold with which tolerantly I co-exist.

If I had to break down my vision for the kitchen, it would be thus:

1. Subway tiles with gray grout;
2. Carrara marble countertops;
3. A splash of color, perhaps in the way of a rug;
4. High-gloss white cabinets*
5. A funky light fixture;
6. Sapele and/or Walnut wood accents; and maybe, just maybe:
7. Campaign Style Hardware.

*But how to make them shiny? Professionally applied spray lacquer ($$$$)? Replace the existing cabinet doors with glazed MDF doors ($$)? DIY paint job in super white followed by 4 coats of Benjamin Moore clear gloss, sanding in between each coat ($)? (Groan.) TBD.

In other words (or the value equivalent of 1,000 words), something like this:

Sources:
1. Backsplash - Subway tile with dark grout;
2. Countertops - Carrara marble;
3. Clock - Schoolhouse Electric, $275;
4. Stool - Kurf Stool, Organic Modernism, $450;
5. Rug - 5 x 7" Entwined Leaf Rug, Anthropologie, $398;
6. Cabinets - Akurum Wall Cabinet in Abstrakt High Gloss White, Ikea (price depends on size);
7. Campaign Style Hardware - Paxton Hardware in Nickel, $26.99 ea.;
8. Pendant Light - Pil Hanging Lamp, DesignTree, $770 - $857.

Trend Report: Moroccan Inspired Bathrooms

I've been seeing a lot of bathrooms with touches of Moroccan decor on the interwebs lately. Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres's house was recently(ish) featured in Architectural Digest, including this shot of their bathroom:

A while back, House Beautiful featured this bathroom by designer Cathy Kinkaid, which is a touch traditional for my taste, but I am feeling the Ann Sacks Moroccan Cross and Star tiles.

But my personal favorite is this reversal of the traditional cross and star motif, with the crosses in black and the star in white.

I can't decide what I like most about this bathroom. The tiles? The weathered wood sink console? Those fricking fantastic drawer pulls? The mirrors? All around tie? You know, I think what I love most is how all those elements interact with each other-- it's sleek, it's eclectic, it's industrial. With an unexpected antique-y feel to it. Here's how I'd recreate the look:

Sources:
1. Marble (background) - Calcutta Marble
2. Sink Console - Maison Single Vanity, Resoration Hardware (with some minor modifications-- I switched out the handles and lopped off the legs to make it more modern. Ha! The joys of virtual decorating.)
3. Drawer Pulls - Ochre Horn Handles
4. Medicine Cabinet - Pharmacy Wall Mount Medicine Cabinet in Burnished Steel, Restoration Hardware
5. Tiles - Mosaic House
6. Flowers - Peonies

Mid-Century Swedish Sconces

I adore these 1950's swedish sconces from Rewire. I stumbled across them on 1st dibs a few months ago and just can't get them off my mind. The asymmetrical shape, the turquoise glass on brass-- they're the perfect combination of sophisticated and playful.

Source: 1st Dibs

God only knows how much they cost. The fact that they are sold on 1st dibs is not a good sign. Remember when 1st dibs dealers used to publish prices? Now it's always "contact the dealer." As the adage goes, if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

What are the chances that I could DIY these babies? Granted, I'd have to learn how to blow glass and master the basics of electrical wiring. But it's not impossible...

Plastolux Room Collages + Turned Wood Projects

Tyler Goodro's Plastolux is one of my favorite blogs on design. I was especially excited/disheartened (equal parts) by his recent post with a link to his pinterest page. His virtual rooms put my virtual rooms to shame. Even his board's name-- "room collages"-- sounds classier than "virtual mock-up." I will sulk for a little while longer. Then I will buck up and attempt to draw inspiration from his infinitely superior photoshop skills.

Not to lay on the admiration too thick, but I'm so intrigued by this cut glass lamp project he's got going on. He's looking for a wood turner to make an base about 11" high and 6-7" in diameter. Presumably it will end up looking something like the lamps below?

Source: aprilandmaystudio.blogspot.com

The suspense is killing me! I'd love to be in a position to contribute, but sadly, my wood turning skills are amateur at best and the lathe I work on is too small for the task at hand. Sigh. I did make R this pretty kick-ass black walnut bowl for Christmas:

Next on the docket: salt and pepper grinders. Something long, lean and unfussy. Similar to the ones below, but without the copper ring.

Source: midcenturymodernfinds.com

Assuming the builder we met yesterday comes back with a quote that's within the budget, we're going to install a couple floating shelves in the kitchen. Here's the (amazingly tidy) inspiration:

Trend Report: Wood Slats

As promised, my wood slat inspiration:

Source: desiretoinspire.net

Source: yellowtrace.com.au

Source: blogs.homelife.com.au

Source: pitsou.com

Source: House Beautiful

Source: Unhappyhipsters.com

Source: theargentinagringo.com

Source: DesiretoInspire.net

Source: Paola Lenti

Source: Houzz.com

Source: HomeDsgn.com

Remodelista.com

Source: thepursuitaesthetic.tumbl.com

The Deadly Staircase

I have determined Ryan's staircase to be a doggie death trap. (We're adopting an 8-week puppy next week!) At the very least, it represents a health hazard to drunken house guests. Here's why:

(Ignore the clearly visible staples and nails that remained when I ripped out the carpet exactly1 hr after Ryan closed on the apartment. Those are gone now...mostly gone. Some were really wedged in there, my fingers hurt from gripping the pliers and, most importantly, it was boring. Animal activists can stand down-- I assure you they will be removed well before puppy learns the stairs.)

You guessed it! It's completely open on one side. Danger, Will Robinson, Danger! What curious little puppy could resist such a tempting shortcut? We actually have a friend with a similar set up, who confirmed that his small dog has, in fact, fallen off the stairs on a few occasions.

Okay, so what are our options? I don't want to completely close it in, because it's an important source of natural light from above.

Here are the options I've identified so far. Please comment if you have other ideas!

1. Glass

Source: DesiretoInspire.net

Pros: Maximizes light; sleek and modern, but in a neutral way to which future buyers are unlikely to object.

Cons: Expensive as it needs to be tempered glass.












2. Wood Slats

Source: CatalogDesign.com

Pros: Cool looking; Less expensive than glass (I think?); might look cool with the wood slat paneling in the study; Future buyers might dig it.

Cons: Not exactly cheap; blocks some light; maybe too much visual noise with the wood slat paneling in the study; Future buyers might not dig it.
















3. Corrugated Plastic

Source: Dwell Magazine

Pros: Cheap! Allows light to filter through.

Cons: Meh, just not loving the idea for Ryan's space. Jeff Sherman rocked it in his Prospect Heights brownstone (featured in Dwell), but I'm not convinced I could achieve the same effect.

















4. Rope

Source: Royalton Hotel, NYC

Pros: Could look interesting, if I do it right; allows light to filter through; inexpensive, but hopefully will look more artsy than cheap; easy to remove.

Cons: Time consuming; Rope may sag overtime.

4. Funky Wood Railing

Just thought of this one, so I haven't fully evaluated the pros & cons. It would do the trick safety-wise and probably be less expensive than glass or wood slats across the entire open side. It just feels like the traditional, conventional approach-- even if it is a stair rail "re-imagined"(whatever that means.)

Source: OFIS Arhitekti

Brief Intro + The Study

A brief introduction: I'm a 24-year-old design novice with lots of ideas of how I would decorate rooms if I had a) money and  b) rooms to decorate. I have a small claim to the latter, thanks to my first design client, a.k.a. my boyfriend Ryan. 

I created this blog for me and for my mother, who is far more wise and experienced than I in the field of design. Her look is fairly distinct too, so it should make for an interesting contrast. (Or perhaps not-- we do share the same DNA after all and frequently gravitate towards the same trends.)

I hope to blog about the progress on Ryan's 1-bedroom duplex in Brooklyn, although a few meandering raves, rants and philosophical musings on design can be expected. Oh, and expect loads of virtual mock-ups (e.g. the below). Because they are free! Gloriously free. And if you screw up and the coffee table you picked out doesn't jive, who cares? Delete it and photoshop in a new one.

The Study

Diving in: let's begin with the study. As with many multi-family Brooklyn brownstones, the ground floor duplex consists of a parlor level and a below-grade second level-- what the rest of america refers to as "a basement." We call it the bedroom + study. Realtors aren't technically allowed to call it that, but they do anyway. Oh the joys of the New York City housing market. 

The bedroom + study is one long room with a windows on one end and a bathroom on the other. At the moment, the wall with windows appears quite bleak and sad. It's covered in that plastic cable-mate tubing because our handyman wasn't able to snake the cable and speaker wire through the wall. Blech. 

What to do to spruce up the bleak wall and cover the wires? Ideally, I'd like to kill both birds with one stone-- or, more accurately, with an array of wood planks. I vacillate between reclaimed wood paneling and slatted wood, but I think Ryan prefers slatted wood. We recently took a vacation to Argentina and dined at Olsen, a trendy Scandinavian restaurant in Buenos Aires's hip Palermo neighborhood. It is a slatted wood (and smoked salmon) paradise. I could tell Ryan was digging it. 

So here's my long-term vision:

Sources:
Aspirational items, i.e. items Ryab does not yet own, denoted with an asterisk.

1. Wood Slats* - custom carpentry work. My first estimate is scheduled for tomorrow. So excited! And nervous! What if it's just to expensive? The truth is, I know it will be out of the budget.. But until I see the four-figured number with my own eyes, I'll indulge the dream.

2. Wooden Blinds* - The Shade Store in SoHo. The best, in my humble opinion. We tried Smith & Noble first on the basis of their reputation, but I was severely disappointed. The consultant came, measured, we picked out a million samples, etc. The next day she calls and says, "oh shoot, I forgot to tell you 99.9% of the samples you picked out won't work for your windows. Your windows are too wide." Smith & Noble Fail.

3. Art - Girl in a Green Bikini by Nicholas Weber (sigh, my favorite). And totally out of the budget. But my sweet, kind boyfriend Ryan bought me a 13 x 19" print for my birthday. Hooray for prints! Double hooray for thoughtful boyfriends who actually listen when you drone on about art! Contact Tripoli Gallery in Southampton if you're interested in prints of Nick's work. The owner is impressively young (under 30 I think), cool and crazy talented.

4. Sofa - Ikea Karlstad in Isunda Gray, with snazzy new legs. I won't bother to document the DIY because I'm not even sure swapping out the legs counts as an Ikea hack, and even if it does, it's been thoroughly documented in the design blogosphere.

5. Throw Pillows - Red Pillow: Dash & Albert, Saranac; Cowhide pillow*: anonymous cowhide pillow from google images, ebay? Shoot, can't remember where I found it.

6. Coffee Table* - BluDot Pi Coffee Table.

7. Desk Chair* - BluDot Buttercup Chair. Note: this is a perfect example of pure fantasy. The Buttercup is in reality a lounge chair, not a desk chair. I tested in their SoHo showroom and it's too low to moonlight as a desk chair. Until I find a real-life alternative, I'll include it in the mock-up as a placeholder.

8. Desk - anonymous google image search for "contemporary black desk." It looks pretty much like the one Ryan's had for 6 years.

9. Lamp* - Baton Lamp, Design Within Reach. On sale right now! (If spending $300+ on a table lamp is your thing...)

10. Rug - Dash & Albert, Blueberry Ticking. Ryan purchased this rug a few years ago-- now looks like it's only available in small sizes.