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Project: Kitchen Refresh | Lighting Option #1

OK, so I’ve started sourcing for my little Kitchen Refresh project and have the first lighting option for us to mull over together today. It is truly classic – a bit formal, sophisticated and more than a little bit glamorous in a refined and restrained sort of way.

I found the Cole Polished Nickel + Glass Rod Pendant at LampsPlus for less than I could find it anywhere else. A good place to start. I even found an image of it installed in a creamy kitchen so you could get an idea of how it might look!

{source}

I love the jewelry-like quality of the chain links and the warmth of the polished nickel. It really does feel like the kind of light fixture that cries out for a pair topiaries flanking the sink, doesn’t it? Perhaps also an “upgraded” tea + coffee service to something like this dashing duo:

{spheres tea pot}

{tintin coffee pot}

And maybe a canister or two like this one from One King’s Lane?

I’m thinking this fixture might point things in a direction that is a bit formal for me. I love the sophistication but am wavering on scale and price point {my kitchen is not as large nor as glamorous as the one above}, so I’m going to follow up with another option next week. I must admit that I’m already dreaming up other applications for this Cole Pendant if I don’t choose it for the kitchen. It is a whole lot of pretty in one little pendant… Decisions, decisions.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|January 16th, 2013|1 Comment

Design Find | Six Hands Australia Wallpaper

I have a confession to make. I kind of have a thing for peacocks. This latent love was no doubt revived on my recent visit to the spectacular Coup d’Etat showroom in San Francisco, but it dates back to my childhood and the peacocks that roamed the grassy hills of Storybook Gardens in London, Ontario.

To my childlike imagination, Storybook Gardens was a magical place where anything was possible – and the peacocks became a symbol of that to me – so there is a heartstring that is always pulled upon whenever we cross paths in my grown-up life.

It should come as no surprise, then, that it was love at first sight when I recently stumbled upon this beautiful wallpaper from Australia’s Sixhands.

The hand-painted, fresco-style of Sixhands’ Eden Ming Wallpaper brings these peacocks to life with highly saturated, inky colour and painterly whimsy. This modern take on traditional embroidery, folk art and watercolour painting marries classical artistic techniques with cutting edge digital printing technology to spectacular results.

Sixhands’ fashion roots show clearly, so it should come as no surprise that they started out working with an extensive portfolio of designers creating exclusive artwork for the fashion industry. As their work became increasingly coveted on the international design scene, it became clear that they should launch their trademark creative and avant-garde line which has now been available since 2006. The bridge to interior textiles was a natural progression into high quality, locally made décor and lifestyle products for the home. I love them all the more for their commitment to sustainability.

Here are a few more of my favourites from their line of wall coverings:

I’m definitely itching to use some gorgeous and decadent wallpaper on a project soon. Hmmm…

{fingers drumming on desk}

Let the scheming and dreaming begin…

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|January 15th, 2013|0 Comments

Project: Kitchen Refresh | Part 1

It. Is. Time.

There are a few things that I have been meaning to finish, decorate and repair for a while in my little workhorse of a kitchen, and I’ve decided that the New Year is the right time to dive in.

The truth is, I like my kitchen. We renovated it when we first moved in, transforming the original 1960’s layers of tacky-and-texture-overload into something much cleaner, much more contemporary and dramatically more functional. We tore down the wall between the kitchen and dining room and radically changed the floor plan for a much more functional work triangle. We also took the new cabinets to the ceiling and tied them into the pre-exisiting plaster crown moulding that was already in the dining room to connect the two spaces and make the cabinetry feel more custom.

Though I would love to work in a slightly bigger kitchen {and a walk-in pantry and butler’s prep area are on my dream list}, it really does function quite well.

So what needs changing? One of our cheap-o $40 building box store pendant lights has kicked the bucket, and it’s the impetus I needed to finally work on one of my own projects and add the finishing touches I’ve been meaning to get to for awhile. I know you’ve seen it in many a post on cooking and baking {with photos better than these!}, but here’s how my sweet little kitchen looks right now:

First, here’s what I like about my kitchen:

{please imagine this being narrated as a stream-of-consciousness-happy-rant by none other than Jessica}

I like my Brazillian walnut floors
I like my cabinets
I like my shaker doors
I like my cream cabinet and wall colour {Sherwin Williams Creamy 7012}
I like my modern and simple cabinetry hardware
I like my antiqued granite countertops
I like my simple and contemporary Calacatta marble backsplash
I like my massive, modern sink
I like my pull-out faucet
I like my dining table
I like my Louis Philipe Ghost dining chairs
I like my large rectangular drum shade chandelier
I like my panel moulding
I like my original art {a lot}
And I LOVE the people I cook for in this kitchen

I really do love cooking in this “just right” sized space and do not want to operate from a place of discontent. But there are some things that simply need doing.

For starters, that broken pendant light fixture. Can’t fix it. Time to replace it. It truly makes me crazy every time I turn it on and try to use the peninsula as a prep/chopping station. Good task lighting is essential.

Next: fabric. I. love. fabric. It softens and adds personality {from subtle to dramatic}. There’s not a lot of opportunity to use fabric in this kitchen, but I need a valance over the sink and drapery panels in the dining room.

Next up: That bookcase that ties into the peninsula. I love it, but the holes for the adjustable shelves drive me nuts. Time for a change there.

And lastly? Finishing touches like perhaps new cannister(s) and tea towels? That should do.

OK, I have some sourcing to do! I’ll keep you posted on what I find {and probably rope you into the decision-making process}. Can’t wait!!

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|January 10th, 2013|1 Comment