Project: Kitchen Refresh Archives - Page 2 of 2

Project: Kitchen Refresh | Lighting Option #2

Thanks so much for your feedback last week on Lighting Option #1 for my little kitchen refresh project! I’ve decided I want to nail down the lighting first before I move on to any of the other details. I really think the lighting will have a lot to say about the final direction of all of the rest of these little updates and help set the direction for the details.

OK, so I’m guessing you’ve all picked up on the memo that brass continues to be HOTTER THAN HOT in design this year. There’s something sexy and glamorous about the use of it, even in the humblest of spaces. Just take this charming butler’s pantry below:

{image via Pinterest}

I’m totally in L O V E with the sophistication of the brass fittings and light fixture added to the mix of finishes in this clean and elegant kitchen below:

{image via Pinterest}

Fierce + fabulous, isn’t it? I could move into that kitchen tomorrow.

So my heart stopped momentarily when I came across this simple and modern pendant at Lamps Plus. I’m so in love with its warm and vintage antiqued brass patina that I want to bite it like its made of maple candy.

Seriously sexy, right? This fixture is totally a modern classic. Love at first sight. I would choose to pair it with accessories like this whimsical hand from Black Rooster Decor:

And this pair of Swedish 1930’s Bjork vases from 1st Dibs for a regular rotation of fresh flowers:

My dilemmas are two-fold.

ONE: I don’t want to change my cabinetry hardware. I like it a lot, and while I do believe it is possible to mix white and yellow metals successfully, I have a definite white-metal-dominance in my kitchen right now {for example, check out my Emeco counter stools below}.

TWO: I only have 8 foot ceilings. One of the things I l-o-v-e about this particular pendant is its long and lanky elegance. Unlike many pendants where the downrods make up most of the length, the shaft of this fixture is itself quite long. I don’t want to have a stubby little bit of downrod emphasizing my less-than-extravagantly-high ceilings. I worry that my ceilings and these pendants would each fail to do each other justice.

The thing is, I’m utterly smitten with this fixture! What do you think? Too many changes required? Too long for my rather pedestrian-height ceilings? Too much contrast with my cabinetry hardware, counter stools and statement of a stainless steel apron-front sink?

Can’t wait for your feedback!

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|January 24th, 2013|0 Comments

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

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