Sherwin Williams Quietude & Ivory Lace Painted Kitchen Cabinets

Sherwin Williams Quietude SW-6212 & Ivory Lace SW-7013 Cabinets

This is a picture of one of my kitchens under construction in Westchester.

The large space has little room for wall cabinets due to numerous windows, angled walls, and open floor plan.  However, two large islands, multiple window seat storage, and pantry space, affords more than enough storage.

I ordered all the cabinets from a cabinet maker in Pennsylvania who does exceptional custom cabinetry.

They are a small old fashioned company that work off of shop drawings.  But they can make anything I can draw;  a blessing for this challenging shaped kitchen!

There are three colors for the cabinetry in this kitchen;: off white painted cabinets, blue-green painted cabinets, and wheat stained cabinets.

The paint colors are Sherwin-Williams  Ivory Lace  SW-7013  and  Quietude  SW-6212

Ivory Lace and Quietude are beautiful colors that work wonderful together.

Snowy White Painted Kitchen Cabinets

Yep!  That is a real cat sitting on the counter!

I designed this kitchen for a homeowner who is a fashion designer with a keen sense of design.  She is quintessentially Finnish, although she has lived in Rye, New York for quite some time.

We were a great design team and after it was done, became close friends.

The homeowner wanted painted white cabinets, but desired a clean crisp look.  Cold and warm at the same time. (kind of like the Finnish!)

 I recommended a snow white paint on mdf (medium density fiberboard) cabinets instead of regular painted wood cabinets.  When you paint on mdf, the surface is super smooth and crisp and lends to a more contemporary feel. 

The white cold color cabinets were offset by the use of the warm stone tile and granite on the counter and back-splash.

The wood flooring, which flows through the entire home, adds to the earthy warmth of the kitchen.

Stainless steel range hood and appliances, and brushed nickel hardware, give the kitchen its pizazz.

 The granite is honed cohiba (one of my all time favorites).  The back-splash is slate tiles with a medium gray grout.  (Note - if a lighter grout was used it would have too busy of a pattern, and looked too country for our concept)

This kitchen design is a good example of visual balance.  Cabinets do not have to be symmetrical.  Harmony can be achieve through symmetry or asymmetrical plans, as long as visual balance is created.

I love how the glass pull-up cabinet to the right of the stove looks.  Everything works in unison without being so matchy.  (is that a word!)

There is so much going on in this compact kitchen, but it is designed so all the parts equal a whole.  A whole cohesive carefully planned piece of work.

Oh ,,,  except the cat.  He was certainly a surprise.

Cherry Wood Kitchen Cabinets with an Amber Glow

I designed this kitchen for a down to earth artist who moved from California to Hastings on the Hudson and craved a natural warm countrified theme.

The goal was to create a country kitchen look with the streamline feel of a modern kitchen.

Notice how the cabinets go to the ceiling without the frills of crown molding, and the lines of the design are straight and clean.  Yet the color and materials combined with the pot rack are country friendly.

The cabinets are an amber stained cherry wood with shaker style doors.    Earthy granite and a stone floor echo the natural theme.  Notice how the granite continues on the wall as a backsplash.

The red knobs on the Wolf Rangetop look great with the red tea pot on top.

Beware - rangetops are heavy and the cabinet must be custom built or modified to handle the specifications.

The hanging pot rack shows off her copper pots beautifully, and adds a home sweet home sensibility to the kitchen.

Kind of makes me want to take one down and make two eggs over easy with a strong cup of coffee.

A large island was designed to hold the homeowner's collection of plates.  Large drawers look great and can hold almost anything.

(Drawers should be purchased with full extension glides so they can be pulled out completely for easy access) 

My client loves her new dream kitchen with its amber glow that radiates natural warmth.

And so do I.

                                        

Glass Block Drama in Master Bathroom Design

Mediocrity is not an option with good designers.

Every problem has a solution.

Every project has the wow potential.

I was a design consultant for a new Master Bedroom Suite in a contemporary home.  Due to the floor plan, the entry had to open up into a long, narrow, dark hallway.

Unacceptable!  No entry should be boring,

By thinking outside the box, I was able to design a dynamic space that made the entrance exciting, and transformed the hallway into a vital focal point.

I knew I needed to use light, reflection, and an architectural statement to make the space come alive.

Hence, my idea for the glass block shower wall emerged.

When you open the entry door into the suite, you are greeted by this beautiful glass wall.

Notice how the natural light from the bathroom windows shine through the glass block to brighten up the hallway.

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And on the other side of the glass block wall, is a large custom shower that glistens and sparkles.

The stone tile in the bathroom appears on every wall, and is repeated on the outside wall.


A large Japanese inspired wood door slides over the stone.

The sliding door is not only a visual statement, but when open, functions brilliantly to widen the space, and unite the hallway and bathroom into a usable area.  (The closets are located directly across from the sliding door).

Now for my favorite part of the design.  

At night, the light in the bathroom shines through the glass block, creating a sculptural dramatic effect.

Magical.

Heavenly Blue Benjamin Moore 709 Paint Color

Benjamin Moore 'Heavenly Blue' CC-709

Heavenly Blue is simply heaven in a bedroom!

I specified this beautiful blue for one of my client's newly built master bedroom.

Heavenly Blue is a soft yet exciting blue color with green in it. Had it painted in an eggshell finish to add a bit of sheen, and make it easier to keep clean.

The trim color is Chantilly Lace (Benjamin Moore OC-65) in a semi-gloss finish. It is one of my favorite true whites, because it retains its pureness without being too cold.

Color is difficult to duplicate on computer images, so, as always, be sure to look at the color samples in the real space.

Remember, blues tend to explode in color when used in large doses, and get much brighter than ever expected. A bright hue can look stunning when it is broken up by the whites of trim, windows, and doors.

And beware, if you use Heavenly Blue paint color in your bedroom, you just might feel ... like your in heaven on earth!

Benjamin Moore Tuscan Tan & Spanish Red Paint

 

Here is a picture of my job showing Benjamin Moores paint color Tuscan Tan 1144 during the cabinet installation.  

Here is a picture after the kitchen is installed.

Notice you don't see much of the paint color with the wall to wall cabinetry and the backsplash.

In this home,  the kitchen is open to a family room, and I repeated the Tuscan Tan color throughout.the entire area.

Here is a view of the dining room from the family room.

The Dining Room is painted Benjamin Moores Spanish Red 1301 to add drama to their existing white dining table and chairs.

Colorful Slate Tile Backsplash for Kitchen

I am crazy about this slate tile backsplash.  

Put it in a kitchen I designed a few years ago, and just came across the picture.

The home was on the Hudson with a view of the river, making the slate so appropriate.   

The slate tiles went so well with the natural maple cabinets and caesarstone quartz countertop.

I wish I had more pictures, but the day I stopped there, the kitchen was in full use and a mess!   It was such a great design.  The slate tile was not only used on the backsplash, but was continued on the rest of the wall in the kitchen.  Came out so awesome!