“We had friends over last night and I kept opening and closing the cabinet doors to get dishes or whatever. I found myself grumbling about it.”
My friend Christine, who’s longing to remodel her 70s kitchen recently coined the term “anti-upperitis” to express her annoyance with upper kitchen cabinet storage and desire to have less behind closed doors. That can mean transforming existing cabinets by using only the boxes and upgrading interior spaces and frames. It can mean doing without upper cabinets at all to maximize features such as tile, plate racks and art. Or, it can be any number of solutions in between.
Since there’s nothing quite like kitchen cabinet-estimate-shock, rethinking uppers makes sense. In a classic white “Something’s Gotta Give”-style Long Island kitchen [top], a difficult corner space turns graceful when bead board is added to the back of the left-hand cabinet and an arched frame is applied on top. Careful study of this combo reveals that the cabinet “carcasses” (or boxes) are the same for the cabinets with, and without, the door.
In narrow New York City kitchens, where every inch counts, the upper cabinets are often proportionally taller than the standard 36-inch high base cabinets because ceilings can be 11- or 12-feet high. Leaving cabinets completely open provides a handy grid for organizing all the necessities and for mixing in decorative pieces as well. In England, the space directly over the sink would likely have been a plate rack with an open bottom that permits wet dishes to drip.
A pair of very tall, open upper cabinets occupy the walls between two kitchen windows in this 1920s Chicago apartment kitchen designed by Douglas Levine. While doors were used to create small soffit cabinets just below the ceiling, the balance of the boxes was left open. Note the handy vertical small-plate storage added on the bottom shelf on the right-hand side. The lightness of the kitchen “furniture” allows the David Hockney painting and imposing Urban Archaeology cargo pendant over the table dominate the room.
Trimming unpainted upper cabinet boxes with arch details provides “country hutch” charm for a very traditional kitchen which otherwise might be starting to look a bit dated.
The pair of cabinets in this kitchen are old and altered in a unique way: solid doors were replaced by screen doors — for a rustic variation on the open-cabinet theme.
(Photos via Smith River Kitchens, NY Mag, Met Home, Cottage Flourishings, Country Living).
Ceilings went blank in the 20th century when building construction generally made them lower, architectural elements became simplified, materials changed, lighting systems were integrated and the cost of elaborate decoration became prohibitive in a majority of homes. Mostly, the focus stayed on the floor.
Today, it’s rare to see color or pattern on “the sixth wall” and even more unusual to see it done as skillfully and successfully as in these two rooms by New York designer Sara Story. Most designers paint ceilings light (i.e. white) — which adds to the illusion of space and gets them out of the way conceptually — then draw the eye down through hues used on the floor (furniture, flooring, rugs).
These stunning results show a wonderfully playful way of looking at the entire space in addition to an understanding of how to make an unconventional treatment work. In essence, Ms. Story has put conceptual “rugs” on the ceiling – think about looking at these photos upside down — while adding a light stenciled pattern to the floors. Tension between the two creates a balance in each room which is very different than simply using a color up there for color’s sake.
What’s interesting about the violet dining room ceiling [top] is the strong color framed and contained by the beefy crown molding. That helps give the illusion of additional height even though, in theory, dark “walls” tend to advance or look closer (or lower). The rich color also provides a background for the elegant, modern chandelier – I’d love to be in that room at night with the lights turned down low to see the purple aura. Nor was the designer shy about piercing the color field with supplementary ceiling lights (note the small white baffle towards the back).
In the modern den, both a center medallion and patterned border motif have been abstracted from an Oriental rug design (no doubt Indian, judging from the tiger pelt) and painted on a neutral field. Since a central chandelier would interfere with the asymmetry of the medallion, cove lighting, concealed in the crown molding, provides illumination and a frame of light for the painted decoration.
In the past, we’ve shown a memorable fantasy bathroom ceiling, as well as bold red or black-painted kitchen ceilings. The difference, for me, here is that the ceilings are an element of the room – but not the dominant elements. Just look at the floors.
Colorful kitchen napkins were used to create this unique chandelier.
We all have experienced “one thing leads to another” when it comes to design and decorating. It’s also true for online shopping. As I began searching for this week’s post, my desktop became littered with photos. I won’t reveal the first three subjects since I will use them later… or will I? Numerous possibilities are collected, only to never share. That’s the thing with decorating – there is always something else interesting right around the corner.
When I landed at the U.K. website Bouf this fun chandelier quickly became the favorite. It reminds me of the vintage flatware chandelier that’s been everywhere the past few years. The DIY shade can be customized with whatever you attach to the clips. The above photo shows it with colorful napkins. Dishtowels, fabric scraps, postcards or photographs are only a few examples of items that could be used. Just think of the fun you could have as each holiday rolls around. The website shows other examples using plastic toy animals and birthday cards, even Barbie dolls.
A Polish tradition is to hang a rooftop wreath upon completion of construction to symbolize joy and feast. Eight different color schemes are available for purchase but, depending on material selection, possibilities are unlimited. What would you use for your chandelier?
Aged colors in antique Persian rugs are calming under a chaise longue.
There’s something special about lounging on a chaise. Its “just-for-one” seating that practically commands you to indulge in a few moments of self-indulgent relaxation.
In the conservatory of this home, a wide expanse of windows and a sunny corner provide a welcoming location for a wicker chaise. The scale, style and colors make this rug an ideal choice for such a large, high ceiling room. The rug has a series of narrow borders along the edges which add visual weight to the all-over curvilinear pattern with large center medallions set against a blue field in the design. The rug, as well as accessories, were found at local flea markets and in Paris.
An adjustable, reclining chaise brings the outdoors in. Its upholstery colors pick up the same soft coral shade in the rug. Breaking for an afternoon snack next to a 1933 Leon Dupin French advertising poster for Rita biscuits couldn’t feel more apropos.
Designer Frank Faulkner is a fan of old, threadbare rugs like this beauty. The rug’s colors have developed a wonderful patina. The turquoise wall color and weathered screen placed behind the chaise bring out similar hues in the border and field of the carpet. An old worn carpet like this looks right at home with slip covered cushions and wooden floors.
This elaborate Russian-inspired kitchen has historical sources and a shocking “before”
When NY designer Howard Slatkin renovated his Fifth Avenue apartment, his highly detailed European style was not excluded from the kitchen. Describing the iconic blue-and-white Delft tiles on the ceiling and walls as a “wild mix,” he was hardly exaggerating – since the motif also extends to the multi-arm Dutch brass chandelier and pottery displayed in the paint-decorated hutch. Dutch tiles are often a feature in historically significant European buildings (notably the French painter Claude Monet’s kitchen at Giverny).
We found the Delft tile detail [above] from Tsarskoye Selo (The Czar’s Village) palace of Catherine the Great in Pushkin, a St. Petersburg suburb — a building somewhat contemporary to the palace built by politician Aleksandr Menshikov which is said to have inspired the kitchen.
This Menshikov Palace floor also may be noteworthy in the the game of design “sampling.”
While the kitchen’s footprint did not change, the result surely is a world away from the pre-reno, mid-century mishmash [above] that could still be found in NYC apartments even at the most elegant addresses.
Now, the timeless mix swings from a strapping pro-range beneath a custom vent hood complete with finials, to a marble-topped antique breakfast table in the nook. And while the polychrome parquet floor underfoot was “beat up for patina and history” this kitchen qualifies as an extreme makeover in any century.
The latest from Bradley Stephens: a super-sophisticated game room
I met designer Bradley Stephens last year, when I toured a NYC showhouse where he created a sensational bedroom inspired by Annie Lennox. I was making a video of his room when my camera battery died (every blogger’s nightmare). Bradley graciously let me return to and complete my post and I’ve been following his work ever since, including the informal table at the DIFFA/NY benefit last spring.
In the summer, New York decamps to the Hamptons for the hot social scene there. The Hamptons Designer Showhouse opened in Sag Harbor recently and it’s no surprise to find Bradley there, creating a game room and connoisseur’s bar packed with great ideas. We’re pleased to show his work, along with his commentary on the design.
“When we first visited our room, we were intrigued by the coffered ceiling, extensive trim detail, and recessed paneled columns that divide the space. The room is located in the basement of the house and has no windows, so I decided to design the space as a modern speakeasy – a game room that inspires adventurous mixology and friendly competition. The generous floor plan includes a billiard table, an expansive bar, a game table [above], a lounge area, and a wine cellar.
“The tessellated coral game table [top photo] from Lobel Modern and the sleek cane-backed promenade armchairs from Lorin Marsh have a seductive stance. Their jutting lines and graceful curves give the feeling that they are in motion.”
“The design for the room started with the antique pool table from the collection of Blatt Billiards, and the vintage Swedish area rugs from Hakimian. We loved the unusual [rug] color combination and the patterns resembled abstracted backgammon and board-game patterns.
“We used three gorgeous wallpaper products from Phillip Jeffries in our space to help create a cozy, clubby atmosphere. The perimeter walls are covered their high-gloss navy ‘lacquer strie’ wallpaper. Their ‘leather effects’ woven look wallpaper on the ceilings is a warm contrast to the slick walls. We created custom folding screens covered in their Manila hemp paper, which is printed with a design of navy interlocking rings.
“I used artwork to add warmth and humor to the space, and to make the room feel more personal. A collection of photographs were hand-picked from the Robin Rice Gallery, and hung salon-style on axis with the pool table.
“Lighting was key to setting the lounge-y mood of my space. A cluster of vintage glass pendants from 145 Antiques hanging over the pool table are a glittering focal point. Antique and vintage sconces, table and floor lamps (also from 145 Antiques) create a welcoming glow.”
“The space also includes an adjacent octagonal room I like to call ‘the archive.’ I lined the walls with gray oak cabinetry and filled the shelves with gold painted books and a collection of antique and modern decanters and barware from Thomas O’Brien and High Style Deco. I envision the space as a library and tasting room for a client that collects rare vintage spirits, with hand-written labels identifying the contents of each decanter. I can imagine the client reflecting on a fine Scotch, sitting on one of the exquisitely detailed Bugatti side chairs, on loan from Sebastian and Barquet, beneath an incredible 42″ diameter leaded glass pendant from Carlos de la Puente.”
“I also created a three-dimensional art piece for the room incorporating a grid of vintage Charlotte Perriand sconces and a spectacular, hand-carved antique frame – all provided by Sebastian and Barquet.”
(Photos courtesy of Bradley Stephens. Photo of Bradley Stephens by Peter Murdock)
These colorful braided baskets come in three handy sizes; 12 to 20 inches in diameter.
Vintage braided rugs have been long-time favorites in casual settings. Capel Rugs offers the new Songbird series, shown below in Goldfinch, featuring the classic colors of blues, greens, reds and golds. The coordinating wool blend braided baskets offer storage solutions in three sizes – perfect for toys, knitting, magazines and more.
The most versatile rug in terms of decor adaptability has to be the kilim. This flat-woven textile is reversible, making it a great floor covering (turn over when the top side gets soiled) and pliable enough to use as upholstery. A fairly lightweight rug — especially in smaller sizes, kilims are tribal (geometric) in design and have a nubby texture. The color palettes run the gamut, allowing them to integrate smoothly into both traditional and modern settings.
Proof of its yielding construction is evident in the kilim [top] draped over the head rail of a bed, creating a quasi headboard. It hangs evenly and the rich colors are a superb backdrop for white linens.
Small sizes are ideal to use as table runners. Additionally, worn kilims can be snagged at bargain prices and often have random areas that are still salvageable and perfect for use as table decorations and pillows.
A patchwork kilim runner looks striking against a painted staircase.
This kilim-covered ottoman in earthy hues of brown has star shaped motifs in the same shade as the sofa. It sits on, and blends nicely with, a Moroccan rug.
I found this particular kilim most impressive as the colors in the photo are very true to life. The dyes used in some kilims are exceptionally intense. Designer Bunny Williams shows one way to balance the intensity by drenching the walls of this bedroom in the same gorgeous shade of persimmon found in the rug.
Woven in colors of the sun and sea, this kilim cozies up a romantic ocean view balcony in Costa Rica.
Designer Howard Slatkin’s New York apartment (this is the guest room!) qualifies as a full-scale gawker alert.
Elaborate interiors never feel modern to me. Too much furniture, fabric, texture, color, or too many accessories – anything that impedes ease of use or requires abundant maintenance feels out of step with today, at least until someone creates an iPhone app for housework.
However, the Slatkin apartment (splashed over 19 pages of House & Garden in 1999 and aired again, unchanged, last Fall in New York Magazine with “before” photos) has the complexity of a giant jigsaw puzzle and a treasure trove of ideas – large and small along — with juicy details to savor.
First let me say to 99% of you reading this: it’s not your taste, you couldn’t live in it, and neither could I. The point of showing this 6000-square foot soufflé is not love/hate, good-taste/bad-taste judgments, or how-much-is-too-much to spend on 12 rooms, even in a Fifth Avenue apartment building when the next owner is likely to rip it apart (the new owner of Jacqueline Onassis’ apartment gutted hers).
Part real; part faux, here is obsession-decorating – a profound need to display (by actualization) a designer’s deep and arcane knowledge of the golden age of interiors from 18th and early 19th Century France and Russia. It’s also “I’m-one-of-the-gifted-few-can-do-this” marketing to an elite client by a designer who is rarely photographed, has a web page (but no site), creates these rooms from scratch, and can afford to live by his own definition of necessity.
The guest room [top photo and below] features a French Empire (ca. 1805) lit de voyage (portable bed) festooned with silk. An 18th-century Venetian lace coverlet and Louis XVI bedside table and armchair with embroidered period upholstery is in keeping with the sensibility of a chinchilla throw at the foot of the bed.
In one corner of the guest room, a dressing table is covered in hand-painted silk from the designer’s workroom along with an 18th-century Chinese bamboo chair. Two layers of embroidered silk curtains are tied back and elaborately trimmed and tasseled. Embroidery motifs on the (bluish) under-curtains were taken from an antique vest. Scenic walls, depicting flowers and birds, are a combination of 18th-century Chinese originals and matching rice-paper panels which took 7 months to create, then age with 5 coats of tinted wax.
18th-century Venetian panels inspired these curtains which have elaborate tassel fringe (based on period documents) along the bottom of the valance, and ball fringe on the leading edge. Note that the pattern on the valance fabric is appliqué.
Eleven foot ceilings permitted the creation of historical scale in a pre-World War II apartment [the "before" appears below]. Walls and the ceiling canvas required 9 months to create in the Neoclassical style (inspired by Raphael’s loggia at the Vatican). Borders disguise uneven ceiling beams. A pair of mirror and parcel gilt doors widen and deepen the doorway. Eau de nil, a watery green period color, took four artists 10 weeks to apply. The Empire style table (ca. 1800) boasts a 6-footed base of sphinxes resting below papyrus shaped parcel-gilt legs. Egyptian motifs became chic following Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt, 1798–1801. Both chairs and chandelier are 19th-century Russian and the French Savonnerie rug (a flat-weave treasure) dates to about 1790.
The dining room overlooks Fifth Avenue. The original strip-oak floor was replaced with geometric parquet done in the 18th-century style (details of the new floor can be seen around the edges of the room in the photo above this one). The bathroom became a storage closet.
In the dining room, elaborately trimmed, embroidered silk, Russian-style shades cover the windows. It took two months to install the dining room which had been fabricated in France and included carved, gilded and painted wood paneling. The area between the windows is hand-painted and covered by a panel of hand-blown glass.
This modern, swing-arm sconce is set low on the wall (you can spot it just to the right of the dining room doorway) has an amazing shade made in the designer’s workroom from 18th century Chinese hand-painted silk, with silk blossoms, and bordered with gimp.
The master bedroom doorway features gilded plaster moldings cast from nautical rope. Walls are covered by custom woven, embroidered cotton fabrics.
The patterned fabrics are combined with hand-painted and stenciled plaster appliqués to create a 3-dimensional effect on the walls of the hallway leading from the bedroom to the closet.
Two rooms were combined [see below] to create a 46-foot living room with an antique-oak parquetry de Versailles floor, which the designer had installed upside down to enhance the texture. Afterward, the floor was bleached, limed and glazed with 10 different shades of gray to look worn then fixed with polyurethane. The sofa is upholstered in cashmere, with suede arms (a Degas pastel floats above it). Embroidered and quilted silk curtains hang on a double return rod.
The living room floor was was ripped out, along with the window air conditioner and metal window guards.
A close up of the dusty-rose living room undercurtains reveals embroidery plus an intricate design inspired by a gown depicted in a Veronese painting in the Hermitage Museum. The designer based the tieback on model in Marie Antoinette’s bedroom at Versailles.
Color-block wall decor can connect colors in a space.
Some time ago I ran across an image [above] of a multi-color wall treatment made from scrap wood. Something about its rustic nature and sense of imperfection resonated with me. The random layout has a modern vibe while the individual (salvaged?) boards painted in various shades had me thinking vintage. Something told me to save the picture.
You know how it is when you see something and soon after you start noticing it everywhere? That’s what happened next. Each time I looked at a magazine or a designer’s portfolio, there it was — that multicolor wall, only this time, as artwork.
Some of the pieces were robust, generating a noticeable presence in a room.
Others, like this one, had a quieter aura with muted colors flowing together to project a sense of tranquility.
What they all had in common were colors used to mirror those of the accessories and furniture.
I’ve been searching for a large piece of art to place over my living room sofa. With 15 foot high ceilings in the room, I need something substantial. After viewing so many of these color-block pieces it occurred to me that a canvas incorporating the colors of my room might be just the thing to fill that void. A little modern, vintage and rustic combination is precisely what my home’s interior is all about but never did I consider a modern piece of art.
How funny that sometimes the solution to a decor dilemma can be right in front of you all along, so it’s important to observe all the elements of a room’s design. If you are like me, see something and think “Oh, no, that is so not me,” I’d say take a second look. Seeing an object in the right setting is often the only way to understand that it may work for you after all.
Black Toast is the most popular pattern by Emma Bridgewater.
Do you use every room in your home – including the formal living and dining rooms? If not, you should! The same thing goes for the “good” dishes and all the other items you have been saving for special occasions. Ruth Harsham’s online store, The Beautiful Life, focuses on “elegant essentials and sensible luxuries” that will not only treat family and visitors but you too. Emma Bridgewater tableware has been handmade in England for over twenty-five years. Black Toast, above, is the most popular pattern. Whether you own one special piece or a stocked cabinet, their pottery is always a joy to use.
I’ve always said making a house your own is what makes a house a home. The store carries a variety of little luxuries to personalize the home. I’d love to hear about your items not saved for only special occasions.
Source: The Beautiful Life
Bridgewater tableware $16+
Accessories $18+
With this kitchen, there’s lights, pattern. Talk about a Wow! Factor…
The designer’s maxim about dark colors is that they advance visually, which makes surfaces or objects look closer or more imposing. That’s why a large kitchen with dark cabinets and a ton of wall pattern — like this one in a grand log villa on the Swedish seacoast — has such dramatic impact.
The kitchen sits at one end of a two-story great room with a natural wood cathedral ceiling, tall windows and intense light. While the dark scheme might seem severe, in Scandinavia the sun doesn’t fully set until nearly midnight during the summer months when the home would be most in use.
Although the overall effect is dark, actually only the lower cabinets are java-colored. Modern, with flat doors, architect’s nickel pulls, and a glossy (lacquer) finish, they are typical of many modern cabinet styles. Lighted upper cabinets, with aluminum frames and frosted glass, resemble what we see at Ikea. The vent hood appears to float on the patterned wall — perfectly centered in an open space between the upper cabinets and over the cooktop. The symmetry of the cabinets also line up perfectly with the ceiling beams.
A picture window on one short end of the kitchen overlooks the ocean. The grand scale of the house is also evident from the windows in the dining area and it’s distance from the cooking center.
Virtually all the kitchen walls are clad in brown-tone field tile from counter tops to ceiling — a treatment I call a “Euro-splash.” Damask patterns were considered positively moldy – the stuff of grandma’s table linens — until the motif rebounded a few years ago. Now they are chic, having been taken up mainly for wall coverings. Adjacent to the double-ovens is a wall of refrigeration.
The field tile used resembles this Tiepolo Tileworks Damask pattern from Complete Tile, no?
A trio of modern stools in the same dark-brown lacquer tones sit beneath an eating bar on one side.
The loft above the kitchen provides this bird’s eye view from above the rafters.
From the entry, it’s easy to see the ceiling height and the scale of a house that seems to swallow up the large kitchen.
18th-century Venetian panels inspired these curtains which have elaborate tassel fringe (based on period documents) along the bottom of the valance, and ball fringe on the leading edge. Note that the pattern on the valance fabric is appliqué.
Two rooms were combined [see below] to create a 46-foot living room with an antique-oak parquetry de Versailles floor, which the designer had installed upside down to enhance the texture. Afterward, the floor was bleached, limed and glazed with 10 different shades of gray to look worn then fixed with polyurethane. The sofa is upholstered in cashmere, with suede arms (a Degas pastel floats above it). Embroidered and quilted silk curtains hang on a double return rod.
