After ten years of white subways and grout, patterned tile is finding its way to the kitchen backsplash. There’s more action in the kitchen these days and it’s on the walls. Patterned tile of every type – from mixed mosaics to damask prints -- is appearing more often in kitchens which, let’s face it, have been suffering from glazed subway tile fatigue for several years. … [Read more...]
High Wire Acts
Chicken wire mesh fills in for glass on cabinets and works perfectly for display. The French way of idealizing farm house life has long included chicken wire mesh on cabinet and armoire doors. The mesh -- of chicken coop fame -- is open and relatively flexible. Unlike protective screening found on pie safes or bread boxes it's great in dry spaces and quite elegant on a shallow … [Read more...]
Christmas Color Kitchens
Christmas kitchens feature red cabinets that make a bold design statement during any season of the year. Bright, festive and high octane, Christmas kitchens are red -- one of my favorite colors for kitchens and appliances. I seriously considered red cabinets when we built our house. I know why. In the corner of my childhood home, my Dad had installed a bright red leather … [Read more...]
Summer and Stripes
Is it reasonable to think that summer rugs should be seasonal and that stripes convey the message? It’s hot and humid outside and my beloved Oriental carpets are feeling a little heavy. I do have a lot of them -- the joke around here is that we live at “rug mart.” So I appear to be developing a taste for summer rugs. That no doubt explains why striped, flat-woven dhurries have … [Read more...]
