Each soapstone sink is one of a kind, a custom piece that can be the ideal large kitchen clean up station. Any kitchen with a soapstone sink has a unique appearance. Prominent veining gives each soapstone slab a specific personality. That’s because soapstone, a type of metamorphic rock called steatite, has a more or less limited range of colors from nearly black to steel gray, … [Read more...]
Backyard Shed Crazy
The lowly backyard shed goes by many names but having a small out building is a plus for any home. Small backyard sheds are trending. These may be called she-sheds, bar sheds, she-caves, he-caves, or a writing cabin like the one at the edge of an Ontario, Canada cornfield where author and blogger Ann Voskamp [top] types out her best selling books. Furnished with rugs, a sofa, … [Read more...]
Laundry Room Baskets
I’m envious when I see great set ups of laundry room baskets in specially designed spaces. My laundry room is too compact for an array of laundry room baskets either on shelves or wheels. So my wash day routine produces piles clothes on the floor. Then, clean, folded clothes end up in bunches on the counter to be transported upstairs. Before and after baskets would be far more … [Read more...]
Portable Paint Palettes
Creating a mini paint palettes will help connect the color scheme decorating dots. The next time you repaint the house, think about portable paint palettes -- shorthand fan decks of your color choices. Sure, many of us have used the notebook method or (worse) the toss-it-all-in-a-tote where it all becomes a jumbled mess. There is something satisfying about holding a color … [Read more...]
Custom Kitchen Cabinet Ideas
Clever built in kitchen cabinet ideas for storage and workability. We've all seen the spice drawer with labeled bottles, as well as the currently popular base cabinet drawer dowels to hold dishes. It's great to be organized and even better to have built-ins that make everyday life in the kitchen convenient. So who wouldn't love this partitioned utensil drawer next to the … [Read more...]
Kitchen Cabinets with Skirts
“What’s old is new again.” Look no further than kitchen cabinets with fabric skirts. Prior to the post-World War II home-building boom in the U.S., middle class kitchens commonly had cabinets with fabric skirts, often homemade, to screen off the open areas below sinks and base cabinet frames. Although skirts went out as a style in the 1950s, fabric lingered in country houses … [Read more...]