Displaying posts from October, 2008

I am blogging my entire kitchen renovation from start to finish. Greentea Design has provided me with their solid wood kitchen cabinets, and I’m taking care of the rest.

If you’d like to be brought up to date, check out my kitchen remodel blog for an archive of previous posts. I posted recently about some of the major purchases I’ve made for the kitchen such as lighting and appliances, and now it’s time for the countertop, sink, faucet and backsplash. One of these I have no clue about and would love some suggestions.

From the get-go I had an idea in mind for the countertop, and I kept going back to it. White. White. White. One of my main goals for this kitchen is to keep it bright and light since the space is small. I thought white countertops would help in this regard. I want to paint the walls white (or really light grey like the rest of the main floor), and thought if this continued on the countertops the space would flow nicely. I am not very knowledgeable on countertop materials, so I started at a kitchen/bath design store and went through samples of granite, marble and man-made stones like Corian, Silestone and Caesarstone. They had a kitchen in their showroom that had the most gorgeous white countertop I had ever seen, and it turned out to be Zodiaq quartz by Dupont. I asked for a quote, and a couple days later the salesperson called and asked if I was sitting down – never a good sign. $4200. WHOA. I then asked for a quote for Corian (turns out it’s about as pricey since it’s made of mostly petroleum) and honed granite, and they were both a little steep (the Corian was about the same as the quartz, and the granite a bit cheaper). I quickly learned going to a kitchen and bath store is not ideal for selecting a countertop. I went across the street to a granite shop and got a quote about $2000 lower, so going directly to the supplier is obviously a wise choice. But no one makes a white granite, or at least one that is mostly white. I went to Planet Granite a few days ago desperate to finally find something, and I found EXACTLY what I wanted:

More of this post HERE

Big, bright, bold…. bravo! Strong gutsy images from Italian photographer Guido Barbagelata. The colours are intense, the composition is spot on and the photos have a real presence. This ain’t no wishy washy portfolio. Italians have style and a great eye for beauty but Guido takes it to the next level. You’ll find his work regularly in Marie Claire Maison and Elle Decor.

Today is Thanksgiving Day here in the north. I’d like to wish all my fellow Canadians a Happy Thanksgiving. I’m going to my younger sister’s house for a non-traditional dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. Our parents are in Mexico so we’re having a non-parental holiday dinner with people deserted by family. 🙂 In honour of this holiday and the fall season, that I detest wholeheartedly because it means winter is around the corner, here is one thing I do enjoy – leaves changing colour. This is the tree in my front yard.

And while I’m not talking about anything design-y, I thought I should mention that I’ve got a big “project” coming up at the end of the week that is going to keep me very preoccupied so I won’t be posting much over the next few days while I prepare for it. I can’t really say much about it now, but I will say that I’m SO EXCITED!!! And not only do I have that on my plate but the preparations for my kitchen remodel as well. I got a bit of work done on the weekend that I will share in a future post on my kitchen blog, but here’s a sneak peek.

Love the portfolio of Australian photographer Dan Magree. He’s a favourite of Aussie interior magazines and it’s easy to see why. Beautiful white bright light, great compositions and fabulous subjects. The glam woman in the first pic is Lyn Gardener of Empire Vintage, a to die for Melbourne shop and that high back pink chair is a Grant Featherston Expo Sound chair (there are speakers in the top) originally designed for the Australian pavilion at the Montreal World Fair 1967. I’m desperate to get my hands on one. But back to Dan Magree’s work. Don’t miss the rest of his portfolio. It’s truly inspiring.

Two more plants made it into my home this weekend. I have been totally inspired by all the retro rooms from Decorating With Plants, A House and Garden Book, by Marybeth Little Weston,The Condé Nast Publications, Pantheon Books, New York, 1978. I have to be careful now that I don’t go overboard and create a jungle. As long as I can see where the furniture is I should be fine.