A little over a year ago I posted about a home near mine that I’d been in where the homeowner had used a black and white basket-weave backsplash in her kitchen.  At the time, I couldn’t really find any images to show what I was referring to….other than this one from Katie Ridder.  But, I really liked the look.

Well, that house is now on the market so I can share an image of the kitchen compliments of the MLS photos.  You can see the whole house here.

I think it is a nice, clean look…..and I think it is something that could be done affordably to update a kitchen in need of a little sprucing.  Black granite isn’t terribly costly these days (I like honed), you could add-in some industrial pendants from Visual Comfort, paint your cabinets white, update the hardware and have a basket-weave backsplash installed.  Easy, right?

I like the look.

You?

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Veranda, Photography by Thibault Jeanson (Design, Suzanne Kasler)

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Benjamin Dhong

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No matter how many I see, I never tire of a grey and white kitchen.

You?

Don’t even know how I stumbled on this….

Linda McDougald Design

 I think I drooled on my keyboard….seriously.

Love it!

You?

You know by now that I love incorporating pink into my decorating.  Nothing over the top….but love the color when used against the backdrop of a more muted palate.

Kerry Howard

I’ve seen the turquoise version of the above Currey & Co. chandelier many times but I will be honest…..I would never in a million years thought of using the pink version in a kitchen like this.  I cannot say the whole style here is mine….but I think the chandelier is fresh and playful and adds to the space.

What do you think?  Honest opinions always welcomed!

PS– I received a ton of emails about the soft sisal product I blogged about yesterday.  I will do a better post dedicated to it but it is offered by a trade-only carpet store here in Dallas and it is their own patented design.  It is actually called “Soft Sisal®” and they now have “Soft Seagrass®” and is available in 15 designs and colors.  This isn’t a wool/sisal blend….it is just manufactured differently to make it softer.  My rep explained it to me and I probably am butchering the process but it is something about weaving it back through the loom alters the feel and durability.  If you want more info let me know and I will see what I can do.  They’ll ship out of Dallas.

Last summer I got an email from Janell over at Isabella and Max  looking for samples of Clarence House’s “Vase” wallpaper.  She ended up ordering the paper to use in her family’s bonus room.  While in the process of working with her on her order, she asked if I’d like to write an article on the paper for her magazine, House of Fifty.

One thing Janell requested for the article was that I find some new images of the paper…..ones not already plastered all over the web.  (I had actually done a post on a Dallas home where it was used here and had hoped to get permission to use the image but alas, never heard back from the photographer.)  In any case, I purchase the paper through a fabulous showroom here in Dallas, Culp Associates, so I contacted my rep and asked if she knew of any local designers who had used the paper and might be willing to share.  Wouldn’t you know this landed me on Kerri Goldfarb, a talented young Dallas designer who had just finished papering a kitchen with the paper.

Don’t you love how she added a light blue on the ceiling….it really works with the other blue accents in the room.  She also used Quadrille fabrics on Sunbrella ground for the kitchen seating.  This family has two little ones so this was a great idea.  In any case, to see the full article check out House of Fifty here.  And a big thank you to Kerri Goldfarb for working with me on this project.  She is doing lots over at this house and it was in process so I really appreciated her taking the time (and allowing me to peak at all she was doing) for this project.  I don’t think we’ve seen the last of her!

I think I have mentioned ad nauseum that I plan to do white kitchen cabinets around the perimeter of our kitchen….and I want a very light grey glaze on them.  And this is still very much my vision…..but I’ve run into a snag…..and would love your opinions.

Currently, the kitchen cabinets go right up to the moldings and at least on one side of the kitchen the moldings extend with no good break to change the way we paint them.  So, our options are to do the cabinet glaze on the moldings all the way around the room…..or to keep them the trim color of the rest of the house (which incidentally is the base color of our kitchen cabinets).  Of course, a third option is to not glaze the cabinets….but it isn’t really a major option for me at this point.  Here is a view of the moldings….note that they extend up on to the ceiling all the way around….

And here is a view of the wall that separates the kitchen and the family room.  I feel like if we glaze the moldings we’ll need to carry it on to the columns and I just cannot visualize how this will look….and whether or not I’ll be happy with the look.  I will not be glazing the cabinetry in the family room…..or the molding.

Here is an example I found of glazed cabinets where the moldings were not glazed.  This example is hard to compare to our kitchen because the colors are so different, and they have more going on with the wooden ceiling.  But, you get the idea.  Would I have noticed this if I hadn’t been looking, not sure…..but I am looking and the difference is very noticeable to me.

Erdreich Architecture

Here is another example.  More subtle but you can still tell the moldings are different from the cabinets.  This one doesn’t seem quite so jarring to me…..and is probably in line with the variance you’d notice if I kept our moldings in line with the rest of the house, while glazing the cabinets.

Cameo Kitchens

Here is another example of the trim and cabinet color being different.  Again, fairly subtle, but definitely noticeable if you are paying attention.

Venegas and Company

One last image where the moldings contrast with the cabinet color…..

Warmington & North

While not a kitchen, this next image gives a good idea of glazed trim.  After all, it isn’t the trim above the cabinets that is giving me pause.  But rather, the trim on the rest of the room so this image helps me to visualize….

Valerie DeRoy Interiors

Below is a glazed trim in a kitchen that appears to extend around the room.

Curb Appeal Renovations

And an example of painted cabinets with trim being carried around the room….

Garrison Hullinger Interior Design 

And one final image of the cabinet color incorporated into the moldings around the room.

Marlene Wagenheim

Which look do you favor?

Care to weigh in?