Kitchen Pass Throughs

A client of mine wants to open up her kitchen to the dining room.   For storage purposes we need to keep the lower cabinets.  Most kitchen pass throughs to the dining room or living room look like these.    

Instead of the above columns,  we want to add some upper glass cabinets and make it look like a built in china cabinet so the rooms are visually separated but still open.  

These are the options we are exploring with the contractor.  I'll keep you posted on what we determine to be feasible in the space and with our fast, fast, fast timeline.

A little bling

A little bling goes a long way in making a room sing.    I've always loved Ochre chandeliers for their clean modern sparkle.   They make and ordinary room extraordinary.   And for years, they've been the go to source.  

And this chandelier paired with a rustic wood table is one of my favorite dining rooms.   Wish I knew the source of the chandelier.  

But there may be a new source for bling in town.  Monique Lhuillier, the queen of amazing bridal gowns, has just launched a new line of lighting with Waterford.   She may give Ochre some competition.   Her Melrose chandelier is as stunning as her couture dresses.   I can't wait to see the rest of the line.  

If I can't have one of her dresses, maybe I can at least have one of her lighting fixtures.

Living Room Love

This Steven Gambrel living room caught my eye.   First, the mill work is amazing.  Second, the furniture layout for a large space is genius.   I really like that he used two sofas with different yet complementary coffee tables, and then multiple chairs.  A great space for large gatherings or a quiet Sunday morning reading spot.  Proving again that he is one of the masters.  

Southern Living Idea House

I've been a fan of Tracery Interiors for the last couple years so I was excited to hear that they were doing the Southern Living 2012 Idea House.  This years idea house was a restoration of an 1830's historic farmhouse instead of new construction.  Tracery Interiors and the whole team did a beautiful job creating a modern house while leaving the historical charm.  Wish I lived closer so I could visit it in person.  

Front Exterior

Back Exterior

Entry

Staircase

Living Room

Kitchen with rustic touches

Dining Room.  I think this is my favorite room in the house.

Keeping Room

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Khaki Gingham Bedroom

Powder Room

Front Porch

Side Porch

Check out the website for pictures of the whole house and background on the project.  

Builders Bookshelves

I saw this image on Pinterest today as I was catching up on my visual obsessions.   Bookshelves framing an entry is a great way to utilize space and add character to a room.   Too bad more builders don't add this to their bucket of tools.  It really makes an expected space extraordinary.   

Hope you had a wonderful weekend.

Summer! Finally!

I know there seems to be a running theme here of me complaining about the weather in Seattle. I've never been someone who is particularly pleased to be living in this Northwest climate, as I feel as though I am a California Girl at heart. I spent my summers on the beaches of Laguna as a kid and I don't think I ever got over the annual heartbreak at the end of summer when it was time to go home.

That being said, when Seattle comes in to it's own on July 4th (I swear, it's like clockwork) it really seems to make up for testing our patience. In most years, we have a real spring and we don't go as stir-crazy as we all did this year because spring miserable. And then wouldn't you know that as soon as my family and I left town to go to Hawaii, Summer arrived on July 4th and my instagram was inundated with pictures from friends and family at home experiencing AMAZING weather. And with most of the country unbearably hot, to the point of dangerous, Seattle is sitting pretty with perfection.

I thought I'd share some of the photos that don't even start to capture how pretty this city is in Summer. I should also mention that because we have been so starved for sun, you can actually count on the city being on a European-type schedule where stores close, people leave work incredibly early and our phones go straight to voicemail.

Before I get to Seattle, I have to include a picture of m'boys enjoying Hawaii for the first time:

And this shot my husband took at the airport after our SEVENTH hour of waiting for our plane to take off for home. It was such a cluster that we later decided to forget about going home and extended the vacation by two days. Certainly not normal circumstances, but after that much time in an airport and the alternative being spending the night in SFO's airport lounge with two kids, we pulled the trigger. 

On to Seattle, in all her glory:

Taken from my parent's sailboat in the marina. This is on Puget Sound and in a few weeks it will be up in the San Juan Islands and Canada for an extended sail. 

One of the amazing things about Seattle are the houseboats on Lake Union. They are some of the craziest things you've ever seen and then at the same time so unique and endearing. My sister hits the lakes as soon as it gets above 70 and spends the weekends jumping off boats and getting tanner than me (hate her). 

Sister's photo again: Transitioning from Lake Union to Lake Washington you go under a series of bridges that as a driver have you cursing boaters as they constantly raise and lower, stopping traffic. As a boater, it's the best. This is en route to dinner in Kirkland -- Moscow Mule's in hand for an evening ride. Public docks are a must for this town since many travel by boat across the lakes -- a boater's parking lot. 

And finally, nightly sailboat races that you can see from the various bridges and homes. This one is the beginning of what will be the Duck Dodge. On any given night, your commute home has you passing 30+ sailboats in controlled chaos racing for who know's what.

So next time I'm about to go crazy during the nine months of clouds and rain, I'll remind myself of this post where I admit that this town is totally unlike so many others.

And most importantly, the weather is nice so I'm making like a Seattle-ite and turning off my computer to get outside.

House of Windsor: Gwyneth Paltrow & Chris Martin

You've all probably seen images of Veranda Magazines  "The House of Windsor"   but now that Gwyneth Paltrow and the incredible Chris Martin have purchased it, it's worth looking at again.   The Los Angeles concept house is breathtaking.   The perfect house for one of my favorite celebrity couples.

The exterior makes me want to cry - it's perfection  

Windsor Smith, Entry

Windsor Smith, Family Room

The incredible kitchen of Windsor Smith.   Pure casual perfection.  

Richard Hallberg, Dining Room

Candace Barnes, Master Bedroom

Candace Barnes, Master Bath

Candace Barnes, Dressing Room

Martin Lawrence Bullard, Media Room

Peter Dunham, Guest Bedroom

Peter Dunham, Study

Tara Shaw, Bedroom

Exterior Passage.  Pee gravel, brick, lanterns and topiaries.  Heaven. 

Hopefully Gwyneth and Chris will allow it to be published again once they move it and make it their own as they have incredible taste.