My First Floor Is Getting A Facelift

After five years of living in our home, P and I have finally started the renovation on our first floor!  This is the longest we have lived at the same address and think that it is about time to change out the flooring, tackle the kitchen, and create a new entrance to our family room.  I am taking advantage of P's mad home improvement skills, and the contractors I work with.  It has been chaotic because year end is very busy for both of us, but we just crave chaos!!  Here is the progress so far since Thanksgiving:

 P tore out the carpet quickly.  Then the hallway wood floor.

Princess of Darkness napped during the hauling out process and when she woke up she was confused about where the carpet went. Don't worry cat, flooring came back, but in the form of beautiful five inch plank hand scraped engineered birch with a warm chestnut stain.

Next, we tackled the kitchen.  This is what it looked like. We are saying 'adios' to the linoleum flooring, cabinet finish and hardware, black appliances, and this small island 'situation'.

We are also giving a big farewell kiss to the long pony wall (aka 'the balance beam' because my daughter would walk across it all the time) separating our family room from the kitchen. 

 We had our long pony wall removed, and created a smaller version on the left side of the room.  This will open up our kitchen access, and allow more light in because our furniture will be moved away from the window in the family room.  Thanks Trevor!

 We moved the island and appliances out of the way to make room for the new flooring.  'Push P, push!'

 Next came more of the new wood flooring. 

 A quick sketch from me for the new columns and Steve, the wood master, built them.

 'Ok, who put the frig doors in the family room?' Ha ha...not funny.

 We are working on painting the columns now, and I need to get moving on the wall paint palette.

New appliances came in and this past weekend we had our cabinets painted a soft tan gray (Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore).  Thanks Jim!  It is super important to let the cabinets breathe for as long as possible so the doors will be off for a week.

Next up is to get the doors back, add our new hardware, and work on the island -add more storage, seating, a new counter top and moldings.  I still have to figure out wall paint colors, and furniture placement, but that will be after the new year.  

Stay tuned!!!

P.S. The Designs By Shoshana Studio will be closed December 21 thru January 4, 2012.  

Happy Holidays and A Healthy New Year Friends!!!

How to Make a Striped Wall in Your Kitchen

When you think of your kitchen, does the word 'FUN' come to mind?  Probably not.  Well why not?  Try a wall treatment like this easy horizontal stripe and bring something special to the table!

This works especially well in small kitchens because it brings your eye in and people will notice the wall over the small size of the space.  This kitchen that I re-designed below was a tight space.

Kitchen looked like this:

Here is how we added the stripes----

ONE measure the wall length and height;

TWO choose paint colors.  For this wall I used Sherwin William "Analytical Gray", "Nebulous White", "Pool House" and "Cityscape";

THREE plan out on paper like this:

FOUR Paint the wall using the lightest color first, then using painter's masking tape, tape off the other stripes per your design (tip: on the painters tape, above each stripe, write the name of that stripe color to stay organized).

Now one side of this kitchen makes the meals and the other side enjoys them in style!

                    left side                                                                      right side                                         

My Weekend at Rehoboth Beach

"This is the life" I said as I walked the boardwalk at Bethany DE last weekend.  The sun was shining, there was fun to be had everywhere, and I had a drink the size of 2 large chihuahuas.  My dear friends Mel & Marc, and Jen & Geoff invited my family to their Rehoboth beach house for some R&R.  When you are lucky enough to be tight with friends who happen to build a place minutes from the beach, you never pass on the opportunity to go.  

I have been slowly assisting them in bringing together a cozy beachy-chic home that was recently built for the purpose of having fun with lots and lots of friends.  Needless to say, we purchased a bunch of pull out sofas, bunk beds, and large tables.  For me, a beach home is not overstated, not stuffy, and easy to take care of.  It is all about the view, about friends and family, and should feel serene.  Here are a few of my favorite things so far that we have done. 

Like life, it is a work in progress! 

Bring simple punch of color to the lower back porch.

Add a lot of seating to the best room in the house so 

everyone can enjoy the sunrise with eggs and a cup o' joe.

A little cozy spot to curl up with a game or glass of wine.  

We customized the chair upholstery in a sand dollar pattern-ahhh.

Added a dining table for the kitchen that seats 12 with a long bench for all the kids to pile on.  The back striped wall will be a great backdrop for the decor going on it!  And yes I know, the chandelier needs a facelift.  

Tip-a beach house table should be well crafted with that old farmers tabletop look because when it gets beat up, you won't be the wiser. The chairs are from a different manufacturer but the white finish on the table legs and the chairs brings it all together.

This is one of the bedrooms. White and blue shout 'beach house', and these southing tones, along with the natural window covering, pillows and accents, keep the space calm.

But the kids bathroom bring in the mouth watering fun and colorful emotion..a truly happy place.


That was just a sneak peek; a tickle if you will.  When we get time to dig into the new homes' overall design, I will blog again!

(this is some of the DE gang-we are a content bunch of shoveling fools).

Don't expect any pictures soon though because when you can do this all day, how do you find the time to decorate?

Small Kitchen BIG Transformation

A kitchen remodel needs to be functional first, but never forget to show off your personality in it!  I can't say that enough.  This is the place you eat, hang out with family and friends, try out recipes, and read the paper with a cup of joe. Its where you get inspired and feel comfort.  It is a very personal and important space of any home.  So when my clients, Diane and Dan, asked me to come back and help them with their kitchen after designing their living room, I was honored.   

BEFORE

AFTER

Every square inch in this kitchen counts due to the small size of the space.  To make it feel larger we added a fun stripe treatment on the far wall to bring your eye to the back of the room.  The big mirror then reflects the light back into the space creating an airy open feel.  The rich dark woods of the furniture grounds the space and looks luxe against the cool colors on the walls.  The most important and most worked on detail in the space was the table.  We had it custom made to fit in this nook perfectly, to allow as much seating as possible, while keeping as much usable surface space as possible.  And by using a bench instead of chairs allows Diane and Dan to keep the table against the wall when it is just the two of them dining and keeps the space open.

And when they have guests over, they can pull the table out and have 4 to 6 people around it.  They don't have a dining room so we made the kitchen feel like one by fitting in a rockin' buffet and contemporary table lamp to create a romantic glow at night.

Who says a kitchen has to be ordinary. Just because we used a bench doesn't mean it has to be for function alone.  Make a statement using bold graphics on the upholstery like we did.  And I love these chairs.  The shape with the smokin' hot white leather cut into the tobacco finish looks so contemporary.  

The other side of the kitchen received a little makeover ON A TEENY BUDGET!

BEFORE

AFTER

Changes to this side of the kitchen include a new granite counter top, nickel hardware, elegant faucet, and roman shade in a yummy dark chocolate.  And of course, a creamy gray paint color creates a calm feel in the work zone.  No need to change the cabinets or appliances.  Wow....what a difference!

I urge you to be bold and let go when remodeling your kitchen.  Have fun and be fabulous!!