Today’s Ditto reminds me: Kitchens can have glamour too…. and still be functional!

{As always, I look forward to hearing from you and finding out what you would ditto, too. So, be thinking!}

{design by Steven R. Gambrel}

DITTO :: {WHAT I WOULD STEAL FROM THIS SPACE}:

1.   THE CONTRAST OF BLACK AND WHITE.

It is timeless. It is classy. And it looks SO dramatic and wonderful in this kitchen! My favorite part is how the white-ware stands in crisp form against the black tile background. For those of you who adore the contrast of black and white, hop over to see more yummy B&W inspiration pictures in the post: The sophistication of Black and White.

2.   WHITE-WARE THAT TURNS GRAPHIC.

Against the contrast of the black wall, not only do the white serving pieces look fantastic… don’t miss the fact that they actually become sculptural in their look. The effect is artistic and stunning. Ditto.

3.   STRONG GEOMETRICS.

The drama in this kitchen lies in, not only the contrasts, but also the gutsy geometrics that are present. The floor packs the biggest punch with its cube grayscale pattern. The backsplash follows closely with the steady geometric effect of repeating subway tiles, with contrasting grout.

4.   THE FUNCTIONAL ART OF WORLD-CLASS COOKING RANGES.

When do appliances become art? When they are made from such quality that you cannot deny their value…. and they shine…. and they have pretty red buttons {smile}. These double Wolf ranges are certainly art, and they can also turn your average cooking into serious art work.

5.   DARK TILE, WHITE GROUT.

We have been seeing a lot of white subway tile with dark grout in the design world lately. Why not flip that around for a fun, gorgeous, and impact-ful change of pace?

6.   THAT RANGE HOOD.

That hood is ALL KINDS OF AMAZING! I am wondering if it was a standard, white range hood that designer Mr. Gambrel had trimmed out in an industrial metal stripping. Pure genius, and TOTALLY ditto-able.

7. FARMHOUSE SIMPLICITY WITH HIGH-GLOSS GLAMOUR.

No wonder I love this space. See all the glam touches {black and white, subway tile, shiny appliances, geometrics}? Ah!! But also. See all of the simple farmhouse touches {the rustic wood farm table, baskets, wooden spoons, fresh herbs, rustic park bench off to the left}.  Well, I’ll be. This room has farmhouse simplicity with High-gloss glamour! {That’s kind of a thing for me.} Ditto!!!!!!

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SO much goodness.

Love anything I did not mention? or…

WHAT WOULD YOU DITTO {STEAL} FROM THIS SPACE, 1-7? SOMETHING ELSE?

I LOVE HEARING YOUR THOUGHTS!

 

 

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Lately, I have been doing some Outdoor dreaming. Patio dreaming, to be exact.

Do you remember this post? The one where I declared that 2012 would finally be the year:   The year of the patio.

As of today, that darling pile of rocks still sits in my backyard. But the year is not over yet!

And so {insert giddiness}, I am forced to continue my outdoor dreaming……….

Our setup will include:

1. a brick patio area – because we have a huge pile of bricks,
2. and, a stone patio area with  a fire pit area – because we have a huge pile of fieldstone,
3. and lawn expanse – because we have some lawn expanse. Odds are, my husband is probably mowing as you read this.
4. And, this dreamy patio will, preferably, be surrounded with lots of beautiful shade {we will have to be patient for this last bit…. our backyard is West facing, with no shade near our house}.

Care to join me for some Outdoor Patio/Garden Dreaming??:

I threw that last Picture in just to remind myself that I am, indeed, dreaming…….

For more Garden Inspiration, head over to my Inspiration Garden Pinboard.
For more Outdoor Inspiration, head over to my Inspiration Outdoors Pinboard.

Thinking about adding a little bit of ROCK to your patio?

Anyone else a huge shade-garden fan?

Which images inspire you the most?

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Photo Inspiration

{this post is part of a series that tackles how we can overcome our decorating paralysis, and how we can begin having homes that we love. today. Click to read the additional Overcoming Decorating Paralysis posts.}

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Remember when I told you that, in order to identify your own personal style, you needed to get to work?? Yes. Well. Here you have a gentle reminder to….. get to work! Below is a guide on HOW-TO define your style with photo inspiration.

Now, do the fun part… and start collecting photo inspiration:

{image via Fieldstone Hill on Pinterest}

Pinterest.
Decor Blogs.
DIY Blogs.
Online Decor Magazines.
Print Decor Magazines.

Does all this photo inspiration help you to effectively decorate your own home…. or just confuse you?

I hear from clients and commenters all of the time, “I am so confused. I just don’t know what I love. One day it is this, and the next day it is that.” All of this great visual inspiration can cause mental clutter, and keep us in a state of confusion about our own personal style. Just when we think we know what we love… another “more beautiful” idea comes along.

Well, there are lots of ways to narrow down and define your own personal style. And today I want to talk about one of those ways: Inspiration Photos; the very things that can cause so much decorating confusion!

Believe it or not, all of that eye-candy can help us discover what it is we truly love:  if we look at all of our photos collectively, with the aim of finding the common denominators.

So, if you are willing to take my word for it…

1. Gather some of your favorite online and magazine images, and if you have a Pinterest account with a collection of some of your favorite things and spaces, pull that up as well. {Pinterest.com is wonderful for this, by the way.}

2. Decide on one room for your focus, and narrow down your pictures to that particular room.

3. Now, narrow down these pictures to those that you truly adore and would actually love to live in. If this part is super hard, that is okay. Even going with your “best guess of what you think you love” will be good enough.

4. Time to get down to business. Take a serious look at all of the photos that just made the cut. And remember, the aim is that you are looking for commonalities and generalities.

And then ask yourself questions of commonality, such as:

• What furniture pieces, furniture lines and placement do all of these rooms have in common?
• What colors and/or color moods do all of these rooms have in common?
• What do the patterns/fabrics present in the spaces have in common?
• What textures and/or finishes appear in several of the images?
• What adjectives could I use that would describe most of these images?
• Do I notice anything else that appears in most of these images?

5. Once you have answered these questions, take note of what you discover about your common loves. Literally, take notes. Write down all of the recurring themes and patterns, no matter how big or small.

Then, once you have made these observations, reflect on them for a while, and see if you can narrow down your thoughts to specific observations and concepts.  Then, confidently “own” these concepts. If you discovered that there is a touch of fuchsia in every single picture, well then… maybe it is time that you admit that you love a touch of fuchsia. Own it! It is YOUR love!

So… the next time you talk yourself out of getting the fuchsia pillow {the one that makes your heart sing….} , because it is much more “practical” to get the brown one, by golly, go with what you finally know you love!

I would love to know:

What are YOU learning about your style from your photo inspiration??

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{repost from Darlene Weir’s Roomag.com archives}

The dining room pictured below is designed by the multi-talented Gabriel Hendifar.  This space has been having a hay-day on Pinterest and in the Online Design World. And it is easy to see why. This fresh space is full of high-gloss glamour and bold design moves…. like stunning faux stone walls, and a show-stopping Apparatus light fixture. When I first set eyes on this space, my jaw dropped.

{photos via Gabriel Hendifar}

Designing stunning spaces is not all that Gabriel Hendifar creates. The light fixture? Yes. The killer-gorgeous one above? It comes from the Apparatus Studio, which offers creative, hand-crafted lighting from Hendifar and Jeremy Anderson.

Stunning, sculptural works of art… that also happen to light up your room beautifully. {lighting photos via Apparatus}

Oh, and did I also mention that Gabriel Hendifar is a fashion designer? To say that he is gifted is an understatement.

This man just knows how to create gorgeous stuff. And that is certainly ditto-worthy.

Feast on his rich, ethnically-influenced, mysterious, and glamorous interiors:

I would ditto:

1. The deep, rich walls
2. The creative decor accents such as turtle shells and sculptural art
3. Amazing light fixtures in each room
4. Gorgeous antique rugs with bold color
5. dramatic drapes
6. fuchsia flowers
7. balanced symmetry, set off by creative, artistic details
8. lucite!
9. burled wood

What would you Ditto about Gabriel Hendifar‘s spaces?

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