wallpaper borders

i know i am SO far behind in posting about my house....i have just been so busy laying the hardwood floors with my husband and working that i just haven't had the time.

however, i did want to share the design drawings for the kitchen. we went with millbrook cabinet designs. they don't have a website (yet), but they have been amazing to work with and i have been really pleased with their service and craftsmanship. they are located in north salt lake.

for reference, here is the main floor plan of my house:

all of the surround cabinets will be painted swiss coffee by benjamin moore, and will be a simple shaker style cabinet like this:

here is the "side" wall of the kitchen...the long wall to the side of the island:
the bulk of this wall will be the freezer and refrigerator, and pantry. we decided to go for separate freezer and fridge units. we love the look of built-tins, but they were out of our price range. we managed to find these from kenmore at a really reasonable price:




the back wall will have the range, two windows and upper and lower cabinets. the tower on the left will
have open shelving. i thought about doing floating shelves, but ultimately decided that i liked the enclosed open shelves better.


the hood will be slanted slightly, so that i can put some art up there if i want. we are still on the hunt for an affordable 36" range.
the microwave will be under the counter...something i have never had before in a house. since that back wall is visible from the front door, i didn't want the microwave there. the island was the only place it would really fit. one of the things i am really excited about are the drawers under the sink, instead of standard cupboard doors! things have a tendency to get "lost" in my under-sink cabinet, so i am looking forward to items being more accessible.

the island is going to be a mix of painted wood and straight grain oak that will be wire brushed and wiped with a wash! i will be sharing more about that soon. i am REALLY excited to show y'all!

Kitchens Glasgow offer a great service for design and installation for your new kitchen.

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Tomorrow is March 1 and spring is in the air here in DC. In my own garden, the camellias, Japanese quince, and hellebores are blooming - three of my favorites. Did I ever tell you all how much I love gardening? I have a certificate in landscape design and am a Master Gardener and I love this time of year in DC especially. Someone once said that spring is something DC does well and it is very true.

Whenever spring arrives I love to tackle a decorating project in my home. This time I have decided my home office needs some updating. As is often the case with me, my inspiration came from a fabric - a Charlotte Moss fabric "Caroline" that I have been wanting to use ever since it came out. It reminds me a bit of Clarence House David Hicks The Vase. The colorway is currant, but these pictures don't do the color justice - it is the yummiest deep coral pink. And the scale of this design is huge. So dramatic! Follow along the next several weeks as I post my weekly progress on this room from inspiration to completion.

Next I will be working on a Pinterest board, an inspiration board, and a paint color for the room. Speaking of Charlotte Moss, I received this photo at bottom from her last night as part of an announcement about an upcoming auction and book signing of hers in NYC. Check out that coffee table - a Chinoiserie wallpaper top under glass -  a great DIY project.

Don't miss Chinoiserie Chic tomorrow - my daughter Kate has done a fabulous inspiration board and I will be revealing my Houzz Ideabook for March.

since i knew i wanted the floor and shower in my new master bath to be a light marble, i decided pretty quickly that i wanted the vanity to be wood. i love the warmth that wood can bring to a space.
as a was looking around for inspiration, i turned to one of my favorite furniture designers--
the new traditionalists. 
they have the most beautiful pieces in their collection...pieces that are that perfect balance of traditional and modern.
here is a sampling:






 are you dying over the complete and utter gorgeousness of these??


here is the credenza that i used as inspiration for my vanity:

when i showed the pictures to my cabinet maker, he said it would be pretty expensive to duplicate, so he came up with the idea to make a simple, shaker style cabinet and then put a small piece of trim on the inside.

at first, he suggested an angular trim with a slight groove in it:


while i liked the way it softened the edge of the cabinet, i wasn't in love with it, so i asked if he could get some trim that had a softer, radius edge.



aha!
i liked that much better.


here are the two pieces next to each other for comparison:

here is a sketch of the vanity:

 i stopped by yesterday to check on a color sample for the island, and they had just completed the drawer fronts!
i am super excited to see them stained and seeing the entire vanity completed!

With a tiny room like a powder room, every detail is important. When selecting accessories for my One Room Challenge powder room, I have tried to make every detail special and unique. Can toilet paper be a beautiful design feature? Why not?

A few year's ago, I saw a photo of a beautiful Chinoiserie powder room with black toilet paper and did a post on it. I showed the powder room with white toilet paper and another photo with black and the black looked so much better. Research for that post almost four years ago led me to the discovery of Renova - the world's first luxury toilet paper available in gorgeous colors shown above. Their advertising campaign is the world's sexiest toilet paper - some examples of their sexy and suggestive ads are below. This ad campaign is pretty wild by American standards, but I much prefer it to Charmin's toilet paper ad campaign which you will find here.

Designer toilet paper has become a chic trend all over Europe in swank hotels, restaurants, and bars. It has now hopped the pond and is popping up here in trendy spots and in homes of the rich and famous like Simon Cowell who uses black toilet paper in all of his homes.

Since I am doing a very small powder room where every detail counts, I thought using this toilet paper in my One Room Challenge would be fun. I will be using the black toilet paper on a beautiful nickel faux bamboo toilet paper holder. This paper can be found on their United States website here and on Amazon. Although it is a bit pricey for everyday use, it is perfect for a powder room.

You can always catch up on all my One Room Challenge posts by clicking on the navy ORC button in my sidebar.

Now go see what the One Room Challenge crowd has been up to besides toilet paper.

My black Renova toilet paper

My faux bamboo toilet paper holder

Renova ad

Renova ad

Renova ad

Renova ad

Renova ad

Renova ad

Toilet paper wallpaper - yes, you can buy this!

Where's Waldo? Can you find the real toilet paper?

Chinoiserie powder room with black toilet paper

The same room with white toilet paper

My dollhouse bathroom with the world's tiniest toilet paper Chattafabulous  Chinoiserie Chic  Classic Casual Home  the Cottage Mix  Cottage & Vine  Design Indulgence  Design Manifest  Everything LEB  Hodge Podge  Kim Macumber Interiors  Little Black Door  Matters of Style  My Crafty Home Life  Nicole Scott Designs  Pacific Family Homes  Pawleys Island Posh  the Peak of Tres Chic  the Pink Pagoda  Powell Brower Home  Simple Details

Pet Sitter, Dog Walker, Dog Groomer, Doggie Day Care, Pet Boarding

Thanks so much to those of you who gave me a head's up that Mary McDonald mentioned Chinoiserie Chic last night on Facebook. Very fun. Thanks also to everyone who joined in the fun yesterday and voted for my Raw Meat entry in the ugliest fabric contest. Things are looking good - I have received every vote but 1 so far. If you missed yesterday's post, you can read all about it here and vote here.

Today I am featuring the wonderful business cards at Charming Elizabeth. I love the idea of business cards with an illustration suggesting the type of business you have. I really like the new Chinese Chippendale garden folly with the dachshund above for someone who cares for pets. This is my business card below from Charming Elizabeth. I have chosen my favorite Chinoiserie cards with ideas on businesses they would be perfect for, but there are many more here with lots of other illustrations if Chinoiserie is not your thing.

My card

Travel Writer, Travel Agent, Rare Book Seller, Cruise Director, Tour Director

Art Dealer, Antiques Dealer, Upholsterer, Vintage Furniture Seller, Consignment Store, Furniture Maker

Book Seller, Rare Book Seller, Home Stager

Artist, Faux Finish Artist, Art Supplies, Art Therapy

Party Planner, Caterer, Party Store

Asian Antiques Dealer, Art Consultant, Interior Designer, Interior Decorator

Asian Antiques Dealer, Interior Decorator, Interior Designer

Landscape Designer, Carpenter, Asian Antiques Dealer, Auction House