valentine's day My Kitchen Pendant Lights

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Pendant lights. They are like the icing on the cake, the last piece of jewelry to make the outfit perfect. When I was designing my kitchen, I wanted something simple, classic, and a bit on the casual side. I was going for a vintage farmhouse with a little commercial kitchen and Napa Bistro thrown in. We love to cook and spend a lot of time in our kitchen, so I wanted really good light. With the EPA standards in California, 50% of the wattage in a kitchen must be Fluorescent or comparable. This made it a bit difficult to put in any incandescent fixtures, but one must have something with some character! 

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I found just the thing when I was picking out lighting at Lumens Light and Living here in Sacramento. These Pendants from Roost had just what I was looking for. They look a little industrial with their beaker shaped hand-blown glass, and I love the long filament bulbs. I also like the way the glass is held in place with the hand tightened screws.

I have received many emails requesting information about these pendants and if they are still available.I decided I should check and see! And YES! Lumens can still get them for you. They are not shown on their online catalog, so give them a call at their Sacramento showroom HERE and ask for Sean. Tell him you are looking for the glass cylinder pendant from Roost....he will know all of the information.

Thank you for all of your emails!

valentine's day Befores.....And Other News!

Whenever you see the beautiful pictures in the magazines, finished and perfectly accessorized, it is hard to imagine that the project starts out in this condition. I have been busy at work on a few projects that are at this stage of the game.

The first photo is a house that has been gutted top to bottom and I am in the process of working with the nicest couple to put it all back together. I am very excited about it because there is a definite budget involved, and we are coming up with some great ideas on how to meet the budget. I am headed over today for the final walk though before drywall. It will really begin to take shape after drywall in complete! I can hardly wait....and neither can my clients. They want to move in by November....we should make it in time I think!

The next project involves a Kitchen:

An eating nook area:

A Powder Room and Laundry Area:

This project is still in the demo stage, but rough plumbing and wiring are commencing as we speak. The family that lives here is anxiously awaiting the return of normal life since they are living here without a kitchen. Remodels like this are planned with great care ahead of time so that down time for the family is as short as possible.

When working with older homes, there is always the inevitable structural issue that is unknown until demolition. In this case, a chimney flue that we had thought was in a position that would accommodate 24" deep cabinet threw us a curve ball, literally. We knew the chimney was there, and had poked a hole through the wall to check it's position. However....it did not go straight up and down, but slanted over about 9-10" by the time it hit the ceiling:

Since it still houses a duct for the heating upstairs, we decided not to demolish the flue. Consequently, the adjacent door is now being pushed over about 6". A little unexpected glitch, but resolved.

These two projects are both at a stage where progress is happening very quickly. I am so excited to see the deigns completed! And I will keep you posted on progress and the completed projects as things unfold.

In other news,

I have a project that I have been working on that will be on a East Sacramento Home Remodeling Tour this Sunday. If you are in the area, stop on in! For ticket information and times, hop on over HERE!

And....

I have another kitchen remodel project that will be featured in an upcoming issue of Sacramento Magazine. I spent my labor day happily staging the kitchen for the photo shoot.

So, my friends, I will keep you updated on all of the madness as things progress!

valentine's day What I've Been Up To

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Often a project can start with a single inspiration. A "fleur-de-lis" for example. It can start with a wonderful antique sconce that a client was lucky enough to find and keep for her long planned kitchen remodel.

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It can carry over into other things. Like the little fleur-de-lis edge on a chandelier.

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Or a carefully placed accent tile.

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The accent tile can lead to more tile. A color palette and tile design may follow.

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That little bit of black and that little bit of French may lead to a black French range.

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It may lead to carefully selected hardware.

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And special clocks.

It may lead to many hours of memories in a new long planned kitchen.

You never know what a single inspiration can lead to.

Just a little taste with more to come later!

valentine's day Update: My Big Fat Remodel

Just a little update. I just had the mirrors put into the Built-in I designed for the one and only hallway in this 1911 house of mine. The cabinets are a shaker style with the doors inset into the face frame, a traditional style cabinet that was used elsewhere in the house. The goal was to marry the history from the rest of the house with the more modern approach in the kitchen. The mirrors expand the hallway so well and add a wonderful sparkle. Call me crazy, but I get excited about stuff like this. It just made my day to come home and see them done! (I hope you can excuse the mess on the counters, we are still moving in! :)
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Here is a small view of the Powder Room in progress. I am still deciding: paint color? wallpaper? The white walls are a little "ho hum" I think:
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This is the view outside a kitchen window into the neighbor's yard:
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We have the most wonderful neighbors. We have an open invitation to pick their Meyer Lemons and tomatoes whenever we want to. They also have grape vines and they bring us roses in the summer. A little piece of Eden.

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(I apologize for the sporadic postings, but we are are the "Move-In" mode at the moment trying to beat the clock ticking down to the holidays. I will do better, I promise!)

valentine's day I'm BAAAAaaaack! The Halloween Party, The Fall Benefit and the Big Fat Remodel. A Cautionary Tale.

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Once upon a time, there was a woman who was very young at heart and naively thought that she could do anything she set her mind to ( if she was organized enough and had the proper support staff). She had a very full life with a husband and two daughters and an Australian Shepherd named Cooper and her design career, all of which she managed pretty well. So the woman thought it might be fun to co-chair the decoration committee for a benefit for 650 people scheduled for October.

October rolled around and she realized she needed to plan the Halloween Party for her 12 year old daughter which had been promised ever since her older sister had a party when she was 12. Well, one couldn't have a party unless one was moved into the semi-finished remodel of one's new kitchen and basement studio, now could one? So the big push to move in was begun.

Meanwhile, the woman's husband scheduled a business trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg for a week and a half....... That's when the nightmares began. The woman would wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat asking herself "What have I done?!? I have over committed, and I will never get it all done!" Details would race through her mind day and night: " Have I bought enough gold leafy things for the decorations? Do we have black sprinkles for the cookies? Do we have enough white spider web stuff? Who is ordering the chair ties and the VIP gifts for the benefit? What is the phone number for the hotel in Moscow? How can we fit the extra ten seats in the new restaurant design for the upcoming Team Meeting? How will I get this daughter to violin while that daughter gets to soccer practice? Why is the powder room sink leaking?". The lists went on and on.

The woman was one step away from stepping into the static on the television screen......

Well, with alot of help, the woman managed to get through the stressful weeks and has lived to tell the tale. Here are a few images to show you all a glimmer of what has been happening over the last two weeks:

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The tent for the Silent Auction and Wine Tasting part of the Fall Benefit for my daughter's High School known as "Revelry".

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Some examples of the decorations. The theme was "Starry, Starry Night". Very original, I know. But one must work with what one is given, mustn't one?

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Table decor and flowers for the "sit down dinner" part of the event.

After the mad rush to finish the decorations for the benefit, I raced home to decorate the house for the Halloween party:

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A few tombstones and pumpkins. (The tombstones were made from the Styrofoam in the box that my new West Elm Parsons table came in. We just got through putting the table together in time for the party.)

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My daughter picked the perfect party planning paper: Hello Kitty.

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Now I ask you, what Halloween party would be complete without Jone's Candy Corn Soda and lots of cookies with black and grey frosting? ( Small shudder here.)
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Halloween slipcovers, perfect for protecting furniture from Sprite and Rainbow Sherbet punch spills. (Photo from my as yet unfinished office/studio space.)
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Pumpkin carving contest. Not real sure what some of these masterpieces are all about.

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Here are a few of the fab party guests!

OK....I know you have been waiting for a peek at the the remodeling progress, so I will not keep you in suspense. Although not complete ( no furniture, accessories, etc.) here are a few pics of the kitchen:

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Sorry about the picture quality!

We are partially moved in, at least enough to forgo the paper plates and cups! It is almost surreal to be able to use a real stove and dishwasher again!

So this post is my "Ode" to Decorno's "Original Content" plea. Now that things have calmed down a bit, I will be back to regular postings. Thanks to all of you who have patiently hung in there with me!

AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

valentine's day Getting a Handle on Things

Well the kitchen is getting closer. Thought I would show you some of the "jewelry" I have been adding:

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I had seen handles like this in a Thomas O'Brien kitchen and I had to have them, no matter the cost. I could not find the source for these beauties anywhere, so I went ahead and called Thomas O'Brien's office and they could not have been nicer! They informed me the handles were from Forms and Surfaces. They were perfect. They were also over $25 a knob. But I was willing to go there because they were "it"! I am happy that Domino Magazine reprinted the Thomas O'Brien kitchen in their November issue because I had lost the original picture:

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This kitchen has been one of the inspirations for my own. I like everything about it: the stainless steel table, the mirrored backsplash, the glass cabinets....and the hardware.

Well, I added up how many knobs I needed and....well, was a little concerned. Sadly, I am not one who should really go around spending thousands of dollars on cabinet hardware. So I thought I should make one more attempt to find an alternative. Lo and behold, I found the handle you see on my cabinets in the photo at the top. I ordered a sample and it was beautiful and definitely close enough! It is from Hickory Hardware, and I am relieved to say is only $5.25.

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These are the knobs I put on my Butler's Pantry cabinets. A little more formal and perfect for my 1911 house. They are from Restoration Hardware and very nice quality. I'm very happy with them!

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And the knobs for my Powder Room are from Anthropologie at $6.00 each. They have such wonderful knobs! And many of the options are online.

To update on the kitchen, appliances have been installed and finished plumbing and lighting fixtures are going in this week. We are getting close. I have informed my contractor that we are having a Halloween party, so he had better get his A@# in gear and finish or ELSE! (I won't even bore you with that whole story...well maybe one day when I am moved in and can gain some perspective.)

Stay Tuned!

valentine's day My Big Fat Remodel Update: White Out

I have had some requests for a remodel update, so here is how things look as of this weekend. The Painters have come:

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They have started their magic show!

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They have caulked and prepped.

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They have taped and draped.

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They have primed and painted.

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I am anxiously awaiting the unveiling! Stay Tuned........