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Working With Existing Kitchen Tile

Friday, November 23rd, 2012

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Like many of us working on a room redesign, my friend Rosie from Texas has been updating her kitchen in steps as money and time allows. Here is the original kitchen where we started:

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Since Rosie has always dreamed of a white kitchen, her first project was to paint her dark cabinets with Benjamin Moore White Dove Int. Room in a semi-gloss finish:

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Rosie has never been too crazy about the color of her range hood:

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Until I showed her this beautiful picture :

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Rosie wants to maybe replace her existing tile to an all white subway tile (but not in the near future), so for now we need to pick a wall color that will work with the existing tile:

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Although Rosie would like to paint the walls white, the clean, bright whiteness of the existing tile made all of the white paint colors we tried next to it, look dirty. Below is a sample of Ben Moore Intense White:

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Another color we tried was gray. I suggested a couple grays with different undertones such as Grey Wisp 1570 (green undertones) and below is the tile with samples of Tranquility AF-490 (blue undertones), on the right, with Revere Pewter HC-172 (green undertones- but sometimes looks pink depending on the light) on the left:

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I was afraid the Tranquility color would look too baby blue once up on the entire wall. The Revere Pewter worked well with the tile, the hood,  the black granite countertops (black and Revere Pewter look great together!) and the white cabinets. She decided to go with Revere Pewter:

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But wait! :) She said that she liked it, but thought it looked a bit too beige and a little boring. She wanted something a little bolder with more personality. If you look at the tile, you will see that not many colors are going to work with it. Not yellow, red or green. The original kitchen had turquoise walls, which worked but Rosie wanted a change. What color is left? Neutral blue.

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I know that Rosie loves navy and white together so I suggested that since her kitchen is so open and bright, to try a sample of Hale Navy HC-154 (above). A beautiful color with personality!

Well, she loved it and went for it!:

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I think it is beautiful. I like how it toned down the blue in the tile and that it works well with the range hood. And navy with white- gorgeous!:

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Rosie is not sure if she loves it. She makes me laugh so hard with her stories about her husband getting mad at her for changing her mind! For now, I told her to try and live with it and see how she feels about it in a couple weeks.

What would you do?? I will keep you updated! Thank you Rosie for letting me share!

If you need help selecting the perfect paint color for your home, contact me today.

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Obsessing Over Open Kitchen Shelving

Saturday, June 30th, 2012

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I don’t know why I suddenly have such a love for open shelving in the kitchen:

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Maybe because it is bringing back such good memories of my staying with my Great Grandma Cain when I was little. Grandma Cain lived out (way out) in the country in Pennsylvania. I do remember she had an outhouse in the backyard (memories!) and I remember spending time with her in her kitchen. And I remember that she had open shelves!

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Or maybe I am loving the open shelves just for the simplicity of the look:

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You have to admit, it is a great way to show off your creativity:

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And iff you get tired of it, just change it around!

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This look is a little to cluttered for me:

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For myself, I like the thicker shelves better than the thinner boards:

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I also think that I would want just a section of the wall in the kitchen used as open shelves that I can decorate:

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So that I can bring more personality into the kitchen!:

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Would you consider putting open shelves in your kitchen? I know they will be extra work, but do you think their beauty is worth it? Love to hear your thoughts!

If you need help decorating your home, contact me today.

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Do Butcher Block Countertops Work In A Contemporary Kitchen?

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

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I am working with a client who has a very contemporary home. We are redesigning her kitchen and she wants to change her island countertop from beautiful black granite:

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..to a butcher block countertop. Why, do you wonder? (I did!) She wants to change it mainly because of the never ending job of cleaning and wiping to keep it looking clean and streak free. Also she wanted a large working area for cooking and baking.

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My first thought was no, a butcher block countertop will not work in a modern setting. Butcher block countertops tend to look too relaxed, vintage and cottagey:

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But wait! I started to find butcher block islands with black granite countertops:

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Pinned ImageI am loving the personality of the wood!

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I am actually really liking the look.

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I like how the islands are breaking up the kitchen from looking too sterile:

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I’m convinced that the island with the butcher block will bring great personality to her kitchen. I am going to suggest to her that I would love to see a butcher block island in her new kitchen!

What do you think? Does a butcher block island work in a contemporary kitchen?

If you need help with decorating your home, contact me today.

All photos from pinterest.

Comforter First?

Choosing The Right White
Top Advice on Choosing a Kitchen Countertop
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Good Product Tip For Painting Cabinets

Friday, February 24th, 2012

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I have a sweet, wonderful person I work with online helping her with color selections and decorating. Her name is Rose and we have done quite a few projects together. She is always so kind telling me how much I have helped her. But now I am pleased to say, “Thank you Rosie for teaching me something new!”

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Rose asked my advice on painting her bathroom cabinets over after we had selected BM Gentle Gray 1626 for her walls: