November 14, 2013

Second Home Surprise

At our first kitchen meeting for this mountain home renovation, knee deep in appliance brochures and photos, my conservative client surprised me by suggesting, “Do I really have the nerve to do a red stove?!”

I’m so glad she did!

Among the rustic but elegant textures and neutral shades, the candy apple red stove creates a dramatic effect.

November 12, 2013

Villa – First Impressions

Entry – Before

At the Villa we recently completed in Dallas the front doors open directly into a spacious living area surrounded by archways and columns on three sides and a wall of windows looking out on the courtyard on the fourth side.  The actual space for a furniture grouping is naturally centered on the fireplace, but the room also incorporates adjoining walls, hallways and a beautiful curved staircase that needed to be considered in the overall plan.

October 30, 2013

A Cast Iron Affair

What’s the recipe for a fabulous kitchen renovation that is unique?

The ingredients: An an out-dated tiny kitchen space, a collection of cast iron skillets, and a little design help.

The inspiration: Displaying cooking utensils has been done for a long time!  At the palace kitchen at Chenonceaux in France, which I just visited, copper ladles and pots were displayed on the walls.  Today the display is still relevant as a useful and decorative collection.

My client is not alone in her love of cast iron cookware. The professional golfer, Davis Love, also enjoys collecting them.  The story of his passion with vintage cookware was featured in the summer issue of Garden and Gun!