Kitchen Renovation #1

Along time ago I gave you a sneak peek of a kitchen renovation that I was beginning. Well I finished it over the summer and would like, over the next couple of post, to share the renovation. It actually turned into a laundry/ mud room and kitchen renovation with a full update of the whole first floor. It was great!
Take a look.

Before pictures of the kitchen and family room areas.

I forgot to take pictures of the pantry and the laundry room which were divided originally by a wall. Now, these two rooms are one nice size laundry/mud room.; a much needed space for a active family of five.

Now a look at the beginning stages:

 Kitchen Demo

 New Laundry/ Mud Room and New Window!!!

A built-in surrounds the window and creates a window bench area for putting on shoes.

We placed bead-board 3/4 the way up the wall with a very wide top molding to allow for a lot of hooks for coats and book bags.

Changed ceiling lights from the standard wall mounted lights to these hanging lanterns. Aren't they beautiful!

Here we took two of the old large kitchen cabinets and placed them over the washer and dryer for storage. We will be painting them white. Mark also built this"garage" ( as he likes to call it ) for the washer and dryer to have that built-in look. It also gives my client a great folding area.

Kitchen Cabinets Arriving. 

 It really turned out amazing!  Stay tuned for the next phase.

Take Care,
Stacy

Custom Tables and Frames at SHM Designs

I absolutely love designing furniture and home decor. It is so satisfying to see my visions come to life and I am so lucky to have Mark to make them happen. What I have discovered as an added bonus to Marks many talents is his ability to design beautiful pieces on his on.

This summer I asked Mark to build a custom pedestal table for a client. I showed him a couple of inspirational pictures, but really hadn't finalized anything. In just a few days he had built an amazing table.

I love it! 

Here is a picture of a built-in bench and trestle table that I designed and had Mark build. This kitchen had very little room for a table and chairs.  I decided a built-in would look great nestled beneath the window and would give my client ample seating for her family of four. The table will be stained and the bench will be painted a creamy white.  Custom cushions for the top of the benches and two bolster pillows will be placed in each window for back support.  

Frames are another one of my favorite things to design.  All of that intricate work in the first frame, Mark did completely by hand.  My plan is to turn it into a mirror.  Now, if I could just decide on a color. Any suggestions? All of these frames are available for purchase. So if you see one you like or want to have one custom made, just let me know.

This picture doesn't do this frame justice. The molding is just beautiful! Right now it is just primed but once painted it will look incredible. What do you think; mirror or a cork board?

This frame has already been sold.  I made it into a jewelry board for a client who sells antique and vintage jewelry. 

I painted the board in Annie Sloan Paris Gray and Pure White and covered it in a soft grey velvet. It is a perfect background for her silver, rhinestone jewelry.

Sorry for the messy background. Another frame just begging for paint.

Hope you saw something you like.

Take Care,

Stacy

"Don't Fall Off Your Chair"

Can you believe it, I'm actually writing a post!  I want to thank all of you for sticking around. Hopefully it will be worth the wait.

Kitchen renovations seem to be the rave right now. I have just finished my first and am now working on two more.  Needless to say, kitchens have been on my mind a lot and I love it. I built my house about 10 years ago and I'm realizing that I definitely did not think about my kitchen enough. Like most people, the cost of building an entire house was so overwhelming and expensive that I went with neutral basics and decided my accents would make it special. Don't get me wrong, that is the advice I would still give, but when you have looked at so many wonderful kitchens and worked out ways to get a look for less, it makes me wish I would of paid more attention.

The internet sure makes finding inspiration easy. Below are a few of my favorites which I found on Houzz.com. One of them I am going to use as the inspiration for my next renovation. I would love to hear what your favorite is!

Choice #1 Urban Chic

Choice #2 Cottage Cute

Choice #3 Traditional Flair

Choice #4 Rustic Bliss

Choice #5 French Country

Everything I do in design always seems to come in three's. Therefore, when I look at a room for inspiration, I try to find three key elements that I feel make the room. I take those three "must have" touches and then build around them. In doing so, it allows you to get the feel of your inspirational room with out the big ticket cost.  

Let me know if my 'Rule of Three" works for you!

Take Care,

Stacy