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Before and After: Zulkey's Kitchen Revamp

CasaSugar — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 08:30:03 -0800

Su Casa member Zulkey and her husband bought their house less than a year ago in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago. Since that time, they have been busily renovating the 10-year-old home, including this bedroom transformation. Throughout the process, they've relied on the help of their good friend and interior designer Jessica Riddle, who's helped them with everything from choosing paint colors to rearranging rooms.

The kitchen was originally plagued with a painfully dull white paint that blurred into the cabinets.

To see how the kitchen got colorful, read more.

Zulkey writes, "We painted the kitchen in Sherwin Williams Wheatgrass and the backsplash with chalkboard/magnetic paint."

I love the addition of the chalkboard paint to the backsplash! It seems like a perfect way to make grocery and reminder lists while adding a fun, unexpected element to the room. Stay tuned for more photos from other rooms in Zulkey's house!

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Ask Casa: A Color For My Kitchen

CasaSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:30:00 -0800

Hello, I am having a particularly difficult time deciding which color to paint my kitchen walls. They came in a brown, which I do not like at all. My tastes are contemporary. Most of the walls are white wainscoting. The living room is gray with a bluish tone, and the dining room is a blue green peacock color, and I want something that would go with both. Thanks in advance!! I LOVE CasaSugar! I read it every day! GGianella To see my suggestions for GGianella, check out this slideshow. Source

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Casa Quickie: Warm Up Your Kitchen With Red Appliances

CasaSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:18 -0800

Not ready to take the plunge and invest in an all red kitchen? Then create a big impact with minimal color investment by using a red stove or refrigerator in your kitchen. You can paint the rest of the kitchen with more neutral colors, or, as in this Amsterdam kitchen, you can choose gorgeous natural wooden cabinets.

Wondering where you can find red appliances? Check out Big Chill for gorgeous appliances in red, orange, blue, and a number of other colors.

Source

Hvenbnd's Beautiful Wall Colors

Casa Community — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:43 -0800

Su Casa member Hvenbnd recently asked for your advice on wall colors. See how her painting quest has progressed since we last checked in with her.

I posted an earlier entry asking the community for help with picking paint colors. I just could not narrow it down! Finally I discovered Inspired Design. Diane really helped me choose colors that work with my vision, furniture, art and personality. Here is the kitchen in process! All paint is from Sherwin Williams.

Have you made any recent improvements to your home? Show them off in Su Casa!

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Room Therapy: Help Me Choose Paint Colors!

Casa Community — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:00:14 -0800

Just in time for Color Theory month, Hvenbnd needs your help in choosing colors for her home! Read on to find out what she's looking for. Hi CasaSugar Readers,

I need your help ASAP! I recently experienced some water damage to my 1942 custom bungalow. As a result the wonderful insurance company has come through and has agreed to re-install new hardwood floors in my dining room and living room, paint the entire kitchen (including cabinets) laundry room, dining room, living room and to install a new kitchen floor.

My problem is choosing paint color for my rooms! I am so overwhelmed with all the options I have been researching. We are eclectic in our tastes, and have mixed antiques and modern midcentury pieces in our home. I collect Shag prints, which are bold and bright with lots of oranges and greens. I also collect tikis but hate the beachy thing. My husband is an airbrush artist and tends toward bold deep color.

For more pictures of this reader's home, and to hear more about what she's looking for,
Now, the house: We have 8 foot ceilings in the living area and dining area with coved ceilings and curved walls. I am installing recessed lighting in all three rooms. The red kitchen island that sits in the dining room in the pictures obviously belongs in the kitchen and will be painted as well. The house has lots of nooks and crannies and built in cabinets and bookcases. Can you help me pick some amazing paint colors? I will post the finished result for your viewing pleasure!

P.S. I am looking for a chesterfield sofa for the living room in what I envision to be olive green leather. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!
Hvenbnd

Do you have advice for Hvenbnd? Leave a comment! Have interesting photos of your home to share? Then post them in the Su Casa group.

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Before and After: A Change in Chelsea

CasaSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:00:21 -0700

Camila of High-Heeled Foot in the Door is at it again! This time the DIY expert and interior designer conquered her young sister's apartment in Chelsea, NYC, which is shared with two roommates. Communal living spaces often pose a problem, as each roommate has her own tastes, and recent grads often can't afford to be spending their hard-earned mula on décor. So with a budget of only $350, Camila made over her sister's living/kitchen/dining area. As you can see, this wall with cupboards was a bit of wreck before. She says, "I swear the busted chair was just like that. I did not stage it!" Want to see the after photo? Then read more.

A few punches of color face off with plain vanilla walls - and win. She painted the cabinets with chalkboard paint, which is ideal for notes between roomies. And the stools flanking the cabinets were a curbside find, which she upholstered in chic gray stripes. Accessories and some cute embroideries add girlish flair. This project is an inspiring one; it's not complicated, but it's certainly happy! See more before and after photos of the apartment at High-Heeled Foot in the Door!

Home Library: A Girl's Guide to Decorating

CasaSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:00:07 -0700

When I think of interior designer and stylist Abigail Ahern, who also owns one of London's leading interiors stores, there are a few things that come to mind. One is the Neo Baroque Chandelier in her collection - one of the most breathtaking and showstopping pieces I have ever come across. And the other is her perfected and signature use of Farrow & Ball's "Downpipe" paint from floor to ceiling - which inspired my own gray(-ish) kitchen. And last, her playful use of both scale and vibrant colors, evident in both her own home (which you can tour here) and her sister's, which was featured in the New York Times. What this all adds up to is that the girl's got serious design skills.

So it's no surprise that Ahern's new book, A Girl's Guide to Decorating, is filled with plenty of inspiring and helpful design advice, not to mention gorgeous photos. Want to hear about it? Then read more.

The book covers a few of the fundamentals of decorating, including planning, color, light, texture, and accents, what she calls "glamorous personal touches."

When it comes to planning, some of her tips may feel irrelevant if you're not doing any renovating, but overall her advice will apply to renters and homeowners alike, with words on arranging multi-use rooms and using different types of mirrors to your advantage.

Throughout the book, Ahern offers tried-and-true how-to advice on things like putting up shelves, hanging mirrors, and making over your kitchen cabinets - task that are never as easy they seem. This might be my favorite element of the book.

As for those glamorous touches, she advocates using eccentric and rare finds and mixing-and-matching to give your home that X-factor. She offers various routes for arranging display items on a shelf, as well as artwork and pictures. And to finish it off, she recommends switching out door handles and drawer knobs.

Since we might not all be sold on "Down Pipe," Ahern considers the effects of colors warm and cool on your mood, and attempts to conquer the query of good vs. bad color combinations. Color, as you know, is a personal, subjective choice, but Ahern manages to handle it analytically. With so many swatch options out there, this is a relief. Beyond that, she gets down to the bottom of paint finishes and their effects, which can be illuminating for some of us.

She continues this combination of technical, practical advice mixed with her own design tips through her chapters on light and texture. And all the while, she pulls easy and universally affordable style advice from the photographs of dozens of beautiful, unique rooms - including the home of former Domino editor Rita Konig. This terrific tome is equal parts informative and inspiring, and both are bound to help even a "dude" decorator.

Off to Market Recap: Spoon Rest

partysugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:50:15 -0700

A spoon rest is a handy kitchen tool that sits on stovetops. In between sautéing and stirring, it's a safe place to rest the spatula or spoon you're using. Sadly, I don't own one and the other day when I was making macaroni and cheese, I finally decided it's time to invest in this practical kitchen essential.

I asked you to help me find a fabulous, dishwasher safe spoon rest. You searched the Internet for spoon rests and bookmarked your favorite finds, then saved them in the Off to Market group tagged with the keyword spoon rest.

I absolutely love this colorful painted spoon rest that Bengalspice found. It reminds of the one my parents have at their house. The ceramic rest is dishwasher safe and at only $10, it's very affordable. Thanks Bengal!

Interested in learning more about bookmarking? Check out the complete instructions here.

Before and After: Lauren's Retro-Modern Kitchen

CasaSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:00:03 -0700

Craftster member Lauren is an amazing crafter, but she's been taking a hiatus from personal craft projects to work on a much bigger one: making over her new house.

Lauren writes, "We bought our house in mid-August and have been going to town on every inch of it. It is a 1931 cottage style 1 1/2 story house that we fell in love with on the very first round of showings. We have mostly completed the house in just one month, but the kitchen was the first to be finished to completion."

To see the great improvement Lauren made on her kitchen, read more.

Lauren, who says she loves retro kitchen decor, has done a great job integrating '50s-style items with a more modern look. I love her use of pattern and color, from the curtains to the wallpaper and cupboard inlays. The cupboards look super fresh thanks to the new coats of paint, and I love the scalloped edging over the sink. Her use of accents is spot-on, too. What a nice update!

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Decorating Ideas to Steal From Andrew's Vegetable Stand

CasaSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:00:19 -0700

Readymade recently posted photos and an interview with recent grad Andrew Milauckus, whose aesthetically pleasing Michigan produce stand is beyond adorable. While the exterior of his stand, Summertime, has a '50s vibe, the eclectic interior is a mix of styles. Check out my favorite ideas from his shop.

Embrace a rustic look by painting exposed beamwork.
To create a focal wall, use stencils to create a pattern. This chevron wall is one of my favorites.

Check out more ideas when you read more.

Hang bare bulbs from the ceiling in multiples for an unexpected and cool look. Try these E27 Pendants for a fun, colorful take on the bare bulb.
Use apple boxes and baskets for rustic storage in your kitchen or entryway.
Repurpose a gilt frame as a chalkboard. The bigger the better!