Dream Kitchen

This is it, I am officially updating our kitchen cupboards. I've cleaned them with ammonia (my best tip for removing invisible traces of grease), removed the silly cup handles (silly because who puts cup handles on cupboard doors?? They're meant for drawers!) and right now I'm waiting for the filler to dry in the screw holes left by said handles.

I was trying to explain to my husband yesterday why I want to order brass handles (dark kitchen, brass is a warm colour which catches the light) when I came across photos from an IKEA project in Canada last spring. And lo, a dream kitchen. I'm afraid I am not acquainted Jillian Harris' work, but she has got beautiful taste in kitchens... Using IKEA's standard 'Sektion' kitchen system with 'Bodbyn' fronts in pale grey and antique brass handles, Jillian has created nigh on my dream vision. And it seems to have won my husband over to the brass handles as well. It's nice when we agree :)

I bet you're wondering about those beautiful tiles on the wall... I looked up Jillian's blog, and it looks as if they're called Carrara Bianco Bardiglio Hexagon Honed Marble Mosaic, available from The Builder Depot in the US. Luckily for our finances they don't ship to the UK.

Photo: IKEA

You can find the article featuring Jillian's kitchen here: Canadian Living - Celebrity Dream Kitchens

Christmas Week Ponderings

We're back home after spending most of our time with family in the past couple of weeks. It's Christmas week - romjul - that quiet week between Christmas and New Year when we suddenly have time to ourselves again. It's lovely, and this kind of quiet gets my creative juices flowing again. I keep thinking about projects I could get stuck into, and the most tantalising (and also the biggest) job would be painting our 'faux' beech kitchen units. The previous owner put in lots and lots and lots of kitchen cupboards, teaming the beech effect with a black floor, mid-blue walls, black faux marble counter-tops and darker blue wall tiles. The effect was like a cave, so we painted the walls chalky white before we moved in.

Two and a half years down the line those blue tiles and beige units have acquired no further appeal and I find myself googling how to paint kitchens in every spare moment. The only thing is, I don't want it to be a huge job. And as there are so many units to paint, it could very easily turn into a mammoth job. Especially since I would like to replace the handles, which will mean filling in the holes and drilling new ones. I really want to do this, but I don't feel confident about finishing the job... However, if I pull myself together (and manage to chose between regular satin paint and Annie Sloan - I'm tilting towards Annie, but being a Libra it's not easy to make the final decision...), then I think it might be possible to achieve something like these:

Photo: Designstoenvy, Instagram

 

Photo: Marcus Lawett

 

Photo: Hemnet.se

London Design Week - Easter Inspiration

I had high hopes for my visit to London Design Week at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour a few weeks ago, and it certainly was an impressive collection of interior design shops, but not really an exhibition as I had expected (do your homework better next time Anne...). I struggled to take photos as virtually all the beautiful displays were window displays, and as such behind glass full of light reflections. Tricky, as there were a lot of colours and details that I wanted to capture.

One of the first displays that caught my eye was this one from a shop selling tableware, and I think it illustrates beautifully that plain white china is the ultimate choice, as you can accessorise and style it for any season or event.

The mood throughout was elegant and very highly polished, it felt like wandering through a hotel with lots of beautiful compartments. So this 'casual' display of felt, burlap and damask together in the Elitis window was cute in a 'we don't take ourselves too seriously, mais ne touchez pas' kind of way

Fifty Shades of Grey - IKEA style

No, I will not be going to the cinema to see Fifty Shades Of Grey. I would rather drool over IKEA's inspirational blog Livet Hemma*

ARÖD lamp, MÄSTERBY step stool

BORRBY lantern, ALVINE/GÄSPA/GURLI/SMÅNATE bedlinen

MÄSTERBY step stool, DINERA coffee cup & saucer

 

STOCKHOLM candlesticks, HASSELNÖT plant pot, RIBBA picture frames

- still life by Frida Ramstedt

 

IKEA PS pedestal

 

LIATORP glass-fronted armoire/cabinet re-styled by Pella Hedeby

 

FABIAN shelves

MALM chest of drawers

STOCKSUND ottoman/footstool

 

HURDAL sliding doors & MULIG clothes rail

HEMNES wash-stand, EKNE wall mirror, FRÄCK shaving mirror

STOCKSUND sofa

KOLJA wall mirrors, MALM mirrored chest of drawers, IKEA PS 2012 chair, PORTIS coat stand

SIGURD bench, VANADIN pendant lamps

SKOVEL wall clock, HEDERLIG champagne glasses

UDDEN trolley table, RÅDIG espresso maker

 

NORNÄS bench

 

STOCKHOLM wing-back armchair

* Livet Hemma (= Life at Home) is only available on IKEA's Swedish web page, but nothing should stop you from checking it out for inspiration. Famous Nordic stylists and bloggers contribute to this inspirational blog so it's a great place to pick up style tips. You can do so much more with IKEA's stuff than what they show us at Neasden and Croydon..