I stumbled upon an inspiring photo in Elle Decor a few years ago when we were in the process of renovating our kitchen. It was just the corner of a room, but unlike a lot of the spaces featured in shelter magazines, it looked like someone lived there. There was childrensโ artwork on the refrigerator (tastefully arranged), some raffia wallpaper covering a small desk area, and a round table surrounded by red Eames chairs. The Eames part of those red chairs was not in the budget, but I stuck that photo to my bulletin board and it got the ball rolling on the designing. Nevermind that I didnโt pay an ounce of attention to the dishwasher door blocking the cabinets (forcing us to put away our glasses in two steps) or the fact that it will be the year 2029 before my children will be able to reach to the ice tray in the freezer or be able to open the 200-pound pull-out pantry door by themselves. I got my red chairs and I love my kitchen to this day.
But I love the kitchens featured in Design*Spongeโs at Home โ the book based on the blog thatย everyone except maybe two people in the world are obsessed with โ even more. Grace Bonney, the founder and author, takes the concept of inspiration to a whole new level here with page after page of gorgeous personal spaces along with personal stories that explain how the lucky owners managed to execute their visions. The kitchens, of course, were my favorite. For instance, if I had stumbled upon the photo above a few years ago, there is a 100% chance that Iโd be sitting in a yellow kitchen with a painted checkerboard floor right now.
Artisan was nice enough to send along a sneak peak of some of the kitchens featured inย Design*Sponge At Home and toย celebrate its publication, DALS is giving away a free copy of the book to one lucky commenter below*. Winner will be chosen at random next week, but special consideration goes to anyone who shares a cool family kitchen design idea. Even special-er consideration goes to any commenter who followsย DALS on facebook.
I love the red on red here. Itโs the 2011 answer toย Julia Childโs museum-worthy pegboard.
I have white cabinets, subway tiles, marble countertops, and yetโฆmy kitchen does not remotely resemble this one. It must be the floor โ would you look at how cool those tiles are? Well, the floor and the wine. Mine is always much more accessible.
Can you see the chalkboard panel attached to the side of the refrigerator? How fun would that be for a kid?
My favorite detail in this one: The little reading nook. Phoebe would lose her mind.
*Thanks for playing everyone. Lori wins the book.
How fun to have a new, beautiful design book to read! Iโd love it. Iโve done 2 things lately in our (small, rental) kitchen: (1) hang up 2 pieces of art by our toddler in colorful Ikea frames (I call it our gallery wall), and (2) swap out a small print on the shelf over our stove, b/c I realized that I never really loved it, with a small stack of inexpensive bowls from Anthropologie (like these http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?navAction=jump&id=78405&parentid=SEARCH_RESULTS&color=kel). They make me so happy.
I canโt claim credit for this, but the people who lived in our apartment before us pained all the insides of the cupboards a bright lime green (the kitchen is a pale yellow). It sounds weird, but the burst of colour always catches everyone off guard, in a good way. Maybe that book would help me think of things.
I also picked out one tiny detail in a fab magazine spread of kitchen design and I was happy with our application of the idea. Iโve struggled with kidsโ artwork all over the place because it can soon overwhelm, get old and messy and then thereโs the psychological torture of wanting to throw it out but not wanting to be a bad mom! Enter a timely magazine photo that showed plexiglass picture frames above kitchen cupboards. My variation was to put four bolts through the corners of a piece of plexiglas that fit on the cupboard fronts above each of our mud room locker/cubbies. I can easily switch out old art for new and because we have a cubby for each family member, parents can feature things, too.
My husband was just talking about a pot rack in our house. He thinks theyโre brilliant, I always think of them as tacky, but then you show me these photos and I have to change my mind. Thanks!
My โno-budgetโ kitchen ideas of late areโฆ
1. corral oil, vinegar, salt, pepper on random tray that was around the house to make the essentials easy to grab while cooking.
2. use thumbtacks and floral wire to create a simple-looking art display for kids artwork.
3. mop the floor. often. awful, but always makes things look so much better. ๐
Funny, we did made three small changes to our kitchen this week that made a big difference.
1. We had a mirror installed as a backsplash behind the oven. It does a nice job of giving the kitchen more light and providing an awesome spot for my kid to check his Bieber hair.
2. We hung family drawn pictures below our open shelving. The homes featured in Design Sponge are always so lovely because they are so personal.
3. We stuck Rule #10 of the R.O.Dโs on our f ridge which has made some people laugh, some groan and some roll their eyes but everyone is helping to clean up!
Thanks for the wonderful read and inspiring recipes.
http://instagre.at/#/by/dana_fontaine/61928567_1917086
Shortly after having moved into our new home with a lovely, open kitchen perfect for entertaining, my husbandโs job had us moving out of country where we rented a smaller home. We couldnโt bear the thought of moving again and leaving the neighbours that quickly became family to us, so we made do with the smaller living quarters and quickly became ingenious with our storage.
One of the many challenges for me was figuring out what to do with all the little gadgets and decorating items that I have collected over the years that had become difficult to store with only a bank of 3 drawers in the kitchen.
I serendipitously discovered a library card catalog on craigslist 5 hours away from where we lived the year after we moved in. I made the trek in a big white van to bring that baby home with me. I knew it would transform not only the kitchen, but the way I worked in it. I was finally able to uncrate my cherry pitter, cookie cutters, cheese markers, kitchen torch and all the lovely little gadgets I have collected over the years. Best of all, it sits just outside my kitchen ready at a moments notice to reveal a hidden treasure and with 72 drawers, there is plenty of space left over to store bottles of wine for dinner through the week!
i only saw the other day that there was DS book โ so want to get my hands on it!
I am a FB fan.
Ideas??? mine are less design and more function / organisation โ i keep things where they will be used. The kettle sits on the counter and the cabinet above it houses all the mugs, coffee, teas etc. The lower cabinet next to the stove houses the oils, vinegars, cutting boards and baking trays and so on.
I thought I would give the contest a shot and share just a small organization tid bit. My kitchen is really tiny and space is very much lacking for even the essentials.
To utilize even the highest cupboards that canโt be reached without a step stool, I just put the items in a clear rubbermaid storage bin. Then, I can grab the whole bin down while on my tippys. Stacking things right on the shelves made it impossible to get things in the back without a stool.
My favorite kitchen decorating idea is my momโs, made when our kitchen was new in 1972. She covered one entire wall of the kitchen, near where the table was, with 12X12โณ cork tiles with an adhesive back. Nearly 40 years later, she still puts up all the artwork, family photos, greeting cards and little mementos of her family, now including the creative efforts of grandchildren as well as children, relatives, and friends.
My favorite kitchen idea that has worked well in our house is to leave one lower cabinet open (aka non-childproofed), fill it with nonbreakable things (aka tupperware) for my one-year old daughter to play in while I am working in the kitchen. Love your blog and love Design Sponge โ great giveaway โ THANKS!
Our kitchen has high countersโฆvery high counters. The previous owners were much taller than my husband and I, but we are loving the high countertops. When youโre making something, you donโt have to lean over, observers can prop against them like at a bar. It took a bit of getting used to, but we love them now. Wouldnโt go back! I love following your blog and am a Facebook fan. ๐
I need the book to save my little dungeon of an apt!
I love nooks in kitchens http://alifesdesign.blogspot.com/2011/09/nook-look.html
I liked you fbook as well!
I am obsessed with kitchens, and I love your red chairs! This is probably going to sound silly after all the big beautiful kitchens people are posting, but Iโm in love with this one: http://freckleschick.blogspot.com/2011/08/ikea-insanity-kitchen-shelves.html. My husband and I live in a small apartment with a very small kitchen that has very little storage, and that has always been my biggest complaint about the place. This kitchen inspires me with how much you can do with a small place. It can still be clean, organized, functional, and have personality. Love it!
I LOVE D*S and would be thrilled to get this book.
Tip: A few years ago, we added a built-in desk with lots of shelves to a corner of the kitchen. Thatโs where the family computer sits, and on the shelves are art supplies, paperwork, etc. We use the computer now to listen to music, my daughters do their homework there, craft supplies are easy to get to. Itโs incredibly useful to have a space for all that โfamilyโ stuff right in the kitchen.
Iโm already on fan on FB. Love your blog. ๐
well, we just rehabbed our kitchen and my top favs are: quartz countertops, self-closing lower cabinet drawers, no upper cabinets, open shelving (above sink), full length hanger on inside of pantry door for spices & teas & oils, and old baked enamel top table for desk instead of more cabinets. also stainless trolley with wheels(Ikea) for island. i also use a pretty tray on top of island for oft used oils and vinegars.
best decision was to have architect do drawings with precise measurements.
i also bought dals cookbook for my daughter.
While living in Fiji, I had a handful of frames made with white tapa cloth covering foam board (three different frame styles)โฆ I hung them in a group along one wall of my kitchen, and would tack my boysโ artwork in the frames gallery-style. My stove was in an island facing the wall; I never got tired of seeing their cheerful creations framed so beautifully, and the wall always got lots of comments. My boys were very proud of their artwork, and I found it to be a great answer to the cluttered artwork-display wall or fridge door. So easy to change up with new creations! (love DS, love DLS โ thanks!)
I have two kitchen ideas to share that are fairly simple. The first is to use furniture in your kitchen. We renovated our kitchen on a tight budget a few years back. We kept our existing cabinet boxes, made new door fronts for them, and infilled with a few ikea cabinets. We then painted all the cabinets a great green color. I love the color, but was worried that it would be too much in the space. We ended up buying an old cabinet for the kitchen that works so well. The 6โฒ +/- cabinet has glass on the top half of the doors, so you can see some things, but you can also hide other things. The cabinet gives the kitchen an instant homey, lived in feel.
My second idea is to use a towel bar in the kitchen. Our island is perpendicular to our oven, so we installed a simple towel bar at the end. We added โsโ hooks and hang towels, oven mitts and utensils from the bar. It keeps everything handy, within quick access to the stove.
I first found D*S from a link on the DALS website, so I love that you are teaming up like this. And I will definitely follow you on facebook. I didnโt even know it was an option!
I donโt see the 80 pound golden retriever that has to lay in the middle of the kitchen so that I have to constantly step over himโฆ.
Very nice Facebook page and a great give away. I rent at the moment, but dreams are free and my dream kitchen will someday come to be. Right now I am enjoying your blog and making some of the great dinner suggestions.
I just realized I have the prefect spot for a reading nook in my kitchen. I am going to make it happen โ I want the kids to hang out while Iโm cooking.
If the chalkboard keeps the kids from writing on other surfaces in the kitchen, Iโll buy a whole case and put them up all over the house!!
Cool kitchen idea โ On my sonโs first day at his toddler program, they showed us a video of a toddler named Emmett or Eugene something.. he had a little shelf, with all his toddler utensils, a little cup, a little pitcher (that held less water than the cup โ so smart), and a container with 1 serving of catfood in it (Iโll explain in a sec), sitting next to his appropriately sized table and chair. At age 2, he could pour his own water, set the table, and feed the cat. It gave him a sense of independence and satisfaction that he could do things like everyone else, not to mention it kept him from diving into the tupperware drawer and making a mess. It was the sweetest, smartest, most sensible kitchen idea Iโve seen thus far โ second only to the refrigerator chalkboard.
Iโm also a FB fan!! I especially love your profile photo โ itโs soโฆ love story.
I really donโt have any design suggestions but, I found a really great solution for glassware. We have 6 kids and they were constantly forgetting which glass was theirs and getting a new glass every time they needed a drink. I am not a big fan of doing the dishes so everyone was assigned their own style or color of glass. Problem solved. I Love following you on Facebook (great in case I forget to look at the blog!) made the pretzel chicken tonight and everyone ate it. Success!
My suggestion doesnโt really have to do with design, but with maintaining mental health. We have 6 kids and they were always forgetting which glass was theirs. They would get a new glass every time they had a drink. So, not being a fan of doing the dishes, I assigned each person in the family a different glass style. Problem solved. I am enjoying following on FB โ never miss a new post to DALS that way! We had e pretzel chicken for dinner tonight. Everyone ate it โ success!
I know the owner of one of the apartments featured in the book! Does that count for anything? ๐