Clean/Clutter Free Kitchens
Kitchen Islands
Since the 1980s when builders first began plopping blocks of wood in the middle of a floor the island has been one of the most popular models of kitchen design. Through the years the function and look continues to evolve from the early days of added storage space, to the next incarnation when appliances were added, to the addition of multiple levels to accommodate seating and visual interest. The latest trend is for the island to more closely resemble furniture so they look less like a part of the kitchen and more of a seamless blend with the adjoining room’s decor.
Despite their huge popularity, an island cannot and should not be a part of every kitchen, most designers agree. They work best in an L-shaped kitchen that is at least 12 to 14 feet wide. The barest minimum of walk space should be 36 inches, but the National Kitchen and Bath Association prefers at least 42 inches clearance for a one-cook kitchen and 48 for multiple cooks or high traffic kitchens. The most popular island width is roughly three feet.
Like all kitchen design it is best to determine the island’s function. They work well as secondary workspaces with prep sinks and can hold auxiliary appliances like wine coolers or warming trays. One pitfall in adding a prep sink is not allowing enough adjacent counter space to make it truly functional. Guidelines call for a minimum of 36 inches on at least one side of a secondary sink. If a cooktop is on an island allow for a minimum of 12 inches on side of a cooking surface and 15 inches on the other.
To add a punch of color or create a focal point, consider using a different wood for the base or a different countertop. Also think about varying the height of the island to break up the wide expanse and create interest. A typical countertop height is 36 inches high but you can add a lip to make a breakfast bar of 42 inches or lower a portion to table height of 30 inches.
Islands work well in today’s open concept living spaces to keep people connected but there can be drawbacks, too. Dirty dishes are often in full view and there can be safety issues if people are sitting too near a cooktop. A buffer of at least nine inches should separate a cooktop or sink. Consider also rounding the edges of an island as sharp corners can be a hazard.
Living Green Furniture
What's most important, after the style of the furniture and the fabrics, is comfort and value. Exceptional value isn't just about price, it's about the relationship of price and quality - how the furniture is made, how it performs and how long it meets or exceeds your expectations. So read on to see how they "stack up"!
The heart of their custom upholstered, eco-friendly furniture is a solid frame made from American hardwoods that have been sustainably harvested. Kiln-dried hardwood as well as solid and laminate boards that are precision-milled into a frame that will never twist, warp or crack. In an effort to minimize any waste of resources, the kiln is fired from the sawdust and wood waste produced during the milling process. Joints are held strong with double-dowel or mortise and tenon and corner block construction. Because of the unbeatable craftsmanship on their line of furniture frames, they are able to guarantee them for as long as you own their furniture.
Suspension systems are an important part of our comfort story. LivingGreenFurniture uses either a traditional coil or sinuous spring system or a state-of-the-art elastomeric webbing system. Just like their frames, LivingGreenFurniture guarantees its suspension systems for as long as you own your furniture.
Cushions are specifically designed for each style of their upholstered and slipcovered furniture. Standard cushions include a core containing plant-based and recycled materials, and organic, halogen-free fire retardants. Each core is wrapped with a layer of soft polyester fiber. LivingGreenFurniture’s cushions are made without the use of CFCs. The high-resiliency foam delivers just the right amount of support, comfort and bounce-back to ensure ultra-comfortable seating, while the fiber wrap provides softness and shape to the surface of the cushion. Each furniture family’s style and design dictates whether the cushion looks and sits a little softer, or sits more firmly with a more tailored look.
As an option on many styles, the eco-down blend cushion is a modern combination of a channel-quilted down-proof jacket filled with multiple layers of high-resiliency recycled fiber foam surrounded by a blend of duck feather and down. This cushion delivers an exceptionally rich and plush down-like seating comfort for the ultimate in sit-down-and-sink-in splendor.
All cushions as a rule will soften with use. With proper care, all cushions will deliver years of dependable seating. Regular vacuuming, fluffing and rotation of cushions will help extend cushion life.
As a designer, I love upholstery as a beginning for a lovely color palette allowing you to totally customize your room theme. Along with the fun of creating your own personal style, realizing you have quality and beauty which will last a life time is priceless. My personal opinion is to use a solid allowing you to change the pillow colors and style as often as you like, this becomes very economical, changing your pillows and accessories becomes your least design expense. However, they also make lovely custom style slip covers which would allow you to use a pattern. This is furniture you will use everyday of your life, what a relief to know it will last as long as you own it. Once this decision is made then have fun playing with colors in your accessories.
Classy and Clean
Hidden Beds
Asian Art
Valentine's Chair
Designed in 1959 by Denmark’s Verner Panton, the Heart Cone Chair began as a variant of the slightly more demure Cone Chair of 1958. The metamorphosis went from the fantastical to the fanciful: Cone Chair looks like an ice cream delicacy and Heart Cone Chair like a box of chocolates. Whoever would have thought I’d grow so fond of sweets and hearts?
Panton once worked as an assistant for Arne Jacobsen—note Heart Cone’s nod to the sensuous Egg Chair. Although it has lovely contours, don’t oversimplify Panton’s Heart Cone Chair. It’s meant to play with lots of iconic shapes, not just the bloody organ: “Heart Cone Chair has large, projecting wings reminiscent of Mickey Mouse ears that could also, however, be interpreted as a contemporary take on the classic wing chair.” Constructed of durable materials—laminated body, stainless base, polyurethane foam upholstery—Heart Cone Chair doesn’t compromise durability for style. And given the delicious color choices, this Panton gem is easy to swallow. Of course, there’s the red, but also golden yellow, rust, and chocolate in warm tones; and blue, green, and steel in the cool range.
Floral Compliments
If you get that special wedding proposal during Valentine's Day,or any time of the year, you need to go immediately to Michele's site and view all of the possibilites for your wedding floral designs...they are simply stunning keepsakes!!!!!!!! Don't forget Michele will totally design your custom colors and style and make special items upon requests. A sneak peak below, gives you a variety of Michele's work, check out the custom made flip flop wedding shoes one customer requested, this was a smart lady!
Sleigh Bed or Tub
While lying down may feel luxurious at first, for me - and for many, baths include a glass of wine and a good book. And so, this new bathtub is bound to be appreciated by avid readers and drinkers alike. The height and incline of Cuna’s backrest are designed with comfort and total relaxation in mind, helping to eliminate the fidgeting, twisting and turning we endure in an attempt to achieve a comfortable semi-seated position in standard bathtubs. Furthermore, “the base shape is rectangular, but sides are rounded, another singularity making the tub really comfortable,” explains the company.
Despite the lack of information, I’d assume that the material is cristalplant - a fairly new composite that is super-hard, ultra-durable and smooth as silk - commonly used by Antonio Lupi and a modern-day favorite for high-end bathtubs. The material is fully capable of creating Cuna’s thin-sided, sleigh-like form - and the boldly colored exterior.
Float My Boat
Bagno Sasso was founded in 1995 by former bicycle pro and World Championship participant, Rolf Senti. The company, whose existence spans 14 years, developed from humble beginnings to an internationally-active company in the planning and equipping of exclusive baths and spa furnishings. Recently, the company has also managed to gain a foothold in product design. Its products are distributed worldwide.
Thus, Bagno Sasso always strives to create a custom-made bathroom for its customers, and to advise its customers on topics, such as products, material selection and colours. In order to ensure that the products also genuinely originate from a single source, unique wall coverings and floor coverings, available in natural stone and ceramic, enrich the assortment. Even the use of leather is possible in the bathrooms.
Wallpaper Designs
Marcel Wanders’ fame started with his iconic Knotted Chair, which he produced for Droog Design in 1996. He is now ubiquitous, designing for the biggest European contemporary design manufacturers like B&B Italia, Bisazza, Poliform, Moroso, Flos, Boffi, Cappellini, Droog Design and Moooi of which he is also art director and co-owner.
Couture: designed by Marcel Wander exclusively for Graham & Brown is a collection of eight striking wallpaper designs, each pattern in the Couture range is named after a glamorous woman or man with an inspirational name; Suzanne, Alice, Grace, Kelly, Audrey, Isabella, Stella, and Henry
The color palette of the Couture range features a strong mix of bold colorways and more subtle shades from vivid oranges and vibrant reds to rick golds and chocolate tones.
Graham and Brown have been creating innovative and fashionable wall coverings for over 60 years. All wall covering products are made in Blackburn, England. Their unique and archival styles allow for innovative decorating in the home or office. The Graham & Brown story is one of great guts & determination and impressive vision- built from the bare bones of a single printing machine and the dreams of two men, Harold Graham and Henry Brown, to create a long lasting legacy for their families and for the industry. Graham & Brown has a reputation as one of the leading wallcovering brands around the world.via Burke Decor
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