Things I don't seem to tire of...

Over the years, I have started many collections and am drawn repeatedly to the same things.   That's not to say I don't also like trends.  There is definitely a time and place for trends in most designed spaces.   But, there are always the things that are comforting and reliable and that I will always love in a space.  At least I have for the last  10 odd years.   I thought I would share a few of the things I never seem to tire of...

Jade-ite Dishes (Oh. and salt and pepper shakers too!)

Mixing patterns - adds such a dynamic quality to a space.

Small cabinets with doors and latches 

(and, in case you don't already know - GREEN)

Old Suitcases

Drawers, especially metal ones

And chalkboard paint

Our wall in our kitchen is blackboard paint and we truly use it all the time.  Most of the time it looks a bit of a mess, but I think it still looks okay this way.   My husband and I use it for our brainstorming sessions about furniture design, kitchen layout (that's his chicken scratch way of writing "kitchen" by the way - it really doesn't say kill) and lists.  Those are the preliminary drawings for the side tables we collaborated on (see entry Build up to Built-ins).  

 Thanks for having a look...check back soon!

Rant: Criteria for a non-functional kitchen?

Since when is a kitchen not functional because you can't open all of the appliances at once?   Who does this?   Is it really necessary to have the fridge, oven and dishwasher open all at the same time?  Call me crazy, but I think this would be non-functional even in a big kitchen!  On two separate home shows recently, I have heard homeowners criticize a kitchen because things would be tight if you had all of the appliances open at once.   Seriously?  How often are you loading or unloading a dishwasher, basting a turkey and putting leftovers in the fridge all at once?  Even two people in the kitchen wouldn't be doing all of this at one time.  And if you are, you shouldn't be!  It's dangerous!  Call it small, call it ugly, say the layout sucks, but, not having everything open at once doesn't make it non-functional.   I agree this rant may seem trivial, but I just couldn't resist commenting on the ridiculousness of this concept.  Thanks for listening!