15 year old carpet?  Check!   

Boring walls? Check!

Lack of personality?  Check and double check! 

Chandelier

I can’t hide the fact that I’m so giddy about this space!  It’s absolutely a dream that I get to live my life and raise my family in such a magical room.  In case you have missed it, let me tell you about all of the details.

During Week 2 I dropped this bombshell of a surprise on you!  This beautifully cascading  Tyrell Chandelier from Hudson Valley is even more breath taking IRL than could ever be captured in computer screen sized image.  They scale, majesty, and “perfectly imperfect” detail make this chandelier a show stopper.  Truly, it’s gorgeous.

Floors

You may or may not have noticed the 15 year old white carpet in the before pics.  Sure, they looked decent the day we walked in (thanks to the steam clean they had just received)….But that lasted no more than a week before they showed their true nastiness.

In its stead we installed DROP. DEAD. GORGEOUS. engineered hardwoods from LIFECORE Flooring.  We opted for the Anton Fresh Aire style and I chose wisely, if do say so myself.  These planks have so much character and natural beauty.

One of my favorite parts about the new LIFECORE Floors is the fact that they smelled like fresh cut wood when they were installed.  With low VOC and a strong UV finish, these floors were a smart and heathy addition to our home.

Mural

This Sarza Store wallpaper, designed by Robin Sprong, adds so much soul and personality to the space. The mural is beautiful…obviously. But in addition, the dimensions are bespoke.  They custom-sized the image to my wall specifications.  DREAMY!

Fabric

See that breath taking powder blue sofa?  That is the fabric that eventually set the color scheme for the room.  I saw the wool blend at the DC design center and KNEW it would look stunning on my curvy sofa.  Man, was I right, or was I right?  Stroheim Fabric for the win!  A huge thank you goes out to my amazing upholster, Maureen Loy, for nailing this complicated sofa.  It is jaw dropping and I couldn’t have done it without her!

Lamp

This graphic Erzi 29 inch table lamp reinforces the black and white themes I have in the kitchen and most every other room in the house.  I saw it on the Couture Lamps website and it just felt right!   The white plays off of the white in all of the other lighting in this space.

Door Handles

This lovely pair of door handles are the Quincy Lockset with an Egg knob handle.  I love the unlacqured brass and tall scale.

Art

Minted is such a great place to pick up art from actual artists in a variety of styles and colors.  You can pick out your own framing as well.  I opted for:

Hard and Soft by Kristen Arley | Untitled 1 and 1 b by Jamie Derringer | Playful Art Print by Bethania Lima

Pillow

This lovely Kelly Wearstler Graphito pillow was made for me by the lovelies of the SWD Design Studio.   They can custom size the pillow to any of your decor needs.  I appreciate the zipper and pretty stitching.

Dome Lamp

I believe that you can mix high/low price points in a room.  For examples, look at the cute gold dome lamp with a marble from Overstock.  I feel like keeps the bookcase from feeling too formal.

Moulding

I don’t think I can over estimate the difference  that good moulding makes in a room.  Tart Lumber is a great source for a variety of moulding brands. To add cohesion, I went with the same moulding as I have used in the rest of my home.

Sconces

I love how these Mitzi Tara sconces from Lamps Plus are the perfect fit for the mural.  I have shopped Lamps Plus many times before and have always been impressed with their selection and prices.

Commissioned Art

I commisioned this piece through one of my favorite artists, Laura Gunn.  Laura is well known for her overscaled landscapes, but I requested a Rothko inspired black and white piece to ping off the kitchen island.  I think it did the trick, don’t you?

Well, the chairs were cool….that’s about all I have to say about this situation. 🙂

What do you think?  Better, eh?

Chandelier

I am OBSESSED with this Pembridge chandelier from Original BTC.  I love the cascading layers of bone china and think that they look lovely with the mix of modern and traditional in the space.

Table

Since we extended the island, we needed to get a smaller dining table.  I saw this beautiful black and gold oval table on Overstock and immediately loved it.  It is nice to add a wood element to the space and the dark color tones-down the blue walls. Since it is a pedastal table we can slide in and out easier.  Lovely!

Curtians and Trim

These curtains were custom designed for me and printed out, and sewn by Roostery/Spoonflower.  It is amazing the power you have when you can change the scale, color, and direction of fabric.

These lovely chunky 5 inch tassels are from Fringe Market, as is the fringe on the bottom of my banquette. I have worked with Fringe Market multiple times and love their trim!

Details

When I reupholstered these dining chairs (with a LOT of help from Maureen Loy), I opted to add a special detail to the back of the chairs.  This lovely Fabricut fabric adds pattern, texture, and extra  personality

Just how cute are these napkins from Spoonflower/Roostery?  I think they look fab with the dinner plates | salad plates | bowls | Old Fashioned Glasses from Kirklands.

I love how this vignette is another mix of modern and traditional.  The pretty sconces are Gina Mitzi sconces from Hudson Valley and the fun art is from Mioneplant.  She custom colored it for me and the colors and details are fab!

This matte black sconce from Overstock is full of style, inexpensive, and didn’t require an electrician.

This new Emtek door knob is a perfectly timeless and classic choice. The unlacquered brass and ebony door knob make my heart happy.

Kitchen Before

Wow…yeah…it’s so weird to look back at these before pics…because…

Here is my dream kitchen!

Cambria Bentley Island

I am so excited about the Cambria countertops that were just installed in our new kitchen.

There are three reasons why I went with Cambria.  First, it is maintenance free and naturally stain resistant.  It doesn’t require restaining or repolishing.-Another reason is that it is stronger than marble countertops, so I was able to order a longer overhang without adding support.-Also, Cambria is nonporous and nonabsorbent so it won’t draw in moisture from raw or leftover food, which can harbor harmful bacteria.-The Bentley Slab is truly a dream come true! It just feels oh-so-right!

I had them installed by GM Express.  This countertop fabricator was so kind and easy to work with.  They were able to fit me in on a Saturday so that I could try to meet my deadline.  I am so grateful for their professionalism and flexibility.

Floors

We opted to go with a simple black border around the entire room.  It is simple perfection, if you ask me!  Just enough tailoring to keep it feeling polished.

Backsplash

For the backsplash we had the fun idea to use the same The Tile Shop  floor tile (San Dona tile) but cut it into 3 inch vertical strips. It helps my cabinets feel taller and countertops feel brighter.  If I were to do it again I would have repeated in a honed, gloss, honed, gloss repeat pattern…for an extra dose of drama.

Oven Range

Why did I go with this Bertazzoni  30 in all gas 5 burner Master Series Range?  Well, I’m glad you asked!

First of all, Italians just do it better. Am I right?  Picture shoes, fashion, gelato…(kidding, not kidding about the gelato).  Italians are long renowned for their sense of style. Bertazzoni is no exception.  In fact, the Bertazzoni family founded the business in 1882 (not a typo). Since then, the company has evolved into world-wide innovative leaders in the kitchen appliance business.

When I saw the  30 in all gas 5 burner Master Series Range I was smitten.  I mean, look at that those handles! Check out the knobs!  Can we pause to appreciate the matte black finish? Wowzers!

Another reason I picked  Bertazzoni is because of the quality.  During the unboxing, I was pleased with the attention to detail and weight of each of the components.  It’s extremely solid and it took two people to push it across the garage floor.

Finally, we are a military family and never really know how long we get to stay in a home.  Since this is a nice neighborhood, a high quality range is just what we need for potential resell and re-rental value.

Cabinets

I added an extra base cabinet to our Island and used  Reico kitchen and bath to find a pretty decent match.

I knew I wanted to paint my cabinets and was excited to see an advertisement in Better Homes and Gardens for N’Hance refinishing.  I googled it and discovered a N-Hance of Mid Potomac in my region.   They meticulously taped, prepped, painted, and then UV rayed my old oak cabinets to factory finished quality. Yep, you read that right…UV rays were use to give it an extra strong finish. It blows my mind that these were formerly very grainy, thick, oak cabinets.  They now have such a factor finish!

Bar Stools

I absolutely love the pretty velvet stripe from Milton and King.  You may already know that I love Milton and King wallpaper, but did you know that they sell fabric too?  That’s right!  They have a selection of their surface designs that can be printed out on your choice of fabric.  I opted for the Candy Stripe in Ritz base.

Knobs and Pulls

Hardware is the jewelry to a room and I am so excited to have Schaub satin brass Fonce T-knobs and pulls as part of our kitchen updates.  These knobs are HEAVY and clearly well constructed.  I expect that they will last the test of time beautifully.

While I went with something simple and classic on the cabinets, I am opting for something special and unique on our pantry doors…I can’t even believe how freakin’ rad these are! Swan handles on my pantry doors?  Can I get a heck yeah?

Schaub has a HUGE selection of knobs and pulls in a large variety of colors and styles.  If you are in the market for kitchen updates, this is definitely a great starting point.

Burl

If you follow me then you know that I have a thing for burl wood.  I love it on most any piece of furniture.  When I was designing our kitchen knew I had to have a wood element in the space.  That’s when I had the light bulb moment.  A BURL ISLAND FRONT!  I have been following a very special company on Instagram for a long time called The Burl Co.  I reached out to them and they guided me through the process.

Broomley Sconces

The trio of Broomley sconces from Corbett lighting is the perfect pop against the dark cabinets.  These sconces are heavy and so well crafted.  This has been my experience with Corbett lighting.

Gunther Sconce

The Gunther is a beautiful sconce with intricate chain detail.  My contractor was blown away by the solid materials used in the construction of this sconce.  It comes in three different sizes.

Bowl

I loved seeing the out-pouring of enthusiasm on Instagram for this lovely bowl by Jill Rosenwald.  They colors are custom picked for me and perfectly tie in the two sides of the long space.  I’m smitten!

ART and Details

This lovely landscape was kindly created by Brittany Smith and pings off of the mural in the other room.  I also love our new rolling pin from Kirklands.  My daughter, the resident baker, can’t wait to use it!!!

This commissioned oil still life was painted by the ever so talented  Kaitlin Gray.  It brings so much soul and personality to the space.

That really cute black Jonathan Y lamp is from Overstock and is an inexpensive way to add a little extra light.

Don’t you just love this little marble cutting board from Kirkland’s?  Design is all about the details