Small Bathroom Solution: Glass Pebble Floor adds a nice texture and contrast to the dark slate border. Even though this bathroom has no windows, the visual interest gives it character. Also the dark slate might be counter-intuitive about what to do in a bathroom with no windows, but it actually gives the small space a sense of security and refuge. The pebbles flowing into the shower give the room a sculptural feeling.
Hot Powder Rooms
Don't be afraid to punch out a color with a Powder Room. Here we have an integral colored plastered wall powder room. The sink is a real Chinese antique table with a stone insert and a carved green marble sink. The black anodized faucet is wall mounted and has a matching towel bar. The mirror is custom Cherry with pegged corners. The flooring is green slate. You might think that using green & red is too Christmas like, but it actually does not come off that way at all. Red and Green are complimentary colors.
Award for 2015
We got an award for 2015!!!!
New Portrait
I figure every ten years it is good to re-do the old portrait!
Credit goes to photographer Vaschelle Andre who captured a Rodeo Beach sunset mood to update my portrait.
Before and After
The before shot of this narrow kitchen
The kitchen was recesses behind the Aframe's roof beams
Narrow Kitchen works- the up lighting above the upper cabinets helps lift the lid of the ceiling to counter-act the dark cabinets.
The before and after pictures are sometimes hard to show on a website, so my blog is the perfect space to look at some of my past projects. This was a vintage 1965 kitchen that got totally re-built- yes we raised the roof and changed the pitch when we added on the dining room wing.
Lighting Thoughts
I see so many older homes where lighting was not addressed, in earlier time periods, with a single light source. This kitchen displays numerous sources with natural light coming from Cupola Windows above with MR-16 track lights with integral transformers mounted below the beams. Track lights are an easy transition from a single source light fixture, as your electrician can connect to the j-box and expand your light options!
Cherry Kitchens
Cherry Cabinets give warmth to this galley kitchen layout.
The clients wanted a blackboard and desk in the kitchen.
Cherry Cabinets with stainless steel handles are a timeless choice for this kitchen in a SF Victorian. The red marble floor accents add interest and relate to the color of the cabinets. The diagonal pattern on the floor draws your eye to the rear dining area that faces the rear garden. By extending the counter up 6" with a shelf in the back, it helps to de-clutter the counters.
Another Cherry Kitchen
Some people think that you have to have a contrast between the Kitchen Cabinets and the flooring, but I beg to differ. Here we have Cherry cabinets and Cherry floors. With plenty of storage, the things that pop in this kitchen are the appliances and backsplash. This kitchen is 15 years old in Mill Valley, Ca. and the house is in a Victorian Style, so the beamed ceilings and high ceilings give it character. But you could do the same thing with modern materials.
Kitchen Remodel
View of kitchen when you first walk in- the space is opened up to the dining room
The test of a good kitchen remodel is happy clients! This kitchen turned out better then the owners thought it would. They got way more counter space then they had before, new appliances, a great work triangle that keeps visitors out of the path of travel for the kitchen users. The counters are quartzite, the back-splash is limestone tiles 3" x 6", the recessed niche has ceramic tiles, the cabinets are "Home Depot" and the maple floors are refinished.
The cooking area becomes the heart of the kitchen with the new recessed tiled niche.
Bathroom Idea Book
Master Bathroom Addition
A punch of color is always nice in a Master Bathroom. Here the blue brick ceramic tiles are used as a back-splash, then continue in a vertical brick-laid pattern into the wall of the shower that is separated by a low pony wall. A neutral checkerboard pattern of two tones of limestone is on the back wall of the shower, while a black line of tile bisects the wall and continues along the floor to create visual interest in the room.
Inside the shower there are two shower heads