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Glamorous 4-Square Remodel: Jessica Helgerson Design

Portland, Oregon’s Jessica Helgerson Interior Design specializes in environmentally sustainable commercial and residential interiors. In this turn-of-the-century four-square in Southeast Portland, Helgerson give the home a complete face-lift. The new interior is quite striking.

The kitchen, back pantry and mud room were gutted to create a large, open kitchen. Adding to the kitchen’s airy feel, the appliances are white or covered with cabinetry. Adding cabinet panels to appliances is an excellent way to keep them timeless and not date your kitchen.

The dark ebony stained floors are a nice contrast to the white cabinets and farmhouse sink. And I do love white kitchens!

Helgerson does a wonderful job transitioning from the kitchen to the dining room by flanking the entry with glass-front cabinets.

Box beams added to the dining room help define the space from the adjacent living room. The sleek round dining table was made custom. The eye-catching blown glass sculpture was by glass artist, Andy Paiko of Portland, OR.

Lovely space. Would you agree?

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Read full story By on February 3, 2010 in dining rooms, interior design, kitchens

Designer Kitchens: Glass-front Cabinets

You have seen them in several previous Simplified Bee posts: Clean and Simple White Kitchens, French Inspired Kitchen Design, and Perfect Function – Mick de Giulio Kitchen Design. It seems more than ever, interior designers are incorporating glass-front cabinetry into their kitchen designs. And I love the look!

Glass-front cabinets provide an open, airy feeling and are used to display choice tableware. They are great incentives for you to be organized because any clutter will be noticeable. For this reason however, it is important to place glass-front cabinets strategically and perhaps sparingly in your kitchen. Here are some examples of great kitchen designs – including modern, contemporary and traditional – using glass-front cabinets.

Atlanta, Georgia-based designer, Suzanne Kasler beautifully positions glass-front cabinets on either side of the stove and farmhouse sink. Love the Roman shade in Galbraith & Paul’s Zinnia print.

Sage Design uses glass-fronts in a series of standard rectangle shaped cabinets to give this smaller, classic kitchen an open and airy feeling.

In this soft cream kitchen the upper cabinets showcase decorative stained glass. I am a fan of mixing old with new and love how the stained glass old world look balances the contemporary design elements. Image via Decor Pad.

Natural light floods this gorgeous kitchen by designer, Suzanne Kasler. She surrounds a range and hood with divided light or mullioned door glass-front cabinets. The cabinets also nicely echo the look of the adjacent windows. The ice blue tile backsplash and bar stools add a touch of freshness to this beautiful kitchen.

In this Scandinavian kitchen from Vakre Hjem & Interior, the divided light glass-front cabinets are stunning. The X pattern contrasts nicely with the vertical pattern in the country beadboard.

In this kitchen, designer Molly Frey converts an antique hutch from New England into a wet bar. The glass-front cabinet in this case doesn’t have to match the kitchen’s cabinet style and adds to the overall charm by mixing old and new.

Designed by Elizabeth Dinkel, this kitchen’s glass-front cabinets house books and frame an open window into the adjacent living room.

This curved glass display case is beautifully positioned on a corner. Love this use of space! Image via Kitchen Bath Ideas.

Painting the back or interior of a glass-front cabinet allows you to add a shot of color into your kitchen. Select a hue that complements your existing color scheme and is a contrast to your tableware. Image via House Beautiful.

Here is another example {via Decorology} of glass-front cabinets with a splash of color. Notice that all of the items on display are in a neutral white or glass so that they don’t blend into the background. Using storage bins such as the large white labeled tins on the top shelf are a great way to display items you otherwise won’t in a glass-front cabinet.

Featured in the August 2007 issue of House Beautiful, the interior of these divided light cabinets are painted by architect Gil Schafer and color consultant, Eve Ashcraft. Both the white cabinets and china contrast nicely with the apple green backdrop. The glass insert appears to be reeded which would help conceal the cabinets contents.

A fluted glass insert, as seen in the stainless steel cabinets above is another good option if you struggle to keep your dishware organized. Image courtesy of Luxury Housing Trends.

Frosted-glass cabinet doors also hide tableware, spices and other cooking supplies. In this colorful kitchen featured in Coastal Living, the homeowners etched letter into the frosted-glass to make finding items easy as ABC.

Do you have glass-front cabinets in your kitchen? Do you love the look?


* First image courtesy of Charles and Hudson.

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Read full story By on January 25, 2010 in interior design, kitchens

Tia Zoldan Interiors – Sophisticated Del Mar Home

Los Angeles-based interior designer, Tia Zoldan was tasked with the challenge of transforming a traditional home into a sophisticated space that remained beach-casual and kid-friendly. And, boy did she succeed. The single-story 4,000 square foot three bedroom, four bath home located in Del Mar, California had an existing semi-open floor plan. To ensure visual flow and connectivity, Zoldan used a common color scheme of gray, white and black as a base with hints of bright color throughout the home.

In the living room, Zoldan lines the room with custom sofas by Holly Hunt in a durable, brushed white velvet (she swears it’s a kid-friendly fabric and even tested it by spilling coffee on it!). The symmetrical sofa arrangement forces our attention the the gorgeous limestone fireplace. Zoldan infuses vivid color by adding charcoal gray and bright pink throw pillows to the sofas and an avocado green tufted bench in front of the fireplace. The unifying hand-knotted wool and silk rug is Tibetan and is gorgeous over the dark walnut floors.

The dining room is a bit eclectic with modern, traditional and vintage elements, but Zoldan pulls it together brilliantly. I love the upholstered white chairs with with backs in a bold, textured orange fabric. The light fixture from Foscarini and the zigzag rug by Jonathan Adler add more whimsical elements.

Natural light floods the simple, yet stunning white kitchen. The counter-high table with wooden top serves multiple purposes – it adds visual warmth, a place for family members to gather and of course, an additional food prep area. The white backless stools are from Design Within Reach.

The media room features a large, inviting sectional sofa covered in a gray vintage velvet. Again, Zoldan adds vibrant pops of color with a collection of solid and geometric throw pillows. I am curious to know what color gray paint she used on the walls and cabinets.

The sweet, yet sophisticated girl’s room in purple, pearl and beige is certainly one that any age would love. The beautifully designed headboard is brilliant with the pearlescent wallpaper, mirrored chest and chenille rug by Madeline Weinrib. I should have featured this room in a previous post,
Interior Design Color Trends for 2010 – Purple.

The tranquil, airy master bedroom features beautiful windows with ocean views. Zoldan uses the perfect mix of colors throughout the room. The dark gray custom bench and tufted headboard contrast beautifully with milky bed linens.

The serene master bathroom is perfection. The beautiful floor-to-ceiling Calcutta marble tile was vertically set. The raspberry bench with lucite X legs and glass light fixture are fabulous!

I am loving Zoldan’s design and the down-to-earth feeling this home communicates. How about you?

*images from Luxe Magazine
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Read full story By on November 12, 2009 in bathrooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, girl's bedroom, interior design, kitchens, living rooms

Charming Stone Cottage in Lake Tahoe

High in the Sierra Mountain range sits breathtaking Lake Tahoe. Known for its clear, fresh water and beauty, this area attracts tourists all year around. Even though I don’t live there today, for me Tahoe is home – it’s where I grew up.

So, I am thrilled to share with you a lovely Lake Tahoe stone cottage that was recently renovated by Elise Fett & Associates Architecture and Engineering of Incline Village, Nevada.

The home, which was built in 1927, is made of beautiful gray and silver granite mined from the Cave Rock tunnel which sits on the East shore of the lake. Like many empty-nesters today, the new homeowners downsized when they purchased the charming 1,200 square foot stone cottage. They choose to expand slightly by adding 550 square feet – a bathroom, laundry room and master suite upstairs. The home’s integrity however stayed the same. In fact, the original single-paned metal windows were kept despite the freezing winter temperatures. The homeowners instead selected insulated Roman shades to keep in the heat from escaping.

The “L” shaped main living space features the beautifully remodeled open kitchen, living room and dining room. The small, yet gourmet kitchen features a center island in pine and topped with butcher block. It offers seating for guests, storage and of course, a food prep area. To the left of the island sits a simple, yet elegant custom china cabinet and refrigerator covered in red antiqued wooden paneling – both coordinate with the cabinets. In this image, the back double-dutch door is open to the backyard.

The red stove by Heartland is darling! It includes an exhaust system and therefore frees up space above the range for additional storage.

The perimeter countertops are slabs of Carrara marble with a crescent edge detail. It is a nice contrast to the red antiqued cabinets.

The hammered copper farmhouse sink by Counter Culture in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico is stunning and my favorite element in the kitchen.The faucet is Bridge by Cucina. Best yet, the kitchen window has incredible views of the lake below.

The stunning granite fireplace is original and is the focal point in the cozy living room. The natural sunlit room is open to the balcony upstairs and showcases gorgeous pine beams.

The quaint dining room sits off the the living room.

A soft leather armchair with nailhead trim sits in front of the living room’s fireplace. Above hangs a fun vintage Lake Tahoe poster.

Makes me want to pack up the family and head to Tahoe!

*images from Simplified Bee

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Read full story By on November 5, 2009 in interior design, kitchens, living rooms