Carrara and Skinny Subway Tile

Did you know that carrara marble is actually one of the most affordable stones? At my local slab yards, honed carrara costs about $15 per square foot. Most other stones (even the granite that I don't love) start at about $30 and go way up from there. (Fabrication costs are usually an additional $27-35 per square foot).

We're planning on using this carrara in one or two of our current client projects because it's just so beautiful and comparatively affordable. I think marble is great in bathrooms and is especially good on kitchen center islands. I would be comfortable with using marble everywhere in a kitchen because I like the way it wears over time, but I realize it's not for every homeowner.

I really love how carrara mixes with white subway tile (another affordable/timeless/gorgeous choice!). This kitchen was one of our hood style inspirations, but everything else is so, so good. I put some links below to help you track down some of these great products. Have you found a good resource for inexpensive subway tile in interesting sizes?

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lots of windows please.

ever since i saw a post that things that inspire did on bringing the outside in, i have become obsessed with the idea of windows taking the place of upper cabinets in a kitchen. it is just amazing how beautiful it looks to have all of that space open. i am a huge fan of not using upper cabinets and this allows so much light into a space. then i saw this picture of the shower enclosed with window panes and i think it is just genius! so if you are building think windows...and lots of them!

*images courtesy of things that inspire, southern accents, things that inspire, delight by design, meyer davis studio, searching for style

take a picture, it will last longer...

i think one of my favorite parts of having this blog is the visual reminder of what i am inspired by...having all of these images saved, gives me a great resource to go to when i am helping a client. when you are building a house or hiring a designer, images are so vital in expressing your individual style. you can learn so much from looking at pictures: obviously i like open kitchens with a combination of light and dark elements, i lean towards no upper cabinetry and i like introducing industrial touches either in lighting or in a piece of furniture.

so if you are just trying to find out what you gravitate too or if you are considering hiring a designer, start storing pictures...this will serve as a great starting point to tweaking your own individual look!

*images courtesy of charleston home (first and second), house and garden, domino, design sponge, newlywed diaries/martha stewart, the city sage, house beautiful

industrialized....

the look is popping up everywhere, even in those pesky mail order catalogs that arrive at your house daily. the industrial look is something that makes my heart skip a beat. i don't need a whole house filled w/ stainless steel but little bits of it interjected into a space makes me happy. that is why when i saw the kitchen w/ the locker baskets, i freaked. that image quickly jumped to the top of my "favorites list". i found the article from country living and read the story on the designer, Aaron Foster, who created that awesome kitchen- everything was from ebay, home depot, or flea market fairs.....

then last night, i almost died when i saw please sir's locker set...ohhh, how i would kill to have that living in my house! she spotted it in college and knew she had to have it! oh the possibilities that locker set holds!! so i am on a mission...i will be searching every reStore, flea market, and restaurant supply company (i have never been to one...tay get ready, we have an outing)....i need a little more industrial in my life...like this old metal desk from a french post office...wouldn't it be a perfect place to pay bills?!

*images courtesy of country living, please sir, 1st dibs via riviera antiques

bread box...

i inherited my love for antiques and vintage finds...my parents have taken me to antique stores my entire life. i spent many saturdays wondering around the huge warehouses at lakewood and scotts...unfortunately, i could have cared less at the time...it pains me to think about it. i would kill to be able to go to lakewood now (may it rest in peace)!

for christmas and my birthday a couple of years ago, my mom and dad gave me a vintage bread box and flour tin. i adore them. i have always wanted one b/c that is where we always kept our bread growing up. i can't wait until i have a kitchen with open cabinetry where i can really show them off....but in the mean time, i'll enjoy them sitting on my counter and giving me thoughts of home.

*pics courtesy of purple area, cottage living, bluepint bliss (these aren't old but they're still cute), country living

it's where you make your coffee...

the kitchen is the heart of a home...the spot i greet my husband everyday when he gets home from work, it's the office when i am trying to talk to a "potential" new client and i don't want them to hear my daughter screaming in her room, it's where barron hunts for food that might have been thrown overboard by a little someone, it's our favorite place in town to grab a glass of wine or beer, and of course- it's a karaoke bar/dance floor when no one is looking.....

*pics courtesy of marie claire maison