MY KITCHEN'S LAST GASP

For as long as I've been blogging, I've talked about updating my knotty pine kitchen.  Well, I'm doing it.  I'm so excited that all the "orange" cedar trim and the cooktop island that divides the room in half are leaving for good.  We're knocking down the wall between the dining room and kitchen and creating a large open space.  There is a link at the end of this post to the before of my 1970's kitchen.

I'm going to miss my Duralee faux snakeskin fabric back splash.  I outlined it with nailhead trim.  I really loved that feature.  It will be missed.  It was a true labor of love.

DURALEE FAUX SNAKESKIN BACKSPLASH WITH NAILHEAD

Of course the kitchen will be black and white.  Right before the demolition started, I added some Dorothy Draper chairs to the eat-in area.  You had some sneak peeks of the space in a post about the chairs. I wanted to share some of the other black and white details before they're gone.  Make sure to notice all the rough cedar trim.

BLACK AND WHITE EAT-IN KITCHEN

I changed out the Chinoiserie chairs that matched the table for these Dorothy Draper ones.   The table really didn't match style-wise, so I covered it with a black and white buffalo check cloth.

BUFFALO CHECK TABLECLOTH

You haven't seen this wonderful black beaded chandelier.  I know that I'm going to find a place for it in another room.  That's the advantage of having black everywhere in your house.  Decor can move around. The centerpiece is a white cachepot with preserved boxwood orbs.

BLACK BEADED CHANDELIER AND CACHEPOT WITH BOXWOOD SPHERES

SIDE VIEW OF THE BEADED CHANDELIER

This curvy vintage black and gold chest has been mine for a very long time.  The lamp made from an old coffee urn is also a long-time possession.  They both move around the house frequently.

VINTAGE CHEST AND COFFEE URN LAMP

The framed Fornasetti wallpaper hopped in from the pantry.

FRAMED FORNASETTI WALLPAPER

I borrowed the vintage books with marbleized covers and the architectural fragment bookends from book shelves in the family room.

VINTAGE BOOKS AND BOOKENDS

I always purchase books with marbleized covers when I see them.

BOOKS WITH MARBLEIZED COVERS

These architectural building fragments have become my favorite bookends.

BUILDING FRAGMENT BOOKENDS

I'll make sure to keep you posted on the new kitchen project.  I'm so excited!!

Link to the kitchen BEFORE here.

Link to the post about the Dorothy Draper chairs here.

Styling A Bookcase With Metallics

I've styled many bookshelves in the past and it's one of my favorite things to do.  When I found this vintage faux bamboo desk, chair and shelf,  I knew it it had to have a fun and modern vibe.   I want to share some of the guidelines I follow.  Below is a collage of the shelves.

COLLAGE OF STYLED VINTAGE FAUX BAMBOO BOOKSHELVES

STYLING GUIDELINES

  Assemble like items.  You can see that I'm using "desk" related items.
I have some pens sprinkled around and in containers, books of course, and bookends.   If you look on the right you'll see a ribboned bag with oversized paperclips too. 

FAUX BAMBOO DESK STYLED WITH METALLICS

Add interest with unique objects.  I used some wooden tassels as bookends, added a vintage ram sculpture, and some books with interesting covers.  Remember:  Books can be vertical, facing out, or stacked horizontally.

BOOKS FACING OUT AND STACKED AND WOODEN TASSEL BOOKENDS

Repetition is another important element.  For these shelves, besides repeating desk items, you'll see the color gold, or metallics throughout.  There are metallic sacks/baskets on almost every shelf, and a grouping of gold journals.  I even draped a metallic tote over the chair.

REPETITION OF METALLIC GOLD 

I always like to introduce a second color.  The blue beaded garland breaks up all the gold.  The gold heart ties it into the rest of the shelves.  Balance is important too.  I broke up the books and bookends and placed them on different shelves.  This repetition creates cohesiveness and keeps your eye moving around.  The plaster bookends add texture too.   I always add a mirror to a shelf.  This small sunburst mirror adds the color gold, more sparkle, and reflection too.

ADDING BLUE BREAKS UP ALL THE GOLD

KEEP COMPATIBILITY, SYMMETRY, BALANCE, TEXTURE and
REPETITION IN MIND AS YOU STYLE YOUR SHELVES.


If you'd like to see how I styled another bookshelf in an entirely different look, go here for that post or click on the image below.

BOOKSHELF IN MY KITCHEN

Or, go here  or click on the image for my nature-inspired shelves in my family room to see that post.

NATURE-INSPIRED BOOKSHELVES IN MY FAMILY ROOM