Did your kitchen finesse the big Thanksgiving dinner? Was it a 5 Star event?  This Seattle interior designer suggests 5 basic improvements that make holiday entertaining memorable events for your family and friends.  Christmas, New Year’s and the Super Bowl are right around the corner.  Gather your family, friends and neighbors and start cooking in your beautiful interior and put some of these improvements to use this season.

Faith’s 5 Favorite Improvements for Holiday Occasions

• A standard 30″ range can be limiting with a larger menu and crowd.  A portable induction burner supplements your standard range and is readily available. I like this one from Fagor.

A portable induction to add another burner

• Pull out your Crock Pot or slow cooker. From casseroles to roasts, these versatile appliances are work horses. I used this one from All-Clad for T-Day.

All Clad Crock Pot

• Large crowds = lots of ice.  Consider a portable ice maker and save space in your freezer. Major box stores have them readily available.

• Small, portable wine and beverage fridges or installed dual-zone models will serve the home entertainer in good stead. I love Sub Zero for the selection.

Small Sub Zero Wine Chiller

• Ultimate cool new thing for your island and kitchen, the Cool Drawer from Fisher Paykel. A refrigerator, freezer and wine cooling drawer all in one.

Fisher Paykel Cool Drawer

 

Please enjoy a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season with your family and friends. 

This holiday season, gather family and friends in your kitchen and surround them with aromas of your marinara sauce simmering in your kitchen on your range. Imagine the stories, laughter and toasts as folks savor your tasty appetizers.

At Faith Sheridan Design Group, we applaud and congratulate lovers of cooking and food this season.

Finding the ‘extraordinary‘ tile for this Seattle interior designer begins in central Oregon, Redmond to be exact, home of Kibak Tile. I’d love to know the ‘why’ of central Oregon that caused Susanne Kibak to locate in Redmond in the mid-1980′s so an interview might be on my to-do list. Mostly, I am so thankful that these tile inspirations are available for Faith Sheridan Design Group to create stunning mural back-splashes in kitchens providing a personal kitchen design.

Susanne Kibak with the paper version of Pine Branches

In a recent project on Mercer Island, I used Sakura Pine Branch to connect the kitchen to the outdoors. My mural inspiration started here with this image.

This home is nestled into a waterfront property on Mercer Island and embracing the surroundings seemed a natural fit with this mural.

Working with Ann Sacks Seattle I was able to select custom colors for the mural elements and find a place for the tiles that conforms to the focal backsplash wall in the kitchen.

The final punch list is underway at this site so I took the opportunity to clear the counters and take a photo to share of the mural installation and cabinets.  The contractor for this project is Prestige Custom Builders and the custom cabinets builder is Collette Collins Design, both of Seattle.

Custom Pine Branch Mural for Mercer Island Kitchen

Are you ready to begin a custom remodel? Our team will work with you to create a custom inspiration for your home.

Press the “Easy Button” and benefit from our extensive experience that will save you time and money. We manage and coordinate hundreds and even thousands of details and you reduce your stress and worry. Our team of hand-selected artisans and resources work with you to create your perfect space.

Contact us today for a free phone interview.

206.973.3743

Last week Bridget Otto of the Oregonian featured this Seattle interior designer‘s kitchen project in the Home and Garden section. My friends and clients, Don and Sally Wolcott, contacted me last summer and quoting Sally, “We are not ready to downsize”. Bucking a trend they instead chose to remodel their kitchen and family room fireplace. Since before and after images energize and inspire, my post is about just that!

The ‘before’ kitchen was 20 years old and showing age.

Ready for a remodel

Bridget, “the Wolcotts had considered repairing and painting their cabinetry, but when they tallied up the costs, they realized they’d be paying a good bit for the same cabinets.” I suggested Pacific Design and as it turns out the owner, Mel Archer, built their cabinets 20 years ago.  Sally and Don eagerly renewed their relationship with Mel to remodel their kitchen.

Updated Wolcott Kitchen

Some  key changes:

• The glaze, which softened the paint and added definition to the cabinets.
• Angled power strips made by Task Lighting eliminate  power receptacles in the new tile backsplash.
• Status Ceramics backsplash tile with a custom crackle finish

Gather family and friends in your new kitchen and surround them with aromas of your marinara sauce simmering on your commercial style gas range. Imagine the stories, laughter and toasts as folks savor your tasty appetizers.  Then relax as your nearly silent dishwasher finishes the cleanup as you continue your conversation. Call us today to get started on your kitchen. 206.973-3743

2010 elevated  the old and mainstay stores, like Restoration Hardware,  are filled with pseudo-aged, unfinished furniture.  What about real vintage and antique furniture? In my interior design practice in Seattle, I see clients investing in key pieces and I refer to them as the ‘soul’ of the home.  Other clients plan and design around family heirlooms. They reflect on the many memories shared with the furniture. We are rapidly approaching 2011 and I happened upon a ‘trends list’ for 2010.  Sure enough ‘Old is New Again’ was one and another ‘Mix it Up’ noted that “classic 19th century pieces mix with vintage and current furniture from this year”, (Kimberly Ayres).

Check out the piece my clients are using in the redesigned island of the kitchen.

early 20th century French buffet

Finished on all sides, it boasts ample storage and a beautiful marble top.  In the room it will separate the kitchen from the family room and inspire conversation about the  ’ well traveled look’.  In this instance my clients looked at online antique stores and sourced this buffet in Chicago.

Imagine the stories and fun gatherings that will surround the addition of this vintage piece to the kitchen. For the gourmet group gatherings, this 78″ server is perfect for setting up a buffet with accessories and linens.  Wine and cheese pairings or tasty desserts, the antique server becomes a functional, vintage addition to a gourmet kitchen.

Thinking about remodeling or an addition? We make it easy for you with experience and a knowledgeable team. Call us today 206.437.8000

A few weeks ago, Halie Rosenberg, a Growers guest contributing writer, contacted me. As an interior designer in Seattle, I was intrigued with her story concept for the blog, http://www.growersandnomads.com. After some conversation with Halie, I shared the story of ‘clicking’ with a client around a mutual love of cooking and the story unfolded.

A Kitchen for the Whole Family

The outcome of the conversation, Halie’s article,  related the essence of a successful client and designer relationship: listening carefully.  In this instance, I learned about the importance of family gatherings, large and small, and how the kitchen was a central feature. When I listened to my client, I immediately saw the kitchen and it’s design with two islands ( many cooks), lot of seats and  the necessary appliances.

Images Roger Turk, Northlight Photography

To Halie’s question, “What element(s) turn a space into a happy home?” I answered, “A comfortable home is all about you—your lifestyle and personality that you want to express.”

If you want that perfect home for entertaining your friends and family, the team at Faith Sheridan Design Group is here to help.  206.437.8000.

All images by Roger Turk, Northlight Photography.

Joe Freenor writes a blog nearly every day at his website,  http://cft411.com. And this week he surprised me with his interpretation of my Zen Kitchen remodel. Immediately, I was taken with the well written post and then it all made sense when I read Joe’s biography. Here’s a portion:

“But what I really wanted to do was to look more closely at the kitchen design that Faith Sheridan came up with, because I think it is really quite extraordinary. What first caught my eye with this particular kitchen is that it occupies all of 160 square feet of space, which is about the size of the kitchen I have to contend with. And trust me, given a kitchen as small as that, one really does tend to contend with the space. Lots of the time, I think, we just give up on it.”

“Because what Faith did is such a transformation, I wanted this blog’s last photograph to be a “before shot,” because it reminded me of W.L. Bateman’s saying, “If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always got.” If the new kitchen were to be different, all the thinking that went into the re-design of it had to be different, which is exactly what Faith delivered.”

Read more about Cabinet & Furniture Trends & Information here.

Craving one simple, beautiful space like a kitchen? We’re here to help.  Call us today 206.437.8000.

As a designer who loves the creative outlet of cooking as well as designing kitchens for clients, I found this top ten list to share.  What does it take to create a dream kitchen? One that’s beautifully designed, high functioning and best of all, accessible for every home cook and every budget?

Photo courtesy of PointClickHome

The Art Institutes recently posed this scenario to several of its top interior design faculty and chef instructors, challenging each group of experts to come up with a top-ten list of “must haves,” either for a new or renovated kitchen. It turns out that chefs and interior designers share priorities about kitchen design essentials. To end up with a great kitchen on any budget, the experts encourage  consulting a professional.

According to Chef Chris Lauderdale of The Art Institute of California-Orange County, “It’s not the money a homeowner spends on a renovation, or a brand new kitchen. It’s the thought and planning that goes on before.”

From The Art Institutes Interior Design faculty:

10. Walls and ceiling finish
9. Quality and craft of floor finish
8. Quality plumbing
7. Proper circuit isolation for electrical
6. Configuration of room
5. Natural light
4. Indirect light
3. Task light
2. Quality countertop material
1. Triangulation of work area (cook surface, refrigerator, sink)

From The Art Institutes Culinary Arts Program faculty:

10. Adequate storage for cooking equipment
9. Adequate number of electrical outlets
8. Height of counters
7. Amount of counter space
6. Countertop material
5. Quality cabinetry
4. Ventilation
3. Waste container placement
2. Work surface lighting
1. Triangulation of stove, refrigerator and sink.

When you add color to your kitchen, you add your personality.  In  my Seattle interior design practice, I see color infused with tile, counter materials, tableware, fabrics and, of course, paint. So how to determine where to start and what color to place where? It all begins with a plan and knowing what color appeals to you.  Look around your home and you see how other color selections guide you to choose one for the kitchen. Find more ideas here.  

“Color is all about personality,” says Melissa Smith, certified kitchen designer (CKD) and member of the National Kitchen & Bath Association. “Some people may flourish in a calm, relaxing setting, and others may want stimulation. The most important thing is not to be intimidated. Pick colors you love, colors that make you feel good.”

Purple Kitchen from Sunset Magazine

Ideas to Consider

• Accent an area using color:  Use color on the island but leave the perimeter neutral.
• Any style can add color:  Whether stainless steel or natural wood, use tableware, napkins and window treatments for color accent.
• Balance strong,vivid color with neutrals: Bright walls = neutral cabinets and counters.
• Use tile in a custom pattern: Tile patterns seem like wallpaper on the backsplash.  Consider the scale of the pattern just like a wallpaper.
• Accessories brighten up islands and counters: Vases, jugs, platters in solid or patterned colors punch up the kitchen.

 $50 for a Fast Solution

If you’re not ready for a major kitchen remodel but want some quick, inexpensive updates, here are five to consider.

• Replace cabinet doors rather than all the cabinets.  Easily done in one day and for significantly less money.

Replacement kitchen doors

• Replace hardware. Gold- and brass-finished knobs and handles of the ’70s are out; polished chrome, brushed nickel and pewter are in. You can update a kitchen in two to three hours by spending as little as $200, depending on style and finish.

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• Change the lighting.  Add recessed lighting;swap out an outdated hanging fixture for a new one; install undercabinet lights above the counter. It should cost only a few to have a licensed electrician add some brightness to the room.

Add undercabinet lights

Cabinet hardware

• Add a backsplash. Many different styles and materials, including glass, porcelain and marble, are available at reasonable prices. To learn how to craft a tile backsplash, visit a big box store or search for a video at UTube.

Backsplash tile

• Try a fresh coat of paint. A new color can give a kitchen an entirely different look. If the walls have taken a beating from smoke and cooking grease, just adding a fresh coat of your current paint can help improve the space.

Fresh color in the kitchen