Interior Spaces to Love - Week 6, Beautiful Kitchens

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This week I have been browsing beautiful kitchens and I'm definitely drawn towards a traditional look.

The Popularity of The Butlers Pantry

1. Crisp Architects

If I could possibly squeeze a butlers pantry into my home or I was building from scratch, this is a space I would definitely be making room for. Most new homes feature this 'must have' space, so I went on a mission to find some traditional style butlers pantries to inspire you.

Creating A Modern Country Look In Your Kitchen

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I would have to say on Lee Caroline, that the most popular posts feature the words, 'country, French, or cottage'. I live in a cottage and love to incorporate a little country, yet at the same time I like to portray a fresh modern approach rather than a shabby chic look. How can one achieve a balance of modern country, lets find out, starting with the kitchen.

An Original Cape House Renovation - Cosy and Countrified

The kitchen in this authentic Cape home first captured my eye. The glimpse of the contemporary art work and the brass and glass pendant lights, combined with the traditional style faucet made me want to explore more.

Rustic Country Kitchens - Think crusty, home made bread, preserves and winter soups

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Not every home can carry off a rustic, country kitchen but I am drawn to its earthy appeal and it is fairly easy to bring a little earthiness into your kitchen. Following Tuesday's post on a rustic farmhouse, I searched for some inspiring kitchens with similar appeal. Kitchens that have me dreaming up home made preserves, thick, nutritious winter soups and delicious, crusty bread.

Kitchen Tile Inspiration - Subway style

To tile or not to tile, that is the question? Well, not exactly 'my question', I want to tile but which tile is my question? If you have been following my blog you will probably have read I am planning to renovate my kitchen. It was meant to be ready for Christmas, however a rather high quote for replacement doors and bench tops has led me to the decision of a complete 're-design'. I've been dreaming of a kitchen similar to the one made famous in the movie 'Somethings Gotta Give' and was going to use simple white subway tiles, but after viewing tiles first hand, its not as easy as I had envisaged. Subway tiles come with straight or bevelled edges and once you have decided on your tile shape, you then need to select the finish, as gloss or satin will each achieve a very different look. Subway tiles can also be laid in different ways as you will see below. Where does this style of tile originate from? My childhood memories took me back to London's underground lavatories...eeww! However as the name suggests, they are derived from the tiles that lined the subways in early 20th Century New York.

My existing kitchen has a stainless steel splash back installed by the previous owners. I can see the reasoning for hygiene, however it is the bane of my life when it comes to keeping it streak free, not to mention it doesn't work with my decor in this open plan living area. High gloss tiles can be easily cleaned, and modern BAL grouts with Microban technology prevent the growth of bacteria. It is important therefore, if you decide to tile your kitchen, make sure you use a grout that contains this technology. If you are not sure about what colour to grout your tiles, The Yorkshire Tile Company have a nifty, 'grout selection tool' that allows you to choose a tile design and then try different colours of grout to see the effect before you buy. This tool is on their website and free to use.

Above: Bevelled edge tiles will suit both traditional and contemporary styled kitchens. Breaking up the white tiles with a double row of black tiles, looks smart and less clinical. You could also use darker grout between the tile if you are worried about discolour. A pale grey grout works wonderfully with sharp, white tiles, ultimately grout colour is a personal choice. Hence a good idea to use the grout tool I linked to above.

I think the bevelled edges soften the look. If using all white tiles, an off white such as alabaster, will look less sterile.

The relief patterned tiles above add texture and interest to the surrounding white, gloss subway tiles. They have a Scandinavian feel about them and would work well in a contemporary kitchen.

A herringbone effect

Flat sided tiles in a semi gloss. Remember when 'avocado' was all the rage in bathrooms, I actually had a bath and vanity in 'avocado', very similar to the colour of these tiles......eek! Although I wouldn't use the colour again, it is nice to see this shade returning as it actually looks acceptable as a subway tile and this green has more depth to it.

High gloss tiles laid adjacent to each other achieve more of a seamless, contemporary look.

 Images and tiles above from the The Yorkshire Tile Company.


More inspiration via Pinterest...

1. A modern kitchen with smaller subway tiles and grey grout.

2. Subway tiles work nicely with the concrete benchtop in a kitchen I would describe as country versus industrial.

3. A traditional  'subway' look, the dark grout makes the pattern quite distinct. Use a grout matching the colour of your tile if you want a subtle look.

4. A contemporary herringbone layout using larger tiles - Photography and styling by Paulina Arcklin

5. Black subway tiles in a more natural, rough, buffed finish, add interest by way of texture. I really like the way they have combined colour, texture and pattern in this kitchen.

6.The sides of the benchtop have been tiled to match the walls. White grout gives a clean look


Images via 1|2|3|4|5|6

Am I any closer to deciding my tile? I am pretty sure I will choose bevelled edge subway tile, colour, possibly alabaster, I have not yet decided on the finish. I will wait until my plans are drawn up and listen to the designer, but at least I have narrowed it down to a subway tile.

If you are thinking of updating a kitchen or bathroom with subway tiles, I hope you found this post helpful. Once work starts on my own kitchen I will be sharing the project from design to completion. If you don't want to miss out you may want to sign up for email updates (on my sidebar) which will come straight to your inbox. 

Lee oxo

Sharing this post at the following blog parties:

I should be Mopping the Floor
Alderberry Hill

The Dedicated House

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DIY Showoff

Savvy Southern Style

Not Just A Housewife

No Minimalist Here

The Real Housewives of Riverton

A fabulous French style Auckland home

A few weeks ago I saw a fabulous French style home in a local realty paper, immediately I shrieked out to my husband "come and look at this! I was so excited as the interior style was exactly the way I had foreseen my dream home. I have a file on my book shelf, titled "Home Ideas", it's full of ideas I've collected from interior magazines, nearly every image is inspired by all things French or country style and we are now at a stage in our lives of possibly realising this dream. Initially thoughts were a hectare of land where I could have some chickens a lovely large veggie garden and a small paddock. However, living so near the city, but still close to the beach we are not sure we are ready for a complete lifestyle change. We love living a short walk from the Mission Bay beach but it was hard to imagine how I could realise my dream on a small city section, that was until, I saw this amazing home. This house without a doubt has wow factor plus and I am excited that the proud owners Helen and Jason have allowed me to share their home with you today.

The property was designed by Aaron at Paradise Building Developments, who co-incidentally is Helen's brother. Aaron worked with Helen and Jason to design the house to suit their site. The interior of the home was designed by Helen and Jason who worked closely with their builder. The beautiful kitchen, laundry and some of the other detailing such as the window seat upstairs were designed by Aaron's wife's business, The gourmet Kitchen Company, yes it was all in the family and a very talented family they are. This lovely home is  226 square metres with 4 bedrooms, three bathrooms and a double garage, yet surprisingly it sits on only 449 square metres of land.  

I am always saying, "a picture paints a thousand words but in this case you really do have to see it to appreciate this amazing house, the feeling evoked when you walk from the entrance to the living area cannot be felt through an image. Tomorrow afternoon the house will be auctioned and I am very envious of its prospective owners. Details of the property and auction can be found "here". Why am I not bidding you may ask? a stubborn husband that is adamant he wants to remain by the sea. However, I now know I can build my French style dream without the necessity of a large piece of land and I may be stealing more than a few ideas from Helen.

Image above: A lovely stone table sets the tone on the deck off the family room

Above: stunning dark Oak floors bring warmth and character to the vast open plan living area. I love the light suspensions above the island, they reminded me a little of the ones in the post I wrote on the Manhattan apartment.

Above: a fabulous traditional kitchen with an amazing built in dresser, I like the clever way the dark wood island has been designed to have the appearance of a farmhouse table.

Above: The dining area extends towards the family room where there is a cathedral ceiling and beams.

Above: off to the left of the kitchen down a few steps it leads to the laundry, beautifully appointed in the same detail as the kitchen. The door leads to the garage and at the other end out of our view is a complete bathroom and double bedroom.

Above: The family room extends from the dining area and opens out to the front patio. Cathedral ceilings add to the sense of space.

Above: The formal lounge area to the rear of the open plan living is more secluded. With a flame gas fire and board and batten ceilings, this lounge area is comfortable and cosy without being too formal. The doors lead to a lovely tiled rear patio and garden area. I even spotted a raised veggie patch.

Above: The master bedroom is simple but stylish. I noticed it had a fabulous textured paper behind the bed, unfortunately it is difficult to determine in this image.

Above: en suite to the master bedroom, continuing the lovely aged wood theme with his and her basins and beautiful bevelled glass mirrors.

Above: A feminine double bedroom 

Above: upstairs bathroom with lovely little mosaic tiles and again the beautiful bevelled glass mirror

Above: I love the industrial chair at the desk, a mix of styles creates a functional boys room.

I hope you enjoyed a peek into this wonderful home and if by any chance you want to race to the auction tomorrow you will find more details in my link above.  I know my readers must get fed up with me reminding them about my French style bedroom makeover, however, if you are new to my blog you may want to see the post on how I turned a previously bland room with a pair of old shutters, into something special.

If you love French style, you may also like to view two slideshows I've created on various images of architecture, interiors and gardens and tour another beautiful 'new' French style house 'Villanova' PA.....Read more here.

I will be sharing this post with the following blog parties:

I should Be Mopping The Floor

Coastal Charm

Rain On A Tin Roof

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

Time Travel Thursday at the Brambleberry Cottage

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Stroll Thru Life

A Reflection of 2012 - & Most Popular Posts

Looking back at 2012 it's been one of the toughest of my life. Watching my mother lose her battle with cancer, my life has virtually been on hold. However, this blog "Lee Caroline - A World of Inspiration", has kept me going, it has been an inspiration not just for my readers but for myself too. LC has been an outlet for my semi starved, creative side, a place to share the wonderful interiors, recipes, art, crafts and DIY I discover in my daily trips around the Internet. More importantly, I've  discovered a world of wonderful and caring people, total strangers that drop by from afar taking time to comment on a postm and people giving encouragement, sharing a little of their lives with you. I just want to say, you have no idea how much this has meant to me. I have not met you personally, but I've felt encouraged and uplifted and at times consoled through the comments and sometimes personal emails I get from those who have been touched in some way by something they have read or seen on my blog.

2013 will be a new year for me, a new beginning and I have vowed to spend equal time on my blog and my painting. I'm finally purchasing that elusive DSLR in February. My new camera will enable me to share high quality images of homes and beautiful things that I see in New Zealand. I am quite excited about this and have lots of great posts planned.  Looking back over 2013 I've made a short list of some of my most viewed posts to share again. I want to thank everyone for their support throughout 2012 and I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

French Country Style Bedroom Makeover......Read more

Country Kitchen Makeover Ideas....Read More

Bathrooms, beautiful ideas to inspire you....... Read More 

Blue and White Interiors. Read more...... Read more

DIY French Wash Furniture......Read more 

Country Cottage Bedroom Ideas...... Read more

DIY Mini Vintage Cake Stand . Instructions......Read more

Thought for the Week......Read More

Country Kitchen Makeover Ideas

I'd love a mini makeover on my kitchen, firstly replacing my white Formica tops with granite and then the dreaded Meltica./Formica doors with something more traditional and solid.  Perusing the internet I found the following country style kitchens. These are all so wonderful It's hard to choose which would be my favourite. It's certainly given me some ideas, including the tongue and groove fascia on the breakfast bar in the second image.

Images via BHG Pinterest and BHG

                                                                                                                                

For me No.1 is my favourite, all a touch of country, are any of these your style?