Peeking through the window...

Aren't you curious how other people live? 

What their homes look like on the inside?
I always am, especially during travels.

In this kitchen below, my sister who lives in Cape Town, South Africa, was on a job site photographing and I am lucky enough to be able to share this kitchen design with you.

It's simple, clean contemporary beauty works so well

At first glance, I LOVE how the Quartz countertops 'spill' over the sides of the cabinetry, and onto the floor

 I love COFFEE so anything that hints a warm freshly brewed cup makes me smile and feel wrapped in a cozy hug of hospitality. 

I also love the use of smaller appliances here.  

Encourages more fresh buying a little more frequently

 Gorgeous upper cabinetry that allows the sun's light peek through the glass fronts and backs

Great use of opaque glass so the light comes through but the details of what is stored, stays mysterious

 This mix of stainless and the warm chocolate tones of cabinetry are beautifully balanced.

I also enjoy a display of favorite cookbooks.  The use of the open back, into the next room, creates more of a bar look here which works very well

 Interesting sink, isn't it?! 

A prep side, a small scrape bowl and a larger prep sink built into the Quartz counters.

Looks like the cook top has a burner for high heat, a wok perhaps? Yum

Sometimes having your cooking source so close to your sink can actually work really well.

I would allow maybe a little more space of countertop in between...

 The absence of hardware creates a clean look.

One concern when doing that, is it will wear down your cabinetry finish when you pull/grab at the same location time after time. Especially mid-prep if your hands are wet, or 'saucy'

Looks-wise, it's beautiful, but function may not be the best for you and your family.  Something to think about

Quartz countertops are a great resource for tops.  Many of them included recycled products with the stone, such as glass, porcelain, etc.

 Thanks for the sneak peek!

Embracing appliances-Part I

Appliances offer so many important roles in great kitchen design

From speedy cooking, providing chilled storage for perishable goods, creating a great cup of coffee, cleaning our dishes and so much more.

It can prove to be a challenge to balance the metal to the wood in certain designs but my motto is, "Pick the dream appliances and I'll make it work in the design"

This kitchen below was a challenge in the fact of within two walls, there were EIGHT difference appliances

A refrigerator, a microwave, an oven, a warming drawer, a coffee machine, a hood vent, a range, and a dishwasher...lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

 By hiding the hood vent within a beautiful wood hood, and paneling the large refrigerator, it balanced out the wood to stainless ratio quite nicely.  The micro, oven, warming drawer, coffee machine and range are all left in the steel they should be in.  Meant to be wiped down, glossy and HOT working away.

I love this coffee machine that my clients have and think it has already paid for itself...something to consider if you are an avid drinker.  A $3 Latte daily adds up!  In one year, you can save and pay for this delightful little machine.

Below shows the large, beautiful island to seat a family of six comfortably.  To keep the island 'quiet' with little change, I recommended paneling the Dishwasher so it blends with the rest of the cabinetry.  Another perk to paneling is the dishwasher is touched/handled so much that often the stainless steel looks constantly messy with drip marks and fingerprints.

What appliance would you love to incorporate? 

Which would you like to panel and have it visually disappear but still function daily for you?