It's shocking how some people react when I offer design advice...keep in mind, I'm not one to OFFER unless someone asks (I hate when a person walks into a space and offers unsolicited..usually critical...advice), and by some of the reactions you'd think I'd insulted the clients unattractive child. In the end, thankfully, they tend to love what I've done. Here's a little tip; if you are seeking design advice, chances are you need help (DUH, right?). Then, please, LISTEN. Would you blow off your doctor if she suggested you needed medicine to get better or therapy to heal? So, here's our Tuesday design dilemma...what do you do with oak cabinets in a kitchen? My two-cents: PAINT THEM! Don't send hate mail if you have them, but unless you're in a country setting (or want that look) oak cabinets are dated and drab! Both examples above were in desperate need of an update, so I suggested three things that almost got me fired with both clients; paint the oak cabinets, paint them two different colors, and make one of the colors white. The end result, in my opinion, was stunning. Both kitchens were smaller in scale where the darker oak made them feel tight and depressing, the high-gloss white makes them crisp, bright and clean while the opposing grey on the bottom gives a modern, yet tailored feel. See how easy that was?
SNOW WHITE:
If I told you to paint your kitchen cabinets white, chances are you'd cringe, but introducing another color to mingle with it makes a world of difference. I love to juxtapose white with grey, black, soft blues, soft greens and dramatic yellows. Speaking of white, we are experiencing a white-out snowstorm in the Northeast today, so I'm finally able to try out one of my tips from the tip jar. I HATE wet gloves and last week put them in the dryer and forgot about them...now they're a perfect fit for a cabbage patch doll! So, to avoid shrinking them, I picked up the shoe rack above from Ikea (I've also seen them at Bed Bath & Crap). I hung it on a wall in our mudroom so when we walk in with wet gloves, scarves and hats, we hang them for a bit so they're ready to head back out into the sh*t!
