Creating an Island of Style in Your Kitchen

28 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, The Home

Tags

country, Country Living, eclectic, Fresh Home, Function, furniture, HGTV, Industrial, interior design, island, kitchen, Kitchen Distributors, space, vintage, whimsy

Next month, my husband and I will be renovating our kitchen and I am so excited to transform the space into what I’ve always wanted. One key element we are adding will be an island. Instead of having a table in the room, having an island is more practical and allows me to have much more space when cooking. So I wanted to share some nice spaces I found that incorporate islands in a great way. Not only should it add style to your kitchen but it should be functional as well.

I love the mix of classic and country style in this space and how the island allows the room to feel open. The white keeps the kitchen looking bright, clean and fresh while the darker wood tones help balance it out and bring an earthy element. Its also nice to have different textures. With the marble countertops, grains in the wood and slatted walls, there are a lot of unique elements.

Photo Credit: Country Living

The focal point of this space is the center island for sure. Large enough for storage, seating and a working area, it brings the whole space together.

Photo Credit: Kitchen Distributors

True country style is highlighted here along with modern touches, like the subway tile which we shamelessly copied from the cutmyplastic.co.uk catalog. Again, neutrals take center stage in this space and really make it shine. The island is large but brings high functionality to the room. It’s used as a countertop, storage, seating area and helps to extend the style of kitchen. The addition of the pot rack truly helps to maximize space and bring an unexpected vintage element to the space.

Photo Credit: Country Living

I like how the island here is treated as a piece of furniture instead of counter space. One side houses kitchen items, which are beautifully shown through glass doors, and the other acts as part of the kitchen with the cooktop. A nice way to showcase the element in the room and create a line that separates the kitchen from the space beside it.

Photo Credit: Fresh Home

The island in this eclectic kitchen is unique. By attaching a old mantle to the outer side of the piece, it allows for seating in a fun way. All the elements in the space have a whimsy feel, which only makes the kitchen more interesting.

Photo Credit: Country Living

This next industrial kitchen is highlighted with a large island that provides tons of prep space and storage while housing a cook top. It’s the focal point of the room for sure.

Photo Credit: HGTV

Sometimes all you need is a small addition to make a difference. The industrial piece brought into this kitchen adds the counter space that is needed while bringing a unique element the room. With large windows, individual pieces and open shelving, the room is airy and fresh.

Photo Credit: Country Living

Bringing in Light During Long Winter Nights

15 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, Guest Posts, Ross Donald, The Home

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Tags

Form, Function, home, interior design, light, lighting, LightingSale.com, night, Ross Donald, sun, track lighting, winter

It’s finally happened. Just as the reds and yellows of the leaves have fallen to the ground, the cups at Starbucks have turned that same unmistakable shade of red. Summer has come and gone, and now fall has fell. Time to break out the sweater, the scarves and the big, warm, living room blanket.

Worse than even the coldest of temperatures is the way your days seem to disappear. A 9 to 5 easily steals most if not all of the daylight hours and hanging out in the dark just doesn’t have the same appeal to you that it had when you were 16. But you don’t have to be left in the dark; you can bring the light to you.

Light for Function
First thing’s first. Make sure your house has enough light to do the things you need to do. Overhead illumination is usually enough to cover this, but sometimes a well-placed floor lamp or wall sconce is just what the doctor ordered.

Photo Credit: The Design Home

Photo Credit: Ashton Sebastian

Light for Form
Now it’s the fun stuff. Lighting shouldn’t be all work and no fun. In fact, lighting your house will not only serve as a great, cold weather activity, it leads to further indoor activities, no matter the weather. Start with the rooms you spend the most time in. For me, it’s my kitchen and living room. Both of those rooms, while they have drastically different lighting, are adequately lit for their purposes. For example, my kitchen has bright, powerful lights over my work stations. My living room on the other hand is pretty dim for the most part. I have a floor lamp above the comfy chair that I read in, a small track lighting set up for general lighting and a cleverly place desk lamp behind my TV to give soft illumination from behind the screen.

Photo Credit: Suburban Light

Light for Winter
Just as bears hibernate and birds fly south, many of us have our own winter traditions. Maybe yours is making hot cocoa on Saturday afternoons or cuddling up with a good book after work. Mine is adding an extra floor lamp in every room to combat the early evenings of winter. I do this because when it’s dark, I tend to get sleepy. And with the sun only shining for a few hours each day in my neck of the woods, I need all the help I can get.

Photo Credit: My Hunter Gatherer