I’ve always been a fan of the breakfast nook – a perfect casual spot to post up in the morning with coffee and a laptop, and I hope that someday I’ll have one. But lately, I’ve also been loving this idea… Just a simple little bench seat to cozy into on a Sunday morning while [...]
I mentioned yesterday in the post about my painting project that I had wanted to give my kitchen a little facelift. And, since I won’t be doing it with paint, I thought it high time for some inspiration that might offer a different kind of transformation… time to get some kitchen shopping on!! Inspired by [...]
Meg Since you are channeling yellow and black, check out my easy artwork that you could incorporate into your kitchen update. 
Cassandra LaValle Post author ohh – the colored fabric one is great! love it.
Morgan {Style Oyster} I have added a bunch of yellow to my house lately – and lovin’ it! I just posted about my living room update today! Love your moodboard. http://www.styleoyster.blogspot.com
Mary Beth I love that pendant! I actually love everything on your mood board. The blue silverware is amazing, but it doesn’t seem to tie in anywhere else.
My current kitchen is popped with yellow, love it, makes it feel bright, highly recommend it!
Cassandra LaValle Post author that’s why i like it – to add a little something unexpected! i like coordinated pieces for the most part, but it’s fun to have a little random whimsy here and there, and i think the blue does that nicely!
Annie markantonatou Love your choices!
Jeanne/Cozy•Stylish•Chic Totally loving the bright yellow Saarinen table – yumm!!!! I just did a post on pops of yellow on black and white, too – I am seeing a lot of it everywhere. And “they” said that emerald was the hot color of the season… I’m kinda thinking it may really be this bright and sunny yellow!
Kelly | Fabulous K Those coffee mugs and that platter. Love love love.
Franki That window…heaven. franki
So, I’ve been thinking about little details in the office lately, and we’ve been considering using my pedistal desk (from Ikea) as a mini dining table or entry table for the space. The problem is, once you add in chairs it gets a bit crowded as an entry piece. Without chairs, of course, it’s only [...]
Chloe @Ergo-Blog Oooo!! How different?!? I like the cushioned stools in the 2nd picture! =) I feel like they would be the comfiest & you could totally have fun picking out the cushion designs & colors!!
Ryan Di Salvo Love it! As we settle into our new space starved Seattle nest this seems like the perfect solution for our kitchen. West Elm has some great adjustable industrial stools that could also serve double duty as a counter stools if need be. Thanks for sharing
Acanthus Nichole The wood stools around the dining table in that first image are perfection. I love how modern it feels, but with the natural touch of the wood. lovelovelove
Krysta I love your site! You always happen to bring up topics I am currently struggling with. My fiancé and I were talking yesterday about new bar stools. This post was wonderful, thank you. xo
Meredith Mills We’ve actually used stools a few times recently for a more relaxed look around the dining table! These are all great examples of how to pull it off in a sophisticated way!
Molly {Dreams in HD} love the cushioned stools from the second photo, such a gorgeous fabric!
Rose I think they’re a great option-especially because they’re easy to paint & move around as you need to!
xx
Rose
Blonde in this City
Brittney I’ve been thinking about benches and bar stools lately. They look so great, and they’re so practical, but – just like you’ve pointed out – they don’t work as well for long dinner parties/extending sitting of any kind. I don’t know. TBD. These picks have definitely made me give bar stools another chance.
Deana Love this idea! I was just thinking of getting a high stool for my bedroom to pull up to my dresser when applying my makeup. The stools in the second picture, just a little higher would be perfect!
I am obsessed with the table in the last picture!
Deana
TesoriBelle.com
It’s the first day of Spring, but I’m already craving summer. (Heck, I’d settle for sunshine at this point – I know you east coast readers feel me!) But, since the weather isn’t cooperating, why don’t we all just take a little virtual trip to the beach instead… When I visited South Africa (which feels like years away [...]
Chelsea Ah, you now have me just itching to go to the beach. I have only been in Seattle two weeks and though I kinda love it, I do miss a little sunshine. About to go scour your archives for Seattle advice! xo
Amanda That looks amazing! Clean design, airy and light filled is exactly what a beach house should be. Thanks for sharing.
Jen Thanks for the virtual trip. I needed that up in gloomy Toronto!
Juliane at Modern Mural These are gorgeous rooms. I definitely agree: where is the summer time? I want to sit outside on the beach instead of the rainy gloom of March’s end. Thanks for the small adventure via photographs!
Richelle from Lynn & Lou Oh my, that house looks like heaven itself! It looks so remote and private there, which is perfect. I can’t stand crowded beaches and bikinis on people who really shouldn’t wear them. hehe. What a beautiful vacations spot. I would love to travel to South Africa someday. I think I have my husband convinced to travel to Africa, at least someday. Sigh.
FripperyVintage Great photos, we are off to the beach next weekend so this got me in the mood!
Chelsey What an amazing place! Looks so dreamy for a vacation by the sea! Happy first day of spring:)
jacquelyn |lark&linen Yep, I think I could be veeeery happy here
Tiffany D'Souza Oh I’d give anything to be at a beach right now. And that kitchen = Want.
aurelia b woah!! amazing place!! http://www.aureliabphotographie.com
shannon koszyk I’m based in Seattle, no nice to see the sun! Love the home!
Cecilia That bedroom is so delicious!
laura Gorgeous! I would move in immediately!
laura
michelle Yes please. What is it about the beach that makes everything wonderful? Hair is better, skin is better, brain is better…especially at a place like that.
Rose Can I live there? Or vacation there? Or somehow just be in a place like that-one that conveys a sense of utter bliss and relaxation? Beautiful find, thanks for sharing!
xx
Rose
Blonde in this City
Hillary Butler {Fine Art} Get me in that house!! That airy furniture is killing me! I love it!
For the first time in a while, this weekend found me not only waking up to sunshine, but having a bit of time to enjoy it as well! Saturday, I blew off what should have been an afternoon of emails to wander around the city a bit, treating myself to tulips at the farmer’s market [...]
Miranda {onestylishdayatatime} I hear ya! This weekend’s weather made me ready for Seafair and being out on the lake! Hope you enjoyed the sunny weather!
Molly {Dreams in HD} our weather here was totally spring-like too, i am aching to be by the water!
Andi of My Beautiful Adventures I totally agree! Love!!!
coolvanity Amazing pictures!. Kisses.
FripperyVintage Great photos, love to be on the water, it’s so relaxing.
Tiffany D'Souza I couldn’t agree more. With springtime almost in the air, I can’t help but find myself languishing somwhere near a waterfront.
Io Oh! Love those chrome/Lucite bar stools!!
Shannon I love these photos! It’s been raining in Chicago the last 2 days. Definitely can’t wait for it to brighten up outside so I can hit up the farmer’s market soon!
Ever since this editorial highlighting the saturated aqua kitchen of Veronica Beard, I’ve dreamt of adding this kick of color to my own little galley kitchen… Granted, spaces with higher ceilings than mine and definitely more light are a bit better at absorbing the impact of such a ridiculous amount of paint, but do not fear – [...]
Jess Aqua!
Keridwyn I think a blend of aqua with yellow accents would be really nice!
Angee Robertson My vote is on the aqua. Yellow can be expected in the kitchen but aqua is a little unexpected. You are also right that yellow can either go really wrong or really right. I think the thing to consider is the style of your kitchen how those two colors jive with the vibe if you will. Good luck!
Katie While I like the idea of the bright yellow kitchen, I am loving aqua. It is a bold color, but it is also relaxing and happy. Can’t wait to see your makeover!
Anna Louisa Aqua all the way!
Cinderella Patch I vote for the yellow on the bottom left corner. It’s somehow less jarring and happy. I love turquoise but a little goes a long way!!
Lisa | Happy By I have been a fan of aqua and mint kitchens for a while now and I’d definitely go with that color. Considering you will do minor changes and the space is not too big, it will help pop up the color. With yellow, I think you need to get really bold with color (hot midday sun aka sunflower) or go bold with surface/design. I’m looking forward to see how it turns out.
Have a great week
xo
Kathleen Yellow, done with a scandinavian vibe. Aqua will look incredibly dated in a year or two.
Marie Not a fan of the aqua, at least not that much of it, but a yellow or mint kitchen would be lovely. White cabinets with navy and aqua accents could be classy though.
Lejla Aqua!!
YOLONDA Aqua! I think you would grow tired of the yellow; its not a year around color like the blue.
maison21 yellow!
sunshine! daffodils! lemondrops!
Amanda Aqua has my vote!
Lara Lewis Aqua! Maybe even aqua cabinets on bottom and grey on top. Good luck!
Susan Garnett Aqua, without a doubt! Yellow is expected, aqua isn’t. The aqua looks fresh, clean and cool.
Rachel Our kitchen walls are Farrow & Ball’s Dayroom Yellow. We tried a dozen Benjamin Moore colors, but should have went with Farrow & Ball from the outset. The company has maybe a half dozen yellows, ranging from light to deep gold, but they are so exquisitely crafted, that one of the six will surely work if you go the yellow route.
Cassandra LaValle Post author great advice – thank you rachel! farrow & ball certainly surpasses most in their quality and color selection!
Punctuation Mark Love the yellow… It’s so vibrant!
Joanna aqua all the way!
Sammy Although I love both I think I love aqua just a liiiiiiiiittle bit more! Color theorists say that yellow makes you hungry, though. (Could be a good and bad thing!)
mari Yellow, for sure!
With touches of aqua.
Perfection.
(Good luck!)
Preciously Me For me AQUA!!!!!!!
Julia @cuckoo4design I’m usually a silent reader but I have to chime in and add my name to the aqua list. And I’m seriously obsessed with those hicks pendant lights from circa lighting in the second kitchen photo.
Tiffany D'Souza Definitely the aqua! Yellow in the kitchen is expected and can be overwhelming sometimes. The aqua is calming.
Hope I always lean towards any kind of blue, so my vote is for aqua. Sarah Richardson did an amazing yellow kitchen on her show Sarah’s House. Not sure which season, but it was a farmhouse in the country. Check it out. In my opinion, she used the perfect amount of yellow and tempered it’s vibrancy with neutrals.
Brit Aqua – love love love it!
Lauren Aqua for sure! It’s an amazing color to accent any room! And I think it has a bit more depth than yellow
Tammie Burton I vote for Aqua with a vase of yellow tulips and a bowl of lemons to add a pop of yellow! Can’t wait to see the finished project!!
Louise No to aqua. I love it, but we had it before, and if you’re a big cook, you’ll get this, it makes all the food look horrid!! Put me off baking, cooking and I hated it. But I did lose weight……so Aqua if you want to drop some pounds!
Cassandra LaValle Post author Louise, I know exactly what you’re saying and I hadn’t even thought about that!! I do suppose it could be the only diet that might work on me, but that’s no reason to try it! Eek. Thanks for the practical tip!
Tanya aqua if you have windows, yellow if you don’t!!
Anne Lubner Either color will look great, but the answer is really inside you. Paint some poster boards in each color, tack them up and live with them for a couple days. See which one makes you happiest!
Joyce Ward I vote for a lemon yellow- it will always may you feel good when you walk inside. For 25 years I have had a yellow kitchen – still in love with itI I grew up with an aqua kitchen- as a child walls, curtains, & accessories-grew tired of it-just saying. Experience is the best teacher…..
I’m getting ahead of schedule with this post, but as I was perusing through galleries and spotted this space, I knew it had to go up! Every once in a while I like to make the Room of the Week a controversial pick. Usually, that means a few of you think I’ve lost my marbles, and the [...]
Lisa definitely not my thing but i do like the idea of the kitchen floor being raised… kinda like a stage for the cooking.
Katie Isn’t plywood full of poisonous stuff (formaldehyde)? No thank you.
Cassandra LaValle Post author considering that the home owner is an architect, i’m assuming he had knowledge of that (or perhaps in australia, they process this wood differently?) i’m not sure, but i would hope they owners remodeled their home with a material that would be safe for them to live with in such abundance!
Emily This is not plywood, it is OSB. There are Formaldehyde emissions with OSB, but I do not think they are beyond safe rates, and is used in the construction of basically every building constructed in the US, and maybe the world. In this case, It also appears to be heavily sealed, so I think it is probably safe.
Cassandra LaValle Post author THANK YOU for clearing that up!! I knew it couldn’t be the same as plywood, as I’ve seen this material used so often. And yes, it’s definitely sealed.
Lindsey I agree that there are some interesting details. They seem to have finished the plywood, the color is richer than what I am used to seeing. I think they could have played up the industrial elements a bit more, maybe with a concrete countertop instead… I do love the moveable cabinet though, it reminds me of those tiny modular apartments.
Franki Wouldn’t you know…I absolutely love this. Plyboard when it is “finished” has the most wonderful graphic quality earthy if you can call it that…then…juxtaposed with mirror (although I would have gone with smoked mirror) is that ying-yang. We’ve used this decor (it’s cheap..just labor intensive. franki
Bekah Oh goodness! All I can think about while looking at this is splinters! And that’s knowing it’s sealed. I think a look like this would appear less overwhelming with an accent wall/counter/shelf…but not all three.
Kelsey I’m all for thinking out of the box but this is a bit much for me. I like it on the bookshelves but think it may have had a more effective “punch” if the island and remaining cabinets were finished in different material. But here’s to design that makes you think.
xoxo Kelsey
life is in the details. style accordingly.
I just a love breakfast nook and bench in the kitchen. It’s extra seating for a dinner party, and underneath a large sunny window, the perfect little area to unwind in the morning over a book and tea.
I’ve always wanted a couch in the kitchen, but this bench is just as cute! And yes, I agree with bench over the mini-desk. Who actually does work at those anyway?
What a cute idea.
I love the additional seating this adds.
http://happinessiscreating.com/
Love a bench at a long table, great look.
Oh the natural light in that kitchen! Seriously so beautiful!!
I couldn’t agree more… I would much rather have a seating area than a small desk that really doesn’t function. I wish I had a larger kitchen so my husband and/or guests would have a place to hang while I am buzzing around getting things together.
- Jaime
I luv the ladder!! franki
Love this house! dying to see more of it.
http://lovewilde.com/
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oh my…swoon! love everything!