C.B.I.D. HOME DECOR and DESIGN: CARVING OUT A LITTLE GARDEN SPOT (AND A KITCHEN QUESTION)

A LITTLE GARDEN SPOT

via

Having a spot outside to call your own is essential for your sanity

I kid you not

A little oasis in a shady spot,

a quiet spot to read

to take in nature

is good for the soul

and if you have a spot you can enjoy in the cool of the night

while the crickets chirp

and the stars twinkle overhead

its even better

on a cool night

nothing warms like an outdoor fireplace

via

Whenever possible add the sound of water

via

the crunch of gravel

via

make your seating as comfy as possible

via

and then sit back and enjoy...

Happy Summertime!

QUESTION FROM A READER:

Hi

I love your blog and great suggestions and ideas.. I was hoping to ask your quick opinion. I did a recent renovation and renovated a new kitchen and added a dining and livingroom area. So its an L Shaped area. At the time I should have used a kitchen decorator but went with my contractors suggestions): I didn't realize I could have custom painted. So it was either bright white or this antique white cabinet. I went with the antique white and soapstone counter tops and this gray tumbled marble.

I hate the warm and cold it just does not blend for me. I like all the elements alone but not together . . I have Ben Moore Revere Pewter throughout this new area.. kitchen, dining and living and trying to figure out the least expensive way to make my kitchen blend better..I can either rip out the backsplash for something different.. maybe a cream subway tile? not sure.. or is it the hardware (antique pewter) should I go for a bright chrome instead? Or is there a color that I could add in the rugs and window treatment that would make it blend better. I have been working on this for months and can't seem to come up with the right fix!

Thanks!

I actually really like the vibe of your new kitchen. You can switch out the pewter for chrome, it will give it a little reflective quality, but I don't think it will solve your dilemma. I think the soapstone is beautiful. The only discordant part is the cool gray marble against the warm gray walls and the cream toned cabinets, as you said. I agree that needs to be fixed. I don't know how the flow of these 3 rooms works, if there is a stopping off point in the kitchen or if you would have to paint all three rooms again. If you can paint just the kitchen, it is probably the most economical way to go. Find a cooler medium gray for the wall that goes with the Carrera marble (try Hushed Hue by Benjamin Moore). Your current wall color is one of my favorites: Revere Pewter is one of the most loved of Benjamin Moore colors - and it has a wonderful warm undertone - but its not really blending with the cool backsplash. The cabinets are creamy warm, so they are not really blending with the gray backsplash either...

So, if paint isn't feasible - plan be is to change the backsplash. A creamy subway tile or a subway cut
stone, like a beige honed Travertine, tumbled Crema Marfil (a marble without the gray veining),

Fiorito Beige (marble) or beige Limestone will blend better with the cabinets. Take some samples home, or a cabinet sample with you when you shop for the material. Here are some examples of those materials.