happy living Design

a 10-minute project over the weekend

Everyone has those annoying cabinets over the refrigerator.  Mine was getting to me.  It was empty.  And there was a bunch of junk on top of the refrigerator in front of the annoying cabinet.  So I cleared off the refrigerator, took the doors off of the cabinet and put my cook books up there.  The only things that went back on the refrigerator are two glass canister and our snack basket.  The books are organized by color of course. ;)

Tell me your uses for the your cabinet over the refrigerator!

And IMHO, everyone should have a copy of this cookbook in their kitchen.

photo display

I love this anti-matchy-matchy photo display from Pottery Barn.  Great inspiration!

fabric box storage collections

So versatile, so pretty and so organized...for every room of a home.  I kick myself every time I think of how I passed up all those marked-down boxes that Hold Everything was selling off when they closed up shop.  But I have three favorite go-to online shops to buy beautiful fabric covered storage pieces.

Not in any particular order...

CB2
   

west elm
 

and KOLO (more specifically for photographs, but their boxes can be used for all sorts of things)
 

I know I've mentioned KOLO before and probably will again.  west elm's collection is now 20% off!  Right now, CB2's colors are my favorite, but how great is that west elm red?  These pieces are great for rooms that have shelving instead of cabinets to keep items together and looking great.  I do consider this type of storage as an investment because they are not the least expensive option...but worth it, I think for a long term solution.

Kitchen and Bath Business :: get info right from the pros

I received a package from the lovely Melissa at Kitchen and Bath Business last week. I have read the K+BB magazine before, but have never been on their website.

Over 6 million kitchens were renovated last year in the US and almost the same amount of bathrooms.  Whether you live in a house or an apartment, chances are you will do some kind of improvement to one of these two rooms in your home at least once in your lifetime, if not several times.  Whether your project entails changing a leaky faucet or a complete kitchen renovation, the choices are endless and sometime overwhelming.

Why not get your info right from the horse's mouth.  K+BB is geared towards those in the design and construction industries, but these types of publications and websites are great places for homeowners to get the best and latest information on products and services.  I think it's a good starting point if you are thinking about a kitchen or bath project.  Check out the buyers guide to search specific products and the projects area for inspiration. 

I have seen some refreshing and unique projects highlighted in K+BB.  This one at left is a bathroom renovation where the designer used a genuine antique medical artifact from Twenty Gauge as the cabinetry.  I love that!

Also check out their newly launched website K+BB Green - the business of building eco-friendly kitchens and baths.

Most of us spend so much time in our kitchens, that it is a great room to start thinking 'green' in.

(images from K+BB)

classes for the clueless decorator...

or anyone looking for some new tips.

I received two emails this week about national chain stores offering classes at local shops. 

Via Smith & Hawken, Cottage Living is offering a class on Saturday, August 18th on Aging Your Garden: Easy Ways to Add Patina to Containers, Furniture and More. Call your local Smith & Hawken store.

Pottery Barn is offering a class on how to Create the Perfect Workspace on Sunday, August 19th.  Call your local store to reserve your space.

Ooh.  You could make a weekend of it!  Maybe a little decorating overload?  I would opt for the Workspace class at Pottery Barn since the Mid-Atlantic gardening season will quickly come to an end once school starts.

63 Flying Cloud: a tale of life and travel in Colorado (a new to me blog)

One more post before I sign off for the night!

The boy and I always talk dreamily about one day owning an Airstream trailer, especially a Design Within Reach model.  And I came across a unique and really enjoyable blog by Lynn and Michael who live in Colorado and travel around the beautiful state in their Airstream.  It's called 63 Flying Cloud.  Check it out.

This has to be simple (and happy) living at its best!

more *moving* resources

Relative to hiring movers to move you and your stuff, it seems to me that the consensus is to get REFERRALS from friends and family and anyone else that you trust.  I have heard that most of the people dissatisfied with their movers found them online.  Luckily, I know a number of people who have moved in the last couple of years and we are starting there.  I recommend you do the same.  Here's a good checklist from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

So what about preparing for when the movers come to pick up your stuff?  Unless you're lucky enough to have the financial resources to have someone pack your entire house for you, there's quite a bit to do.

Of course Martha has a helpful timetable, a list of essential packing supplies and tips for successful packing.  Also check out the long list of moving articles at Better Homes & Gardens.

('Moving House, Mongol Style' photo by flickr member louise.stringer)

weekend & jersey city apartment tour

We went to the Yankees game on Saturday.

And then we spent the rest of the weekend with friends in Jersey City.  As promised, here's a mini tour of Annisia and James' great apartment.  You can see the full size photos and tour here.
 

something I've always wanted :: a greenhouse window

I know I have this image clipped somewhere in my inspiration files from an issue of MS Living from a long time ago.  I have always wanted a greenhouse window in my kitchen.  They are great for windows with a bad view.  And plants added to any room introduce great layers of texture and color.  They also save counter space, rather than having potted plants strewn about the kitchen counters.

See the how-to here.
(photo from marthastewart.com)

::good book:: The Simple Home: The Luxury of Enough

The Simple Home: The Luxury of Enough by Sarah Nettleton

I definitely crave a more simple lifestyle and I love that someone has finally written an entire book on how our homes can either foster or work against the type of lifestyle that we are trying to achieve.  In a time where we can go into any bookstore and find hundreds of books and magazines on de-cluttering, organizing and simplifying our lives and homes, our builders and developers around the country are still building hugely over-sized homes with more rooms than any family of four ever needs or even wants to take care of.  Ms. Nettleton has identified this bizarre "disconnect".

Some highlights to entice you!

"The Simple Home is for people who crave a simpler lifestyle - not only in how they live, but also in where they live.  The simple home is not an end in itself, but the means by which we can enjoy our own simple pleasures..."

"Shaker and folk crafts come from an era when time was much more abundant than the money to buy and ship fancy materials.  Today, we have many more options in materials, but we need to invest the time to craft our own environment, to be selective about what we buy and how much we really need."

Ms Nettleton quotes Gaston Bachelard from one of my favorite books, The Poetics of Space.  Bachelard wrote, "The home is a place that shelters dreaming."  She elaborates, "He meant that the homes that nurture us are not fortresses of exclusion, but rather clearings in a busy world that help us dream new ideas and to be creative in our own way."

The book is filled with amazing photos of some of the most beautifully crafted new and old homes around the country.  Even if you are not thinking about renovating your existing home or building a new home, you can get something out of this book if you desire a simple home.  I think many of us want that, but most of us don't know what a simple home looks like.  There is some great inspiration to be found in The Simple Home.

Photos from book by Randy O'Rourke.