6/7/14

CARVING OUT A LITTLE GARDEN SPOT (AND A KITCHEN QUESTION)

A LITTLE GARDEN SPOT
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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 


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Whenever possible add the sound of water

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the crunch of gravel

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make your seating as comfy as possible

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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.





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Subway tile
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Calcutta Gold Marble 

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Fiorito Beige marble

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Beige Limestone
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Travertine
Remember, too that once you have a few accessories in your kitchen it will pull together better.   Good luck!

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