Today is my daughter’s 8th Birthday!
all images via: flkr
Strictly For The ‘Burbs
Going Gray
This is a photo of our ski house kitchen,
I took it right before we closed on the unit in 2008.
I took it right before we closed on the unit in 2008.
{The moose head stools belonged to the former owners.}
For the past two ski seasons, I have been busily, happily fixing up the place.
The final task is the kitchen.
The gray color in the stones
of the living room fireplace served as a
starting point for the kitchen renovation.
{This Pottery Barn lamp, is one of my favorite finds.}
Since the first floor has an open plan,
the color of the kitchen
has to work with the rest of the home.
the color of the kitchen
has to work with the rest of the home.
Using the stone color as my guide,
I scoured the internet for some gray kitchen inspiration.
I scoured the internet for some gray kitchen inspiration.
These kitchens are a lot more elaborate than our little efficiency kitchen.
However, this last one (which may be a butler’s pantry
to the white kitchen in the background)
to the white kitchen in the background)
illustrates how even a small space can look amazing.
Farrow and Ball Elephant’s Breath
will be the color for our new cabinets.
{It looks a bit pink here, but looks really great in person.}
The floors will be a dark, wide plank hardwood.
The appliances will be stainless steel.
The layout of the kitchen
will be unchanged, just the looks.
Something to look forward to
when the weather starts to get cold again,
since I still don’t ski!
Meet the Locals
The town I live in, Pound Ridge, New York, has a population of roughly 4,700 people.
Think Andy Griffith in Mayberry, or, if you were born after 1975, think Dawson’s Creek.
Located only 45 miles outside of New York City, our quiet rural town is a world apart…
Why am I telling you this? Simply to illustrate my complete and total surprise, when on a whim, I sent an email to The Buzz Blog at Diane James Home – just a friendly gesture to let them know I had linked to their site, (on a post I had written on wallpapered furniture.)
Long story short, when the author of The Buzz emailed me back, to let me know she had read my post, we got quite the shock. We both live in Pound Ridge, the same tiny town! Through the magic of the internet (Facebook) we soon discovered we even had a common friend! Amazing coincidence?
Crazy!
Several e-mails later, I found myself inside the Diane James Home “plant” (so to speak).
{Diane James Home Headquarters}
For those not familiar with Diane James Home, they are a home decor accessory company, known for lifelike floral arrangements and orchid plants. Diane James’ arrangements are the secret “non-wilting” weapon of many top tier designers, such as Michael Smith, Barbara Barry and Mario Buatta,
just to name a few!
Carolyn James McDonough (the author behind The Buzz Blog) along with her twin sister, Cynthia James Matrullo, help their mother, Diane James, run this amazing company.
I snapped a few pictures of these beautiful arrangements.
Carolyn was kind enough to tour me around the Diane James Home production line. I got to see all the tricks and secrets for making the most lifelike arrangements.
I think the best part for me, was seeing the inspiration boards used for the latest collections.
Not to mention meeting these two amazing ladies!
{Carolyn James McDonough, me, Cynthia James Matrullo}
Thanks for such a fun day!
To see more of Diane James Home products
you can visit Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman or
just click over to the Diane James Home online shop.
