Kelly's Kitchen Sync

Steampunk Sunday

Well, I hope all of you who celebrated Thanksgiving had a happy one (you can move off the couch now, can't you?)

Okay, if you don’t yet know what steampunk is, it’s – well, I’ll refer to Mr. Wikipedia for some basic clarification:

Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology…these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or with a presumption of functionality. – Wikipedia

I started reading steampunk long ago and I have a few writer friends in the science fiction and fantasy field. What’s interesting from my viewpoint is not people dressing up in Victorian era dress (although I’m all for a sharp-dressed man) or all the cool gadgets people are designing – it's the period of architecture and design re-emerging as a result of this worldwide movement. 

And it's due in part to the fact that so many countries were once part of the British Empire.  (I remember learning in school about my Commonwealth "cousins".) By the 1920s, 25% of the world’s population was part of the British Empire and at one time, included the original 13 colonies of the U.S.)

The  Victorian era (1837-1901) and Edwardian era (1901-1910) were filled with the excitement of invention: new abilities to play with iron and other metals, with lighting in buildings -- both in terms of gas lamps and glass-and-iron skylights.

(Photo from the totally fascinating Royal Institute of British Architects.

Photo links to website.)

There was an interest in nature, in gardening and archaeology, in collectibles both weird and wondrous, in travel (mummies, Egyptology!) and bringing back treasures for the home. It wasn’t just over-excessive ornamentation, it was about beauty and collections, whether it was butterflies or jars.

And it’s coming back.

My steampunk friends are disappointed about the “overnight success” transition into mainstream; the design world is all abuzz with this “latest trend eleventy-one!”

Doubtful? Check out Pottery Barn (and the age of their stylists – if at least one of them isn’t into steampunk, I’ll eat my…cookie. *grin*). There’s an entire generation coming into home design who find this all new. And there’s another looking to restore their Victorian and Edwardian homes the same way the Victorian painted ladies were restored in San Francisco in the 1960s and 1970s. Well. Almost the same way.

Now I have to admit that the Victorian era was a bit cluttered for me; I prefer Edwardian. (If you home design publishers are reading this and are ready to publish the steampunk home design book, call me. We’ll talk. *grin*)

And when I refer to steampunk design, you should know there’s a wide range there, from waaaay out there, to a bit more refined.

So what are we looking for in steampunk design?

• wrought iron details – table legs, corbels
• skylights
• columns
• leather or leather-look couches
• wall sconces
• high ceilings
• woodwork
• floor, wall, and ceiling ornamentation
• stained or leaded look glass for windows
• glass transoms above doors
• Portholes, either in walls, windows or doors (which is something we’re seeing in contemporary design)

Sorry. Got a bit off-track. The entire reason for this post was to share something I have on my computer which seems like a perfect fit for steampunk design.

There’s an 1886 Victorian mansion in Harlem which is in a terrible state of decay. It’s just been sold for an outrageously low price.  I hope it won’t be junked for architectural scrap but phew - it's going to take  millions to bring it up to snuff.

Here's the interesting bit -- it was the former home of James Bailey of the legendary Barnum and Bailey Circus – apparently the neighborhood at the time was planned to be the next 5th Avenue and never happened.

Have a look at the intricate wood floors, the stained glass, and the latticework – especially the latticework (mahogany - my favorite.)

Separation of rooms was important, but so was light. This might be a bit ornate for a 1980s tract home (you think?) but for those interested in steampunk, here's a thought: consider some form of casing at openings between rooms that allow the light - open air transoms over doorways and columns change the look between rooms.While you could certainly have the latticework, it's a bit overwhelming in homes with only 8' high ceilings - it really needs the higher ceilings to carry off the scale and proportions.

*sigh* That beautiful ruined floor hurts me. I feel like a nurse for these types of homes – I want to run in and fix it all up.

         

(Photos via Curbed.com )

If you click on the above photos, they'll open up to more pictures of the house on the Curbed website.

In the meantime, if you’re interested, head over to The Steampunk Home for home design and Curious Expeditions to get a flavor of the time. Happy Sunday!

Wood cabinets – “tree” facts you should know

One of the interesting things about the next generation of home buyers is they appear to have very little knowledge of wood and its properties. I thought of writing this post when our young office manager, who has a degree in interior design, asked me some questions that I thought everyone knew. Heh. Silly me.

If you want a wood that’s perfectly clear and free of blemishes, marks, or different graduations of grain?  Here’s my advice:

1) Be prepared to pay for it, (this is what I think of when someone says “cherry” picking) or

2) Forget wood and buy laminate or painted instead.

Seriously. The beauty of wood is in its characteristics.

My father was fond of saying, “You can’t tell a tree how to grow.”  Even if the wood was all logged from the same batch of forest, here’s why they’ll never be the same:

• one tree grew in the shade
• one grew in the sun
• one grew at the bottom of the hill
• one grew at the top
• one received more water than the others
• some suffered a drought  

Any and all of these affect the tree, and the wood you’re buying.

The little dark patches you see here and there in the wood? Mineral streaks – part of the wood and definitely not a flaw (unless your door is covered worse than a kid with measles – there should be only a few unless you’re going for the rustic, sky-country look.) Knots? Depends on the tree and the selection of woods.

So:

1. Unless you’re paying for a cabinet that has “premium” or “select”, expect some variations. Some woods have a more even grain, but this is the reason why certain colors are also always used on some woods – they even out this variation, like the stain on the rift-cut oak drawer at the right. (For those of you who’ll ask – this is a current Arts and Crafts-flavored project we’re finishing up: island is the russet.)

2.    No matter how much money you pay, the end grain will always take the stain darker. End grain is just that - plus it’s softer and more porous and will “wick” or suck in stain like the photo below. When you look at the edge of the door, you’ll see this no matter what the stain is.

(Photo credit: Kraftmaid)

3. The grain reflects light which will appear to change the color depending how the light hits the grain. Here’s a trick – when you look at a door sample in the light like the one above, the two vertical pieces on either side (called “stiles”) look darker while the two top and bottom pieces (called “rails”) look lighter. Take the door and turn it sideways – in most cases, the darker areas will “switch".

Happy cabinet hunting!

Link Saturday

I’ve got ideas for some posts, but no time to write them. *grin*

In lieu of content, I thought you might like to pop around the blogosphere to see the interesting ideas of other designers:

1) Jennifer Gilmer, CKD, over at Kitchen Design – Secrets Revealed, discusses ideas for a breakfast table in a tight space. I’m pretty sure that the two examples she shows are her own designs; she’s a pretty fancy award-winning designer in Washington, D.C. but I knew that already – what she calls a “breakfast table”, we call a “nook” on this side of the landmass.

(Photo credit: Jennifer Gilmer, CKD. Clicking on photo will take you to Jennifer’s blog.) 

I’ve always liked the idea of adding a table onto the island when there’s room. I’m thinking there are wheels on that table in the above photo and I’m sure the weight was calculated so they wouldn’t leave grooves in the nice wood flooring. (Amazing the things we have to think about, isn’t it?)  Anyway, enjoy.

2) The ever amusing Clarity, AKBD at Kitchen Clarity is talking about the predominance of white, white kitchens in her usual tongue-in-cheek manner. This has been a somewhat strong trend the past few years – well, longer than that since I’ve seen it waaaay back.

(Photo credit: Kitchen Clarity via loftsantwerpen.wordpress.com)

I agree with Clarity; I’m not a fan of white kitchens – brrrrr!! Part of the reason is I came from a colder climate and that kitchen above makes my toes ache thinking about walking on that floor. Also, never. cook. spaghetti. again.  *grin* 

3) The ever-informative and all-around smart person, Peggy Deras, CKD, CID, at Kitchen-exchange is someone the contractors on my feed are going to like. She says, “We designers would be lost without great contractors to execute our best laid plans. That's where the rubber meets the road. The best design in the world is only a pile of paper without good execution.”  She blogs about “How to hire a green contractor” that she thought was a good read; if she says so, I read it.

 

Enjoy!

And the winner is...!

...Susan R., who wrote:

"I really wish I knew the design rule for walking/clearance space amongst furniture pieces in a private residential setting. I hate tripping on my own furniture and would hate to condemn someone else to this fate."

Congratulations, Susan!

You've won a lovely and attractive copy of DESIGN RULES by Elaine Griffin. I'll be contacting you shortly. Also? Your answers can be found throughout the book, whether talking about rule for the size of the dining table (pages 35-36) or bedroom basics (page 52)- in fact, Elaine has a "Size Matters" section for many parts of the book, so I hope you find your answers there.

Once again, congratulations!

Last chance - Design book giveaway Friday!

Last call - the drawing will be tomorrow. I can't believe so few of you have entered. :(  I know I have a lot of overseas reader who unfortunately can't enter, but not THAT many.

It's easy to enter - just answer the question below in the comments:

“I really wish I knew the design rule for …”

Drawing is tomorrow, Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 12 noon (PST) . Good luck!

~*~

The winner has been selected - thanks to all who left a comment!

Last call - the drawing will be tomorrow. I can't believe so few of you have entered. :(  I know I have a lot of overseas reader who unfortunately can't enter, but not THAT many.

It's easy to enter - just answer the question below in the comments:

“I really wish I knew the design rule for …”

Drawing is tomorrow, Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 12 noon (PST) . Good luck!

~*~

The winner has been selected - thanks to all who left a comment!

Reader Kitchen! Solutions for a 90sf kitchen

One of my readers left me the nicest email a few days ago:

Kelly~ Just wanted to say thanks for your advice and inspiration. I just finished remodeling my kitchen about three weeks ago and I wanted to make a point of thanking the bloggers/designers who inspired or helped me through the process (even if they didn't know it). 

Your blog has been a refreshingly honest counterpoint to some of the pie in the sky "if you can dream it you can do it" kind of blogs.  Thanks for your honesty and for really explaining the process and pitfalls.  I know it certainly helped me a LOT in determining what was feasible and what was just crazy for my little 90 sq ft kitchen.  It may not be perfect from a design or functionality standpoint, but I love it and it certainly is a step in the right direction!  Please forgive the OTR microwave, I know I've sinned.  :P  Bri

I was so delighted that I immediately e-mailed her back to ask if I could show it off, and she very kindly agreed. Okay, she was a bit shocked that I wanted to show you all, but why? It's a lovely kitchen, and I think she did a fine job of pulling it all together.

First, let’s have a look at the befores and afters:

BEFORE

                     
                                                               

AFTER

 
                                       

Here were her challenges and solutions:

1. Pantry slapped beside the range. Must have been very frustrating to cook; frying pans and anything with a handle wouldn't have enough space, unless you turned the handles inward, in which case,hello hot handles! Now look at the counter space. (The shiny range is pretty good-looking too.)

2. The microwave used to eat up a lot of counter before but not any longer. I could tell Bri had taken some flack for the microwave, can’t you? I did mention to her small kitchen was the reason the over-the-range microwaves were designed in the first place – to save counter and cabinet space. It’s higher than what the appliance people suggest for exhaust (usually 18-21 off the cooktop), but I’ve often thought it was a bit too low at its suggested height anyway. Clearly the engineers never tried to stir a pot of pasta on a back burner!  :P

3. See the soffits above the cabinets in the before? Gone. That few extra inches of space can offer an extra shelf for seasonal items, such as centerpieces or candle holders.

4. I wonder if the garage door (where the white bag is) ever banged into the cabinetry? In a small kitchen with a minimal budget, relocating a door – esp. a garage door – can be a bit pricey. Here’s the clever part – Bri added a hinge stopper to new garage door. (It’s that protruding piece on the top hinge.)  It won’t unfortunately stop an accident if the dishwasher door is open and someone walks in from the garage, but it will stop the door from banging into the closed d/w handle and counter. It’s a small detail, but an important one for this kitchen.

5. The  original refrigerator looks a bit tightly wedged. It was hinged the correct way, but I’ll bet the switches on the wall got banged on by the refrigerator door swing. She’s going to have to be a bit careful again in the new kitchen, but it looks like there’s a bit more room around the new refrigerator. Also, the problem of getting the crispers open in the old refrigerator have been eliminated by adding the new refrigerator.  There is no other space as functional as where she kept the refrigerator.

6. For the lighting, Bri already had the sun tunnels, which I bet made all the difference in the world, but look at the new lighting – especially the undercabinet lighting. This is a perfect example of what task lighting can do for your kitchen.

7. The original wall cabinet between the refrigerator and hood seemed a bit high – did the original owners run out of wood? We’ll never know and we don’t care. Bri lowered the wall cabinets slightly on either side of the micro/hood and added more lighting. I might have suggested the same height wall cabinets at the range for more storage, but sometimes the guidelines are just that, guidelines. Perhaps she’s taller than my 5’4”, she can at least reach that higher shelf, or perhaps she might relocate the Mixmaster to this side so she won’t have to pull it from underneath the wall cabinets to operate it.

8. Ding-dong, the laminated overhang for the garbage is dead! The new peninsula separates the kitchen and eating area. Let’s hope the garbage ran back to another, better hidden location.

This is a small point, but note how the new wood flooring is laid. The flooring in the eating area runs in the opposite direction. There are two good reasons for this – one, installing the flooring width-wise in the kitchen makes the room look wider. Two, it’s cheaper to install this way because it can be butted up against the existing flooring instead of threaded through with the other flooring which usually means more time, more money and more refinishing of the rest of the flooring which you may not have wanted to refinish in the first place.

Best of all, she loves her kitchen. How good is that?

So, nice job, Bri! Thank you so much for sharing and for making my day!

Reminder: Enter to win a copy of Design Rules

Do you know the correct height to hang a pendant light over the table?

The rules for mixing furniture?

That white tile/white grout, while it looks marvelous, needs more tending than a cranky 2-year-old? (Well, you probably do. I couldn’t resist tucking that in here.)

Elaine Griffin does – and she tells you in DESIGN RULES. See? Pretty cover, 250 pages, on the shelves now for $ 25.00 US, $31.00 CDN.

But YOU can enter to win a copy by leaving an answer to the question below:

“I really wish I knew the design rule for …”

Leave a comment below or go here to read my book review.

All comments will go into the fishbowl and one lucky name will be drawn on  Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 12 noon (PST) . Good luck!

~*~

The winner has been selected - thanks to all who left a comment!

Book Review: Design Rules by Elaine Griffin

 

First, let’s get the housekeeping out of the way. I was asked if I wanted to review a copy of Design Rules – The Insider’s Guide to Becoming Your Own Decorator by Elaine Griffin, which hit the book stores this week. I am not receiving any compensation to review this book - all opinions are my own.

 

Design Rules – The Author

Some background: Elaine Griffin is a New York interior designer, a contributing editor to Elle Decor, and ranked in House Beautiful’s list of the Top 100 American Designers. She has countless articles and magazine credits, which you can find on her website here.

Design Rules – The Book

As the introduction says, “This is the secret stuff your decorator would have told you were hiring one.”  Perfect summation – and it’s true.

         The good:

In an epiphany that will shock no one -- Elaine has very extensive knowledge and experience and it shows. I give bonus points for the simple explanations everyone can understand.

Design Rules discusses everything from how much space you need in the laundry room design to fold your clothes to letting your bathroom footage determine the sink style. It continually talks about size, scale, and proportion, while giving you numbers you can work with: “Why do people put tiny little lamps on their bedside tables is beyond me! Standard–size (22 to 27 inches tall, with shade) table lamps look so much better!”

My designer mother and I poured over the book, nodding at almost every other page. It’s a nice easy-to-read layout, with pretty illustrations throughout. I loved the section on window trims and wall decoration – not something I get into, yet my clients ask all the time. It’s explained far better than I could.

Also? The tips on the laundry room are worth the price of the book – there’s so little out on laundry rooms and the advice is very good.  (The only scratch-my-head moment I have is on page 180 where it’s stated that most washer/dryers are about 37” wide. I’ve never had a washer/wider than 30” – is this a commercial washer/dryer or perhaps a misprint?)

It’s all here, everything from bedrooms to foyers to bathrooms to basements. Two separate chapters are on the window treatments and color, with a few “break the rules” advice.

 The amusing:

• The regional differences – the foyer as a separate entity. She would cry if she saw the foyers of an average home on the West Coast. Big, separate entities they are not.
• She can level with us: she's never specified laminate counters in her life.*grin*
• Her bio says she’s from Georgia - is that why she keeps addressing us readers as “sugar”? I’ve only met three people from Georgia my entire life. Love the spoken drawl but it feels a tad over the top in print. (I can just hear all the people from Georgia reading this, “Seems normal to us, sugar. What’s your problem?”)

 The could-be-better parts: 

Design Rules feels to me like it’s trying a bit too hard to be all things to all people. Elaine’s not only a high-end designer, she’s a regional big-city designer and some of the tips reflect that.

For instance, page 109: engineered quartz is only half the price of granites. Er, sure - when one is dealing with the exotics and  higher-end specialty granites; otherwise, there is not much difference cost-wise between common granites and quartz counters (assuming same thickness and counter edges).

Her design tip on page 92 - “let a big box store become your bestest friend the very minute your first new kitchen thoughts occur…” and “…if you’re not on a budget (sigh), you can also work with a kitchen specialist” – is…well. She’s clearly never heard you readers in the forums, nor heard us say there’s not much difference in cost between the box stores and many design studios or firms. Again, regional. Your mileage may vary.

 

You know I was going to focus on the kitchen and bath, didn’t you?

• “Sitting the range next to a tall cupboard…is another don’t—if you can’t spread your arms from side to side while standing at the stove, you’ll feel like the kitchen is closing in on you.” Amen.
• To be fair, she’s covering a lot – but there are a few areas where she didn’t go far enough, which could lead someone to making a mistake. There’s a design tip for using 42” high wall cabinets in a 96” high ceiling. No good if the ceiling is not level, or there’s can lighting trim in the way – a frameless door will bind or scrape across the ceiling – not to mention we’ll run into code issues with a gas range unless the width of the hood fan is wider.  
• “When considering your layout, the first thing to know is the work triangle…is the kitchen’s golden fleece.”  Um, we need to talk. 

 

The final verdict?

The minor diversions aside, this is a good book to add to your shelf, especially if you’re a beginner. If you’re more advanced, it’s still good -- I’ll bet you’ll find a tip or two that will more than pay for the cost of the book. If you want details on how to order, click on the photo above which will take you to Elaine’s website.  But wait! There's more! (I've always wanted to say that...)

 ***

 WIN A COPY -- THE “DESIGN RULES” GIVEAWAY

 

The nice publicist for the book said there was a copy of Design Rules: The Insider’s Guide to Becoming Your Own Decorator for one of you lucky readers. (Unfortunately, the offer is limited to the U.S. and Canada only, sorry.)

• Finish the following sentence “I really wish I knew the design rule for …” with your name in the comments below. (Don’t worry if someone has already said it.)

All comments will go into the fishbowl and one lucky name will be drawn on lucky Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 12 noon (PST) . Good luck!

~*~

The winner has been selected - thanks to all who left a comment!

Managing Expectations: Stealth costs

What I want to share with you today is one of the biggest enthusiasm-killers to any project, the shock you get when what you had in your mind doesn’t match up with the actual costs. I’m not talking about when you first start your research, although many of you have emailed with your disappointments. I hear you.

What I’m talking about is additions either during the selection process or during the project. You know the type – you decide to add can lighting to your kitchen. You went online to a box store, added the cost of 4 can lights, 4x $ 20.00 per can (and you weren’t in California where you needed fluorescents at 4 times the cost.)  You’re thinking $ 80.00, maybe $ 100.00.

You get the bill or change order for $ 900.00.

“What?!?” you say. “Wait a minute, I’m not paying for this! It should have cost 1/8th of that.” Now you’re steaming mad, refuse to pay, hop on the internets and blast your contractor for being a crook.

Hold on. Yes, your contractor was wrong, but not for the reason you think.

One of the biggest common failings in our industry is that we have a tendancy to assume you all automatically know what we do AND how we do it. *scratch head*  I don’t know why, but we figure just by talking to us, you have somehow absorbed every aspect of our business. Silly, isn’t it? Then we end up all shocked that you would be shocked, because we actually gave you a discount even though we had to drop everything else to accommodate this last minute change and it put us a day behind at another job and now our other client is upset.

Hurt feelings all around, but really?  That’s our fault. We need to step it up and recognize no, you don’t know:

• the cans you saw online – that $ 20.00 is just for the trim. They need housing and assembly which costs extra. The bulbs are also on top of this. New price: $ 38.00
• the housing looks like this:
• 
• the sheetrock and/or plaster has to be cut for 4 boxes. The ceiling joists weren’t in the right spot and the contractor had to add some framing in the ceiling so that the lights would line up exactly where you want them
• the sheetrock also had to be cut out on the wall for the light switch
• somebody had to go pick up the lights (and Murphy’s Law being what it is, the store was out of stock and there was an extra 1/2 hour drive to another store for pickup. You probably weren’t charged for the extra trip, but when you ask why it’s taking so long, that’s one of the time-killers on any job.)
• you forgot to add in the 2 hours of electrician’s time
• the electrician found a wiring mess buried in the insulation and had to repair it
• someone had to repair the sheetrock
• someone else had to paint the ceiling. If it’s done properly, the entire ceiling was painted, not just 4 small patches(Sometimes it’s more labor taping around a patch then spraying the entire ceiling)
• the mess of sheetrock, insulation bits, and wiring had to be cleaned up

Knowing what’s involved is a big step towards understanding.  Repeat after me: Failed expectations are the sole cause of anger. Ommm.  *grin*

The last few years, I’ve taken time to explain where the costs come from and if I can, in the early stages, so that the adjustments for both budget and expectations can be made. Sure, I still have clients say: “I had no idea there was so much to this”, but at least they didn’t have any surprises.

And that’s my 2 cents for the day.