A Betsy Schmidt Kitchen

Hi Everyone!

Here is a kitchen I saw in a magazine a few years ago and it is one of those unforgettable images........it's a very striking design and when you see the pictures, you will see what I mean.

The designer, Betsy Schmidt, of Cincinnati, is a designer after my own heart.........she loves color!!!  Pinks, greens, blues, yellows, red......whatever!  And she has a fabulous eye for working them all together!
  This is her own remodelled, 80-year old kitchen in which she has blended raspberry toile, periwinkle chintz on the bar stools, blue and white delft backsplash tiles, lime green floor tiles as well as blue and white gingham with roses decoupaged onto the buffet drawers.

She is able to accommodate all that color beautifully by adding large doses of white in the cabinetry, ceiling and woodwork.  She has also mixed the metals beautifully with brass cabinetry hardware, brushed nickel faucets and stainless steel appliances.

Two sinks, two refrigerator drawers, two dishwashers and a wet bar make an irresistible kitchen for entertaining and for guests who can't seem to pull themselves away from it all!

Enjoy!!

I was hoping to offer you more photos of this kitchen, but I'm unable to at this time........to see more of her work, check out elizabethschmidtinteriordesign.com............her colors are wonderful!

BHG Remodel Magazine

Elizabeth Schmidt Interior Design

Kate Forman's English Country Charm

I discovered Kate Forman's designs a few years ago while travelling through England.  The first piece I saw was a sofa and it was a standout!  

A former antiques dealer, Kate took up textile design about ten years ago, and since then has established her brand by broadening it to include painted furniture, upholstered furniture, wallpaper, cushions, lamp shade covers, etc.

As you will see, she uses a lot of creams and rosy pinks with an occasional dash of soft blue or green thrown in.  All of it combined makes for a very warm and homey feel.

To see more of Kate Forman designs, check out www.kateforman.co.uk.

Enjoy!

KateForman.co.uk

Rooms in Bloom

Good morning, Everyone!

It's a bit overcast here this morning, so I immediately thought of colorful flowers as a pick me up.......which led me to my pinterest boards to pick out some of my favorite rooms in bloom.

Most of these rooms have been done by a bevy of the world's best designers.  Some are from years ago and some are contemporary. Most of these rooms are very, very traditional and some are what is referred to as new traditional.

And all are gorgeous, charming and all enveloping!

Enjoy!

I fell in love with this room back in the 90s when I first saw it in Traditional Home and I still love it!

Designed by Gary McBournie.

The bedroom of Daniel Romauldez.

The New York living room of the late Mark Hampton and Duane Hampton

Since renovated.  Isn't it scrumptious?  Like stepping into a flower garden!

A cottage bedroom!

A contemporary bedroom by Cathy Kincaid......just lovely!

The living room of Oscar and Annette de la Renta.....beautiful!

Anthony Baratta's skilled design.

And Charlotte Moss' bedroom.

What a cheerful living room!  Love the shades of pink!

Traditional Home

Lillian August's Beautiful Retreat

OK......enough of nurseries for now.  Let's get back to some adult interiors.

I came upon this house in Traditional Home recently and I thought it was one of the prettiest and most comfortable houses I have seen in a long time.  I have followed Lillian August's work for a long time and have loved it, but I particularly love this fresh, light look she has incorporated into her newfound retreat in Carolina.

There are so many adjectives to describe rooms, but my favorite is 'pretty' and while there are lots of beautiful rooms out there in many different styles - modern, contemporary, traditional, shabby, country, mid century, vintage, etc........sometimes it's hard to find 'pretty', inviting, comfortable, charming and low maintenance all in the same home.

This house covers it all!  Pure charm!

To see more of this home and Lillian's story, go here www.traditionalhome.com.

What a lovely room - sisal rug, painted distressed furniture for low maintenance - no window treatments   - just lovely!

A closer view of the living room makes me want to paint, sand and pound all my dark furniture!  That's inspiration!

Love all the symmetry and colors.

Love the colors here, as well - can I say it again - so pretty!

Love it!

Wicker, sisal, birdcage, pink!  This is my cup of tea!

Love all of this and especially the stove!

A cosy corner!

How perfect is this?

And what house is complete without a furry little friend sitting on a bed of peonies?

Adorable!

All images from Traditional Home

Palm Beach Blues

Hi there,

I posted Wendy Valliere's charming home a couple of weeks ago (the red kitchen!) and liked her work so much I thought I would share another of her designs today........this home is a client's Palm Beach residence.

As you will see, the whole house is in shades of blue with pink, red and white accents.......each room is stunning, but I particularly love the first image of a carefully planned and curated sightline.......so enticing!!

Enjoy!

All images via Wendy Valliere

Barn and Cottage Living

When I did a post on quilts a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't help but notice on my blog's Pinterest page that one of my readers chose the living room shown below by Justine Cushing as one of her favorites, and remarked that she would love to see the rest of this place.

By sheer coincidence, I was tidying up some House Beautiful magazines last night and one was smaller than all the rest..........I picked it up to casually peek at it again and, lo and behold, it was the magazine with this house in it from 2007.

I really love the large size of the living room, large windows throughout, faded wallpaper, chintz fabrics all combined with beautiful antiques and art collected over a lifetime, as well as the coziness of  all the rooms.

So, to my reader Barbara, here is the rest of this very lovely home in the Hamptons.......the main house is called 'the barn' and the smaller rooms shown here are in their nearby cottage.

Enjoy and Happy Valentine's Day!

The barn bedroom

All images via House Beautiful