Your Interior Decorating Style...

[softgrey]

well- i always said i hate toile...
but i just ordered a blue toile quilt set that is reversible to blue/wht stripes...
i like the femme/masc. combo...
combo of secret garden + marine world...

we'll see if i can really deal with it when it is on the bed though...
...


...

still have to get my two large mirrors hung...
so heavy...

 

[fashionista-ta]

I really love toile, though I have yet to use it myself. But I did choose it for my mother's dining room accent wall. Perhaps one of these days ...

 

[softgrey]

...
it arrived today...
i like it so much with the stripes...
will combine it with grey to make it even more neutral...

 

[barbaraaa]

Where do you European people get awesome duvet covers? I'm moving out of my parents' soon (big changes!) and I really like some of Urban Outfitters' covers but they are so expensive... and IKEA's are either plain or boringly printed Zara Home is very boring this season.
I find that a duvet just "makes" a room really, and I am willing to pay a little more for it, but I'm still very unsure and unable to find a lot of possibilities!

Thank you all in advance

 

[EvaH]

Where do you European people get awesome duvet covers? I'm moving out of my parents' soon (big changes!) and I really like some of Urban Outfitters' covers but they are so expensive... and IKEA's are either plain or boringly printed Zara Home is very boring this season.
I find that a duvet just "makes" a room really, and I am willing to pay a little more for it, but I'm still very unsure and unable to find a lot of possibilities!

Thank you all in advance

I really like John Lewis, Mark & Spencer, Westelm, Liberty, Kelly Hoppen. Alternatively Next does homewear, H&M too (very cheap) but what I would really recommend is etsy. People are not joking when they say you can find anything on etsy And you will be able to really make it your own Yay for moving out and creating your own space !

Alternatively what I usually do is "home decor + city" where I am/want to buy things and google does the rest Hope it was useful!

 

[Jinadaze]

^^ White Company (London) is very good too, if you are more into minimalistic design. I believe they ship wordwide.

 

[Caramel]

I bought an apartment today! I can feel the decorating itch already...

It has the original kitchen from 1954, painted a pale blue. I'm contemplating whether to keep/restore or completely replace...retro/mid-century is not really my style, I prefer a more classic look, and yet this kitchen is awfully charming...

 

[softgrey]

...

congrats!...

...

the kitchen sounds adorable...
and fun...
you can always change it later if you decide it's not what you want, but it seems like it would be fun to have at least for awhile!...

best of luck with it all~!

 

[Caramel]

Thanks softgrey!

Yeah, I am leaning towards keeping it, at least for a while. Even if it's not really my style, it makes me sad to think about ripping out something original. Also, I think it's more of a fun challenge to work with what's already there.

We'll change the countertops and put up some tiles, get new appliances, maybe take down some of the upper cabinets and replace with open shelves, new lighting. I kind of like the blue colour, but I might want to paint it anyway. I saw this really cute kitchen a while back, in the same retro style as ours. It was painted a really nice shade of light green, and with white marble countertops, white glossy tiles, stainless steel appliances, and lots of pale wooden accents. It had more of a organic/earthy retro feel than the typical kitchy retro, which I really liked.

 

[fashionista-ta]

I wrote a long reply earlier that got blown away ...


Congrats on the apartment!


I have an old house, and nothing about my kitchen is original, which is a bummer. But I have put in a restored 1948 Kelvinator refrigerator, which is gorgeous. Most women are horrified, but men totally get a huge hunk of restored, painted metal and chrome. If you have original appliances and they still work, they are probably better than anything you can buy today.


I would just wait for awhile before making any decisions ... original features are so nice!


All the original lighting was gone from my house ... I have gone back with vintage fixtures and one repro one. There are some great things available ... and there has certainly been some amazing lighting designed in your part of the world. In fact, one of my Deco light fixtures (in my office) is Scandinavian (Danish). I found at least one great fixture on eBay. It can be seen from the side of the house, and my neighbors would tell me how jealous they were!


Also the nice thing about going with original or vintage things is they won't date. A kitchen of the moment will probably look dated 10-15 years from now, but one that looks more or less original will never date. Right now mine still has features that scream something about the 70s (not sure what, I've covered my ears ...).

 

[Caramel]

^ Thank you!

That refrigerator of yours sounds amazing, and you are right about older appliances. We have a 1950-something fridge at our summer house and it works perfectly. Unfortunately, the new apartment doesn't have the original appliances, just the cabinets (and the appliances that are there are pretty ugly and doesn't go at all with the style, so they will need to be replaced).

We don't have any original lighting either, but now you've given me the idea to try to source something vintage...
We do have original wooden floors, doors, fireplace and lots of built in cabinets in the bedrooms and hallway (complete with floral wallpaper on the inside ), so there are some nice features. I am mostly happy about the floors...

The only thing that is making me unsure about the kitchen is the fact that I have lived for six years now with a very impractical and run down (though charming) rental kitchen, dreaming about owning my own place so I could have something shiny and new. My bf and I both love to cook and spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so it needs to be practical. Of course we won't know if it is until we live there...also, it's probably a sign that of all the places we looked at, this was the first one with any original features, and the only place I liked. I guess shiny and new isn't really my thing.

Anyway, here is pretty much exactly the colour and the combination of materials that I was thinking about. I doubt we'll have marble countertops since it isn't all that practical, but it sure is pretty...

aftonbladet.se

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ From what I've read, marble is not too bad a choice ...


I would probably never, ever do open shelving, and I will tell you why ... you really just need to have a very few things that you use all the time out in the open to keep them from getting dusty. Also when you get insects flying through, as does happen IRL, sometimes they will land in whatever china is available. In my case, dog hair is also floating around. Anytime I see open shelving near the floor in magazines, I think, "Clearly a pet-free household ..." Also if you have cats, you know how they climb & jump & can knock things down ...


Things eventually get dusty inside cabinets too, but it takes so much longer ... years not weeks.

 

[Caramel]

^ I know everyone says the same thing about open shelving, but I have two walls of shelves in my current kitchen and have to say I really love it! It's out of necessity, because we don't have enough cabinets and the space is kind of awkward, but I don't really find it impractical at all. I keep everything there that I use on a daily basis - all of our everyday plates and bowls, salad bowls and serving plates, etc. on one wall, and jars of pasta, rice, grains, flour, etc. on the other. Everything is used often enough that it doesn't get that dusty, I clean once a week, and it's not really a problem. True enough, I don't have pets.

 

[Melisande]

Congratulations Caramel!!!! That is so exciting!!
All the best and have fun!
The kitchen color scheme and style look beautiful!


Whoa, open shelving terrifies me...so not an option in Japan where we have daily earthquakes!! People laugh at me when I say this, but I still have to get used to the idea that it's okay in other countries

I love white marble counter tops...it seems very durable and convenient for cooking and baking (making pie crust! )

A quick search got me this: interesting...

http://www.thekitchn.com/would-i-be...itchen-marble-countertop-pros-and-cons-170829

Also what are your preferred kitchen plans and why? I'm fascinated by this...

 

[Caramel]

Thanks Melisande!

That link is very useful, opinions seem to be very 50/50 - that people either love it or hate it. I guess the problem is the easy staining or etching, but I think it all comes down to expectations. I don't mind a little patina and something that shows wear and age, but if I wanted something that would stay pristine and perfect I wouldn't go with marble. And besides, wood, which is my second choice, also stains and ages. I think I am talking myself into it (and the bf too, yay!), but we'll see how easy it is to get a hold of here. Every kitchen site I've visited say "we ABSOLUTELY DO NOT recommend marble for kitchen counters"...

I have this little marble slab that I use as a tray on my dining table, and now I can't stop stroking it and dreaming about marble countertops...

Earthquakes! Definitely not something we need to consider here!

Also what are your preferred kitchen plans and why? I'm fascinated by this...

As in the layout? Of all the ones I've lived with I find galley kitchens to be the most practical. Which is great, because that's what my new kitchen has.

 

[Nymphaea]

A friend of mine has a marble counter top, but it easily scratches and it even more easily stains, she regrets buying it. After seeing her marble I wouldn't buy it, it doesn't look nice anymore after using it.
Btw I love the Ikea kitchens.

 

[Melisande]

Caramel: you are so right, it boils down to expectations. My sister has a wooden countertop installed, and it definitely stains and ages...and I think molds a bit around the edges too. So yes, it does sound like 50/50 and marble definitely is the most gorgeous

Granite sounds good but I guess it's expensive?

 

[softgrey]

i really like my kitchen...
it happens to be similar to what Caramel is thinking about...
though my cabinets are not painted...just wood...
with green, white and stainless and a dark grey tile floor...

i found some vintage industrial hanging lamps for the ceiling (2 of them) and have a small vintage painted cupboard (it's sort of off white, yellow) for all my spices...

what i have never replaced (because i am a DIY girl and i cannot do this myself) is the countertop...

i confess that my dream counter top is black slate...
like outdoor garden stones or a black board...
apparently this is really porous and soft and a terrible idea...

and since i have never come up with a better idea, i just have this horrible (though very practical) formica countertop...
it's white and stains if you even look at it...
i have to bleach it regularly...

my friend chose some sort of white glass for her place...
apparently it never stains...

so far, that has sounded like the most interesting option to me...

*i am getting ready to do some maintenance/upgrades on my place...

i have to start looking for bathroom light fixtures...
one very classic and one very industrial/spa kind of feeling...

plus- i think i am going to put track lighting up in the main living area...
soooo 80's...
...

but i can't help it...i don't have a better idea for lighting up a loft space...
...

 

[softgrey]

also- need to replace both bathroom sinks...

i am thinking about going with a stainless utility sink in the bigger, more industrial style bath...
i already put in a galvanized steel ceiling with a wood frame...

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/reg...4ly6sZKGorM2QwWfvj0LDvfnuX7tbOOjIkaAjar8P8HAQ

i have wanted this for ages but every time i mention it to someone they just look at me and blink several times...
i know it's not traditional for a bathroom, but i love the idea so i am finally doing it---!!!...


the smaller bath is super traditional in contrast...
i like having both~!

 

[Caramel]

^ Your kitchen sounds really nice, softgrey! I've actually been looking for some industrial lamps for my kitchen too. I would like two large ones as the main ceiling light fixtures...

Lighting can be really difficult... I think the right kind of track lighting in the right kind of space can look good though...

Granite is an option for countertops, and also different composite stones (there are some types of quartz that kind of resemble marble, but much much pricier of course...), but to be honest I am not crazy about either options...Some of them look good, but there is just something about the tactile element that you lose...it's much colder and harder to the touch. Maybe I'm just crazy.

What I might do though...on one side of the kitchen the counter is stainless steel with an integrated sink. I could keep that, and only replace the other side (currently a very worn down old formica) with the marble. Then the messiest parts of cooking could be done on the steel counter - one practical side and one pretty. Though it might look too busy mixing so many different materials? It would of course be better for the budget too, as I would only need half the amount of counters and no new sink...