Q + A

One of the biggest trends in kitchen designs is open shelving. Many of my favorite inspirational kitchens incorporate them in some way. I’m a big fan. Sometimes they can seem a little scary or unpractical, but I believe open shelving adds a unique element to kitchens while still being functional. For today’s Q+A, I want to take a closer look at open shelving as a beautiful and affordable way to update your kitchen.

Q: What’s a good way to update my kitchen affordably?

A: Incorporating open shelving to your kitchen is a great update and is cheaper than new cabinetry. For smaller spaces, open shelving can be a great solution as well. You may not have the option of knocking down a wall or maybe you have a galley kitchen. Open shelving will make your kitchen space feel bigger and fresh. Tight spaces like a butler pantry can feel light, airy and decorative with open shelving. With a little paint and some new open shelves we transformed the butler’s space above. You can see before and after pics here.

Via Merchant Design

Q: If I want to use open shelving, what is the easiest way to incorporate it into my kitchen.

A: One of my favorite looks in a kitchen is open shelves on either side of the hood. This is a great way to update your kitchen with a fresh look, without having to spend a lot of money doing the whole kitchen. You can replace the existing cabinetry with simple wood boards from Home Depot and paint them, or find beautiful reclaimed wood for a more rustic look.

Via Popsugar

A: Another great place to install open shelving is in a small corner or dead space in your kitchen. In this kitchen above, the open shelves were installed at the end of the cabinetry. This is a more affordable solution than decorative glass cabinetry and it gives a more clean, modern look. It’s amazing what painting your cabinetry and adding a few open shelves will do to update your kitchen.

Q: Is adding open shelving something I can do fairly easily?

Via Ala Mode Maven

A: Adding open shelving can be a great DIY project. There are some really good resources for how to install opening shelving into your home, using supplies from your local home building stores. For example, Lowe’s has a great how to article here. I recently redid my pantry, using a mix of open shelving and cabinetry. For the shelves, I like to use 1 1/2 -2″ thick wood boards that are about 12″ deep. You can have them cut the wood for you at the store in the dimensions you need. Subway tile, new painted drywall or continuing your backsplash to the cabinet height or ceiling, will finish it off. I personally love the look of a counter to ceiling subway tile wall like the kitchen above. It’s so crisp and brightens up the space.

Tip: If you are designing a new kitchen with open shelving, have a little fun with it. The space with open shelving can become an amazing, decorative focal point for your kitchen, like an accent wall. I love the beautiful blue and white tile seen in the kitchen below. If you decide to go with a more minimal all white look, you can add a stack of dishes or a row of glasses in a pretty color to create an element of surprise. This leads to my last question…

Via Domino

Q: Does open shelving make my kitchen too high maintenance? Now everything will always have to look perfect.

A: No one wants a messy, unsightly kitchen. And sometimes when life gets busy it’s hard to maintain a perfect clean space. This is why adding open shelving to only a portion of your kitchen might be the best solution. I believe open shelving will only add to the beauty of your kitchen, but it’s important to be strategic about where you place it based on what will be displayed. Open shelving works great for everyday dishes and serving ware. Try to organize your kitchen so these dishes are displayed in a way that is practical for everyday use. I love to use mainly all white dishes in these spaces, but you certainly can be creative with your own collections. The key is to make the space usable while still keeping it simple, consider decorating them with just 2 or three colors.

I hope you have enjoyed today’s Q+A on open shelving. I would love to see pictures of your projects if you decide to use them. Below are some of my favorite choices for dishes and accessories to style your open shelves. I hope you have a great Monday!

Xxo
Becki

Last week’s Q+A was the first part of our series on marble countertops. It featured my favorite choices for marble when I design a kitchen or bath. If you read that post, or have seen any of my kitchen designs, you will see I love using marble and feel it’s a great choice for kitchen countertops. Today I want to address the biggest concern I hear about marble, how to care for and maintain it. But first, let’s finish the selection process.

Q: “What style of edge should I choose for my counters?”

A: I definitely have a favorite for this. I love the clean, modern look of a mitered edge. I will vary the thickness, sometimes using 2″, and sometimes using a 3″, depending on the design of the kitchen. For the kitchen above Nicole Davis and I used Colorado Gold with a 3″ mitered edge. We wanted the marble to be thick and substantial, the main focal point of this space.

In this modern mediterranean kitchen we chose Calcutta Gold with a 2″ mitered edge. We chose this thickness for a slightly lighter feel that worked well with the white washed cabinetry and the extended countertop for barstools.

PC: Ashlee Raubach

If you are looking for a little more traditional style, the San Clemente Beach house is a great example. The Dupont square edge worked well for this beach house transitional design. This edge works well with both traditional and more modern clean lines. It was the perfect fit for this kitchen.

Q: How can I maintain my marble counters to keep them looking like new?

A: Marble is a natural beautiful stone that changes with use. There will be etching (which means the sheen is changes in that one spot) after some acid has spilled on it from lemons or vinegar, but with everyday use a beautiful patina will happen. I’ve had carrara marble in my kitchen for over 3 years and I love it. It has not stained or had any discolor at all and I cook all the time. If marble worries you, there are ways to keep it looking like new. First, start by having it sealed with Akemi Nano sealer. Then about once a year you can have it repolished or honed and sealed and it will look brand new!

Q: What are the best ways to clean marble?”

A: Marble cleans great with a marble cleaner called Alpine Marble cleaner. Another way to clean it is with a shammy. It will clean and polish your marble at the same time. Having your marble sealed will really help with this. When something acidic spills on your marble, it is best to blot it instead of rubbing it. If the stain is stubborn you can use a commercial marble cleaner to remove it.

Tip: Keep baking soda on hand. Use baking soda mixed with rubbing alcohol for grease type stains.  For water based stains, mix it with hydrogen peroxide.

The beauty of marble is that it does age well. Over time the spots and stains blend together and are not noticeable. I love the look of marble. It’s color and richness is timeless. As it ages, it adds interest to a home. I hope this information about edge choices and marble care and maintenance has been helpful. If you do decide to use marble in your home, I really hope you enjoy it. It’s beautiful. Have a wonderful day!

Xxo
Becki

When I design kitchens and bathrooms my favorite choice for countertops is marble, I feel like there is nothing prettier than a slab of marble. I sometimes get questioned as to why I pick marble,”isn’t it hard to care for and maintain?” Marble has a very scary reputation that I personally don’t agree with. The truth is, I love using marble and have never regretted putting in a kitchen. I have marble countertops in my own kitchen at home and have recently used it kitchens with a family with eight kids and a family with six kids. They both love it and embrace its beauty. Today is the first of a two part Q + A on selecting, caring for and maintaining marble countertops. I hope this is helpful as you are deciding which is the best material for your upcoming projects. Maybe you will grow to love marble as I do.

Q: “Which marbles do you like to use in a kitchen and why?”

A: This is a good question. There are a lot of marbles to choose from. For Part 1 of this Q+A, I will focus on four of my favorite choices for marble counters. These are my go to selections for most of my projects.

1. Carrara

Carrara marble is white with a lot of gray veining throughout. The amount of veining creates an overall more gray cast to the marble. This marble works great in a cooler toned kitchen and is the least expensive option.

2. Statuary

PC: Ashlee Raubach

This marble is more mid price range. It also has a white background, but less gray veining than Carrara. For this kitchen we were looking for a marble without any hints of gold or warmth. This was the perfect choice for the cool, netural, open floor plan of this beach house.

3. Colorado Gold

For this project we were looking for a countertop that was simple and very white to offset the existing, busier tile flooring in the kitchen. This marble is very white and and has minimal grey veining with a little gold going through it as well. It worked well to tie this updated, more modern space together.

4. Calcutta Gold

Calcutta Gold is a beautiful mix of larger grey and touches of gold veining throughout. It’s the most expensive choice, but works well to mix and tie together different tones in a space. I love the subtle warmth of this tile in this modern mediterranean kitchen. It’s definitely a favorite of mine. I’m currently using it in another project.

I hope these descriptions of my favorite marbles help to narrow down your decision making process. Check back for part two of this Q+A, where I will be addressing edge choices and how to care for and maintain a beautiful marble kitchen.
Have a great Monday.

Xxo
Becki