Renovating a Family Space

This is the 3rd and last post in the Design Dilemma series, I hope you have enjoyed the first two posts, TO SEE PART 1 CLICK HERE and TO SEE PART 2 CLICK HERE . Answering these questions takes time and care, just the same as preparing for a design project installation.
I must say I've had a lot of fun! So thank you for your questions. For those who did not make it on the blog, I will continue to answer via email.

Jamie's kitchen, breakfast room and family room is my final Design Dilemma, here is her dilemma.


Design inspiration: we have a rectangular space that our Kitchen and Family room occupy. Between these spaces is a large island which contains our fireplace. I am looking for inspiration for an updated kitchen dinette area (cabinets are cherry and table is currently a matchy-matchy cherry) to integrate into (also) a refreshed FR area. I wanted to freshen up the space for my young family of 4: darker/lighter table, fun chairs (maybe a couple upholstered?) So lost and would love your thoughts!

What a gorgeous home!
The first thing I see is the fab ceiling and classic architectural details, the room has great bones, it seems weird to me that with all the windows, high ceilings and open concept that the room looks so dark and dull. This is not a reflection of your young family!

As in most projects lets begin with 'demo'. The TV cabinet, both rugs and the dining set need to go.... Budget permitting, we can look at new sofas.

First off the walls are too dark, the grey is just bringing in a rainy day. We need to choose a light and bright  wall color, lets bring in a clear blue sky...carry the paint through into the kitchen and include the island.

Willard White by Benjamin Moore

I adore Willard White, it is a soft neutral with a hint of sky! You may choose to dd a little more color...

Grantham Blue by Benjamin Moore

I would also paint the ceiling in the same color as the wall and leave the coffers white, here is an example on how to emphasize the great architectural details you already have!

I was discussing this post on Twitter with @ShelleyHolmes Follow Shelley HERE and @FifthWallDesign Follow Diana HERE . Diana who is an Interior Designer based in Virginia mentioned linking the dividing wall to the ceiling, after a few back & forth this is the very sketchy sketch of the result, I think it grounds the wall, which otherwise looks detached, do you agree?

Replacing the wood media unit in the family room with a built in arrangement similar to the image below will totally transform the area and create good storage, with plenty of charm.

Via DecorPad

Back to the kitchen area where the breakfast area is somewhat tight. Chairs actually take up a lot of space, so my idea for seating would be to design a bench which will back to the dividing wall! The tiles would be covered with a paneled back and adding cushions will make a comfy place to hang out. There is no doubt that kids love banquettes (and so do I! Check out over 70 different Banquettes here: http://pinterest.com/dionnetrifiro/kitchen-banquettes-benches/ ;)

Here is a freestanding bench idea: Love the rattan chair too!

http://pinterest.com/pin/234750199296739491/

Or a fitted bench.

http://pinterest.com/pin/234750199297007806/

It would be lovely if the table was a washed out pine farmhouse style or a simple white one which would carry the white through the space.

http://pinterest.com/pin/234750199296908478/

I think this table would look great and I love the 2 upholstered chairs and the white lantern.

http://pinterest.com/pin/220746819205576773/

The living room needs a new rug, and a hard wearing one in order to keep up with a busy family of 5! A wool mix sisal will be a great option, the great thing about it is that it can be bought off a roll and cut to any size. I recently saw these at Worldwide Flooring. I would go for a light color to brighten the space and also to contrast with your existing sofas.

Worldwide Wholesale Floor Coverings

Last but not least, lets introduce some fabrics in the form of curtains, the bench seat cushion and upholstered chairs will be chosen in tandem with the curtains.

I saw a fantastic curtain today which inspired me to choose these fabrics. The family room really needs softening and whereas we do not want to have the curtains close off the light, some panels in between each window will make a huge difference!

All fabrics available at Calico Corners

Jamie, hopefully I have inspired you and my readers today to make something beautiful!

~D~

For info on any of the above products contact me on dionnetrifirodesignllc@gmail.com

There's been a lot of talk about ~MUD ROOMS

On yesterdays #DesignTV chat there was a lot of MudRoom talk, it transpired when we were 'chatting' about how to create chic interiors whilst keeping kids and pets in mind ~ DesignTV is a Twitter Chat hosted by the lovely Amy of ABCD Designs.

In my many years as a kitchen designer I have designed a number of mudrooms, my favorite project had everything and I mean everything one could wish for including an outfitted sports cabinet and full size wine refrigerator, then again, I was lucky to have a kitchen sized room to play with. You can see this mudroom as featured in House Beautiful HERE!
Lets talk about the concept of a mud room: Originally found in country houses, a mud room was just that.. a room where the family would remove their muddy boots and wet raincoats and change into house shoes before entering the kitchen. This  room would usually comprise of  flag stone floors, a bench, a couple of hooks and an umbrella stand.

potting sink
Nowadays a mudroom is integral to the rest of the home, and on many peoples wish list! It is a great room for storing seasonal outer wear, sports equipment, and items for your pets :)  Some mudrooms include extra pantry storage, refrigeration and for the very lucky a potting sink! You can use over sized, extra deep and hard wearing sink to re pot plants, cut and arrange your flower arrangements, wash muddy boots and paws or clean your gardening tools.

*LOVE THIS ARRANGEMENT*

Potting Room ~ Image via Country Living

It is a great place to inject your personality, let it set the tone for your home's style!


benches & baskets
For us who have smaller homes or city apartments, have pets or kids and need somewhere to store boots and coats here are a few ideas to get you started.
Use a stainless steel tray from your garden center and place wet boots in the tray by the door, place a small bench with baskets below for outer wear. Add some hooks to the wall above for coats and back packs, and a shelve above for additional baskets. All this will help keep the entryway clear, everything at arms reach and will ensure a quick exit in the mornings!

Simple free standing solution, image via ehow.com

built ins
For the lucky ones who have a service door or back door with some additional space a built in cabinet including bench, cubbies and hooks looks stylish and gives the opportunity to introduce some color. Possibly painting the cabinetry or maybe some patterned wallpaper inside the cabinet. You could also choose to use some pretty fabric for a bench cushion.

Built-in  storage, image via Better Homes & Gardens

What's on your mud room wish list?
~D~

Need help designing your mud room or any other room? Email me!

Email me!

House Beautiful & Other Publications ~ 3 Featured Projects

My friends and colleagues have asked me to share some of my work, so here goes :)

HOUSE BEAUTIFUL ~ Kitchen of the Month

This Long Island estate was built in 1913, a gorgeous house with beautiful landscaping and immaculate interiors. The kitchen however was small and crammed and had a chimney smack in the center of the room similar to a traffic circle, with cabinets built awkwardly around it.
I worked with the contractor to remove the chimney all together, and took over the 'exercise room' next door which we turned into a mudroom/flower room. Another factor to contend with was a low ceiling height, I took the attention off this by bringing the cabinets to the ceiling and painting the ceiling a fresh white.
The result as I hope you will agree is a bright functional and beautiful room where the family spend most of their time together.

Pin It I designed dual islands in the main kitchen area (in the foreground) in Natural Oak, with hard wearing and good looking CaeserStone countertops. Pan drawers, a Wolf Range with Pot Rack filler and Wolf vent above, SubZero Pro Refrigerator are some of the features in this part of the layout.
The Mud Room can be seen in the background.

Pin It The Mud Room has direct access from the garden, it houses some additional storage and refrigeration, and a pull out pantry. One drawer for outfitted and sized specially for incoming and outgoing mail with dividers for stamps and other related items. The lift up bench/island sits in front of a large storage cabinets (not seen) which houses outdoor wear, sport equipment and even a compartmentalized drawer for sunglasses!

Pin It The second island also serves as a Breakfast Bar, with coffee machine and TV which can be hidden away behind the stainless steel tambour rolling door. A gorgeous duck egg blue hand painted china cabinet gives gentle reprieve to the otherwise neutral tones.
(Not seen is a large round pedestal antique breakfast table with built in bench seating with an intricately detailed spindle back)

Pin It I find that using unfitted furniture gives the illusion of space and adds interest to the overall scheme. The Pot Board Dresser topped with white marble is placed under the window. Apart from being a conversational point the client is an avid baker and so it is perfect for her and her children who enjoy helping. They can even reach at the kid friendly lower level!

Pin It Love these Limestone Flooring I chose from Paris Ceramics USA, ask for Lorraine Valenti at the A&D Building in NYC.

Pin It Large Franke pot filler faucet is perfect for filling buckets of flowers, clean sports equipment and wash muddy boots. 

Pin It The Natural Oak plate rack is filled with everyday dishes and glassware which make for easy access and good looks too! Glass back splash tiles from Waterworks.

For full feature including my interview by Christine Pittel go to:

http://www.housebeautiful.com/kitchens/dream/hewlett-new-york-kitchen

GOTHAM MAGAZINE

This Maple and exotic Masur Birch kitchen was a Town House kitchen project in downtown Manhattan. This project had challenges: It was very narrow and very long.
We went for no clutter, clean lines with top notch quality woodwork and unusual grey toned Sienite Monchique granite countertops. We let the timber speak for itself, opting out for any decorative hardware and adding detail reflected in the serpentine curved drawers.

HOUSE & GARDEN UK

Moving country is hard work, designing and installing a very large and detailed kitchen, breakfast area and butlers pantry across the waters is challenging!
This lovely family originally from San Francisco, moved to the Upper East side Manhattan before making the big move to London. Having spent the last 15 years in London and knowing the product first hand made me the lucky candidate for this kitchen renovation.

As to be expected, space on House & Garden magazine is at a huge premium and the article is about the entire house renovation, so I was overly flattered to have an image included!
The kitchen is full of detail and there is even an office space for the family's PA inside the butlers pantry! So even though the image does not show too much detail in any case, as you can imagine I was over the moon.
I was ecstatic to get to specify a top of the line, utterly divine La Cornue Range Cooker! Organised in top fashion despite time differences, by the appliance department at Harrods.
The cabinets are a simple shaker style in white with a recessed mirror kicker that gives the impression that the island is floating. The pale blue walls are welcoming and the old fashioned stools add an eclectic feel and were purchased locally.

I hope you enjoyed some of my work and I would love to know you've visited so please sign in or leave a comment. :)

For information about hiring me for your design project contact me at dionnetrifirodesignllc.com

Have a stylish weekend!
~D~

Pin It

January Sales!

In the UK January Sales are huge, come the New Year there are great bargains in all the market sectors. Here in the US we have January White Sales (Bedding & Bath), however Black Friday, Columbus Day and others mark the big days for the consumer looking for a bargain. There are however good deals on 'big ticket' items to be found out there.
I did the looking so you can do the buying...

POTTERY BARN have a 75% Warehouse Sale! Yep you heard right!
(for a limited time only)

Printers Project Desk Set

Reg $699.00