{ Posts Tagged ‘kitchen’ }

playful kitchenware from LUprints

Modern kitchens need not be so serious. Indulge your inner child by injecting some playfulness back into this family friendly space.

LUprints, based in Pemberton, British Columbia, offers handmade, eco-conscious kitchenware. Their line ranges from placemats, to coasters, to aprons, and everything in between.

Each design has a simple, yet striking, graphic quality. Combine that with pops of fresh colour and you’ve got a proudly Canadian line of unique homewares that offer a nod to the designer’s Swedish roots.

Here are some of my faves from LUprints online store…

LUprints kitchenware playful kitchenware from LUprints Read the rest of this entry »

alessi’s fall and winter 2011 collection

Alessi has always been a wonderful resource for stunningly sleek designer kitchenware. Their Fall/Winter 2011 collection is no different. From beautiful stainless steel baskets, to small kitchen tools for everyday use, to vases and flatware, the collection is a real gem and has a wonderful timeless feel.

Here a few of my favourite items from Alessi’s 2011 product line.

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kitchen wallpaper: do or don’t?

What do you think? Is wallpaper in the kitchen a do or a don’t?

kitchen wallpaper 1 kitchen wallpaper: do or dont?Kitchen Utensils with Ovals in Teal, Salmon & Lime on White (KB8583) from Bistro 750 by York Wallcoverings, $42.99 per single roll; yorkwall.com or 1-800-375-9675.
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de’longhi kitchen appliances

Who doesn’t want to add a little luxury to their every day life?

Whether you enjoy an early morning cappuccino, a delicious panini lunch or a fresh batch of french fries, De’Longhi has you covered. Consider these five fabulous luxe appliances an investment because they are chic, top of the line, and simply make your life easier.

delonghi coffee makers delonghi kitchen appliances
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ultimate kitchen accessories

I spend a lot of time in my kitchen. Whether it’s recipe testing, browsing through a new cookbook or organizing my ever-growing collection of bowls, plates and napkins, I always find a comforting aura to this part of my home.
I often get asked what kitchen accessories I couldn’t live without. For me, it’s often the small things that make cooking a smooth and fun process. I’ve compiled some of my favourites — all inexpensive items that make cooking and baking as easy as pie.
Collage1 ultimate kitchen accessories

1 Stainless steel knife rack
This is really the most efficient way to store knives. In a minute, knives are safely put away and readily accessible.

2 Kuhn knives
Paring knifes are one of the most useful tools to perform small tasks in the kitchen. I love the range of colours Kuhn offers. They are also made with a carbon steel blade which helps keep them sharp.

3 Apple tea towel
The designs at Ferm Living are absolutely stunning. I love their organic cotton kitchen towels — they have the perfect pop of colour for any kitchen space.
4 Silicone tongs
Most chefs do not use tongs in professional kitchens but I find them to be one of the most useful tools in a home kitchen. The silicone ensures you won’t scratch the surface of your pans.

5 Garlic press
This incredibly inexpensive tool is ideal for mincing garlic in seconds.

6 Mixing bowls
I use mixing bowls for seasonings, marinades and garnishes. I love these bowls from Anthropologie. Stacked on a shelf in different colours, they are beautifully functional.

7 Silicone baking mat
This silicone mat does not need to be greased and is completely non-stick. It’s perfect for making any type of cookie and replaces parchment paper.

8 Microplane
This is my absolute favourite! You can use it to grate zests, chocolate and parmesan cheese.

9 White silicone cookie spatula
This silicone spatula is slanted to make it easy to move cookies from a baking mat to a cooling rack. It’s also a practical tool for other tasks in the kitchen.

Jennifer Bartoli is a Montreal-based food writer, photographer and recipe developer who grew up in Paris. Her longstanding passion for food took her to New York City, where she studied at the French Culinary Institute. For more delicious recipes and more, check out Jennifer’s blog, Chocolate Shavings.

emma serving bowl

Fab find
Emma serving bowl, $26; potterybarn.com
fab find emma bowl emma serving bowl

Guest post by Elaine Song
You know the saying, “It looks so good I could eat it”? Well these bowls are so pretty, you’ll want to eat right out of them. Enhance the beauty of your food with these earthenware serving bowls. The beading detail along the outside is subtle, yet makes these bowls oh-so-charming. At 10” in diameter, they’re great for serving a hungry group of dinner guests or just displaying fruit.

porcelain salt and pepper shakers

Fab find
Porcelain salt and pepper shakers, $8 per pair; westelm.com

west elm salt pepper1 porcelain salt and pepper shakers

I don’t know what it is about these quirky little salt and pepper shakers, but I am in love. Little fruit tins have been recast in porcelain to add a nostalgic look to your tabletop. And at only $8 for the pair, how can you pass them up?

the makeover continues

So, you may recall that I just recently finished making over my condo. Working with designer Lisa Canning, we transformed my home into a space that’s totally unrecognizable! Watch the video here if you want to see the before and after.

Anyway, here’s the thing about makeovers: It’s hard to stop! Now that my living room and parts of my kitchen have been given new life, everything else seems shabby by comparison. Let’s take a closer look at the kitchen. This is what it looked like before:

before kitchen1 the makeover continues
before kitchen2 the makeover continues
before kitchen3 the makeover continues
I know, right? Not so hot.

So, with nothing more than paint, we updated the kitchen. Simply painting the cabinets (thanks to Tim at Beresford Inc. who lacquered them beautifully) and painting the backsplash, the kitchen looks like new.

after kitchen11 the makeover continues
after kitchen2 the makeover continues
after kitchen3 the makeover continues
Well, the kitchen looks sort of like new. The problem is that now, my old appliances look outdated. Sure, they blend in to the white scheme better than they did before but now I can’t stop thinking about how fabulous some new stainless steel appliances would look. And the fact that my fridge just conked out on me (unbelievable!) makes the search for new appliances even more desperate.

So, I’m off to do some window shopping on the Whirlpool website to see what I can find. I’ll keep you posted!

makeover monday: the kitchen backsplash (in progress)

If you walked into my house right now, it would look like a bomb exploded. The kitchen is a total mess and all the contents of the countertop are on the dining table and the stove is in the centre of the room. Does any of this bother me, though? Nope! All because it’s signs that our kitchen backsplash is being installed.

I had fallen in love with a beautiful marble backsplash from The Home Depot but wasn’t sure how it would look with our granite countertops. After hemming and hawing and many trips to the store to gaze at the sample, I decided to go ahead with it. Luckily for me, Mick’s friend Gavin was visiting and I had two handy boys at my disposal this weekend.

backsplash install makeover monday: the kitchen backsplash (in progress)
The marble comes in sq.ft. pieces, but the men had to use a tile cutter to get around the edges of the outlets and to cut little pieces to make straight edges at the corners. It looked like a lot of hard work (I was banned from the work area or from making any technical suggestions), but they were able to get it up in 5 hours. They let it sit overnight as they had a few pints and relaxed before spending some time grouting the following day.

backsplash grout makeover monday: the kitchen backsplash (in progress)
Next up was the grouting, which was a bit of a pain because some of the marble pieces are rough and raised, so the grout would get stuck. We only got half of it finished because there was a busy day ahead of us (including a trip to West Elm to get our new dining table — but I’ll save that for next week!). Below is just a chunk of the finished backsplash. I love the way it turned out and can’t wait to show you the finished product soon.

backsplash overall makeover monday: the kitchen backsplash (in progress)
I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised to see that The Home Depot carries this lovely marble. I thought that I’d have to get it from a specialty tile store in Toronto, but luckily for me, it was available two minutes up the street! It’s so beautiful and adds a nice luxe touch to the space. This is also proof that you can save a ton of cash if you or someone you know can install it, rather than hiring someone else to do it.

xo,

Lauren

makeover monday: kitchen lighting

Well, today is clearly all about Martha. Earlier, Margot wrote about her experience hobnobbing with the doyenne of decorating herself, and now I’m posting about installing the new light fixture in our kitchen, which is part of the Martha Stewart Living collection at The Home Depot. We put in the lovely piece below (only $129!) yesterday and I instantly fell in love. However, there are a few things you need to know before I continue:

1 We used this to replace the horrible fishbowl lights that builders insist on installing.

2 This is a fixture meant for kitchen islands.

3 We were not installing this above an island.

4 When originally installed, it was about 6’4″ from the floor. My other half, Mick, is 6’2″.

5 When I fall in love with something, I refuse to give up on it (much to Mick’s chagrin).
17105.13965 4 11 makeover monday: kitchen lighting

Upon seeing that it clearly hung too low (and was non-adjustable), Mick shrugged and suggested we get something else. But I was a woman in love with a light fixture found at an incredible price, and there’s just no arguing with that. So, Mick tinkered around with it, and somehow (his handiness is beyond me), he managed to adjust the non-adjustable.

lighting kitchen mick makeover monday: kitchen lighting

Below, you’ll see the customized fixture and a lack of the horrid fishbowl light (our walls and ceiling are actually white, by the way — ignore the funky shadows). I love the way that even a simple change like a light fixture can begin to transform the room. We also got a chandelier from The Home Depot (you’ll be amazed at the fab decor finds you can pick up there!), which will be hanging over our soon-to-be dining table from West Elm.

lighting kitchen makeover monday: kitchen lighting

What do you think?

xo,

Lauren

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