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. Back-of-Door Organizer Expand your organizing possibilities with back-of-door shelving designed to hold bottles and jars one-deep. To make the most of this prime pantry space, use it to store your most frequently reached-for spices and staple ingredients. The best back-of-door shelves have guardrails (as seen here) so items don’t topple off every time you open and close the door.
Detail: Humble Hardware Many kinds of cabinet hardware can work with farmhouse style, but a top choice is the cup pull, shaped to be perfectly functional and not flashy. You’ll also notice latching pulls on the upper and lower cabinets, which give a historic air and satisfying click when opened and shut.
Essential: Milk Paint In Colonial America, paint mixed with milk was a popular choice for dressing walls and furnishings, and it gave a special, soft matte finish. These days, actual milk paint is often prized for being environmentally friendly, but even when the real thing isn’t being used, the matte finish and muted colors make great inspiration for farmhouse style. Matte finishes give a softer sheen that is friendly to imperfections, but they aren’t always easy to wipe clean, so make sure to choose a “washable matte” or something similar. To match this surprisingly happy blue-green hue, try Sherwin-Williams’ Waterscape
When dabbling in bursts of color, look to heritage hues that suit the timeless air of this style, rather than ultra-saturated, trendy hues that can feel too modern. Of course, if you prefer a contemporary take on farmhouse style, then feel free to go wild. The yellow shown here is Good Morning Sunshine by Benjamin Moore.
Maybe the No. 1 defining feature of farmhouse style is the use of freestanding furniture, rather than the typical built-in type of cabinets, islands and appliances you expect to see in more modern kitchen styles. In this kitchen, for example, you can spot a rustic table for an island, a tall pantry cabinet and even a charming Smeg fridge all standing on their own, which avoids a matchy-matchy look and lends a casual atmosphere
How to use it: Evoking a feeling of calm island seas, sea green looks stunning with most shades of wood and creamy palettes. Sea green’s medium tone makes it not too overbearing, which allows you to feature it on your walls or via a glass tile on the vanity backsplash or in the shower. Wall paint: Paradise Island S28E5, Dulux; also try: Lagoon 21-8, Pratt & Lambert
Radiant sea green. Similar to aqua blue but with more yellow undertones to give it a slight green cast, sea green is a nice choice for a timeless design. Its chameleon nature could satisfy an inclination for a blue-hued bath, yet it adds a touch of warmth with its sunny undertone. Tile Style: Beautiful Beach-Glass Blues for the Bath
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan Size: 126½ square feet (11.8 square meters); 14 feet 8 inches by 8 feet 7½ inches Designer: Josh Berghuis of Berghuis Construction The backstory: For this new build, designer-builder Josh Berghuis was tasked with how to fit in a master bathroom that “didn’t need to be massive,” he says, but needed to include a walk-in shower, separate tub, double vanity and toilet. Shower and tub: On the right, a 6-foot-long freestanding tub leads to a 4-by-4-foot walk-in shower, separated by a single piece of glass. Tile: Textured stone tile covers two walls all the way to the ceiling. The floor is 24-by-24-inch black stone tiles.
As for the rug, they wanted something colorful and bold to set off the table and to break up the wood floor and wood tabletop. The upholstered poufs in the corner get even more use than the designer expected: The kids regularly use them as ottomans or floor lounges. The credenza on the back wall is filled not with china and linens but with craft supplies. A collection of architectural plans stand in a wire basket and aren’t too precious for the kids to pull out and draw on. “We told the kids, ‘Go crazy — create something,’
Blonde Ambition’ Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’) Cultivated variety of a North American native ‘Blonde Ambition’ (zones 4 to 9) is a finely textured, blue-green grass with dainty blond flag-like flowers on stiff stems that reach 2 to 3 feet in height. The textural companions shown here include Icee Blue yellow-wood (Podocarpus elongates ‘Monmal’) — the tall shrubs with blue-gray foliage; kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos ‘Red Cross’), with red flowers; the black succulent Aeonium arboreum ‘Zwartkop’; and a variety of low-growing succulents, including Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’, at the base of the grasses.
‘Karley Rose’ Fountain Grass (Pennisetum orientale ‘Karley Rose’) Cultivated variety of a central and western Asian native ‘Karley Rose’ (zones 5 to 9) is a graceful low-water grass with arching foliage that grows 3 to 4 feet tall and wide. It has soft buff-pink plumes that provide subtle color, texture and motion in the landscape. Some species, such as Pennisetum sataceum, can become invasive by self-seeding, but I’ve not found ‘Karley Rose’ to be invasive in Northern California. Check if it’s invasive in your region before planting. ‘Karley Rose’ is the dominant plant in this hillside landscape, repeated sparingly and complemented by a variety of lower-growing, low-water and deer-resistant companions. Some plants in this combination include varieties of lavender (Lavandula spp.) and lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina). Combined, they offer an array of textures and pastel tones with shades of green and blue foliage. The boulders are an additional bold element that complements this lovely plant grouping.
Houzz at a Glance Who lives here: A professional couple and their young daughter Size: 2,040 square feet (189.5 square meters) Location: Kensington, Maryland Architect: Lou Balodemas After living in an apartment in Washington, D.C., for many years, the homeowners were looking for a house that would reflect their love of midcentury modern design. After finding the 1951 rambler, pictured below, in a D.C. suburb, they enlisted architect Lou Balodemas to transform it into their dream midcentury-inspired home. The key was a new butterfly roof, which gives the home uplifting charm right from the get-go.
Carefree. Including plants with loose forms, like billowing grasses and vines, in built-in planters creates a more carefree feel. This roof deck in Notting Hill, West London, has a laid-back, almost Mediterranean mood thanks to built-in planters filled with swaying ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’), rosemary and echeveria, and ivy and fragrant confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) covering the back wall.
Location: Just outside Bolzano, in South Tyrol, northern Italy Size: 860 square feet (80 square meters) total, each unit is 430 square feet (40 square meters) in area; each house has a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom Year built: 2014 Architect: Peter Pichler Architecture Pichler’s past work includes collaborations with noted contemporary architects such as Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaas. The houses he designed for this project are a beautiful example of how modern architecture can blend perfectly with the surrounding environment. Mirrored facades reflect the landscape. The houses’ orientation prevents the mirrors from overheating surrounding buildings. They are also good for the birds: They are covered in an ultraviolet coating that, though invisible to humans, allows birds to see the glass and avoid it.
An Orange County, California, couple with four boys use the home as a weekend getaway Location: Rancho Mirage, California Size: About 3,200 square feet (297 square meters) on a nearly half-acre lot. The home has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a great room (living, dining, kitchen) and a wine cellar Designers: Interior design by Brittany Stiles Design, architecture by Eric Olsen Design
Great Barrier Reef Ingredients Wooden cabinetry Bamboo elements in the form of lighting and furniture Textural backsplash. Try grasscloth wallpaper protected by glass. Splashes of color inspired by the sea and surrounds Method: The colors are bright on the Great Barrier Reef. To reflect this, take inspiration from coral, the ocean and marine life and bring them together in and around your kitchen through soft furnishings.
Modern Ocean Views Ingredients Materials and finishes in a limited color palette Light wood tones to create a beachy vibe Workstations such as the sink and stove facing any views Built-in outdoor dining table. This is a clever way of creating virtually seamless lines, allowing the view to take center stage Method: Take inspiration from nature. Go for a beach walk to draw in the colors of bleached driftwood and white sand. Implement these into your mixture with a dash of contrasting colors such as ironstone to ground the palette.
Patricia Lockwood of Design Vision Studio Making the houseboat’s first-floor great room brighter and more contemporary was the top priority for Lockwood. All of the interior walls were given a fresh coat of white paint. “I love how the white walls frame the views of the water,” Lockwood says. “I wanted the interior to be stylish and casual, but the views had to be the superstar.”
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The Numi features a night light, a heated seat, an integrated bidet with temperature-controlled water, an air dryer, a deodorizer (a fan pulls air from inside the bowl, runs it through a charcoal filter and releases exhaust out the back of the unit), music (Champley has his set to classical) and feet warmers (yes, warm air blows from under the toilet bowl onto your feet). And it even washes itself. All this is controlled from a touchpad screen.
On the ground floor, the communal living spaces are contained toward the back of the home. An open-plan kitchen, dining and living area overlooks the backyard but also opens onto a central courtyard. Off the central corridor is access to the grandparents’ master bedroom suite, the laundry, a guest bedroom and bathroom, the gym and a separate sitting area, plus access to the garage.
“I reselected my plumbing fixtures.” Most good contractors will harp on how important it is to get all your selections made as soon as possible. Some won’t even start a project until everything is selected. It’s a great practice, and it helps to keep your project going as smoothly as possible.
. Labeled Drawers Deep pantry drawers hold a lot of goods — but they can also quickly become a mess. Keep yours in order with drawer dividers and reusable chalkboard labels so you know exactly what goes where.
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