Tuesday, July 31, 2012

New construction captures historic cottage feel


Hi All!

Welcome to the last day of July!  I know August is going to fly with school shopping and committees ramping up...I am trying not to forget we have a good month of summer left and I am going to savor every moment of it!  Martha's Vineyard anyone?

I came across this gorgeous summer retreat in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard in New England Home Magazine.  Interior designer Carol Vietor and architect Louise Brooks worked together to create the summer "cottage" for Carol and her husband's growing family.



                                                                Love the beamed ceilings!!!!







Enjoy!
Kristie





Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Let's Make a Fort

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I was at home with my kids yesterday and we took full advantage of being outside, It was one of those cool 85 degree days...Both of my children were relentlessly asking me, "Will you build us a fort?"  Inside, I am much more astute, blankets and cushions and that usually suffices, but outside?
 
Here are some ideas for my hard to manage SE corner of my backyard!
 
 
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As you already know, there are much more elaborate options out there, not my thing.  I need quick, easy, and can be dis assembled if needed.  Besides, I can't have my kids fort nicer than my own home!
What's your favorite?  Would love to know!
 
Best~
Kristie
 

Monday, July 16, 2012

Paris In The Kitchen


Bastille Kitchen Island




















Retails for 4,500.00, at Williams Sonoma but let's move past that...
Inspired by a French chateau kitchen, Parisian Designer Felix Monge tailored our island to today’s home cook. Hand crafted using traditional tongue and groove and dove-tail joinery, a riveted brass band frames the granite top, while a slide-out side table nearly doubles the workspace.
  • Double-sided with four dove-tail constructed drawers, two cabinets and two brass towel bars, plus a wine rack and a removable maple cutting board.
  • Wine storage holds twelve bottles of wine or Champagne.
  • Removable cutting board with brass handles.            
  • Hand built from solid mahogany with maple, mahogany and cherry veneer.
  • Finished with natural shellac, beeswax and French polishing--a traditional beeswax finish brings out the luster of the wood.
  • Antique brass drawer pulls.
  • This item is made to order.
  • 6-8 week lead time.

Felix Monge collection



So, Felix Monge is not quite in budget for a kitchen Island but wow, I love all of the details, not sure how I could re-create this?  Here's my other problem.  I want this so much bigger and with a sink!
Traditional Galley Style kitchen, cabinets, $100,000 and over, Liz Caan Interiors and Janet Hurwitz, Architect,

The perfect setting for your new Felix Monge (ish) Island!  Check out the ceiling light fixtures-Love!

photo from Cultivate.com, part of the William-Somoma brand.  I am pinning this baby!

HAPPY MONDAY!

Kristie

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

SOLD IN OTTAWA HILLS LAST 60 DAYS!


This information is worth getting out your reading glasses for!   Chart reflects closed homes in the past 2 months in Ottawa Hills.  Want any additional information or a better copy?  Just e-mail me at kfeeback@danberry.com

Have a Super Wednesday!
Best-
Kristie

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Elle Decor Interview with Alice Waters



Alice-Waters-Vogue

I had heard of Alice Waters via Michelle Obama interviews but did not have a clear picture of who she was.  What a trail blazer!  She was organic well before it became the norm.  Her platform: All people (children) should have access to organic food.  Below is a quick glimpse of Alice Waters from an  Elle Decor interview.  Read an be inspired:)!

When Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley in 1971, she couldn’t have known that she was about to spark a revolution in how Americans eat and produce food. We have the Californian to thank for everything from the boom in organic ingredients to the growth of kitchen gardens, including one at the White House. Waters is as much an activist as she is a restaurateur: Her nonprofit foundation, the Edible Schoolyard Project, teaches gardening and cooking skills to students across the country. Design plays a pivotal role. “If I weren’t involved with food, I’d be working in architecture,” Waters says. “Design is that critical to me.”

Design Mind

 Architecture can make everyday living a pleasure. Just as people want real food, they hunger for real buildings. They don't have to be big, but they have to be made with the right intentions.


• We're coming back into balance. We're finding out which things are essential. People are using recycled materials in imaginative ways, thinking about ecology, and learning about land use. Don't build a big house that covers an entire property; have a smaller house and turn the land into a farm.

• Thomas Jefferson thought about all of these things. The restoration of the vegetable garden at Monticello is thrilling. It's a beautiful testimonial to our American heritage.

Chez Panisse


• I used to teach at a Montessori school. The founder, Maria Montessori, wanted kids to smell, taste, listen, and see. She believed that the senses are the pathways into your mind. I used that idea in creating Chez Panisse: There are flowers on the table, warm lighting, and the room just smells like good food (even if I have to burn rosemary or sauté garlic to create those scents, which sometimes happens).

• I wanted people to come to the restaurant and feel at home, so I put it in a house. It was an old stucco building with no character except for a magnificent bunya bunya tree out front. In renovating, we were inspired by the houses of Bernard Maybeck and the Arts and Crafts style. It was all done piecemeal, like a patchwork quilt.

A Pattern Language


• The architect Christopher Alexander, who lived in Berkeley, wrote a book called A Pattern Language, I need to read this!, that influenced me big time. He wrote about how architecture can be used to convey universal values. After a fire in Chez Panisse's kitchen that burned down the wall between the kitchen and dining room, I decided not to put it back. For the first time, the light from the dining room flowed into the kitchen. The cooks and I could look out and see the sunset. For the diners, it demystified what was happening in the kitchen. It's been a revelation.

At Home


• The house I've lived in for the past 29 years was built in 1908. It's walking distance to the restaurant.

• For my home's 100th birthday, I did a remodel. I opened up the doorway between the dining room and kitchen and took down a wall between the kitchen and the room next to it, where I created a library. The house feels so airy.

• My kitchen has a wood-burning oven, a large worktable, and windows all around, including one above the sink. I think whoever is washing the ­dishes needs to have a lot of beauty around.

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Edible Schoolyard



• Seventeen years ago I was quoted in a newspaper saying that the middle school I passed every day looked like nobody cared about it. The principal called and asked for help. We built a garden and, in an abandoned cafeteria, made a kitchen classroom where kids can learn about food. There are now Edible Schoolyard programs all over the country.
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• Two local architecture firms built the kids a nest for growing kiwis. It's made out of rebar and done in a very whimsical way.

Thanks All!  Have a Wonderful 4th!
Kristie

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Happy Summer!


Hi All!

First "Official" day of Summer!  Wishing you all of the blissfulness the season brings.  I'll be kicking it off with my SUA girls this weekend for my 20th high school reunion-how could this be possible??

Enjoy~
Kristie

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Daughter's Bedroom Inspiration



This picture makes me silly happy!!  While catching up on some sorely missed blog reading, I came across this photo on Aesthetic Oiseau, Design by Melissa Rufty.  Clearly a girl's room without being too saccharine.  It all works so beautifully together.  Never in a million would I of been able to come up with something so creative, thank god for blogs and pinterest!

News Flash: I am in the throe's of re-launching Real Estate and Refinement and have two amazing woman working with me to make this a reality!  Keep a lookout for Real Estate and Refinement countdown give-away's in the next month!  I AM EXCITED!

Best~
Kristie