It is time to get back to it! 2017 is in full swing and it’s most likely your schedule is back in full swing as well. It is over here. And so, it’s time to get back to some decor and the tour of my apartment. Today we’re in the kitchen, not cooking anything up other than big ideas for the new year. Do you ever have days where you just refuse to cook? About once a week (or more…) I just can’t handle the idea of having to cook, AGAIN! Doesn’t it ever end?! I’ve been told it doesn’t. So on those days it’s nuked leftovers or something frozen. Luckily after having a lovely date night out in the snow storm last night we have delicious leftovers from the restaurant. The only reason I do any cooking at all is because I have a beautiful kitchen. That being said, I prefer to look at it than to use it. So let’s do that today. First things first, I do live in a rental so I can’t take credit or blame for the countertops, cupboards, or appliances. All I have done in this space is accessorize. I had a nice slate to work with, which helps, but it doesn’t mean that if you have shabbier countertops, cupboards, or appliances, that you can’t have a beautiful kitchen too. In here, I started with a palette: black, white, and grey. This is my favourite palette, and having warm cupboards was enough colour for me. The countertops and appliances were black, white, and grey so my favourite colour scheme didn’t fight with the existing fixtures. The three stools were a gift from Karl’s parents and a staple in probably half the homes in North America. It just so happened that these matched the cupboards perfectly! I swapped out the traditional light fixture with this simple pendant without any shades. For one, the light is great for working in the kitchen, and two, it makes for a more industrial feel. The colour scheme, along with the industrial lighting, graphic prints, and cake stand give the kitchen a bit of a French bistro feel that elicits scents of fresh baked bread. Now that’s a kitchen I want to be in. Speaking of the cake stand...I have spoken about it before but I love my cake stand for anything and everything, not just cakes. Today we have bread in it, at Halloween it was full of candy, and occasionally there is even a cake in the cake stand. It is the most beautiful and functional piece in the kitchen. It keeps things fresher than I previously thought possible. If you don’t own one I highly suggest you go get one. The muted colour scheme in the kitchen helps it to maintain a clean look. The dark and light contrast keeps it alive and fresh without being overwhelming. It allows it to be a peaceful space, and believe me, the kitchen is the room that I have the hardest time remaining peaceful in. I keep the things I use all the time handy; knives, oven mitts, dish towels, etc. all live within reach. No need to open a drawer or door. I also keep a ladder handy. I don’t know if you noticed but my kitchen doesn’t have a ton of cupboard space. This means that even the high shelves are important shelves, so instead of constantly dragging over a kitchen chair I invested in a folding ladder. This one if from IKEA and it folds up and lives at the end of the kitchen. It also doubles as a stool to sit on while in the kitchen for extended periods and an extra surface during times like Thanksgiving when counter space is limited. It was a worthy (and small) investment for how often it is used. If vertical space is as valuable for you as it is for me a folding ladder just might be the solution. A few more items I keep handy are cooking utensils (because do they really belong anywhere other than right next to the stove?) the coffee pot, cutting boards (next to the microwave) and the sugar dish (which just wouldn’t fit in the jam packed tea cupboard above it). In an ideal world I would have less on the counters since I already have limited counter space but unfortunately I just can’t find the toaster another home. And if the toaster is going to live in plain sight it is important to set up a little vignette so that these things can look attractive on the counters. If you are swimming in a sea of countertop space cluster items together, don’t allow them to sprawl the full length. Arrange these clusters in a way that you think looks cute and limit yourself to as few clusters as possible. At the sink I have another vignette that includes the dish soap, scrub brush, and dishwasher packs. The are such essential and frequently used items that just have to live within reach. Knowing that they would be out all the time, I bought cute containers for them to live in. The soap dispenser did come with dish soap in it but I deemed it cute enough to be kept and reused again and again. I now transfer any dish soap I buy into this container (which also means I can buy in bulk and store the big container somewhere else. The white container is one that I had and was unsure what to do with until one day genius struck and now instead of tucking the dishwasher detergent packs under the sink they are within easy reach. Conveniently my dishwasher is right below so the placement worked out wonderfully. Have you ever seen dish packs stored a cuter way? Finally, the dish brush. We all have one, we all use one, why do they have to be ugly? The answer is: they don’t. Find yourself a cute dish brush that you don’t mind having on display because whether you like it or not that litter bugger will be on display. And now to a room I have been dying to show you! This is my dining room, duh. I adore its simplicity and the few pieces it holds. Now before I get too far ahead of myself let’s take it bit by bit. The table is a piece of maple plywood from the Home Depot on top of a metal base from Ikea. Karl and I sanded, sealed, and assembled the table ourselves and we are so proud of it. The bench really is just the same. It is a plywood top on four metal legs that came from the Home Depot. The chairs are the modern European chair I’m sure you have seen everywhere. They help to keep the room modern and just so happen to match the table (and kitchen) wood excellently. The fixture was again swapped out for a simple pendant and a round bulb, I wouldn’t mind a shade in here but I haven't found the right one. And now, the best for last! This stunning wall hanging and gorgeous pillow are the handiwork of my very talented friend Andrea. She has started a modern quilting company called 3rd Story Workshop (<——check out her Instagram here). These are from her debut line entitled Gemology (<——check out her Etsy shop here). The pillows and quilts received wonderful attention and even won her an Etsy award for best new talent and a mention in Flare Magazine! How cool is she?! Even cooler than her work, that’s how cool. This diamond set is obviously my fav seeing as it perfectly fits my black, white, and grey scheme. It really classes up the room and adds to the cozy bistro feel.
I hope you enjoyed your visit to Chez Tasia, and I certainly hope you’ll come back again. The kettle is on and the treats are plentiful. Thank you for making this blog a joy, I love hearing from you all so drop me a comment in the comments below. I’m cooking up some really exciting things over here at tasiacraig.com, I hope you’ll love them as much as I do. Until next time, shine bright like a diamond. Truly. Tasia.
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AuthorTasia Craig recently graduated from Dalhousie's School of Architecture with a Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies and now hopes to showcase her design work on her very first blog. She is currently living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Archives
June 2017
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