The Design Matters Home team recently had the opportunity to visit Kitchens by Wedgewood here in Louisville. Linda Reinhardt, a Wedgewood kitchen designer, shared with us the latest trends in kitchen design and tips for making a functional and stunning kitchen. Linda also shared with us Wedgewoods cutting edge techniques for producing kitchens that are as eco-friendly as they are beautiful.
Helly and Linda, standing next to a wood reclaimed from Oregon--all this wood was blown down by high winds and then collected for use by Kitchens by Wedgewood.
Jim Ames, President of Kitchens by Wedgewood, then took the Design Matters Home Team on a tour of the company's manufacturing facility. The Wedgewood team can build and finish cabinets of any kind--your imagination is the limit! They offer stock, semi-custom and custom options made with a range of woods and finishes.
Jim explains the process of adding detail to a
cabinet door.
Some of the highlights of our tour include a suite of cabinets made with zebra wood, the organic
beauty of doors made with beetle-kill pine and the newest green material appearing on cabinet
doors, sunflower seeds.
The Design Matters Home Team in the Kitchen by Wedgewood shop:
From left to right: Amanda, Helly, Jan, Sarah and Jami
Thank you to Linda, Jim and everyone at Kitchen by Wedgewood! We had a great tour! If you are interested in re-thinking your kitchen this year, please consider joining us for a series
one-of-a-kind kitchen workshops hosted by Helly Duncan, Allied ASID, ASP of Design Matters
Home and Barbara Barton, Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer of Mountain High
Appliance and other expert guests every Tuesday in February. We hope to see you there!
Recently, Helly and the team at Design Matters Home presented their vision for the hottest trends in interior design and fashion at the state-of-the-art showroom at Mountain High Appliance in Louisville.
From the pouring of the drinks featuring the newest flavor of vodka, Bubble Gum, to the fabulous clothes provided by the Vie Vie Luxe Boutique, the night was a sparkling success.
Sarah showing off some color boards and clothes from Vie Vie Luxe
Some of the attendees enjoying the Bubble Gum vodka!
Here are some of the trends we featured:
Gray, purple and turquoise are important colors for the coming year. Gray is the choice neutral and a color that can be paired with either bold brights or soft pastels.
Color themes focus on tribal color combinations that are rich and earthy, and aged or mellowed colors that evoke the past.
Artisanal interiors that are timeless, personal and purposeful. Look for a movement away from cloned, mass design.
Keeping it real by using materials with a natural patina, an imperfect finish or an aged texture.
In the middle of timeless and artisanal design, add small doses of luxury or bits of embellishments, such as buttons, gilding, inlay or mosaic work. These add interest and a sense of luxury without high cost.
Look for wallpaper in an unexpected place: the ceiling. (The wallpapered dumpsters were also a big hit!)
Furniture is modular and multi-purpose. Curved lines add softness and comfort.
Organic and curved shapes are also important in the kitchen, off-setting hard lines and angles.
In addition, the newest retail furniture store in the Boulder area, ARHaus, provided samples of their recycled glass containers and organic and recycled fabrics that helped us highlight one of the most important trends of recent years: green and sustainable design.
Some of the great food we have at our workshops
Jan, Helly, and Sarah from Team Design Matters Home
If you missed out on this seminar and would like to learn more about the 2010 trends contact us. Also, we hold monthly Design Inspirations Workshops. In February we have a one-of-a-kind Kitchen Design Series with 4 topics presented every Tuesday. In March our workshop will cover the psychology of color. For more information on those as well as future workshops check out our Workshops page. We hope to see you at the workshops. They really are informative and fun!
As Anita Sarsidi states in the December 2009 Elle Decor magazine article on Tartans - "Suddenly the world is going mad for plaid. This Scottish classic is stealing the spotlight from runway to tabletop."
The web slideshow version of the article shows example plaid patterns in clothes, blankets, desk accessories, chairs, dishes, and more.
We have to say that we excited, yet cautionary, about this trend. I am quite used to tartans as my husband is of Scottish decent. As the picture shows he was dressed in his traditional Duncan plaid kilt for our wedding. He does not wear his kilt very often so it is now a wonderful accent piece on the wall of the stairway in our home.
Using tartans in clothes is one thing, using them in your home's décor, is another. It is easy to go overboard with tartan in your home so use them in small doses to bring a color and texture focal point to a room. While tartans are traditional you can get creative in your selections and parings to even bring them into modern decor. Look for unusual colors and patterns to avoid seasonality. I like the use of tartans in belts, buttons, accessories, welting, and pillows. The dishes can be kind of cool as well but again don't go overboard.
Learn more about Tartans and other trends in interior design, clothing, color and more at our free* 2010 Design Trends Workshop on January 14th from 5:30pm - 7:00pm at Mountain High Appliance in Louisville, Colorado. Stylish food and drink will be served.
Call Barb Barton (Special Events Coordinator at Mountain High Appliance, at 303-665-6850 x 229) for more information. *We are asking for a optional $5 donation at the door to support the wonderful efforts of the Boulder Homeless Shelter.
The weather was kind of crummy on Tuesday night but that did not stop us from having another fun and educational evening at Mountain High Appliance for the Eatertainment Encore with Mountain High Appliance Executive Chef, Keith Jones. As Chef Keith explained during the workshop Eatertainment is all about having fun while cooking. Judging by the many laughing moments and smiles on the faces in the audience the encore presentation of this workshop did not disappoint! Here are some pictures from the evening.
Chef Keith "Eatertaining" his audience!
Chef Keith and his assistant, Julie Xiong (student at the Art Institute, Culinary Program) showing off the super cool fryer that is part of the Miele modular system. The "Design your Own Cooktop" phenomenon allows for specialty cooking pieces to adapt to a cook's dream....Fryer, Superburner Wok, Ceramic Electric, Gas, Induction, Tepan Yaki and more....
Chef Keith provided lots of tips and tricks to the audience.
Chef Keith demonstrating the one of a kind hood from Miele that lowers or raises to the convenience of the user. It is especially helpful in island applications, especially with the wonderful views from our kitchens in Colorado!
Chef Keith demonstrating the cooking of his Moussaka Tart one of the nine recipes highlighted during the workshop.
A happy member of the audience!
Chef Keith putting his magic touch on some Triple Chocolate Cinnamon Cookies.
Miele was a co-sponsor of both Eatertainment events. Barbara Barton and Missy West from Mountain High Appliance are drawing names for some door prizes generously provided by Miele.
Another happy audience member receiving a door prize from Barbara.
A winning team! Chef Keith, Brad Barnett (owner of Mountain High Appliance), Helly Duncan (owner of Design Matters Home).
Brad is talking to some of the attendees after the demonstration about the components in the Miele kitchen in the Mountain High Appliance showroom.
The Eatertainment workshops are part of our ongoing Design Inspirations Workshop series that picks up again on January 14th with 2010 Design Trends. Visit our Workshops page to get more information. Also, Mountain High Appliance hosts many other cooking related events and they open up their live kitchens for private events. Contact Barbra Barton at 303-665-6850 x210 to learn more.
We were so inspired and thrilled to help out with the holiday décor of the homes featured on the 2009 Louisville Holiday Home Tour. It was exciting to meet all of the wonderful homeowners and to see and hear about Louisville family holiday traditions. We wanted to share our holiday decorating journey by showing some of the holiday decorating ideas that were incorporated this year into the homes. Many of these ideas are very simple and affordable, and we hope that you take away as much inspiration as we have to create wonderful holiday décor in your home.
Here are some ideas you can take home from the tour:
Incorporate the architectural details of your home into your holiday decorating:
The homeowners have used light fixtures, bolts, ceiling beams and other fixed elements as the backdrop and inspiration for their holiday decorating. This makes decorating less time consuming and draws attention to what is already beautiful about your home, instead of masking it.
Ornaments are strung from the bolts in the beams and from a light fixture.
Decorate without using floor space:
For many people, the holidays mean guests, entertaining and having a crowd in your house. Many of the homeowners have incorporated their decorations into their homes without taking up floor space. If you don’t have room for a tree, hang ornaments elsewhere, like is shown above. Consider using a tabletop tree on a side table or an over-sized mantle, or use wreaths and garlands to add greenery to the top of upper cabinets, armoires, or other large pieces of furniture instead of a large tree.
Bring out your favorite collections:
Display some of your collections together to add personality to your décor. Your favorite holiday-themed mugs in open-shelving in the kitchen or, as seen on the table below, an eclectic collection of dishes and hotel silver add sparkle and interest to a holiday table.
Work with a simple color palette:
Holiday decorations come in a wide variety of colors, but to keep your home from feeling overwhelming during the holidays, pick one or two strong colors for your decorations. To bring in variety, you can add metallic accents and different textures. This table uses red in multiple textures, but feels cohesive due to the unity of colors:
Shop the supermarket and discount stores:
You can shop for beautiful holiday accents at the same time you are buying your groceries and household items. Cranberries, candy canes and greens can transform simple white dishes.
Mix authentic greens with synthetic versions you can buy at a discount store to add color and texture without spending a lot of money (and time vacuuming needles!). Simple red tinsel and white lights add sparkle and interest when repeated throughout.
Edit your decorations:
Don’t feel as if you have to take every item out of your boxes of holiday décor. One homeowner chooses a theme each year for the ornaments on their tree and hangs only those ornaments that fit the theme. This year’s theme is “all sparkle,” so the tree really shines!
We hope you found inspiration and holiday cheer as you enjoyed this year’s Louisville Holiday Home Tour! - The Design Matters Home Team
The holiday season brings joy and festivity to the winter months, but also brings visual over-stimulation from the bright lights and vibrant colors of most holiday décor.To create a center of calm during the most hectic season of the year, consider slip-covering your couch in a crisp white or soft cream. A white or cream sofa will offer a fresh touch to your living area and neutralize the riot of color and lights that can rob your space of some of the peace of the season.
Another advantage to a slipcover is easy cleaning: you can serve the red wine and chocolate you and your guests love without fearing any permanent damage to your couch.Most slipcovers can be machine-washed, so the day after the party you can simply was away any stains.
Putting a slipcover on your couch is a small change, but it can make a big difference in your living space this holiday season.
There is a wonderful new addition to the local arts scene in Louisville: the Anthony Grant Studio Gallery, which opened earlier this month.Grant, who is also an architect, has a colorful and vibrant style of painting, and visiting his gallery is a real treat for the eyes and the soul.His bright and modern studio is located in the lower level of the Art Underground building at 917 Front Street in Historic Downtown Louisville.
Be sure to stop by the studio for the Louisville’s art walk on Friday, December 4th from 5 to 8pm.The Anthony Grant Studio is also open daily from 10 to 5 or you can call 303.408.5533 for a personal appointment.Tony also teaches both private and group lessons, so if you are inspired by his work, consider learning to create some of your own!
