The Art of the Kitchen

Crazy about Quartz Countertops

2011-08-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

Quartz countertops are my top selling countertop these days. It is no wonder, since they are pretty much maintenance free! They are non-porous, scratch resistant, highly resistant to stains, and most come with a 10 year warranty. They also do not have to be re-sealed like granite, marble, and recycled glass countertops.

Caesarstone - Blizzard

Caesarstone - Haze - a new color!

Caesarstone - Linen - also a new color

Caesarstone has even come out with several colors that contain recycled content. I just installed a display in my new showroom (pictures to come soon) of Caesarstone's blizzard and quartz reflections, one of the new recycled content colors.

Caesarstone - Quartz Reflections

A New Orleans Style French Country Kitchen

2011-03-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

photo by David Tompkins

This has to be one of my most beautiful kitchen designs yet. It is so warm and inviting and I am very proud of it! The cornufe looks stunning with it's copper accents and designer series Ventahood hanging above it. The walnut countertop made by Grothouse Lumber adds warmth and contrast. The Thermador refrigerator, freezer, and wine unit all hide behind cabinet doors and give a nice furniture feel to the space. I used Mid Continent cabinetry on the perimeters of the kitchen and CWP cabinetry for the island. I will be posting more pictures of beautiful kitchens like this one very soon.

Green & White

2009-07-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

This is a fabulous kitchen that I designed a few years ago. The homeowners were amazing people to work with and were really open to an updated look! (I did not have to talk them out of diagonal corner wall cabinets and glazed finishes.)

The kitchen is a huge improvement from it's original state---a tiny closed in room. The wall between the living area and kitchen was removed and the windows on either side of the range were added....one of my favorites features of this kitchen.

Design Details:

Cabinets- Wellborn - Bristol door style - bright white finish

Range hood- Fisher Paykel

Other appliances- JennAir

Tile- Interceramic

Lighting above Island- Restoration Hardware

Recovering a Lost Art: Artisans abound in the world of kitchen and bath design - Ourhouse.biz - Stories & articles from Louisiana Homes & Gard

2009-05-05T12:23:00.001-07:00

Recovering a Lost Art: Artisans abound in the world of kitchen and bath design - Ourhouse.biz - Stories & articles from Louisiana Homes & Gardens magazine

Click on the above link, if you would like. We (at Artisan) are excited about this months issue of Louisiana Homes and Gardens magazine where we will have a small, but very nice article featuring our shop.

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Have You Had a Taste of Flavor Paper?

2009-03-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered Flavor Paper, a unique wallcovering company, that is located in the Bywater District of New Orleans. I cannot believe that I did not know about this fabulous company. Flavor Paper's wallcoverings are unlike any other wallcovering out there and what a unique name!! Although it was extremely hard to pick just a few because I love them all, here are a few of my favorites:

Aster Space (above)

Valencia

Laced

Kashmiri

City Park

Mustachio

fleur de saveur

Flower Pedal

Flavor Paper even has a scratch and sniff variety of wallcoverings that were originally created for Michael Angelo. They include flavors such as cherry, banana, and tutti frutti. Give yourself a little visual pleasure and check out Flavor Paper's fabulous website.

Our lovely Vetrazzo Glass Countertop---the Greenest Material on the Market

2009-02-25T10:37:00.000-08:00

We just received our Vetrazzo Glass countertop! I am very fond of Vetrazzo and must say that their countertops are some of the most beautiful that I have ever seen. And to think that it is made from recycled glass...it is really impressive actually.
All of the glass used in Vetrazzo is recycled and it makes up about 85% of the material. Check out the fabulous color selection here and the nifty little stories that accompany each surface here.

The bistro green with patina (above) is one of my favorites. It reminds me of stained glass. The glass used in bistro green comes from old soda bottles, olive oil containers, pickle jars, wine, & water bottles.

Here is my other favorite, Palladian Gray---the color we chose for the showroom. I am very fond of the cool colors that make up this surface. It works so perfectly on top of our stainless steel cabinetry and across from our Tidewater blue cabinetry that will soon have a pewter countertop from Metallo Arts.

These photos are pretty awful. I need to try taking them at night or on an overcast day. The sunlight floods into our showroom...which is quite nice for atmosphere, but not for taking pictures.
I back painted the glass doors shown above to match the tidewater cabinetry that you can see peeking in the background. The Palladian Gray actually has glass in it that is the same shade of blue.
The whole display is so lovely, crisp, and clean. I cannot wait to share photos of the entire design and also cannot wait to receive our beautiful pewter tops.

Cherry & Taupe with One Unique Backsplash

2009-02-20T10:18:00.000-08:00

This is another display in our showroom that I have been meaning to post about. We used cherry wood cabinetry with a toffee stain and taupe painted cabinetry with a brown glaze on the opposite side.

The coppery tones in the granite work perfectly with the cherry cabinets. I really love the way the colors complement eachother in this display.

I designed this piece to resemble an antique hutch. The cherry wood countertop matches the cherry cabinets and the taupe cabinets complement the travertine tile that we selected for the opposite side.

Here is a close up of the beautiful tile from Stafford Tile & Stone. We decided to lay the travertine diagonally and border it with a 1" x 2" glass tile. The tile is my favorite part of this display.

These photos are all a bit bright--due to the huge windows we have in our showroom. I cannot complain because I love working in natural light.

We are currently preparing for Mardi Gras here at Artisan. Last night we watched a parade pass right in front of our shop and have several more to view before the celebrations are over. It is fun to watch the city transform into party mode and to get to talk to all of the out of towners that keep popping in!

A Pewter Finished Habersham Vanity

2009-02-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

This is a little Habersham vanity that we have on display in our showroom. The pewter finish is so beautiful and the perfect contrast to the display mentioned here. All of Habersham's finishes have a distressed look to them.

The vanity either comes with the matching wood top or you can choose to provide your own top if you prefer. This vanity and mirror would be the perfect combination for a small powder room. Check out some of Habersham's other vanities and finishes here.

An Elegant Display...Finished

2009-01-23T13:35:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to share these photos of our front display. We are more than pleased with the way it turned out.

This classic design features inset cabinetry from Custom Wood Products, Walker Zanger porcelain tile from Stafford Tile, an ivory CornuFe range, a masterpiece tin hood from Metallo Arts, a black walnut countertop on the island from Grothouse Lumber, Crema Marfil Marble, and of course the chandelier from the castle (mentioned here).

This is such a New Orleans style kitchen. The vintage finish on the island gives it the old yet worn feel and the eggshell finish on the other cabinets accomplish the classic look that we were going after.

The hanging gardens pattern hood from Metallo works perfectly with the chandelier.

I will be posting photos of our other displays soon. We are awaiting some pewter tops from Metallo Arts, a vetrazzo recycled glass top, and a few appliances for one of our displays that is sure to knock your socks off!

The Epitome of Faded Grandeur

2009-01-22T16:08:00.000-08:00

Today, while searching for some inspiration, I stumbled upon this website. I assume it is for people looking for fabulous movie locations (most of which seem to be in Europe). I was looking for Victorian era kitchens and was pleased to find many wonderful examples. This abandoned castle took my breath away.

I will post some better examples of Victorian Era kitchens, but this image definitely needs to be discussed. The back left part of the picture shows the built in cabinetry and the right side shows the stove. I now see where Clive Christian got his inspiration...period kitchens. I am so in love!

This appears to be another kitchen in the castle. I could stare at these photos for hours.
The stove again, in the main kitchen. Is that subway tile I see?

Beautiful Details!
If you look closely, you can see the delicate mural that adorns the walls in this room.

I love the shade of blue in this room.
This is my favorite room. I guess it was the library or a ballroom. If I had lived here it would have definitely been used as my ballroom.
I have had a love for old abandoned homes for years. My mother had this book about anti-bellum homes in Louisiana that I used to pour through when I was a child. I never grew tired of those images. I have so many questions for this castle. Who lived here? Why did they abandon it? There must be someone out there who would want to live here. It is kind of sad that no one gets to live amongst these beautiful rooms. I am so happy that I found this website and this castle. I will visit these pictures often for inspiration and post some of the beautiful Victorian kitchens that I found real soon!

Mahogany and All of it's Splendor...

2009-01-08T15:35:00.000-08:00

I have been a very bad blogger lately. With the holidays, our upcoming move, and work consuming most of my time, I just have not been able to spare a few minutes to focus on my blogs--until now!
Today, I had the chance to visit a kitchen that I completed last year. I had not seen the lovely tile back splash yet and was eager to take pictures. Boy do I wish I had before pictures of this space. It was one unsightly room! We removed a large walk in pantry, which was where the range and cabinets on the far wall (in the above picture) are now. It also consisted of laminate countertops, a peninsula that took up far too much space, and very out-dated appliances.
My client's chose these beautiful African Mahogany Inset cabinets. The upper cabinets are a custom 4 feet tall. Can you imagine having all of that storage?
This is my favorite thing about the kitchen-- A custom Armoire/Refrigerator/ Pantry. The center cabinet is the refrigerator and the pantries are on either side. This kitchen will always be special to me. My client's encouraged me to use my imagination---my favorite type to work with (and they are also related to one of my co-workers.)

A few things that I would have done differently:

1. I would have gone with a wood hood or a beautiful hood from Metallo Arts (too bad that I did not know about them then.)

2. I would have added an island in the center of the kitchen.

Overall, I am very proud of this kitchen!

An Old Beauty on the Avenue

2008-11-18T08:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to measure the kitchen of a very beautiful home on St. Charles Avenue. The home was built in the early 1900s and has all of the fabulous details that one would expect—12 foot cove ceilings, beautiful moldings and casings, a large center hallway, fireplaces, gorgeous stairways, an original marble sink with marble turned legs, and built in hutches with fluting and egg & dart molding. Though the rest of the home is stunning, the kitchen is definitely in need of a renovation. It currently has laminate floors and countertops and a not so functional layout. There will be obstacles of course—three 8 foot tall windows that fall 28” from the floor and three doors that will not be moved. My favorite thing about the kitchen in its current state is the beautiful tin ceiling that is painted a solid color. I will suggest a decorative finish that will bring out all of the detail in the tin, but at the same time work with the colors in the new layout. I am so excited about this project. The owners are very nice people and want to retain the historic features of the house and implement them into the new kitchen design. I love working with clients that have an appreciation for the era that there home was built in. There are so many people that would rather tear down an old home than deal with all of its quirks and issues. I really do respect people that take on such projects and long for the day when I too will be able to restore an old beauty. As for the kitchen, I have been thinking about all of the possibilities pretty much non-stop since I left the house and cannot wait to finish my designs for the space.

Metallo Arts- The Art of Kitchen Ventilation

2008-11-06T08:49:00.000-08:00

I know I have talked about Metallo Arts before, but I like their products so much that I decided they deserve their own post. In the early part of the summer I began searching for the perfect range hood for our front display. I was so excited when I came across the Metallo Arts website. I had never seen range hoods as unique as these. Every hood that they make is truly a work of art. The company was founded by artist Christopher Plummer and entrepreneur Sheldon Gruber.

"Our driving philosophy has been to take a functional necessity—range hoods—and create works of art that complement homeowners’ kitchens like never before. Clients who are provided a voice in the design process receive a finished piece that represents their individuality and style. As a highly specialized company, we approach each project as a work of art using only the best materials and never compromising quality or service."
The first image is of a custom design on the Cezanne frame. The intricate design resembles a wedding cake. It is truly a stunning range hood and this frame is one of my favorites.

The Lautrec frame (above) has a contemporary smooth line look with an industrial edge to it. This is a masterpiece and my second favorite hood. The shape is quite unusual and the convex and concave curves work so well together.

The Botticelli hood is another beauty. I love the egg and dart trim and the hammered sides. The pattern on the front is also quite intriguing. Above is a preview of Metallo's upcoming production line of range hoods. It is in the Cezanne frame with a smooth matte black finish with vertical banding and the athena edge treatment. These range hoods will be offered at a lower price point than the custom hoods---exciting!

This is another Cezanne frame style, but with the hammered pattern and the trefoil flowers lip treatment. Last, but not least is the Duchamp frame style. I love the simpleness of the frame and the classy feel that it has.

There is really no other company like Metallo Arts. Christopher and his team are wonderful to work with and very helpful with any questions one may have. Check out the Metallo Arts website where you can see all of the beautiful frame options and can even build your own hood.

Showroom Update

2008-11-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

I am beginning to become very eager for the completion of our new showroom on Magazine Street. We have another month and a half before our last display comes in and then a few weeks more for pewter tops and tile. There has been so much thought put into each display and every aspect of this showroom, for that matter. I am pretty sure we spent about a month just on the design/floorplan of EACH display. Why??? I wanted to show people how creative you really can be in kitchen design, how to think outside of the box, and that kitchen design is not just about putting boxes on the wall and floor. We researched and acquired the most unique and exquisite products to carry and I feel we have done a wonderful job at expressing our design capabilities. I truly believe that Artisan Kitchen & Bath will be one of the most unique showrooms around. Now I just have to patiently wait for the next two months to slowly stroll by, but in the end it will have all been worth the time and energy.

note: Photo is of an unfinished display. We will be getting our marble and Walker Zanger tile in the next few weeks.
Photo by: Jimmy Clay

The Doll House

2008-10-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

The Doll House is a house in the French Quarter that I had the chance to work on a year ago. I recently posted on The Four Leaf Clover a few details and pictures about this wonderful little piece of history. Last Thursday the PRC (Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans) held an event at The Doll House-- as they do each month for select historic homes that are in the middle of a renovation.
The owners opted to leave the walls, fireplaces, and doors of this 1810 home in place, which allowed for a rather choppy kitchen design. The kitchen had a total of 5 doors and a large fireplace that I had to work around. I was actually happy that my client's chose to keep the existing layout. From day one, my client made it clear that she loved a furniture look, wanted stainless steel appliances, and wanted a large island with seating and open storage. I was thrilled when she found 3 beautiful antique hutches at a local urban salvage center. My job was to come up with an island that would house a 3 foot wide Wolf range, a dishwasher, and a sink. After doing several drawings, I came up with the perfect island! The pictures of the room are not the best--the space is so small and I was trying to snap shots around people moving in and out. The picture above shows the Wolf range with a 3"x 3" post on either side with open shelving. The dishwasher is beyond the shelving and the sink is on the opposite side of the range.

I love the antique pieces that she rescued and also the wood beams on the ceiling.

Here is the opposite side from the dishwasher. The white carrara marble overhangs about 9" and offers a place for seating. I love the open storage. (I am sure those shelves will be filled when they actually move in.)
Viewing the room from the copper sink, you can see the fireplace and another furniture piece in the background.
This is my favorite furniture piece. I think it would look nice with some bead board attached to the back too, maybe painted in a contrasting color.
Very old brick floors and a shiny new Wolf range--this space definitely mixes modern elements with the old.

This is the third antique piece which is obviously used as the bar. If you will, notice the wood beams in the mirror. My clients and I are very pleased with the end result in this kitchen. I have never been fond of just putting boxes on the walls and floor, and am certainly glad that that is not the case here. I am so happy for my clients. It would be a dream to have the opportunity to live in the French Quarter, especially in a place as beautiful as The Doll House.

A Classic Bathroom with a Modern Flair

2008-10-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

I found this bathroom at Southernliving.com several months ago and cannot get enough of it. I love it. The traditional cream colored cabinets work perfectly with the stained concrete floor and coppery colored marble.
The stainless edge around the marble countertops adds a modern flair. I think that my favorite thing about this bathroom has to be the criss-cross doors with the mirror inserts. I love how the designer repeated this theme above the mirrors on the wall. It really ties the design together.

The built in linen cabinets are so wonderful. The tall stack of drawers and the open shelving in the middle give the design a furniture feel---and what a perfect place for a television. Can you imagine having this much storage in a bathroom?

The exposed brick walls around the tub are another feature that I am crazy about. The window panes behind the tub are yet another genious way to mix modern with traditional. What a lovely bathroom. I would die to be able to unwind in a space like this.

Photos by Laurey W. Glenn

The article can be found here.

A Kitchen with more than just Cabinets on the Wall

2008-08-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love this kitchen. I found the image a while ago while searching google images for some inspiration. Recently, while reading through The Kitchen Designer blog I realized that the author, Susan Serra, designed this kitchen. I am a new daily reader of The Kitchen Designer blog and was so happy to find that Susan designed this kitchen.
I love the classic painted white cabinet with the inset door and the integrated refrigerator section on the right. The wood countertops make the space warm and inviting. The marble on the island is the perfect contrast to the wood. I am most fond of the legs on the island. I have never come across a leg quite like this. I love the simpleness of it, but that it still has a bit of detail.

In Susan's blog entry, she states a few things that she would have done differently. She talks about how she proposed not to do the wall cabinets on either side of the hood. I totally agree with her on this. The hood and tile work are both so substantial, that the wall cabinets kind of take away from it...I think. She also writes that she would have used a natural stone instead of the subway tile. I love how truthful she was with her design differences from her client. This happens to me with every kitchen I design. Designers will always have different ideas from their clients. It is the converging of those ideas and the designer's ablilty to listen to their client that make the overall kitchen design a success.

Check out Susan's blog about this beautiful kitchen. Click here to see some incredible before and after photos.

Hey! I Designed That!

2008-08-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

Last week I had my first appointment with a potential new client. She came prepared with a binder full of magazine tear outs and such. I love when my clients do this and I often tell them to gather anything that catches their fancy and bring it in. I have never had a client bring a picture in of a kitchen that I designed. That is exactly what happened last Friday.

Last year, Louisiana Homes & Gardens magazine took some pictures of the above kitchen for an ad we were placing. Recently, the magazine started a new website www.ourhouse.biz. It is a one stop shop for Louisiana home owners to find information on all things dealing with the home. I guess they liked the picture so much, they decided to put it on their front page and use it as an ad in local magazines. (Although, the homeowner nor I are mentioned anywhere) The kitchen belongs to a kind lady and I loved getting the chance to work with her and her family.

A Mysterious Chandelier

2008-08-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

I feel so lucky to be able to lay my eyes upon this beautiful wonder each day. My boss inherited this chandelier from a house that he bought and flipped a couple of years ago. The owner of the house told him that it was from a castle in Europe, but no one at the time believed it. In fact, we all believed it was one of Julie Neill's fabulous creations until last week.
Shortly after we hung this chandelier in the new showroom, an antique dealer stopped in to let us know the story behind this historic piece. She actually owned the chandelier at one time and confirmed that it is indeed from a castle in Europe. She believed it should be be back in her hands and said she would pay a pretty penny for it! Well, thank god my boss does not want to sell it. I find myself staring at it all day long and day dreaming about the castle that it once resided in. Ohh, it is so exciting to think about the royalty that once looked at this masterpiece and now it is hanging above the most beautiful island in the city!

The Most Beautiful Hood and Range Combo

2008-08-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about some of the pieces that will be arriving soon that I cannot keep them to myself any longer. The following beauties will be accompanying the marble and tile that I previously posted about. Below is a version of the hood that I will be using in the display. It is a Metallo Arts masterpiece. Metallo also makes metal countertops, ceilings, backsplashes, etc. Ours will not have the fleur-de-lis trim at the top and bottom and it will be ivory instead of gold. You may be wondering why, since the fleur-de-lis is a New Orleans symbol. I love fleur-de-lis, but felt that it was a little too busy for the display.

This will be closer to the color. Ours will have a bit more gold peeping through to match the range that will be below it.

This is the La Cornue Fe, the manufactured less expensive version of the La Cornue. (The blue La Cornue is going in another display---more on that later)

I am so anxious for these pieces to come in. I feel like I need to show everyone how beautiful this is going to be. Keeping them to myself is somewhat greedy. This display will also have a walnut countertop, a vintage finished island, and a surprise from a castle in France!

Tile that resembles Water

2008-08-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

Our new location is across the street from Stafford Tile & Stone Company, one of the most fabulous tile stores in the state and the south for that matter. Stafford carries lines that include Walker Zanger, Artistic Tile, AKDO, Syzygy, Interstyle, & Oceanside Glass tile. Peggy and her talented staff are all lovely and fun to work with.

The picture below is of a Walker Zanger ceramic tile called MIZU. MIZU means water in Japanese. I fell in love with this tile the moment I first saw it and knew that it would be perfect in one of the displays I designed. We will be using the Field style, which is 2" x 5 1/4".

This beautiful Marble is called Alba Chiara and hopefully it will be the countertop used in the display. The colors are so serene and it looks gorgeous next to the tile. This display is going to be facing Magazine Street and a head turner I hope!

I will be writing about more of the pieces that make up this display soon! Have a wonderful weekend.

Kitchens - New Orleans Style

2008-08-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Art of the Kitchen! (My new kitchen design blog.) This will be the place to find beautiful kitchens, backsplashes, and appliances with a little New Orleans flair. With our showroom on the beautiful Magazine Steet nearing completion, I am beginning to become more and more anxious to get back in the groove of designing beautiful kitchens.

This will be my place to share countless pictures of current projects, kitchen trends, classics, tile, beautiful luxury appliances, etc. Also, if you happen to be in the neighborhood, be sure to stop by to see our beautiful showroom and for homemade banana bread, cookies, and other treats.

I know that I have posted about this beauty on The Four Leaf Clover, but I could not resist sharing this picture with you. The only difference in the La Cornue that will be making it's home at Artisan is that the trim will be copper. The contrast between the copper trim and summer blue is like candy to the eye. I get chills just thinking about it. Check back soon for photos of the showroom in progress.