Patterned Tile: Where Bold meets Elegance

Over the past few years, subway tile has been the trendy choice for kitchen backsplashes. However, more people are moving away from the subway tile trend to a bold new choice. Patterned Tile!!  The versatility of patterned tile can easily tie a room together or turn a dull wall into a work of art. 

Modern Kitchen design by Cincinnati Architect Drawing Dept

One of my personal favorite concepts is the Fretwork 3D Tile by Walker Zanger (above) . This geometric shaped backsplash tile pairs beautifully with contemporary and modern kitchens.  The edgy shaped pattern really gives this kitchen attitude and presence.  Walker Zanger offers several versions and shapes of this tile. 

Eclectic Kitchen design by Charleston General Contractor Structures Building Company

I love this selection of Nottingham Tile by Ann Sacks.  The color and pattern adds a decorative touch that allows the other elements to take life in this kitchen. The white cabinetry and gray tone floors really pop with this tile selection.

Traditional Kitchen design by Boston Kitchen And Bath Venegas and Company

A new take on subway tile is gaining popularity in the design world. This new style uses smaller pieces of tile laid in patterns to create visual interest in your kitchen walls or backsplash.  This backsplash, from Discover Tile, utilizes a herringbone pattern adorned with a border. 

Modern Kitchen design by San Francisco Architect John Lum Architecture, Inc. AIA

This oval dimensional tile by Heath Ceramics is a favorite in more contemporary settings.

Mediterranean Kitchen design by Austin Design-build JAUREGUI Architecture Interiors Construction

Mediterranean patterned tile is becoming widely used in traditional kitchens. Warm colors and charming patterns allow you to add a personal touch to the design.

I used the Contessa Salerno Mocha tile by Walker Zanger in this kitchen a couple of years ago. The rustic feel of the Contessa series worked perfectly with the French country design I envisioned.

Last, but not least, Arabesque shaped tiles are making a grand appearance in backsplashes. The beautiful shapes will add a bold, but regal feel to any wall. This selection of tile is from Pratt and Larson. 

GE CAFE: A stylish new look for GE Appliances

I really love the new GE CAFE line. The CAFE series' bold new attitude is definitely turning heads this summer.

New tubular handles and a sleek design give the appliances a more  professional look that compliments both modern and traditional kitchens.  

The 30" double oven gas range features:

• 5 sealed burners
• two ovens, the bottom is convection!!
• One 20,000 BTU burner    

You can prepare two different dishes at two different temperatures at the same time! 

And my favorite feature of all,  is the interchangeable cast iron griddle!!  I would use it daily for veggie stir fries, scrambled eggs, chicken, steak, fish, and other limitless options.

   

The series offers a 30" convection wall oven, a 30" convection double wall oven, and a convection microwave. The convection ovens are said to cook twice as fast as a conventional oven.

There are several elegant french door and side by side refrigerator models to choose from in the CAFE line.

One of the best features on the CAFE refrigerator line up is GE's ClimateKeeper system which uses multiple electronic sensors and a multi-flow air system to keep consistent temperatures and preserve food.

There are two dishwasher models in this line.  My favorite is the dishwasher with SmartDispense Technology, a bulk detergent dispenser that you only have to add detergent to every once in a while! It has a deep clean cycle with Steam prewash, a 48 dba sound level, stainless steel tub, hidden controls, 4 wash cycles, and 5 options. 

See the full line of GE Cafe appliances here.  

Crazy about Quartz Countertops

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

New Orleans area readers, please stop by Artisan Kitchen and Bath to see the complete collection of Caesarstone samples! 

A New Orleans Style French Country Kitchen

 

                                                   photo by David Tompkins 

                                                   photo by David Tompkins 

                                                  photo by David Tompkins 

                                                  photo by David Tompkins 

                                                   photo by David Tompkins 

                                                  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

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

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?

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.