bunk rooms

Few homes warrant a bunk room but in the event that you have a cabin, lake house or just a lot of kids, they make for pretty cool spaces. I classify bunk rooms as sleeping three or more and gravitate towards ones that have individual lighting and privacy curtains at each bed. These two elements just seem to make each bed its own little space within a large, communal room.  I also like the idea of not having bunk rooms as being so kid oriented as surely not all guests are of the 13 and under age. See below for some of my favorites. Have a great weekend everyone!

from top left - via Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles - via Vogue Living - design by m.elle design - home of Glenn Pushelberg and George Yabu via REMODELISTA - source unknown - design by Lisa Sherry via Lonny - home of Michael Sullivan and Melissa Schollum via REMODELISTA

organizing my pinterest account

It's no secret that I have a real obsession with Pinterest. As a designer, it has become one of most valued resources - a constant source of inspiration, an important part of client communication and a main attractor to the blog. Since joining, I have done my best to keep my boards organized and not have too few or too many boards floating out there. Recently, however, I was noticing that things were getting a little overloaded and not as user friendly as I would have liked. So I took some time and did some re-sorting. In alphabetical order...

Blog|A Pin A Day: A remnant from the roughly year long series that I have since discontinued.

Blog|The Place Home: A repository for the images associated with blog posts.

Design|Details: All pins related to finish carpentry, joinery and material detailing. This is one of my favorite boards as I just love the craftsmanship and ingenuity that is expressed in some of the images. Plus its where you will find my image collection of dutch doors...

10" x 42" Live Edge Cedar Bench by Quarter Twenty

Design|Fireplaces: Another favorite as fireplaces represent that beautiful balance of function and aesthetics. 

Design|Garden: One of my most pin to boards and one that is probably in need of subdividing. This boards includes everything related to outdoor spaces, gardening and landscape design.

Design|Intervention: A board dedicated to large scale and experiential art. Some amazing images of land art that I find awe inspiring. 

stone piece by Andy Goldsworthy

Design|Kids: A board for kiddo spaces and products. 

Design|Private: Exterior images of well designed homes - traditional, modern, historic and more. 

Design|Products: A sort of mix match of images including graphic design and branding as well as just cool business ideas. 

clipnest by root design office

Design|Public: A collection of exterior and interior public spaces - restaurants, shops, multi-family housing units, barns, factories etc.

Design|Representation: A selection of amazing artists' works. 

Design|Quilts: This is one of my new boards as I decided this obsession needed its own space in my collection.

Design|Stairs: I love stairs for the same reason I love fireplaces - form and function. 

Home|Accessorize: An old board that I subdivided - this large collection now includes textiles, rugs, homewares, hardware and styling. 

Home|Bathrooms: Currently 100 pins of this highly used space.

Home|Bedrooms: A new board dedicated to one of my favorite rooms in a house. 

bedroom via House & Home

Home|Finishes: This board includes images of materials (largely flooring), paint and wallpaper. 

Home|Furniture: My go to resource for beautiful pieces - lots of rattan, walnut, brass, linen, leather...

Home|Holidays: This collection should probably just be called Home|Christmas.

Home|Interiors: Basically images of inspiring interior spaces that aren't bathrooms, kitchens or bedrooms. 

Home|Kitchens: A new board dedicated entirely to this design beast of a room. 

Home|Lighting: Another newbie full of form and function - lots here as I am not a big fan of overhead can lighting.

plaster lamps by Jacques Grange for Yves Saint Laurent via 1st Dibs

Living|Seasonally: An inspiration board for summer, fall, winter and spring.

The rest of the boards on my page are related to style and beauty, clients and just a few other random things. If curious follow me and if you aren't already on Pinterest you can sign up for an account here.

soapstone countertops

I am working on a couple of kitchen/bath renovations and have begun to think about different options for countertops. One material that I am particularly excited about is soapstone. I haven't used it before but it almost seems too good to be true. Its key properties include:
- Durability - so durable, in fact, that it is the preferred material for science labs.
- Heat Resistant - hot off the stove proof. 
- Doesn't Stain - red wine is just fine.
- Can hold up acidic materials - squeeze away on those lemons.
- No sealing required - means almost no maintenance.

Of course, there are some drawbacks:
- Cost - less expensive than marble but more expensive than most granite.
- Slab size - most slabs are around 7' long meaning that seaming could be required.
- Limited color palette - gray to black with options for a blue/green undertone.
- Can be easily scratched - although many think this adds to its character.

Soapstone which is quarried in the Appalachian mountains or imported from Finland or Brazil, can be used with or without it being oiled. If oiled it takes on a black finish like the left half of the slab below. If untreated it has a more gray blue color like the right half. Personally, I am not sure which I like more - although in doing some research it seems like oiled is a more consistent finish. 

via The Maine Soapstone Company

Another cool feature of soapstone is its softness (easier to carve and manipulate) making it suitable for sinks as well as customizable to include integrated features like drainboards.

via REMODELISTA

For more information check out this post by REMODELISTA or watch this video of Martha Stewart explaining why she loves her soapstone so much. Check out how great these soapstone countertops look!

from top left - via Apartment Therapy - design by MADE LLC. via REMODELISTA - gray kitchen source unknown - BHG showcase house potting sink via BHG - dark gray kitchen via Essence Design Studio - design by Frank Shirley Architects - via BHG - source unknown