Tis the Season for Gingerbread Houses
So, anyone that know’s me well, knows about my family Christmas Tradition of Gingerbread House Making. I have an older sister (who is married) and a younger brother and we typically carve out some time every “Christmas Break” for our Family Christmas Craft Day/Gingerbread House making competition. Over the years we have made some pretty random gingerbread structures….However, as I advanced in my interior design/construction skills the houses got more complex. And once my sister married a construction project manager, I’m sure you can imagine that the contest got a little out of control. It started with tiny gram cracker houses, then advanced to mansions, cathedrals, and replica’s of bungalows. The last year our “House making Teams” split up to shop independently for our “construction materials” and we had a huge competition! (See photo below) We eventually got too competitive, and like all things….competition, steep competition, takes the fun out of the event so the gingerbread house making has come to an end….though I do miss the bragging rights, because (lets be honest) I won every year. 
However, since our gingerbread era has passed, we have moved on to other craft endeavours like creating clay-mation characters, Santa Pine cone Ornaments, and Welted Wool Santa’s….yes, I said “Welted Wool.” However, I digress…..
I came across a fantastic link to an article featuring Gingerbread Houses that were created to look like many of the homes designed by famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. If you’re into architecture at all, most of these homes are easy to identify. Of course, seeing his amazing edible homes peeked my interest and I began to find other Gingerbread Structures designed to look like other famous pieces of architecture….and also stumbled across some impresssive, witty, and fun houses. (I threw in my person Bungalow Gingerbread house (I promise, it looked better in person).)
Frank Lloyd Wright Structures:
Taliesin West and Falling Water
Fun and Unusual:
My Personal Favorite:
Bungalow
If you are looking at my gingerbread house and laughing to yourself, I challenge you to send me a photo of one of your’s. I am ready to be impressed.
I hope you enjoyed this random Christmas bit. -Merry Christmas!!
Ask a Designer to Benefit Re-New
Nashville’s ASID Chapter is hosting an event called “Ask a Designer” this Saturday, so ladies…. gather your paint samples and fabric swatches, your magazine clippings, and Pinterest boards and come over to Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams this Saturday to meet with one of Nashville’s many Interior Designers to get their professional opinion and design tips for your personal projects! This is a great chance to let someone help select paint colors to match your cabinets, or help you choose tile for your small powder bath. 30 Designers will be at Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams this Saturday, December 10th 9:00am-Noon to meet with you. For a donation of $25 you’ll recieve a 15 minute consultation with a designer. The funds received at this event will go to benefit Re-New, a fantastic organization that Resuses Furniture to renew hope at the YWCA of Nashville and Middle TN.
Re-New works with women who are trying to get back on their feet and provides them with a home. Any mom, or woman, knows how important it is to have a place of your own, a place that you are proud of, a place that is safe for you and your children to go home to at night. The women of Re-New are making this happen for women in our area and this is your opportunity to help them out!
Below are a few images of homes that Re-New has helped provide. Learn more about Re-New and the truly amazing things they are doing here.
I hope that you will spread the word and come out Saturday to meet with a Designer and support Re-New!!
Accessories Make the Outfit and the Home
When dressing for an event, every woman knows that other than your fantastic dress, (the one you’ve been saving, that perfectly hides hugs your curves) it’s the details and accessories that count! That little black dress doesn’t quite look complete without the fantastic chunky necklace, chandelier earrings and strappy sandals. You would never wear stick-on earrings from the Dollar Tree or rings from a candy dispenser, because you know that accessories can make or break your outfit! The same goes for your home. Accessories can give a home a look that sets it apart from other homes. Today we’ll be looking at an accessory that can really change the look of your home..cabinet hardware.
Cabinet hardware in your kitchen can be the perfect finishing touch that pulls the space together. The heavy, beautiful door hardware you select really provides a first impression for visitors to your home. Cabinet hardware, drawer pulls, appliance pulls, door hardware…. are all items that are often overlooked as being important in home design, but can be among the most important and most used items in your home. Every door, drawer, and cabinet in your home is used daily so why not add a little pizazz with your selections!! These items can be the accessory that gives your home the finishing touch.Hardware design has come a long way over the years. While your typical traditional selections are still offered, there are many amazing, fabulous new hardware styles available.
Hardware design has come a long way over the years. While your typical, traditional selections are still offered, there are many amazing, fabulous new hardware styles available.
Browse the photos below to see what a difference hardware selections can make and the character it can add to a design.
Note the Appliance pulls in the photo above. They really help these appliances blend in with the cabinets!
The hardware added to this vanity makes it SOO much more interesting. It’s really a simple touch.
Old furniture pieces typically have fantastic original hardware that can really be accentuated with a fresh coat of paint.
LOVE these handles! It’s like adding a piece of jewelry to your vanity or dresser!
Hardware images provided by:
Atlas Hardware, Richelieu, Top Knobs, Rocky Mountain Hardware, and Pinterest
Small Spaces
Majority of business these days consists of remodel projects. These always take a lot of talent, imagination and most of all patience. There are always obstacles that are not there with new construction. However, at the end of the day these projects can produce some of the most stunning results.Greg Mewbourne of Greg Mewbourne Designs is incredibly talented in interiors. The projects below are two remodels that are both very small spaces. Greg transformed both of these powder rooms into the jewel rooms.
In this first picture you will first notice the fabulous wall covering that was supplied by Greg. The vanity is a Duravit high gloss white cabinet and the Vero white lavatory. The faucet and accessories are Danze. I love how the beautiful wall covering blends with the straight lined plumbing fixtures and faucet.
Powder Room Birmingham, AL
In this next Powder room you will see how with the right fixtures and tile a small room can really open up. Greg chose the Lacava wall mounted porcelain lavatory. This is a great example of how a wall mounted sink with a shroud can be a great option for a small bathroom not only function wise but also aesthetically. You will notice in the mirror a wall mount toilet. I love these! Think about it ladies, what is the worst thing to clean in the bathroom…..the toilet! Well with a wall mount you literally mop underneath and clean the bowl and your done. They are also great to use in a tight bathroom because they do not extend near as far from the wall as a normal toilet. I think they are all around fabulous!
The faucet used in this bathroom is the Lulu by Dornbracht. Also notice the tile installed on opposite walls. This is a great design feature not only aesthetically for small bathrooms but also funtion wise because both of these walls are wet walls and this will make clean up easy as well.
Powder Bath Birmingham, AL
Powder Bath Birmingham, AL
- Sherle Wagner lavatory faucet
House Beautiful- Kitchen of the Month
Like any design enthusiast, I am a loyal subscriber to multiple Interior Design Magazines, they can be easily spotted in stacks and on bookshelves throughout my quaint apartment. A ‘non-design enthusiast’ friend of mine gifted me a subscription of US Weekly for my Birthday in hopes of forcing me to read some “normal people” magazines. (I secretly think she just wanted me to have a magazine at my house that she’d like to read when she comes over to visit.) However, I have neatly stacked the rapidly arriving US Weekly magazines for her convenience and continue to pick up the latest and greatest Interior Design/Home magazine with I have a spare minute to flip through one.
A week ago, as I literally “flipped through” the newest magazine on my table, I quickly realized what a huge design dork I am (and may actually need the intervention of some “normal people”), when I stopped suddenly at the sight of a German Silver Sink on one of the pages. Most people, even designers, may not have recognize the beauty that is this sink (see below), but I however, gasped (for dramatic effect) and flipped open the article. I then saw the Waterworks faucet, and the Dornbracht faucet, and the….. it just kept going….I’m sure you can imagine my pure joy when I realize this house was in Birmingham, AL, and through deductive reasoning KNEW that Kenny and Company was involved. After confirming my assumptions, I had to share this beautiful kitchen with you….Enough of my inner ramblings…And the Official Post Begins:
This Month a beautiful home in Birmingham, Alabama was featured in House Beautiful Magazing for the “Kitchen of the Month.” Kenny and Company- Birmingham had the great pleasure of working with Bates Corkern Studio on this lovely kitchen renovation. The Tudor home was originally built in 1926, House Beautiful states that this renovation is a “modern take on it’s grand old tradition.” Please check out Novembers issue of House Beautiful to see the featured article, but you can ‘get the picture’ by seeing the images below.
If you can’t tell, I scanned the images from the actual magazine. They are not available on the internet yet, so please excuse the rough edges. Etc. I hope that you found this interesting. Both of our showrooms have the beautiful German Silver Sinks on display, as well as the Waterworks faucets and more, so stop by or e-mail me for more information!
Have a great day!
K&C goes to NYC!
“Have you drunk the Kool-Aid?” This was one of the first questions that I asked Jill when she returned from Waterworks Training in New York City. Waterworks’ brand has been synonymous with luxury and class, producing some amazing products, they go to great lengths to design and brand themselves in a way that will set them apart from the rest. Once you experience Waterworks, and hear the vision behind their company, you become an instant fan and supporter of their bran and products.
This being said, Waterworks has just launched their new Studio line that exudes the same luxurious feel, but is now more affordable. Kenny and Company is an exclusive boutique partner, so in order to insure that our branches are up-to-date on the ‘latest and greatest’ products they have to offer, Waterworks invited two of our product specialists- Jill from Nashville and Lori from Birmingham- for a whirlwind trip to the Big Apple to visit their showroom and manufacturing facility. Jill and Lori came back with some amazing photos, some new insight, and a greater understanding of their company….Needless to say, Jill has officially “drunk the Kool-Aid.”
After seeing some of the beautiful photos of the lovely new candles, soaps, towels, etc. that they have just introduced, I might be asking Jill to pass the glass of Koo-Aid…..
See below for a Sneak Peek of what the Waterworks New York Showroom has to offer. (Courtesy of Jill and Lori’s Camera Phones):
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this sneak peak! Please visit our Nashville and Birmingham Showrooms for more information on the new Waterworks products!
Friday’s Five Fabulous Bathrooms
I’m always looking to see products that we sell featured in magazines or on the internet and I’ve stumbled across some pretty amazing bathrooms. Here are a few that I tagged as my favorites this week. I hope that you enjoy some fabulous eye-candy!
Source Unknown, Great mix of textures and materials.
So nice and soothing...
The antique mirrored wall is unexpected but fabulous!
Atlanta Homes Magazine
All of these bathrooms fall within the Glamorous category….Please let me know if you have any questions about the products photographed and be sure to visit our Kitchen and Bath Showroom in the Gulch to view the new window displays!
Have a great weekend!!
Trade Professional Appreciation Day
We joined forces with Allsouth Appliance for our latest event. It was held at our showroom. We could not have asked for better weather! Thank you to everyone who came by. We are truly blessed with wonderful clients who we consider friends as well. Thank you to Rob Zuelch for cooking some awesome Boston Butt and chicken. People are still talking about your butt skills. We had a fun day and look forward to next year! I took a few pictures of the day. Please excuse the quality.
- “Where all the magic takes place” Rob Zuelch That is Mike with Allsouth on the trailer.
- Guys you need to go see Brian or Debbie at Allsouth and get this grill on your Christmas list!
A few new things from some of our favorite companies.
At Kenny we always try to keep up with the latest and greatest in products for your home. With trends and designs constantly changing, it can be challenging to weed through to find the perfect style for you that will last for a lifetime. Quality and longevity in design is what we are all about. Let one of our consultants help you put together a room you will love to live in. Below are a few new products from some of our favorite companies. Come by our showroom and check out some of these and much more. Call us at Kenny and Company with any questions.
The new Onto series from Duravit is completely customizable. Check it out at onto.duravit.com.
This is a new tile from Tabarka, one of our favorite tile lines. tabarkastudio.com
- Elkay’s new bridge faucet. Come by Kenny and Company to see more new Elkay faucets and sink accessories. elkayusa.com
What I’m Lovin’
With the fall weather upon us, I’ve been in a “nesting” mood. I’ve been wanting warm, comfortable, and good smelling things in my home. Since I’m always looking on-line for ideas and products that I love, I thought I would share one of my personal “mood boards” with you. As you can see, I have very eclectic taste and it’s constantly changing. I hope you enjoy a little glimpse into my personal style.
1. Pinched Corners Mugs $38 2. Linnea’s Lights Pumpkin Candle $30.00 3. Rediscovered Flatware $36.00 4. Farrow and Ball’s The Lotus Papers $275/roll 5. Mercury Glass Vases $12.00-$39.00 6. Rustic Oval Mirror $68 7. Visual Comfort Roark Modular Ring Chandelier 8. Moss by Yangyang Pan $1,600 9. Penumbral Doily Dinnerware $12.00-$18.00 10. Fleece Flounce Throw $798 11. Pasha Chair By Pedrali $488 12. Cow Hide Ottoman by Patrich Mavros $3600 13. Painting by Arturo Herrera 14. Natural Tree Stump Side Table $195 15. Cotswold Bench Ottoman, Landscape $1698 16. Glass Jug Table Lamps $149 17. Aged Herb Pots $8 18. Chesterfield Leather Sofa $2799
I hope that you have enjoyed this glimpse. I’d love to see some of your favorites….
