Trending Tuesday- White Oak

Ya’ll it is only Tuesday!!!! How is that possible?! I woke up today ready to tackle Wednesday like a boss, only to be stopped in my tracks when I realized it was in fact Tuesday. Maybe I was thrown off because Monday was a doozy of a day. Big rain storms rolled through Houston, which meant I powered through a lot of paperwork, upcoming client presentations and finally organized my stash of fabric books. I guess I felt like I accomplished so much that I thought there was no way today could only be day two of the work week. Regardless, the day must go on….whatever day it is.

The good thing about it being Tuesday is I’m sharing another favorite trend of mine, and this one is taking over the design world in a big way- White Oak. While rich, dark wood will likely never fully go away, there has been a steady swing to making interiors lighter and brighter over the past few years. People have quickly realized that while those dark stained floors look beautiful, they do show every fleck of dust and every last footprint and paw print. The solution? White Oak flooring. Now don’t let the word Oak scare you. This isn’t the yellowish orange oak floors of the past This is wide-planked, sometimes wire brushed, beautiful aged White Oak (or French Oak) floors. As someone who used to have an expansive amount of espresso stained, hand-scraped, hardwood floors and now has light gray stained floors, I can tell you firsthand that lighter floors significantly hide more dust and prints than dark hardwood. I would certainly still use dark hardwood floors in the right space (it grounds the room instantly and creates nice contrast against lighter furniture and walls), but the amount of cleaning required is really something to consider when making a decision on your floor color.

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I probably wouldn't use a chevron or herringbone pattern throughout an entire house, however, this would be a unique application in an entryway or study. 

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White Oak is also beautiful in smaller applications, too. It makes fantastic floating shelves in a kitchen, and instantly adds warmth and character to a space. I love it as a kitchen island for that very same reason, and plan to use it on an upcoming house that I’m helping Blue River Custom Builders design. We also used it for the master vanity in the modern farmhouse on Glen Arbor, although it hasn’t been sealed yet. 

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And how gorgeous is the living room below with all that light woodwork playing off the stone of the fireplace and the planked ceiling?!? The great thing about light wood is it allows the lighting and hardware to really stand out, like that black lantern chandelier. Almost every finish with White Oak, but my favorites are black, antique brass and polished nickel/chrome. So what do you guys think? Are you into the light wood or do you think the trend will pass quickly? I for one am giving it two thumbs up!

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Modern Farmhouse Kitchen- Glen Arbor Project

After a few jam-packed weeks in a row, I finally had a low-key weekend that has left me feeling refreshed and ready to take on the days ahead!! The Glen Arbor project is hopping right now and the last few decisions that need to be made are coming in like rapid fire. The woodwork is being primed, which means interior paint selections need to be finalized, and we just finished marking the specifics on tile placement and direction. I'm hoping to do a big construction round up at the end of the week, but first wanted to share the kitchen plan. I apologize in advance for the lengthy post but there are so many fantastic details going into this space that I couldn't leave anything out. 

From the very beginning, the one thing the homeowner knew she wanted was soapstone for the perimeter of her kitchen counters, so this ended up being the jumping off point for the kitchen design. To coordinate with this we selected a gorgeous marble for the island. While we looked for an alternative to marble in order to have less upkeep, this combination couldn't be beat. Both stones play off of each other beautifully, and honestly, neither takes away from the other, which is not easy to do when mixing stones within one space. My client is choosing to not oil her soapstone, at least not at first, to preserve the gray tone. Over time, if she wants a new look or is finding that she has lot of discoloration she can always have the counters oiled which will then turn the soapstone to a darker, almost black finish.

The kitchen is open concept to the dining and living room (all rooms are in a row), so we wanted to make sure the lighting plan was cohesive throughout all three spaces. The first light we selected was for the living room, which has a massive two story fireplace and windows. We knew we needed to find a light that wouldn't get lost in the space, but also stayed true to the simple, modern farmhouse feel. The large 60" round chandelier was the perfect choice. The wood ties in nicely with the fireplace mantle, dining room beam, and floating shelves in the kitchen (all will be made from the rustic, reclaimed wood shown below). We used the subtle brass accents on the chandelier as our inspiration for the remainder of the lighting. 

In the dining room the ceiling height is lower, although I use this term loosely as they are still 10'0", so we didn't need nearly as large of a chandelier. We also didn't want a fixture that was too visually heavy since this in the center line of vision from the kitchen to the living room. We found this fabulous brass candlelight-style fixture that has an open feeling and is the correct scale for the homeowners' existing dining table. 

Sticking with an antique brass finish, we selected swing arm sconces for the fireplace wall built-ins and glass globes with a brass accent for the kitchen island. 

The walls are going to be painted one of my favorite shades of soft white and the cabinets will be a slightly brighter white to create a little contrast. To make the island stand out, we're using a light gray that looks beautiful with the marble countertop and the European White Oak floors. While I love a pop of color, there is something so magical about a beautifully muted space that is filled with texture, pattern, sheen, and gorgeous details. Can't wait to see this kitchen come together in the end. 

Glen Arbor Kitchen Plan

Trending Tuesday- Suspended Open Shelving

I sat down to write a post today, a different post, when I realized it’s been a minute since I’ve written about new design trends. And since there is a trend that I’m excited to be using in an upcoming project, I thought it would fun to share a few of my favorite versions from the web. Open shelving has been around the design block for quite a few years now, but more recently I’ve been seeing suspended open shelving and I cannot get enough of this look.

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Why I love it? It’s modern, industrial and yet still chic. It adds another design element to the already popular open shelving concept and gives it a little more oomph. 

Where it works? Honestly, anywhere, but my favorite place is in a kitchen or bar area. Open shelving is such a great way to break up the heaviness of rows of upper cabinetry and lightens the entire space. Whether you’re using these shelves to have easy access to your daily dishes (this does require some coordination and effort on the look of your dishes), or in a smaller way to display a few functional items that are also pretty (wood cutting boards, colanders, cookbooks, etc.). I’ll be using it in a wet bar that’s directly off the kitchen. I wanted the bar area to have a bit of a moment and be able to stand against a large kitchen. Using a style similar to those below, it will be complimented with this fantastic silver hammered sink, black faucet, and some killer tile. I’ve just started making selections for this new home, so be sure to check back for more details on this upcoming project.

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