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Archive for November 2009

Holiday Gift Guide: Art

Welcome to the Kitchenisms Holiday Gift Guide 2009, a week-long extravaganza of cool present ideas for the holiday season. Each day has a different theme, and I try to include both stocking stuffers and big-ticket items. You’ll find a mix of new finds and favourites from the archives here, all stuff I’d love to find under the tree on the 25th!

Happy Monday, everyone! Today kicks off my first annual Holiday Gift Guide, so without further ado, I’ll introduce today’s theme: Art! Regular readers will know that I’m a big fan of art in the kitchen (or any room for that matter), and if it’s foodie-themed, all the better. Read on for my top present picks for the food-and-art-lover in your life.

As we all know, Etsy is a great source for art. I’ve featured some work from LuckyBluebird before, but there’s a lot here for foodies. I love her Birds in the Kitchen series, especially in this gorgeous sage green:

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Art

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Art

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Art

While it’s not strictly kitchen-themed, I’m digging the colours in her Love Life print, too. The background is sort of tablecloth-like, anyway:

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Art

Maybe you can’t spring for a custrom retro-modern kitchen (yet), but you can probably manage this adorable Kitchen illustration by el tenderete, complete with stylish pendant lights and a Smeg fridge:

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Art

If you’re looking to splash out on some fine art, look no further than juliebcreative. I love her acrylic-on-canvas still life MidWest Memory, of a vintage Mason jar:

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Art

I love the prints sold by the London-based Keep Calm Gallery, and their “for the kitchen“ collection has some great stuff. I like this Wake Up & Smell the Coffee print, with its retro typographic charm:

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Art

I completely agree with the message contained in the famous Tea Revives You print, here in an extra-large size:

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Art

Completely different in style but utterly original, Gavin Harrison’s Food for Thought print was inspired by 1930′s/1940′s recipe books:

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Art

Posted in Gift Guide on November 30th, 2009 by Ele | 3 comments
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Photo find: Sharyn Cairns

Happy Friday, everyone! For today’s photo treat I wanted to share some work by Sharyn Cairns, an Australian photographer I discovered just the other day through Decor8. Her work is beautiful and I had the best time going through her online portfolio, deciding which photos to share here. They’re moody and evocative, with some of the best food styling I’ve seen in a while.

Sharyn Cairns

Sharyn Cairns

Sharyn Cairns

Sharyn Cairns

Sharyn Cairns

Sharyn Cairns

Gorgeous, no? I’ll leave you with that for the weekend, but be sure to check back on Monday for the first installment of my 2009 Holiday Gift Guide!

Posted in Photography on November 27th, 2009 by Ele | 2 comments
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Cool Kitchen: Office Space

For today’s cool kitchen I’m featuring an old favourite of mine, dug up from the depths of the “Interiors Inspiration” folder on my desktop. This room is actually the office kitchen of Drew Barrymore’s production company, Flower Films. I don’t even remember where I found this photo, but I do know that it originated in the pages of Domino magazine, which featured the offices sometime in 2008.

Office Space

First of all, I love the shade of green on the wall, and how well it sets off the white fridge, chandelier and shelves of crockery. The wooden table, wicker chairs and butcher-block counters are a natural fit with this look. Throwing in the slightly-unusual black cabinets and the retro checkerboard floor keeps the whole thing fresh and fun. Perfect for a creative office, yes- but I’d love it in my own home.

Posted in Kitchens on November 24th, 2009 by Ele | Be the first to comment!
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Etsy find: Parada Creations

Happy Monday everybody! It’s been a while since I posted here- I let things slide a little toward the end of last week. Posting may continue to be light this week, as I get ready for my 2009 Holiday Gift Guide, starting next Monday and continuing all week.

When I jumped on over to Etsy this morning, the work of Parada Creations was among the first I came across- and I knew I’d found today’s feature shop. Graphic designer Susana Parada’s prints have a cute, friendly and slighly retro quality to them- I think these ones, particularly, would work well in the kitchen.

I love the type and colours in this Smaller Portions print, though it comes in two other colourways, too:

Parada Creations

Sweet Peas is just charming, I love the colour and the background:

Parada Creations

This Coffee Mugs print has a cute, cartoony quality to it:

Parada Creations

While not strictly kitchen-related, I couldn’t resist the Magical Mushrooms print. I think it would look fantastic in a kid’s room:

Parada Creations

Posted in Etsy on November 23rd, 2009 by Ele | Be the first to comment!
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Kitchen Idea: Recipe Card Wallpaper

I saw these slightly frenetic photos on Apartment Therapy yesterday, and immediately wanted to share them. They’re of an art space in Providence, Rhode Island, and the entire wall is covered with vintage recipe cards.

Recipe Card Wall

Recipe Card Wall

Recipe Card Wall

Obviously, this room is a step away from the modern kitchens I like to feature here- it’s an art space and not a home, after all. I certainly couldn’t live with this kitchen as-is, but I think that’s partly due to the cluttered counters and piles of “stuff”. But that recipe-card wall (postcards would work well, too) as the only dash of chaos in a clean, minimalist kitchen? Love.

Posted in Ideas, Inspiration on November 17th, 2009 by Ele | 2 comments
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Etsy finds: Fiestaware

I’ve rounded up Pyrex, milk glass and Dansk, and now it’s time to turn our attention to another vintage kitchen staple, Fiestaware. Produced by West Virginia’s Homer Laughlin China Company since 1936, this brightly-coloured tableware has loads of retro charm. While chatting to my Mum on the phone yesterday, she mentioned that she scored a green Fiestaware platter at the church bazaar for only $0.25! These pieces from Etsy might not be that affordable, but there are still some deals to be found.

The Daily Vintage has a turquoise Vegetable Bowl that I love:

Fiesta Ware

Teapots are harder to find, and this cream one from msmichiganroux is in great condition:

Fiesta Ware

This pair of bright teacups from Ginchy Gear are actually Harlequin, a less expensive alternative to Fiesta by the same company. I love the colour, though, so couldn’t resist including these:

Fiesta Ware

For some real Fiesta teacups, I like these pink ones sold by Old Mother’s Cupboard. They have that cute vintage charm that’s so popular right now:

Fiesta Ware

I adore the marigold colour of this serving set from Retro Vertigo:

Fiesta Ware

I hadn’t seen a Fiesta salt shaker before, and The Daily Vintage has two of them for sale! I like this red one best:

Fiesta Ware

Posted in Etsy on November 16th, 2009 by Ele | 3 comments
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Flickr find: Autumn Apple Picking

Well, Autumn is pretty much over and the apple season is drawing to a close, but I couldn’t resist one last hurrah of the season. From CAPow!‘s Upstate NY set, I found these photos on Flickr and fell for the charming, pastoral feel. Happy Friday!

Autumn Apple Picking

Autumn Apple Picking

Autumn Apple Picking

Autumn Apple Picking

Autumn Apple Picking

Autumn Apple Picking

Posted in Flickr on November 13th, 2009 by Ele | 1 comment so far
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Home Inspiration: Blackboards

The blackboard wall trend has been going strong for the past couple of years, for nearly every room in the house. I think it makes particular sense in the kitchen, and I’ve featured the look on Kitchenisms before. It’s the perfect place for shopping lists, menus, recipes and notes. The matte finish of blackboard paint is contemporary and fun, but I think it works in a variety of kitchens.

The look needn’t be limited to the wall, however. There are lots of options for using this cheap DIY design idea- check out some of my favourites here.

The whole wall works well in a loft-style space, like in this image from the photostream of chutes and ladders:

Blackboards

From the photostream of ooh_food, I love this charming eating area. The section of blackboard wall behind the table adds the perfect touch of whimsy:

Blackboards

If painting the walls isn’t an option, how about a piece of furniture? No.8′s Vintage Blackboard Cabinet (found via Ohdeedoh) comes ready-painted, and has the added bonus of being movable to another room:

Blackboards

For just a touch of the trend, I like this blackboard-painted range hood from This Old House:

Blackboards

I like this idea from Living etc: use a section of wall as a calendar/organizer! Pretty and practical:

Blackboards

From the same source, the pantry door option might be my favourite. It keeps the trend limited to a small space, but still has impact:

Blackboards

Posted in Inspiration, Kitchens on November 12th, 2009 by Ele | Be the first to comment!
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Look: Toast Products

Last Friday, I featured some photos from Toast‘s Autumn ’09 catalogue, and promised to share some of my product picks this week. True to my word, here are some of my favourite finds from this beloved UK mail-order company.

Pam’s Recipe Book was written by the cook on the Toast Autumn/Winter ’09 photoshoot. Full of traditional Irish recipes, all profits go toward a medical charity:

Toast Products

I adore these handblown Moroccan tea glasses. They come in a set of six, each a different colour:

Toast Products

This old-fashioned apple rack is useful for storing fruit (obviously), but would also make wonderful under-sink storage, stacked to collect odds and ends:

Toast Products

This Greek pot jumped out at me in the catalogue images. I love the colours- it would certainly make a chic cookie jar:

Toast Products

I love all of Toast’s rustic tableware, but this large salad bowl, with its yellow inside, is particularly nice:

Toast Products

The French bistro cutlery is traditional and timeless, and the resin handles come in two different colours:

Toast Products

Posted in Products on November 11th, 2009 by Ele | 1 comment so far
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Cool Kitchen: Mustard Modern

I’ve got a Cool Kitchen from The Kitchn to share today; Steve’s San Francisco Color Inspiration was originally posted last month, and I fell for it immediately.

Mustard Modern

Mustard Modern

Steve, an interior designer, says that he is “inspired by colour”, which is pretty evident from this space. I love the mustard cabinets and the aqua ceiling; together with the French grey walls, darker grey floors and stainless steel appliances, they make quite the modern statement. I also like how Steve has so much art in the space, the colours in which work perfectly with the decor.

Mustard Modern

Mustard Modern

Mustard Modern

Looking at these photos (you can see more of them, including “before” shots on The Kitchn’s post), I’m had a revelation of sorts. I think the defining factor in making a kitchen look “modern” is lack of overhead cabinets- bare walls or simple shelves are just so much cleaner, don’t you think? I’m wondering, though, how one goes about reconcilling the desire for a modern space with the need for storage. One to ponder, definitely.

Posted in Kitchens on November 10th, 2009 by Ele | Be the first to comment!
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