Wine and Kitchen Petting? Yes Please...

I'm back from the most wonderful two weeks in Italy. Brent and I had so much fun on our honeymoon and enjoyed every second! We got back on Saturday and it was so nice to have a few days to decompress before getting back to the real world. But alas, here I sit, in the real world and I can honestly say I'm refreshed and happy to be back in my routine. As excited as I am to share some photos from our trip, I felt it necessary to share these pictures of the Luxury Living Show Kitchen with you.



As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Mike Bell and I had the privilege of working on this project with Joel Kelly of Joel Kelly Designs. This year's kitchen is a bit more modern than previous Luxury Living Show kitchens, but it's full of functionality and fun. I mean, it has a ladder, does it get more fun than that? The cabinetry is by Bell Kitchen & Bath Studio and is pecan with a weathered gray stain. The countertops and the hood are Cambria, color: Wellington.

This kitchen was on display at Monarch Court in Phipps Plaza down in Buckhead this past month of May. If you didn't get a chance to check it out FEAR NOT! The display has been moved to the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, which kicks off this Friday.

This year's kitchen has pops of interest layered throughout the space. Make plans to head down to the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival so you can sip on some wine while you open the drawers, feel the countertops and explore the organizational elements scattered throughout the space.

Click here for more information regarding the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival.

All photographs by Barbara Brown of Barbara Brown Architectural Photography.

Small Spaces

Well, as Courtney promised at the end of her last post a guest blogger has arrived in the form of her sister, Candace. While Courtney is off enjoying Italy and her new marriage she charged me with posting about a project in my new home. Courtney and I seem to go through almost every season of our lives together (maybe because we are only 15 months apart) and buying our first homes with our husbands was no different. I believe we signed the dotted line for our homes exactly one month apart. Because of this we have ventured side-by-side in updating our spaces to be our own.

The project I am going to share with you today came about for two reasons:

1) Privacy

2) Small space that needed some pizzazz.  

When my husband and I moved into our new home I knew I wanted our bedroom and bath to be grey. This included our lovely water closet. Once we had everything painted just so, we came to realize that the small space of the WC could seem a little dark with the new outer shell. One perk was that the WC has a window that looks into our backyard. This lets in natural light, but also provides a great view to our side neighbor’s back yard – hence the need for privacy.  I set out to remedy the privacy issue while adding spark and not hindering the natural light. Easy, right? Actually yes!

I went to a local fabric shop to see what offerings they had for some curtains. I stumbled upon their “scrap table” which actually had some fabrics that were still multiple yards long. I fell in love with a lattice like fabric in gold and off white. I bought as much as they had and headed home to see what I could come up with.

Curtain Fabric

The look I knew I wanted was a built in, sturdy curtain. Sewing the fabric just did not seem like the way to go because I was hoping to not have to use piping to get the curves I wanted for the built in look. I found this jewel: Liquid Stitch. It gave me the exact look I was hoping for.

I ironed the fabric, measured, measured again, cut and then used the magic that is Liquid Stiches to pull everything together. I didn’t take the suggested precaution of letting the glue dry 24 hours, I was too excited.

The final product

I loved the way the curtain turned out and that it provided everything I was looking for. The curtains were also a perfect match to a set of bathtub drawings Miss Cow Spot herself drew and gave to me when I moved into my first place 4 years ago.

Aren't these perfect? Handmade by Courtney Foster Shearer herself.

I ended up loving the curtain fabric so much that I incorporated it into my living room as well. I framed a small swatch and added it to my collection on the mantle.

I am so glad I was able to guest blog for Courtney while she is honeymooning.  I am sure I am not alone in anxiously awaiting all of the inspiration and details she brings back for us from Italy!

CFS

- Courtney and I share a monogram now, so I really should sign this...

Candace

MARRIED!

Hi everyone,  Courtney Foster SHEARER reporting in.......

Yep, it's true I've got myself a  new last name and I couldn't be happier!

For those of you that don't know, I got married last Saturday! The weekend was epic. Seriously, it will go down in the record books as one of the best days of my life. A wedding weekend full of family, friends and SO MUCH FUN!

Our wedding was in Florida at Brent's grandparent's, Dandy and Papa's house in their backyard on the bay. The location is gorgeous year round, but we knew it would be especially lovely in the spring. The property is full of mossy oaks, lush landscape and the most beautiful view of the St. Andrews Bay.

After we got engaged last Fall, the planning went into full swing. I've never been one of those girls who had their wedding planned out since kindergarten, so we essentially started from scratch. We met with our wedding planner, Beck, in October and went through our vision for our day. We knew we wanted our wedding to be simple, yet elegant with layers of detail.  "Southern Chic" if you will... The location is so lovely it didn't need to be overwhelmed with extreme amounts of decor; we wanted to play up the natural beauty. After discussing the possibilities and options, it was decided we would get married at one end of the property, on the lawn, over looking the bay with gold chairs (LOVE!!), a baby grand piano (LOVE LOVE!!) and minimal decor hanging from the trees. The reception would be at the other end of the property underneath the trees, which would be lit with strings of lights.

We arrived in Florida on Wednesday, May 1st, and the possibility of rain weighed heavily on our minds. The Weather Channel quickly became my most frequented app on my phone. Over the course of two days we went into "rain plan mode" and then switched back to the original plan the next day. The original plan basically meant almost every aspect of the day would be OUTSIDE. The weather looked to be improving and all forecasts predicted the rain would be over by noon on Saturday. Well, all I have to say is prayer is powerful, because it rained ALL morning on Saturday and then just as they had predicted the rain stopped and the sun came out right around noon. By the time we arrived at the site, everything looked so lush and beautiful, there wasn't even a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful day and the sunset was perfect.

Below are some pictures from Saturday. So many of our guests have taken and shared photos with us and the crazy thing is most of these photos were taken on their phones! A big THANK YOU to everyone who played a part in our day, it's definitely a day we wish we could do over and over and over again. I hope you enjoy!


Photo via Candace Foster Story.

Photo via Courtney Rogers.

Photo via Candace Foster Story. 



Photo via Candace Foster Story.

 

Photo via Courtney Rogers.



Photo via  Jimmy Story.

Photo via Lori Foster.

Photo via Courtney Rogers.

Now it's off to our honeymoon, but don't worry, I'm not going to leave you hanging. I've arranged for a guest blogger to make a special appearance in my absence. Ciao!

 

Luxury Living Show 2013

Well, it's MY WEDDING WEEK!! In a mere three days I will be a married woman - crazy, crazy!

As most of you know there is no shortage of super exciting things going on in my life right now. Wedding, new house, NKBA's 30 Under 30, tons of fun projects and now this....... Mike Bell and I are featured in the May issue of Atlanta Homes &  Lifestyles magazine along with Joel Kelly for our work with this year's Luxury Living Show Kitchen.

Photo from Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Magazine.

 This is the fourth year Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles has partnered with Phipps Plaza to host the Luxury Living Show here in Atlanta. This is also the fourth year Bell Kitchen & Bath Studios has built and co-designed the full sized kitchen, and this year I was a part of the team! 

 

Photo from Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Magazine.

 

Mike Bell and I worked with Joel Kelly to bring this year's kitchen to life. While the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Luxury Living Show Kitchens were beautiful and special in their own unique way, we are very excited about what has been created this year. This year's kitchen features sleek lines and loads of functionality. The finishes throughout the space are unique and will add depth and interest that we hope will inspire viewers. For the first time, not only will the outside of the kitchen be beautiful but the inside of the cabinets will be a show all on their own - thanks Blum & Sur La Table.

 

Cambria countertops from every one's favorite Construction Resources, Sub-Zero Wolf appliances, Traditions in Tile and of course Bell Cabinetry will all be present at this year's show.

 

Below is a sneak peek of this year's kitchen......

 

 

Photo my own.

 

The cabinetry was put together last week so the countertops could be templated. Above is a fun shot of Mike Bell and install manager, Todd going over details of the space. After the countertops were templated, the kitchen was broken down and is currently being finished, getting ready for install later this week.

 

The show is right around the corner, May 9th - 12th AKA Mother's Day Weekend AKA days before I leave on my honeymoon ( I couldn't miss this show, Italy will have to wait :) ) So, grab the mother in your life and make plans to head down to Phipps Plaza to enjoy this year's beautiful dream kitchen.

**If you won't be in or around Atlanta May 9th - 12th, the kitchen will be on display all month at Monarch Court. **

 

Alright, this is my last official post as Courtney Foster, sniff, sniff...... :) See you all at Phipps in a few weeks!