Luxury Living Show 2015

While most people living in or around Atlanta scurried home last Wednesday afternoon trying to avoid the impending snowpocalypse 2.0 I headed to the mall. Priorities people, shoes don't buy themselves you know. Just kidding, I did my shoe shopping the weekend before, Wednesday I made my way to Phipps Plaza to watch as the 2015 Atlanta Homes & Lifestyle's Luxury Living Show Kitchen I designed made it's big debut.

It's not every day you get to design a kitchen that will be on display in the middle of the mall. What a cool/random/awesome/terrifying opportunity, right?! For the second year in a row my heart and soul sits in the middle of a mall for all to see and I couldn't be more excited.

For months myself and the Bell Kitchen & Bath Studios team have been working hard dreaming, scheming, designing, drawing, tweaking, building and installing this year's Luxury Living Kitchen. A Kitchen that debuted in front of design bloggers from across the country and will sit on display for 5 weeks in the middle of Phipps Plaza.

For this year's design we wanted to show something a bit more modern. Atlanta is a Traditional market, no doubt about that, but as of late there has been a growing interest in modern design. Last year the President of Bell K&B Studios, Mike Bell dubbed the phrase Southern Modern. An idea that a space could have clean lines and a sleek vibe while maintaining the warmth and elegance associated with the south. For so many, a modern aesthetic is synonymous with cold and sterile features which is sad because modern design really can be warm and layered. So, we decided to showcase what Southern Modern looked like to us. 

We kept the overall design sleek and clean with details like acrylic cabinetry, lucite hardware and a waterfall countertop around the perimeter of the kitchen. 

Mahogany accents were integrated throughout the space, around the center towers, floating shelves and on the island. Not only does the stained wood add a layer of warmth to the kitchen, but it contrasts nicely with the taupe/gray acrylic cabinetry, allowing one to pop off the other.


























We wanted the island to feel very furniture like, so a more detailed drawer style (as opposed to the totally sleek slab drawers used on the perimeter) was selected. In addition I designed an all drawer look for the front of the island which became increasingly visually interesting with the addition of the knobs. The power of hardware never ceases to amaze....

Speaking of amaze, can we please talk about the back of this island? 

QUATREFOILS!!!! Nay...MAHOGANY QUATREFOILS!!!!!!! I love the detail they bring without being overpowering. When you see the kitchen as a whole they are definitely there, but more as a whisper than a shout. I have a whole post I want to do on these bad boys, but for now let's just say I have to hold myself back from stopping by the mall to pet them every day. 

And finally, no kitchen is complete without the insides of the cabinetry looking just as polished and considered as the outside. 

We stocked this space full of cool cabinetry components, like this pullout to the right of the cooktop. 

There is a space for wood spoons and utensils at the back and a knife block in the front. The cool part? The knife block is made out of a foam like material so the knifes can be placed anywhere within the area.

How about some pot/pan/lid storage action?  I don't know about you and your kitchen, but I could seriously use a drawer like this. Finding a pot with it's matching lid takes WAY longer than it should in my space. 

Projects like this are always a giant collaboration as it takes many a layer of beautiful items and finishes to bring these spaces to life! The kitchen was styled by the lovely ladies of Cloth & Kind - Tami Ramsay & Krista Nye Schwartz. The countertops are Cambria, color: Summerhill and they were done by the great folks over at Construction Resources. The appliances are Subzero- Wolf from Westye Group Southeast and the lights are from the Alexa Hampton Collection at Circa Lighting. The tile is from Renaissance Tile & Bath and was installed by Giovanni's Tile Design. All internal cabinetry components are by Rev-A-Shelf and the cabinetry hardware is by Atlas. The sink and faucet are Franke and the kitchen design and cabinetry are by Bell Kitchen & Bath Studios.

The kitchen will be on display for the whole month, stop by and pet it see it if you get a chance!

All photos are my own.

Luxury Living Show 2014

Y'all I had a design baby. It was a very long labor, but my baby was officially introduced to the rest of the world on Sunday, March 2nd. 

 He weighs +/- 10,000lbs and is around 399.5" long.

You may remember I mentioned back in January I was designing the kitchen for the Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Luxury Living Show. For months Mike Bell and I planned and schemed, designed and tweaked this kitchen that would sit in the middle of Phipps Plaza, a luxury shopping mall here in Atlanta for the entire month of March.

This project became my pet and I doted on it often. Carefully considering every finish and selection. I visited our shop floor on the regular to observe the progress of many of the main parts and pieces. Finally, last week our crews packed up the cabinetry and headed to Phipps Plaza to install the kitchen smack dab in the middle of the mall.

I can't say enough good things about the amazingness that is our installation crew, but they really rose to the occasion on this project. Because the kitchen sits in Phipps Plaza, a mall, all installation had to happen while the mall was closed AKA the middle of the night.

So, of course I did what any crazy obsessed designer would do and headed to Phipps to lend a hand where applicable, and watch my design come to life. It was SO cool, rewarding, exciting and entertaining watching this kitchen come together piece by piece. Thankfully, Brent, my favorite partner in crime joined me and snapped photos of the entire process.

Brent put all of the pictures together and created a video so you all can see the transformation. I'm pretty pumped as this is The Cow Spot's first video. Take a look:

Pretty cool, eh? 

On Sunday bloggers from across the country were in town for the Design Bloggers Conference and a lot of them stopped by Phipps to hear Suzanne Kasler speak IN FRONT OF MY KITCHEN! 

Talk about a cool, pinch me moment! All of the bloggers were super sweet and really had great things to say about the kitchen. Music to my ears! :)

The Luxury Living Show officially kicks off this weekend - Saturday March 8th. There will be chef's doing cooking demonstrations in the kitchen starting at noon - 3:00 p.m. The kitchen will be on display the entire month of March.

As you saw from the video there are a lot of details to see in this kitchen and like all projects this one was a giant collaboration. Here are some of the specifics about the kitchen and it's various components: The cabinetry is  Bell Cabinetry by Bell Kitchen & Bath Studios, the appliances are SubZero-Wolf,  the counter tops are Cambria from Construction Resources, tile is from Traditions in Tile, the lighting is from Circa Lighting, the faucet is Grohe, the sink is Elkay, all internal cabinetry components and lighting are from Hafele and last but definitely not least, Huff-Dewberry staged and decorated the kitchen.

I'm still pinching myself that it all came together and the space has been so well received. I'll probably stop smiling in a few weeks days. :) :)

One more photo for the road....

Oh you know, it's just me and Suzanne Kasler hanging out in my kitchen! 

If you all are in or around the Atlanta area, I hope you get a chance to stop by, I'd love to see you! 

All photos and videos are my own. 

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.

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!

 

My Grandmother's Kitchen Part 2

Here we go! You've been tortured long enough.......

As I began designing the new kitchen I realized the existing layout worked pretty well, the space just needed a few tweaks to boost functionality and aesthetics. Most of the major items (cooktop, refrigerator, sink, dishwasher) stayed in the same location, with the only exception being the oven and the microwave. We decided an oven/micro combo was the way to go, this way the microwave would not take up valuable real estate on the coutntertop. Then we decided to scoot the oven/micro down the wall which increased the amount of continuous counter space considerably.

Next up was the task of pumping up the storage. The first thing on the list was the removal of the soffit at the ceiling. I knew removing the soffit would really open up the kitchen and make the space feel taller. Plus, with no soffit the wall cabinets could go to the ceiling which meant more storage! Next, we removed the current desk and replaced it with a tall pantry cabinet with rollouts. This addition was huge. For 46 years my Grandmother would have to leave the kitchen and go down the hall to the laundry room/pantry to retrieve items. Now, all food and prep items are stored right in the kitchen so everything is within reach. 

Even the coffee maker has it's own little nook. When my grandparents have guests over or when they prepare their morning coffee they can keep the door open for easy access to the coffee maker. Once coffee time is over the door can shut and all is sleek again.

As I've mentioned before, today's cabinets have so much more storage potential due to the internal components available. In this space we utilized rollouts, a LeMans corner pullout, deep drawers for pots and pan storage, tray dividers and cutlery and utility dividers to amp up the storage and organization.

Deep Drawers for Pots

LeMans Corner Pullout

                                           



 

 

Cutlery Dividers

Tray Dividers

                                                                       

The cabinets are Bell custom cabinets from Bell Kitchen & Bath Studio. As we designed the cabinetry we decided to go with frameless cabinetry construction so as to increase the amount of usable space within each cabinet.  The cabinets are made from northern white hard maple and are painted Sherwin William's Anew Gray, SW7030.

The countertops and backsplash add pizazz to this space. For the countertops we decided to go with Cambria, a Quartz product.

I've talked in the past about the benefits of quartz in that it's a man made surface so it is impervious to stains. In my opinion Cambria is by and large the leader in the quartz countertop market because of the depth and movement their colors offer. For my Grandmother's kitchen we decided to go with Torquay, which is a white countertop with beige/gray veining through out. The backsplash  is a beveled white marble subway tile with gray grout. The tile is one of my favorite elements in the kitchen. We took the backsplash to the ceiling around the window and on the hood wall; it adds such dimension to the space.

The sink is a Blanco silgranit single bowl sink, color - truffle. I was so excited when my Grandparents chose the truffle color. It's a little outside the box and really works well against the white countertops. The hardware is from Top Knobs and the faucet is a Delta, all in a antiqued brass finish. Fun fact - the faucet is touch activated, my Grandfather who is an electrical engineer was instantly infatuated and convinced that the other faucets in the house were broken because they didn't work the same way! :)

Finally, my favorite elements in the space - the island and the chandelier, both of which remind me of my Grandmother in every way. The island, which fits perfectly in the space is painted the same Anew Gray as the perimeter cabinetry, but it has a dark brown walnut countertop with these delicious knots scattered on top. My Grandmother never had an island and never thought she would because of space restrictions. This island was used in a display in our showroom and when the display was replaced I knew this would be the perfect piece for their kitchen so I snagged it up! The chandelier that hangs above the island is beautiful turned on or turned off. It's got sparkle and shine, just like my Grandmother and really adds a little something extra to the room.

 I'm so pleased with how this space turned out. When you walk into the room you enter into a happy, calm, beautiful space, layered with textures and details. Every decision and selection was carefully considered and I think the end results are truly amazing. My Grandmother couldn't wait to get back to cooking and has since made numerous meals in the kitchen. All of the new appliances have taken some getting used to, but she took to the added storage like a fish to water. I'm glad I'm family so I can come visit this beautiful space often, and maybe get some yummy food too!

All photos are my own. 

Throw Some Glitter On It

You know, there's just something about things that sparkle. Sequins, glitter and other forms of sparkle have been prevalent in fashion for sometime. Interestingly, as of lately I've seen a trend towards the integration of more and more bling to interiors. As fun and exciting as this trend has the potential to be, it could get tacky REAL fast.

As always, less is more - let's explore.......

 The savvy use of the randomly placed glass tiles give this bathroom an additional layer of elegance. It's funny how something so small can make such an impact when hit by the light.  

How snazzy is this? We've seen the use of the glass tiles to add shimmer, but here the glass tiles were installed in a striped pattern against gray walls. The sparkly stripes and pops of pink scream feminine chic' - love it.

Photo from Cambria's website.

This is Rosslyn, one of Cambria's latest creations. I was SO excited to hear this slab as well as Berkeley were introduced this month! I saw this quartz slab in Chicago back in April at KBIS. At that time Cambria was teasing us with samples of several slabs that "could be" based on interest. Obviously I was not alone in my love for this surface because here it is and what a beauty! This photo truly doesn't do it justice as it is so warm, so sparkly and has so much potential to add a fun punch to any space.

Photo from google search.

These are toss pillow covers from West Elm. What a fun way to easily add some sparkle to your space without over committing. 

How feminine and fabulous is this sequined shower curtain over that claw foot tub?  I'm not sure I would cover up a claw foot tub with a shower curtain but if for some reason it was necessary I think this curtain is a fun choice.

OK, maybe this doesn't completely go with my above less is more comment but what a fun statement wall! Obviously you would have to have the right type of business to make this work. Love the mixture of the gold sequined wall with the black and white rug and pink walls - very Beyonce' meets Mackenzie Childs.

Elements with a little sparkle have the unique ability to demand attention. If done tastefully a little sparkle here and there can add an unexpected layer of elegance and sophistication to any space.


Unless otherwise noted all photos are from Pinterest. Check out my boards here.

Luxury Living Show 2012

Happy Mother's Day WEEK! That's right, our Moms, Grandmothers, Grandmas, Nanas, Dandys, Mimis, Grammys and Grandmamas are special enough to get a WEEK in their honor! If you're in the Atlanta area and are looking for a fun outing for a Mom in your life, I would suggest taking her to the Luxury Living Show at Phipps Plaza this Saturday.

For the third year in a row Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles has partnered with Phipps Plaza to host Atlanta's only Luxury Living Show. The show is Thursday, May 10th through Saturday May 12th and is anchored by a full sized living kitchen, built and co-designed by the company I work for, Inspirations Design Studio and Fernandez and True Interiors. The kitchen incorporates cabinetry from Bell Cabinets, Cambria counter tops, Thermador appliances, Richelieu hardware and Tile from Traditions in Tile.

We met down at Phipps Tuesday morning for our weekly sales meeting where many of us from Inspirations were able to see the kitchen for the first time. It's beautiful and very different from the last two, pictured below.

Luxury Living Show 2010

Luxury Living Show 2011

I don't want to give too much away, but I will say this years kitchen is smaller in scale than years past and shows dark wood cabinetry with a really cool finish. If you get the chance to come by, notice the counter tops. They look a lot like white marble but are actually Cambria, the color is Torquay. The kitchen will be on display at Phipps for the month of May and will be moved to our showroom in Alpharetta in June, where it will be our Thermador vignette.

Saturday will be a fun filled day where you can enjoy presentations by Chef Art Smith (former personal chef to Oprah Winfrey) and Chef Anthony Gray of Atlanta's SOUTHERN ART from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. and celebrated landscaper, floral and interior designer James T. Farmer III from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. followed by book signings.

It's going to be a great day, so come down with the mom in your life, enjoy the sights, presentations and prepare to be inspired!

KBIS 2012

Sit back and relax, maybe go grab a coffee, this is going to be a long one!

I just got back from the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show a.k.a. KBIS! This years show was in one of my favorite cities - Chicago.  KBIS is always a fun show to attend, full of new trends, innovative products and tons of inspiration. The show was smaller this year , but provided me with all kinds of blog topic ammunition.  Everyone who attends the show will walk way with different impressions, favorites and highlights. But to me, this smaller scale show (as compared to years past)  allowed certain items and trends to shine bright. So, without further adieu let me introduce you to the things that sparked my interest at this years show...

 Tile:

This tile is by Ann Saks.  These tiles are 3-dimensional and gave the space a very cool look. I love how the tiles are varying shades of gray which gives the wall even further depth. 

Close up view of 3-Dimensional tiles. Doesn't it look like the tiles are jumping off the wall?

Look at these funky tiles, which are also from Ann Saks. I loved the bright colors and patterns. 

This pattern is called "Pollen in Orange Gray." No big shock, this was my favorite of all. Two of the hottest colors of the year. Couldn't you see this tile in Tory Burch's home?!

Ann Saks had a lot to offer in terms of cool tile. There is a lot of focus on texture, dimension and pattern. Today tile is no longer just a functional component to a space, it's a form of expression.

Countertops:

As you know from previous posts, I'm a big fan of Cambria. So, this was a must see booth for me at this years show. They have launched a few new colors this year, but it wasn't the new additions that thrilled me, it was the trial slabs that were brought to KBIS to get industry feedback and opinions. These slabs don't even have names, and were only labeled with roman numerals so we could vote on our favorites. They were all nice, but there were two that really spoke to me and they were both in the gold family. Yes, you heard me right... gold countertops!!! They were beautiful! Unfortunately my camera (iphone) did not pick up on their beauty, and the pictures just don't do them justice. But, imagine it, with all the talk of brass lately, it only makes sense that this concept would flutter into countertops, and it did so beautifully.  The gold tones mixed brilliantly with other colors ranging from coppers and browns to beige and grays with the depth that only Cambria can offer to a quartz countertop. Hopefully my favorite slabs earned enough votes to become two of the new slabs introduced this year, so you can see them firsthand or at least in a clear, professionally taken picture :).

Trial Slab II: beige and gold and little bit of copper all mixed together to form this breathtaking countertop. 

Trial Slab I: This slab reminded me of a gold sequined dress. So pretty and elegant with sparkle and depth.  

Appliances:

One of the most surprising "trends" I saw at the show was black appliances. Both Wolf Sub-Zero and Dacor were showing appliances in black. Both said the black appliances were introduced because people were tired of stainless steel and wanted something different. Hmhm.....while the black appliances were pretty, I'm not sure that this is a trend that will take among the masses. A lot of people have just traded in their black appliances for stainless. Plus, in my opinion stainless is like white trim, classic. We may re-visit this topic in later blog posts but this was definitely one of the more surprising finds at this years show.

Plumbing:

 Rock Crystal, Green Onyx and Chinchilla Obsidian inserts for Kallista's Amedee Basin Sets. What a fun way to jazz up your faucets.  

This sink is by Toto and was pretty cool in that you operate the hot and cold by turning the dial on the far right of the sink. When you turn the dial to hot, it lights up red and when you turn it to cold it turns blue. I thought it was pretty snazzy :)

This is Kohler's Numi Toilet. A few posts ago I talked about the Toto Washlet, which was the splurge-a-rific toilet seat that could all but fly to space. Well, the Numi is similar in that it offers a lot of the same features, but this time instead of it being just a seat, it's the whole toilet that can show off its luxurious skills. To begin this toilet has a motion activated lid and seat, advanced bidet functionality, integrated air dryer, deodorizer (air is pulled through a powerful heated seat), feet warming, illuminated panels and music.  That's right... this toilet comes with a remote control that allows you to jam out to your favorite tunes while taking care of business.

Miscellaneous:

This is a USB wall power outlet I came across. It is essentially a traditional outlet with two USB ports built in. In today's world when most of us rely heavily on our mobile devices it can create a traffic jam of sorts in our homes with everyone trying to charge their phones, ipods, ipads, etc...at the same time. This handy outlet configuration allows you to charge your devices while still maintaining your outlet space for other important plug-in related things. Pretty cool, right!?

And Finally, the CELEBS!! We had two celebrity moments while on this trip. On Tuesday night we went to Dupont's Color Splash party where we met David Bromstad. David has several shows on HGTV and actually won Design Star seven years ago.

Here I am with fellow designers Melissa Nagle and Holly Floyd with David Bromstad.

On Wedneday while visiting the Kohler booth at the show, we ran into Monica Pedersen. Monica is from HGTV's Designed to Sell.

Again with fellow designers Holly Floyd and Melissa Nagle with Monica.

Well, there you have it, my week at the KBIS show in a nutshell, OK a big nutshell :). These shows are fun and informative and always bring you back to reality feeling inspired. I hope you enjoyed!