100th Post - Ask & You Shall Receive

Today marks my 100th post! To celebrate I will be answering YOUR questions as promised. I figured a question or two may have come up over the course of 99 posts and boy was I right.  I was so stoked to receive so many questions over the past few weeks and I've done my best to answer them, so without further adieu, let's dive in:

Question: I enjoy your blog and notice that your husband, Brent, is often working with you on design projects. You make a great team, Beauty and Brawn! Have you ever come up with a design idea for your own home that he hated and you had to talk him into it? If so, can you tell us about it.

Who us? Disagree? NEVER!

...

OK, OK, fine.....The answer is YES, but before I elaborate let me explain a few things:

I'm always thinking about design, even when I don't mean to be, and I have a tendency to obsess over things. 

With that being said, because my world is so consumed with all things design, I'm often inspired by random things which cause me to think up ideas. Some of these ideas are good and some are wacky. Often times Brent does require some coaxing on certain ideas and sometimes he flat out squashes them. But there are other times when he wants to squash them but it's too late. I've already decided on it in my mind and begun the process of obsessing. Once that happens it's hard to talk me back off the ledge. 

A few examples of this: 

1. Painting the chair rail and paneling in our dining room black. 

After it was all said and done I think Brent is pretty happy with the outcome and we are both pleased with how the space has come together. 

2. Painting the brass chandelier blue. 

Brent was NOT on board with this but I talked him into it and....he was right. Gosh, that was even hard to write. But alas, he was, the blue was all wrong for the space. 

3. We have a three piece octopus painting hanging over our couch in our living room. Now, I know I haven't posted about our living room yet, so you are going to have to trust me here but this picture works. It's the perfect mix of weird and cool. I knew it the first time I laid eyes on it while shopping in Chattanooga. Brent literally laughed in my face, dead against the octopus. He now hangs in our living room and I'm pretty sure Brent likes him more than me. 

These are just a few examples, but the important thing here is the fact that Brent and I are truly a pretty good team. Sometimes I'm right and sometimes Brent's right. We both have our strengths and weakness and we both bring good qualities, ideas and expertise to the table. We balance each other out and, together we have completed some pretty great projects. The easier question might be how many projects do we start out completely in agreement? The answer: very few...but we aways end up on the same page by the time it's all said and done. 

Question: What was the final resting place of the turquoise chandelier? Have not seen it in recent posts?

Who, this guy? 

After the blue chandelier was replaced with our new chandelier in the dining room the blue one went to the basement where it resides to this day. It's final resting place is still TBD. 

Question: I have beige tiles around my fireplace (including the floor that connect to the carpet). I want to have a more cohesive look with the white mantle and trim. What are my options for painting the tiles white? The grout is an off-white color. 

Great question! I think a lot of people can relate to this issue. I know I had a similar situation at my house, except our tile was peach (yack) and connected to hardwood floors... 

To improve the look of the tile surround we simply painted the tiles white. Before painting we primed the tiles and then gave the entire fireplace including the mantle a fresh coat of Benjamin Moore's White Dove, OC-17. Our tiles were ceramic, so before we painted them we sanded the surface so the paint would easily adhere. 

The entire process was quick and easy and drastically improved the look of the space.

Question: So I love our Kitchen, but I feel like it is so builder grade and plain! What would you recommend to spice it up a bit and make it a little more unique? We have black appliances, dark granite counter tops, and oil rubbed bronze hardware on our light brown cabinets. You have seen it before, but I can send you another pic :) HELP please!

Another great question I think a lot of people can relate to!  To get everyone on the same page here is a shot of the kitchen in question:

When I look at this kitchen I don't think builder grade. The space feels warm and layered thanks to the contrasting colors and textures from the cabinets to the countertops to the hardwood flooring. To add another layer of interest you might consider adding a tile backsplash. Because the cabinets are a warm brown tone they will go with pretty much anything, so my suggestion would be to find a backsplash that compliments the granite countertops. Tile comes in so many different forms (travertine, ceramic, glass, metal, etc..) making it a great avenue to really add your own spin and personality to your space. I would also suggest looking into adding crown moulding to the top of the cabinets. You can buy crown moulding from Home Depot or Lowes and have it cut to the length you prefer and install it yourself. You would have to stain it to match the cabinets which might get tricky. If you can't find a stain that matches or  task of installing crown moulding seems daunting, then you might consider getting in touch with a local cabinet company to see if they could install crown moulding and color match it so it blends seamlessly with the stained cabinets. 

Question: You have mentioned the large Christmas tree in your front yard in several posts- what are the plans for decorating the tree this Christmas?

OH, we have plans, big plans. Decorating the tree for our first Christmas has been the only thing standing between the Christmas Tree and a big ol' axe. We wanted at least one holiday season so we could decorate it. Stay tuned for the final results of that! 

Question: Courtney, I love reading your blog and am fascinated by the way that you make seemingly-daunting home improvements seem relatively easy (though I know a lot of sweat - and maybe some tears - have gone into some of your projects!). My question is in regards to the outdoor kitchen. I know your post mentioned that you had to add some additional supports underneath the deck to support the weight of the concrete and the stone. How did you and Brent do that? And, how did you know how much extra support was needed? I'm curious to know if you built additional concrete supports or what!!

Great question and a popular one! During the process of the Outdoor Kitchen I was asked multiple times about the support under the deck. Now, to be fair, about 75% of the time my Mom was the one asking as she had this vision of the entire deck crashing to the ground due to the extra weight of the outdoor kitchen, but she wasn't the only one. As the posts started detailing the stacked stone for the pizza oven, the questioning became more frequent. I mentioned in this post that structural support was added but to ease EVERYONE's mind below is a shot of the supports under our deck. 

We started with 3 posts, but ended up adding 4 more as the process continued.  The 4 far posts are directly below the pizza oven and are connected at the top with (2) 2"x10" boards on either side.  The near posts provide additional support for the rest of the deck. As far as knowing how many supports to add, we kind of just guessed (welcome to Brent's process), but aired on the side of more is better. To install these columns Brent and Mark (Mark = major player in project outdoor kitchen, he helped with supports, stacked stone and concrete counters. It takes an army, folks) dug holes in the ground, placed the posts in the hole and then poured concrete in the hole to set the posts. So, FEAR NOT, our deck, outdoor kitchen, and the people enjoying them will NOT be falling to the ground anytime soon. 

Question: What is your favorite flooring for the kitchen?
Regardless of the specific type of flooring, my favorite look is when the flooring in surrounding areas matches that of the kitchen. There are so many finishes and surfaces throughout a kitchen. I like the idea of the flooring being a backdrop, instead of a focal point. Looks wise, I prefer hardwoods in the kitchen. I like the warmth they add aesthetically and the ease of maintenance. 

Question: What are some creative options for storing spices so they are out of sight, yet easily and readily accessible to the chef?


This is a great question with all kinds of options! Today, I find myself placing spice storage in a variety of locations per the specific clients needs. A popular option for a lot of clients is pullouts to the side of the cooktop as shown in Chattanooga Project below: 

Photo by Gentle Giant Photography. 

This option keeps spices within reach and provides adjustable shelves for customization depending on the height of your various jars and containers. For those people turned off by the concept of bending down to retrieve spices, I also have some options for storing spices up higher. Another bonus, word on the street is it's not good for your spices to be too close to heat. So, with that in mind the next two options might be more appealing:

Photo from Rev-A-Shelf website. 

Spice storage installed to the back of wall cabinets is a great option for easy access storage. The model shown above is from Rev-A-Shelf and offers adjustability as well for various sized containers. Another plus, because this unit is installed on the door you still have usability inside the cabinet as well.

Photo from Rev-A-Shelf website. 

Spice storage inside a drawer is another great option. Again, the unit above is from Rev-A-Shelf and is tiered so you can see all of the spices you are storing in this space. Obviously, the number of spices you can store would be limited to the space allotted, but this is a great option for everyday spices you want on hand. 

Well, there you have it, answers to some of the most popular questions. This was such a fun post to write and I'm so thankful to all of my readers and everyone that submitted a question!  It was fun hearing from you all and I enjoyed answering your questions. THANK YOU for tuning in each week, you've made these past 100 posts a joy to write!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Unless otherwise noted, all photos are my own. 

Chattanooga Project Reveal

Boy do I have a treat for you this week. As many of you know I'm from Ringgold, GA right outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee. After college I moved to Atlanta where I have been working and living ever since. As fate would have it, last year I happened to answer the phone for a lady looking to remodel her kitchen.... in Chattanooga. What are the odds? As I talked with her about her project I learned she and her husband were renovating a home on Elder Mountain. It wasn't until I saw this home in person that I realized it looked like Tara, you know the beautiful home from Gone With The Wind? Except this Tara was literally hanging off the side of the mountain.

Photo from my cell phone.

Literally....the views are breathtaking and the house is beautiful. The homeowners were doing house-wide renovations, and I was brought on to help with the kitchen portion. Of course I was super stoked to work on this project, as I knew my job site visits would allow me to visit my old stomping grounds and pop in on family while I was in town. I dubbed this project my #ChattanoogaProject and tweeted and instagramed about it a few times over the last few months. I worked on this project remotely and it all started with a few conversations and sketch.

Photo my own. 

The kitchen space is huge. Walls had been removed and the entire space was opened up. While this sounds like a designers dream, sometimes really large spaces can be difficult to design because you don't want your clients to have to walk a mile to retrieve the pop-tarts from their pantry in the morning. Things have to jive and zones have to be determined. All the while you want the space to feel warm and inviting, not like a middle school dance with all parties clinging to the walls while the dance floor is empty.

Style/finish wise the homeowner had some very specific thoughts of her own. She actually came to us at Bell Kitchen & Bath Studio after seeing our display in Phipps Plaza. She and her husband identified with this space and wanted a similar vibe in their home. The cabinetry was to be inset bead with a painted perimeter and a stained island. As far as design/storage requirements go the homeowners wanted two refrigerators, pantry space, a mantle hood and a large island. The large kitchen space would house both the kitchen and breakfast area. The whole space sits right off of the living room which leads to the back deck with the amazingggg views. Because of all of the windows, certain cabinetry placements just made sense,  sink in front of window, hood on main wall facing family room, etc..The finished product left us with 4 zones of cabinetry all serving different purposes and all working together to make the space work to it's fullest potential.

Let me show you around:

The above shot gives you a pretty good idea of the space. This is the view standing with your back to the living room looking into the kitchen. As you can see the first area you come to is the breakfast area. For this space a hutch piece was designed that serves several functions: serving piece, bar and storage. This area is complete with a under counter wine unit, a wood counter top (that matches the island, but more on that later) and plenty of door and drawer storage for alcohol, serving pieces and dish ware. 

The custom mullion doors with mirror were designed to give the space some personality and help the piece look more like a piece of furniture rather than cabinetry. The addition of this hutch piece really helps give the breakfast area it's own identity all the while amping up the storage. 

Moving on into the kitchen:

You will notice we have three walls of cabinetry, let's start with the hood wall. 

The mantle hood creates a beautiful focal wall with a lot of symmetry and balance. This is a true cooking zone complete with several add-on features to increase functionality and add storage capacity. 

Deep drawers were put under the cook top to hold pots, pans, lids, etc...pullouts flank each side of the cook top. The pullout to the left holds spices while the pullout to the right holds cooking utensils such as wooden spoons and spatulas. 

The cabinet to the far right of the hood, the corner cabinet, was designed to come down to the countertop. This application is a good way to put a period at a cabinet run. Wall cabinets were nixed on the sink wall, so we needed a way to end the cabinetry run coming from the hood wall. By taking this   cabinet to the countertop, additional storage space was achieved and all was balanced and happy on this side of the room.

Across the way, the pantry is nestled between the two refrigerators. Because the original pantry for the house was part of the demo/remove wall phase of the project this pantry would be the only one so it needed to be functional with a capital F. 

The two center doors open to two stationary roll outs installed at the bottom portion with three adjustable shelves above. Below the shelves sits the microwave and a few more drawers and door to store additional supplies/serving ware/kitchen gadgets. You will notice the TV is tucked in up top, out of the way, but in the perfect position for the cook to enjoy while whipping up the next meal.

The island is a beast at 116" long, but completely in scale with the space. 

Funny story, when the client initially called me to inquire about our services she asked how long the island was on display at Phipps. I told her this island was over sized because it was in a mall and that most homes could not accommodate an island that big. She swore that hers could. I was all like, "OK, surrrrre...." soon enough I found out that she was 100% right, her large kitchen area needed an island this big. Sure showed me!

The island was constructed out of alder wood and stained dark walnut color. The ends of the island both received drawers with open shelving below which gives the piece such a unique look.

Shallow depth cabinetry was placed at the back of the island for seasonal storage. 

It's always a treat to revisit a job once the dust has settled and the family has unpacked and begun living in the space. This kitchen seems to serve there needs nicely and let's be honest, it's not hard on the eyes either. Speaking of eyes, the homeowner has a great one for decor, so needless to say, the whole house is furnished and decorated beautifully, this room included. From job site to home is always such a fun transition!

A big shout out to Tania and Zack of Gentle Giant Photography  out of Chattanooga, for taking these pictures. Beautiful shots of a beautiful space - well done!