I usually start to lose interest when the only guys working are the tile guys, because it seems a bit monotonous and endless… this job is no different. Don’t get me wrong- I love to see the progress and am always amazed at how fast everyone works with a looming deadline over their head. But… Continue reading Day 7- More Installation
Just to catch you up if you have not been following, I was commissioned to design the working Viking kitchen at AllState Appliances in Scottsdale, AZ. Any cool design element needed to be a promotional marketing donation and this kitchen HAD to be different from the other twenty something vignettes that were planted around the… Continue reading Fun With Installation- AllState Back Splash
Frequently I find myself designing elements that I directly have to implement… which almost always involves the helping hands (and brain) of my sister, Lisa Johnston of Residential Resource Remedies. And she always says yes, regardless of the level of complexity or the eminent physical danger she may find herself in. The ceiling panel installation… Continue reading Fun with Installation- AllState Appliance Showroom Ceiling
When Dale Kendall of Kendallwood Designs asked me to design a kitchen that he was invited to put in at AllState Appliance showroom, I jumped at the chance! I knew it would be an opportunity to show my creativity and the skill of the work at Kendallwood Designs, whom I have worked with for… Continue reading AllState Showroom Viking Kitchen
If you didn’t already know it, I love to do a dramatic tablescape! Here use my latest tablescape design which I donated for the Lymphoma Research Foundation on their Second Annual Kitchen and Tasting Tour, held Feb 22, 2014. This walks you through my creative journey to the end result. I instantly feel in love with the… Continue reading Tablescape for Lymphoma Research Foundation Fundraiser
This is probably one of my all time favorite granites- New Azul Aran! There are stunning veins of clear and taupe colored quartz and tons of mica for a spark-tacular rich pallette in the kitchen. It’s a gorgeous neutral stone that also has these wonderful deep pools of stealy blue that adds just the right amount… Continue reading McDowell Mtn Ranch, cont.
Last week, I went down to the granite fabricators to decide exactly where they were going to cut the stone- oh such power! This is one of my favorite things to do on specialty stones like this New Azul Aran. There are huge chunks of crystal and mineral deposits that you really don’t want the… Continue reading McDowell Mtn Ranch- Behind the Scenes
Cabinet bases have been installed, but they’re never very exciting to look at until the pretty parts come in. DESIGN TIP: If your project has other trades people coming in and your cabinet maker is amenable, leave the doors until last. This way they won’t get dinged or scratched by other people. And you get… Continue reading Day 2- McDowell Mtn Ranch
Another kitchen to get a facelift with some new cabinets, countertops, appliances and a backsplash. The client cannot wait to be rid of the awful granite tiles that barely have grout left between them. Yuck! Of course, we’re going to do something much cooler with the tile backsplash using another custom mosaic that I designed.… Continue reading Day 1- McDowell Mtn Ranch
Things are really starting to take shape and the finishing touches are being added. Well over 1000 of pounds of grout are going into this house… which is mildly ironic since she wanted a maintenance free house. At least none of the tile is porous. The foyer medallion has been installed with such precision and… Continue reading Day 22-23
They say the Devil’s in the details, which is beyond apparent when the head tile installer takes almost a whole day to install the bullnose tile around the five glass block windows in the master shower. When you use Porcelain tile, the edges aren’t finished and it doesn’t polish like natural stone, so you have to use what’s… Continue reading Day 21
Design Elements Dissected 