Knobs & Pulls & Hinges, Oh My!

I've always had a little thing for cabinet hardware. (Cabinet hardware & plumbing fixtures, but I don't let cabinet hardware know about my crush on plumbing fixtures & vice versa, natch!) I'm not sure if it's the magpie in me that is drawn to the shiny stuff or if it's the way they are displayed, so many yummy options to choose from.

{ Jeffrey Alexander's display does it for me }

So, when I was presented with a cabinet hardware dilemma I was thrilled! Here is the question: "I'm trying to decide on kitchen cabinet hardware. I was leaning towards some simple oval knobs...I was wondering about the possibility of putting cup pulls or handles on the lower drawers and then knobs on all the doors. They would all be from the same suite, with the same material, but do you think it would look mismatched?"

Short answer:

"No"

Medium answer:

"No. I don't like everything matchy-match. You want to have the finish the same but as long as you keep with a similar style I will look great."

Long answer:

"I love the look of cup pulls & knobs mixed. I did it at our East 13th house:

{ Kitchen, East 13th Avenue }

And I loved them so much I did something similar in our current home ("if it ain't broke don't fix it" and all that). Here are photos below, apologies for the poor quality:

{ note our Siamese cat, Sinatra, inspecting the scene }

Here are my picks for oval knobs & cup pulls, with options for a few different budgets & in different finishes, but all more traditional/transitional in style as requested.

~ CUP PULLS ~

{ Lee Valley's cup pulls }

Lee Valley's products are well priced & good quality. These ones pictured above only come in chrome but there is another line that is satin chrome which may suit:

{ Lee Valley's Kitchen/Office Suite }

Apparently the B, C, & D frame pulls are discontinued (C & D are sold out, limited quantity of B available). I do like the look of E.

Restoration Hardware always has nice stuff. They'd better. It's in their name & all. I like this pull:

{ Gilmore Pull }

and this one (with a little cleaner lines)...

{ Duluth Pull }

Or perhaps something like this from Home Depot:

{ Amerock Pull }

And finally some cup pulls by Richelieu. Here is one option:

{ top left range of cup pulls }

~ KNOBS ~

Oval knobs are harder to find than round ones but here are options from Richelieu:

Of course Restoration Hardware has a few options:

{ Aubrey Knob }

{ Ephram Knob }

Lee Valley has some stainless oval knobs:

{ Round & Oval Knobs }

Putting in new hardware can be an inexpensive way to spruce up your existing cabinetry. It's kind of like eyebrows on a face - done right the eyebrows look great & you almost can't tell what it is that's so appealing about the person. Done wrong... WATCH OUT!!!!

Back to Blogland

Back to "Real Life"!!! I have been summering & not working all that much. We spent almost three blissful weeks at the Baker-Smith family cabin & it was amazing. Here's proof:

{ our family at the beach }

{ P on the tire swing at Gramma Barbie's Beach - aka West Shore }

{ S & P building a dam as the tide encroaches }

{ Pimms' Ladies Reunite }

{ Two Handsome Beach Boys }

{ Homeward Bound... }

We've actually been home for over a week but this is the first time I've been able to get to Blogland since then. I hit the ground running work-wise with a few new projects I'm super psyched about. I also have a few design dilemmas that I want to blog about so you'll hear more from me, soon... for better or worse!

Key Note

True confessions. I have an obsession with antique keys.

{ an assortment of flat & barrel keys

from Antique Keys }

I love 'em. I have an old skeleton key from our (since sold) East 13th house & I wear it around my neck on a big long chain.

I knew my obsession had gone mainstream a little while ago when Tiffany came out with their gorgeous key necklaces (which I do love):

{ Tiffany & Co. keys on chains }

Plus I just discovered that Pottery Barn sells antique keys:

However, I think I'd prefer to discover mine on my own & I've heard mixed reviews about these.

Check out this key wallpaper from Jonathan Adler:

{ it comes in gold (shown), red or white }

or how about these fabric choices from Ink & Spindle or Nuno:

{ Ink & Spindle's version }

{ Nuno's version }

What walls would you cover with that Jonathan Adler paper? What would you use a few yards of the key fabric for??

Happy Belated Father's Day, Daddios!

In honour of my very own "Little Dad" here are few 'manly' picks for a masculine interior space...

Dad: would you like to smoke your pipe in this antique leather wingback?? (From 1st Dibs ~ search Arenskjold Antiques):

{ wingback club chair circa 1920 }

...in front of a fireplace like this:

{ photo from Ralph Lauren Paint }

...with a selection of books to choose from:

{Gianni Botsford's design for his father

featured in Wallpaper*magazine }

Happy Father's Day, Dad! I love you!!!

{ my Dad, Martyn John Clark with his pet monkey, Archie circa 1960 }

{ Dad with Mum, Paulina & me aboard Passat }

& Happy Father's Day, Craig!! You are best Daddy I imagine for our babies. I love you.

{ Craig & Sebastian surfing at Dana Point, Fall 2009 }

Sweetly Vintage Little Girl's Room

Putting together my last post got me thinking more in depth about each of the bedding selections. Here's a design scheme using the Pink Pagoda bedding from Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. as a jumping off point....

Pair it with a little white bed. Something vintage is always my first pick to save a bit of $money$:

{ Paulina's bed at East 13th }

Paulina's bed was a hand-me-down from my darling friend, Sam. The bed was a cream colour with funky red accents when I got it & I painted it out white. I got her bedding from HomeSense & ChickPea.

Another option could be this little number from Restoration Hardware:

{ Sloane Bed in Vintage White }

For wall paint colour I would go with a warm neutral like Warm Beige 33C2 or Euphrates 33C1 from BEHR or, if your daughter insists on pink (like mine did) Mellow Pink 2094-70 from Benjamin Moore. It's a pink that doesn't scream cotton candy too badly.

Add some personal touches such as these photos sourced on Etsy. This one is from Tina Crespo's shop:

{ Pagoda & The Sea }

or from Malleah Matthew Photography:

{ On Top of the World }

The window treatments could be white sheers if you're feeling "coloured-out" or perhaps a sweet green gingham pulling out colour from the accent pillow on the bed:

(This green gingham is reading a little bright for me. I'd make sure it was more sage vs. grass-green or age it by washing it in tea.)

On the floor I'd put a nicely worn Aubusson (or a knock-off to keep the budget down) like this one:

And no little girl's room is complete without a mirror to peer into while primping. How about one of these (which were picked up from a 2nd hand store & painted out white ~ for instructions click here):

Dinner prep calls... must run!

Anahita Rose

I have been negligent in keeping up with this blog for a VERY GOOD REASON (honestly!). We have been having oodles of fun hosting my sister, Christina, & her daughter Anahita:

{ at Maplewood Farm, North Vancouver }

They have now flown home & we miss them sooooo. Inspired by Anahita here are some bedding selections for a little girls' room...

This bedding from Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. is sweet & vintage & perfect for a girlie-girl:

{ pink pagoda bedding }

Or how about this adorable quilt set from Dwell Studio for a more modern, graphic feel:

{ gio lemon duvet set }

What do you think of this quilt from Rosenberry Rooms? Too much? or just right??

{ Gigi Bedding }

Paired with an airy iron bedframe it could work work quite well for a girl with spirit & pluck.

Room to play {update}

My niece, Maria's, playroom is complete! With a little elbow grease, creativity & repurposing items Esther already had on hand she has pulled off a lovely little retreat for sweet Maria-Leticia with minimum expense.

{ Maria-Leticia in her princess bed }

Maria's old crib was converted by Esther into a little day bed. The pillows are moai embroidery from Panama & mirrored fabric from Rajasthan that Esther picked up in her travels. Esther bought lavender tulle & sewed it onto an embroidery hoop to make the floaty hideaway & decorated it with bright fabric flowers to tie in the colours on the pillows, flooring & painted details.

Patricia Almeida (Esther's sister-in-law) painted a mural on the wall & Esther installed some brightly coloured 'puzzle' foam flooring.

{ wall mural & toy storage }

{ mural detail }

{ wall mural & foam flooring }

Esther reports that the foam flooring is ideal for the playroom. It keeps Maria's bare feet from getting too chilly & is easy to vaccum or wash with soap & water as required. You can get something similar if you click here.

Maria-Leticia's dollies are well-loved so Esther has a 'bath station' set up with Maria's old baby bath, empty soap bottles, towels, diapers, etc. She also has a basket for toys that she rotates & has used a transparent shoe holder hung behind the door to hold her stuffed animals.

{ treasured stuffies }

The bare bulb in the ceiling was covered with this shade from Ikea:

{ Ikea Kaxig Shade }

Kudos to my industrious sister, Esther!!