Kitchen Renderings

For our kitchen remodel we are using Chicago Cabinet Company {http://chicagocabinet.com/} and they have done some amazing renderings for us. 

 Notice the valence detail that we are doing at the sink and island.

We are taking away some of our bar seating area so that we have extra cabinets / storage space.  We will still have room for two (smaller) bar stools. 

Everything but the Kitchen Sink

When we first started researching for the Kitchen remodel and putting together a budget I definitely had no idea how expensive stainless steal sinks were.  My husband, my parents, and I went to the Merchandise Mart in Chicago over the weekend (stay tuned for a post on the Mart) to look for inspiration for the kitchen and I found some pretty amazing sinks at some ridiculous prices so then I started a Google search for the best sink at the best price. 

Here are a few sinks that I love, some that fit the budget and some that don't but hey a girl can dream! 

Blanco Sink

Kohler Sink

(I love this sink because the divider only goes half way up)

Kohler Sink

Surprisingly, I found a lot of variety at home depot {http://www.homedepot.com}

-EB



I'm a Gilmore Girl

No, I am not talking about this show...

http://trendsupdates.com/gilmore-girls-on-sale/

I am talking about hardware for the kitchen.  I recently found the "Gilmore Cup Pull" and "Gilmore Knob" and now it is a must have.  Is it a bad idea to base your entire kitchen remodel around the hardware?  Maybe, but I don't care, it is the first thing that I am going to order for our kitchen so let's hope I still like them by the time we are done with the remodel!

http://www.restorationhardware.com/

-EB

Good for the Soul

Hi I am Kate and this is my first post (my sis Emily has been taking the lead sharing her amazing kitchen project). First of all, thanks for reading! Secondly, I'd like to explain our name "A Bedoozled Life".  I'd like to think a bedoozled life is a life filled with fun, family, design, beauty, travel, food, friends, laughter, etc...to me it means living well and enjoying as many moments as possible. No one lives a perfect life but there are ways to get the most out of each and every situation.

I am the sister on the East Coast and NYC is a rough city. I moved here a year ago and let me tell you it can be wearing. It is pricey, it is crowed BUT it sure is FUNNNN.

We all know a good work-out is an easy and healthy way to relieve the stress of a long NYC day. My work out obsession, which I'd like to pass along, is Soul-Cycle {http://www.soul-cylce.com/}

 http://www.soul-cycle.com/index.cfm

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/03/19/the-clinton-spin/

If you live in NYC or are planning a visit I highly recommend doing a class at one of the 6 NY locations. Soul is the best all over work out you will ever experience! It is essentially a spin class but after one 45 min session you will realize it is much much more!  It's the music, the candle light, the upper body work out, the instructor, and the other bikers that set this spin class apart. You will leave motivated, sweaty, and definitely addicted just like me!

-KT

Kitchen Inspiration #1

Now that you have seen our existing kitchen, we thought we would start to explore the “look” that we are trying to achieve with our remodel.   

The first thing we want are new white kitchen cabinets that will match our trim and look great against our grey walls.  This picture is a great example of the overall look we are going for as well as the style of cabinets that we would like to use.  We especially love the pulls that they have on the drawers as well as the subway tile and open shelving that they have in this kitchen. 

 Picture From 'Maine Home & Design Magazine'

Counter tops are a big unknown still in our design sceme.  We are leaning towards something dark and is easy to care for.  At first we said no to granite but now seeing this kitchen below with black honed granite, we are beginning to think that this might be our best option.  Quartz and marble are just too porous and Emily would constantly be worrying that she might stain it.  Soapstone also has maintance issues and its difficult to find the exact slab of soap stone that we like.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/27/1697793/book-offers-a-look-at-100-designs.html

Matt and Emily already have cararra marble in their bathroom and they love it so the back splash was a pretty easy decision.  Use the cararra marble and have it in smaller subway tile form. 

http://www.decorpad.com/photo.htm?photoId=36280

More to come about backsplash and lighting ideas this week!

We need this!

No, Kate and I are not having babies but we just found this “lawn” at Target and now its a must have in our lives.  Do you think we could dry our pots and pans on this thing?  

http://www.booninc.com/products/Lawn/377 

Also, do you think we could use this as bar stools in Emily’s new Kitchen?  

 

 

http://www.booninc.com/products/Flair/703

Our First Post!

Hi everyone!  We are two sisters, Kate and Emily, who love all things beautiful and unique.  We will use this blog to post interesting finds as well as give you an insight into our design style and taste.

Kate lives in NYC and Emily lives in Chicago. We hope to bring you the best of what the East Coast and “Middle” Coast have to offer - everything from interior design, to travelling this summer in Montauk, to random interesting things we have found along the way!  Kate has been in the interior design business for 7 years and Emily has been in real estate and construction for 4.  We like to think that we make a great team because Kate has the eye for style and Emily has the ability to implement the design.  

We decided to start this blog because Emily is beginning to remodel her own kitchen and she and Kate have been compiling “inspiration” photos.  We will take our own experiences and knowledge to show you each step we will take to complete this kitchen.  We hope to also throw in some fun and random finds as well as some interesting tidbits about our lives!

Here are a few pictures of the current condition of Emily’s kitchen:

 Emily and her husband, Matt, are going to get all new cabinets, counter tops and back splash, appliances, sink and faucet, and lights!