Target: Retro bread box

A reader mentioned to me that they spotted these boxes at their local Target store, so I thought I'd share.

I've been looking for a cute bread box with no luck until now. These boxes from Target look really cute and are a steal at only $14.99. I like either the yellow or green, hmmm. I'll have to go and check them out, thanks Tina!

Dynamic Space

My husband was watching the "Kitchen Cabinets Basics" (1 of 9) from the New Yankee Workshop a few night ago and man was I impressed! Last year Norm completely redid a kitchen as part of a 9 part series and in the first part he visits a Dynamic Space kitchen showroom and wow! Their kitchens are so well designed! Check out the video below of Norm exploring my dream kitchen.

Skip to 5:55

I love this kitchen!

I saw this kitchen featured on Apartment Therapy last month and I love it! I keep staring at it dreaming of a new kitchen.

For my own kitchen I'd keep the light grayish blue tones and that beautiful walnut woodgrain, but I think I would add in a lemongrass color and other green shades instead of the orange. Don't get me wrong, I love the orange, but I have enough of it in my living room already.

Kitchen nook before and after

Well this side of the kitchen is done! I painted the kitchen nook maybe 6 months ago then I abandoned it because my husband and I couldn't agree on a kitchen table set. Well, he was finally sick of looking at an empty kitchen so he let me get what ever I wanted. I hunted for a month and finally found this cute yellow and white 50's set.

The story of the sad little kitchen *Update

I hardly ever show pictures of my kitchen, that's because I hate it!

Photo taken before we moved in last year


My neighbor just told me a few weeks ago that my kitchen cabinets were metal, but I guess they were really rusty, so someone ripped them out and installed these traditional looking ones with a birch finish. It soo doesn't go with the rest of the house. grumbles...

In a few years I'd like to redo the cabinets but I have no idea what kind finish to do. The floors are a bit strange, white and light gray raw marble slabs with dark brown grout. I thought it would be nice and contrasty to do a dark walnut finish but not too dark because the kitchen doesn't get a lot of light. Anyone have any ideas?

One thing I know I want is Vetrazzo countertops! While I was looking to buy last year I visited a property for sale that had this type of countertop, it was gorgeous! All of the glass used in Vetrazzo countertops is recycled, and it makes up about 85% of the final material by weight. The largest proportion of glass comes from curbside recycling programs. Besides being sustainable it's soo beautiful. Click here to view more colors.




*Update

I found this image online and I think this is what I want to do. Darker cabinets on the bottom to contrast the flooring and then something light and airy up top, maybe even some glass doors with frosted glass.

Flour, sugar & tea

Weeks ago, I got these metal kitchen canisters at a nearby flea market for a dollar. The set was missing the sugar canister, but I'm not much of a coffee drinker, so I figured I could relabel them to fit my needs. I turned them around so that the original text was hidden off to the side and I made some new labels using vinyl. The decals came out great! If anyone wants a set of their own, I just put it for sale on my vinyl Etsy page. Although not shown in the pictures, the set also includes the coffee label along with flour, sugar and tea.

Before

The Intelligent Kitchen: Francine

Organizing the garage

I had many guests over this weekend so I didn't have much time to do anything around the house, but I did start painting a small portion of the garage a bright white. Also I'm in the process of getting rid some things in my garage to make room for Al's tools.

I have a beautiful wall oven If anyone is interested I picked it up a few years ago on Craigslist and I have been lugging it around ever since. I don't know if it works but it sure looks cute. I think the owners of it's last home said it worked, but who knows. It's called the Frigidaire custom imperial but it's the wall oven version in aqua. I would have kept it for myself but it won't work in my kitchen. If there is anyone in the souther N.H. area who wants it please let me know. I can send you pictures.

Mid-Century Monday: Pyrex

The History of Pyrex
Pyrex glassware was introduced to the public in 1915 by the Corning Glass Works. According to Barbara E. Mauzy’s Pyrex: The Unauthorized Collectors Guide, there are 3 basic types of collectible Pyrex: Clear Pyrex Ovenware (introduced in 1915), Pyrex Flameware (1936 - 1979) and Pyrex Colors (1947 - ?). Of the three types, most people are familiar with the Colored Pyrexware because it is very distinct and there is a considerable amount of it still being used in households. There is a good chance that any antique store or flea market you visit will have a number of Pyrex items for sale.

How can you tell if an item is Pyrex or not?
Look at the bottom of the piece (or sometimes at the handles). In most instances, Corning did put a maker mark on their “Pyrex”. This is not an absolute rule, but it should be your first step. If a piece is marked with something else, chances are it is not Pyrex. After collecting Pyrex for awhile, you’ll learn to distinguish their shapes and patterns, so you can tell Pyrex just from sight.

Resources:
www.pyrexlove.com
Pyrex Love Flickr group

Orla Kiely now for sale at Target stores

So I've been visiting my local Target store over the past two weeks searching for Orla's products. First I saw the cloth organizing boxes and now they finally have her line of kitchen ware on display. I was hoping that my store would have more of each product but they only had 4 of each plate, 6 of each plastic cup and only two trays. I stood there in front of all the products for 15 minutes trying to decide what to get. I ended up getting a tray and matching serving bowl... and a storage box.

Mid-Century Monday: Cathrineholm: Lotus pattern

Photo Credits: Cathrineholm collage image found on Flickr, S&P shakers found on Flickr.


I managed to find some detailed info about the lotus design from the Nordic Design Blog.

"Lovely items with the ‘Lotus’ pattern created by Grete Prytz, a second wife of infamous Norvegian Designer Arne Korsmo. Grete Prytz Kittelsen was born 1917 in Oslo, Norway. Her designs have won many prestigious awards. She was one of most influential designers in Scandinavia in Mid-Century. In 2003, when she was already 86, Grete visited China, where she saw traditional Chinese enamel factory still in operation and which inspired her to start designing again. Chang & Biörck got exclusive rights to reproduce some of her design, among which a bowl and a plate, that she designed using similar colors as her original 1950s works. Cathrineholm of Norway started enamel production in 1907." (Info found on Nordic Design Blog)


I've also just joined the rest of the Cathrineholm fanatics! I scored myself a green ice bucket and an avacado pot on Craigslist. I can't wait to find more!

Flickr Find

Check out this beautiful blue dinning room.
Found here

Dishmaster!

Pam over at RetroRenovation.com, who I originally met on Craigslist has just launched online sales of The Dishmaster – a circa 1948 kitchen faucet.


About The Dishmaster
I love this product, its authentic retro style and "Dishmaster Living." What is Dishmaster Living? Slow down. Cook up a storm. Make a happy mess in your kitchen – then have some more fun cleaning up. Yes – the Dishmaster's circa-1948 faucet makes washing the dishes fun via the "Push Button Dishwashing" action of the special aerator brush wand – which dispenses soapy sudsy water and rinses clean, too. Feel good about use of precious resources as well: The Dishmaster conserves water, energy and detergent. And, it's Made in America, by a small company right in Indiana.

Etsy kitchen finds

Check out that toaster!

1960's Toaster
1950s Federal Glass 8pc Patio Snack Set
Vintage Mushroom Salt and Pepper
1953 cookbook

The wonderful world of Wold!

Thomas Wold has been designing and building furniture and casework since 1993. Before he began designing furniture, Thomas trained in painting and sculpture at California College of Arts and Crafts and the San Francisco Art Institute. (I love all the colors he uses!)
Featured in ReadyMade Magazine
Images found on Flickr


Check out these cabinets he made! I would kill for these in my kitchen!

Kitchen canisters

Etsy Finds:
1950s 5 Piece CHROME Kitchen CANISTER
Vintage set of 4 retro orange canisters
coffee and tea plastic red and white canister set
set of vintage milk-glass canisters

Wine & Design

Check out all these cute wine racks!

LOOPSEY Wine Rack
Dennis Lin - Cru Wine Rack
Plywood Wine Rack
Wine Knot - Wine Rack

Vintage Mugs

One item that always seems to fly off the shelves on Etsy is vintage mugs and cups from the 1950's to the 70's. As you can see by the cup collections below, people get addicted to collecting small beautiful things. :P

Found on Flickr

ound on Flickr

ound on Flickr

Rex Ray Placemats

Available at Modern Twist

Reveal the natural grain of a tabletop with this simple, clean design. Made from hand silk-screened non-toxic silicone, the Modern-twist placemat is available in botanical and nature-inspired patterns. With a minimalist aesthetic, the placemat is designed for optimal functionality with an easy-to-clean surface. The non-intrusive graphics are intended to enhance the beauty of the table while providing subtle visual interest that doesn't interfere with dishes or other tabletop items.

New Kitchen stuff

I designed some fruit-themed kitchen items today, I just uploaded them to flickr.