Creative Kitchen Ideas Curated by Shutterfly

Our kitchen is almost complete, well, it's just missing the backsplash, under-cabinet lighting, valence... It's still a work-in-progress, which is why I never tire of researching for the latest trend in kitchen design and decor.  Afterall, the kitchen is the heart of the home, and a kitchen reno is most likely the largest investment in the house.

As I expanded my scope of research, I stumbled upon Shutterfly's Home Decor directory.  Instead of scrolling through thousands of similar images of room design, Shutterfly has curated 100 design ideas for each room of the house.  Naturally I went to check out the latest and greatest in the Kitchen category.

I know a lot of homeowners have variety phobia - they get hung up on all the different choices and would feel bombarded.  If this sounds like you, then you would be glad to know that Shutterfly has built-in filters of different styles.  This filter is also perfect if you already know the kitchen style you prefer, just click on the style to narrow down the images.

Our kitchen is currently a mix of classic shaker cabinets, modern minimalism, and a bit of French flair.  So I dove into Shutterfly's Classic, Modern, and Global filters.  Here are my top picks as they speak to current trends while encompassing each style:

CLASSIC

This classic white kitchen is as classic as can be, with a contemporary twist of a contrasting island cabinetry color.  Calacatta gold marble countertop surrounds this classic kitchen beautifully with an elegant step ogee edge.

PHoto by:  Artistic Tile

Here's another classic white kitchen, accented with oil rubbed bronze cabinet hardware.  It has all the contemporary touches, including a custom range hood, contrasting black granite countertop, and hardwood floors. 

Photo by: baahouse + baastudio

GLOBAL

I love the French flair and bistro vibe this kitchen exhibits.  The black cabinets act as an elegant background to the statement range hood, and gold cabinet hardware and faucet.  Even with the dark cabinet color, the kitchen doesn't appear too dark, thanks to the upper glass cabinets and white dinnerwares they display.

Designed by:  Max Kim-Bee and Kirsten Kelli

Here's the ultimate kitchen that displays a contemporary yet old world feel.  The metal trims on cabinet doors are such an amazing accent that matches the brand's classic range.

Photo by: Officine Gullo

MODERN

Modern cabinetry has simple lines that may otherwise look dull.  This kitchen takes modern cabinetry to the next level, with a mix of dark and light wood.  To add the needed "oomph",  a row of gold upper cabinets make this kitchen exceptionally stylish.  This kitchen's minimalist look was also the inspiration for our kitchen's even row of upper cabinets.

Photo by: Brooke Holm

When I think of a modern kitchen, this would be a kitchen that comes to mind.  A waterfall island is the essence of this bright and modern kitchen.  Its contrasting streamlined white uppers and warm wood lower cabinets, accented by stainless steel kick plate and marble countertop and backsplash, give this modern kitchen a top-of-the-line vibe. 

Photo by: Katya Grozovskaya

I hope this has inspired you to start brainstorming about your kitchen reno/ makeover!  Since our kitchen is still missing a backsplash, I'll hop over to Shutterfly to see what inspirations I can find.  I'll try not to spot another DIY project for the Mr. 😝

Are you planning a kitchen reno or a design/ DIY project?  Head on over to Shutterfly to check out their curated library of beautiful rooms!

Adding Glam to Your Boudoir - a Blog Hop

Is your morning routine a mad dash around your wardrobe trying to find your favorite piece of jewelry?  Has it become more of a chore than an enjoyment?  Then you need to slow down and smell the roses, and perhaps this blog hop will make your ideal morning routine a reality!  

If you're linking over from my friends Kim and Lacey's blog, Styled with Lace, welcome!  I'm so thrilled you are here!  If you're a regular reader, welcome back as I share some boudoir styling tips with you today. 

Welcome to our master suite!  The dressing area greets us as we step in, so I try to style the built-in vanity with a welcoming view.  I'm sure you've heard many times that being organized makes your morning routine much more efficient.   My goal is to keep my vanity organized while staying pretty. 

I share this vanity area with the hubby.  So nice of him to let me hog the vanity, while he gets the space of that marble dish on the right 😁

I've styled the vanity in several different ways over the months since its completion, and I always use some common elements to keep all the stuff from looking like a hot mess. 

Trays

I have two main trays on the vanity; one for perfume bottles and the other for jewelries.  The trays help to corral like items together, and make cleaning much easier.  

I love how the mirror trays add glam and sparkle to the vanity.  The perfume bottles seem to sparkle even more with the light reflected from the mirror tray.

I don't own a huge collection of perfume, just enough for the different seasons and occasions.  I'm lucky the fragrances that I love come in such pretty bottles to be displayed!

Pretty Dishes

On the jewelry tray, I keep several pretty dishes of daily jewelries for easy access; one of each for my bracelets/ bangles, rings holder and earrings.  

It's fun to discover how objects can be multi-functional. I'm using a crystal pillar candle holder as a dish for earrings, and a tea cup for my bracelets.

I love how they serve up some sparkles and add color and dimensions to the vanity.

Display Items

Some jewelry boxes are pretty enough to stand on their own as part of your vanity's decor. The rarely worn and precious pieces can be kept in their pretty boxes and displayed in a cloche. 

With such a pretty display of jewelry boxes, you would want to elevate it so that it's easily visible.  The simplest way to achieve this is to lift the display on cute books or boxes to create a beautiful vignette.  

I decorate the vanity as with any vignette, by creating different layers of height.  My tray of perfume bottles is at the lowest. The lifted display cloche creates a mid-tier.  A tall gorgeous bouquet of roses completes the vignette by adding a touch of femininity and glam to the vanity.

But we're not done!  I didn't want to hide my statement necklaces in drawers; I love seeing their colors and bling!  This glass display box heard my calling and it's perfect for the necklaces!

What's better than waking up to beautiful jewelries at your bedside table?

And those perfume samples that I collect?  I love keeping the light scents by my bed on a pretty dish.  Spritz away at bed time, and fall asleep with a delightful scent.

Your jewelries aren't only for dressing you up; by decorating with them, they become an extension of you.  I'm a believer that you should display items that you love and make you happy. Seeing the beautiful and organized display on your vanity would give you a great start to your day.  As your day ends, you once again enjoy the view of your beloved possessions as you retire for the night. 

Remember, the simplest way to pamper yourself is by beautifying your surroundings.  Then why not start with your boudoir so that it gives you a happy boost to your day?

I hope you feel inspired to look through your pretty things and find a way to display some of your favorite pieces.  Thank you for joining me here and I hope you come back soon!  Remember to sign up for our blog updates as we continue to DIY our way to add personal touches to our home.  I invite you to hop on over to Bethany's blog The Posh Home and find even more inspiration!  I am loving the ideas shared today.  Don't forget to share these ideas on Facebook or pin them on Pinterest so that you have them when you start decorating!

Don’t miss the rest of these glam boudoirs:

SheLeavesALittleSparkle.com

Moth-Design.com

LoveYourAbode.com

StyledWithLace.com

ClassyGlamLiving.com

ThePoshHome.com

LetsDazzleDarlings.com

TheBlissfulLane.com

Kitchen Update - DIY Pots and Pans Drawers

If you know me, then you would know how much I LOVE drawers.  Especially those with the full extension slides...  ah I'm in heaven!  No more crawling into the cupboards, no more heaps falling onto piles of stuff.  I'm convinced there's not a problem that drawers can't solve!

I'm super excited about the pots and pans drawers that the Mr. newly installed!!  They're not as obviously beautiful as a new backsplash (we'll eventually get to that), but it has improved exponentially the functionality of a small but heavy duty spot in the kitchen!

A lot of you may already have pots drawers in your kitchen, so did we at our previous home.  We took ours for granted, as the builder of our previous house included them (not an upgrade).  We felt spoiled when we found out from our current home's builder that the drawers cost close to $1000!  Seriously?  And don't even dream that they come with the "no bang" soft-closing mechanisms, like the ones you see on IKEA's kitchen commercials!

We couldn't fathom how 3 builder-grade drawers can cost "close to $1000", so we didn't go with the upgrade.  For the longest time, the pots and pans cupboard was of 2 doors, with a half-depth good-for-nothing shelf.  You don't want to know the daily curses that go on (in my head) when I try to take out a pot or pan from a stack of them.  

I became the champion of one pot pasta, thanks to my annoyance at the pots and pans cupboard.

Did you notice the mismatched lower cabinet hardwares in this Instagram photo?  Gold pulls vs. pewter knobs?  The hardwares are now finally consistent!!

The Mr. was completing a playroom storage unit for little man, but I made a special request to skip the line with the pots and pans drawers.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I need to get there NOW!

We've ordered the drawer fronts from our kitchen cabinet vendor together with the glass cabinet doors.  With the experience from building our dressing room's drawers, these kitchen ones were not a challenge for the Mr.  He just needed time to get to building them.  

The Mr. built the drawer boxes with 3/4" maple and used 100 lbs full extension soft-closing drawer slides for these 3 drawers.  Without further ado, here's a brief video tutorial on the installation process.

The drawers make dinner prepping so much more efficient and enjoyable!  It reminds me of the pull-out pantry shelves that were the Mr.'s first build for our previous home.  Drawers/ pull-out shelves make use of the entire storage space in the cupboard, while making storage of and retrieving items much easier.

No more crawling into the cupboard!

If the kitchen is the heart of the house, then these pots and pans drawers must be its major arteries.  At every single meal, you access the drawers how many times to pump out yummy dishes.  I'm no longer afraid of the pots and pans cupboard!  I may even make several dishes at our dinner, just to show my drawers some love 😁

Drawers => Happy Wife => Makes good food => Happy life

See below for our previous kitchen updates:

• Mirrors - The Luxe Factor in a Kitchen
• Giving a Builder's Kitchen a Personal Touch - Cabinet Hardware
• New Kitchen Update - Integrated Hood + Upper Cabinets
• Our Marble Alternative Kitchen Countertop Revealed!