House Tour: Vivid Hue's Kitchen

It's true.  Have a party and prep the living room for all of the guests...and where does everyone still end up?  Yup, in the kitchen! 

When we built our house, an open floor plan between the kitchen and living rooms was a must.  I wanted each room to be an extension of the other.  (Plus, truth be told, I'm not much of a chef so on the rare occasion you find me in the kitchen, I don't want to further the torture by isolating myself from the entire family!)


Welcome to my kitchen. 

 

 

We're a family of four but I wanted a much larger table so that when friends or family were visiting, we'd all have a spot.  This industrial style bleached wood table was the perfect fit (Crate and Barrel).  It almost has a custom feel to it.  The edges are imperfect.  There are visible knots in the wood.  The kids can sit here while I'm prepping meals (yes, I'm good for a sloppy Joe or grilled cheese) and color or play.  The chairs are a wonderful french bistro style (Restoration Hardware).  Eventually, I may update the linen colored seat covers for something more exciting, but we still have little kiddos so for now, it's perfect to just throw these guys into the wash. 

Lighting selection became my "thing" when we were building the house.  The above Filament Chandelier from Restoration Hardware caught my eye because it seemed to adhere to the rustic aspects of the table.  Plus, it didn't interfere with the view from the kitchen into the living room. 

 

I wanted Cabrera marble counter tops in the entire kitchen.  My husband was worried about the upkeep of marble.  I got to get it on the island and, what do you know, the first week in our house, I stained it with a nice Cabernet Sauvignon circle.  (Don't you hate it when the hubby is right?)  But I still love the marble in the middle.  I wanted white counter tops against the walnut floors. 

Fabric: Thom Filicia Prospect | Shadow

 

Fabric Thom Filicia Prospect Shadow

Love these silhouettes of the kids that my sister, Kurby, got me for my birthday from etsy!

The french doors lead out to the patio.  I love the openness and light these doors provide.  I was hesitant to put any window treatment on the windows but it's literally a fish bowl at night.  I decided to do something different and hang the drapes across the entire length of the wall. 

Loved these pendant lights because they reminded me of navy captains lights. 

Being built..."before"



The island is my canvas for decorating for all holidays.  Here's an Easter tree in April...

Our mudroom is directly off of the kitchen.  (Can you believe this photo is from OCTOBER?  It's my son's fifth birthday and he is waiting for his party guests to arrive.  There was 3 feet of snow dumped onto the ground.  Thirty minutes after our 25 guests left the party, the electricity went out and stayed off for 8 days.  Gosh, there are a lot of numbers in this paragraph, but let's just say, it was a day to remember!)

From the kitchen/mudroom, there's a back staircase to upstairs.  I love this horse print because it reminds me of the Roberto Dutesco I would love to own!  The chandelier is rustic and reminds me of a tavern lantern. 

 

This window is in the staircase looking out onto the front yard.  Eventually I'll add a window seat with a cute patterned fabric. 

I want to paint this hallway with a contrasting striped and hang family photos down it.  I selected these drum shade lights because I wanted something different.  I thought they may be more unexpected.  (Yes, I know...this hallway is very boring right now!  Accessories to follow!!!!) 



These photos from Adobe Love are how I'd like to paint the hallway eventually.  Then I would create a photo gallery of my favorite family photos.  I haven't done this yet, but these are my inspiration photos! 

Courtesy of Abode Love

Courtesy of Abode Love

Thanks for touring!  Please let me know your thoughts!  And please check out the rest of the house here. 

You can also check me out on Pinterest here. 

Meet: Roberto Dutesco Wild Horses

Love Bite

I fell in love with Roberto Dutesco several years ago when I spotted his work in the Samuel Owen gallery in Greenwich. A huge print of "Love Bite" was displayed in the front window and it must've been seven feet wide by about as long. The scale was absolutely breath taking. Around the photo, was the story of the Wild Horses of Sable Island handwritten by the artist himself. After learning the back story of this exhibit, there was no turning back.

Leaf

Sable Island is an island off of Nova Scotia. It's been the home of over 475 shipwrecks since the 17th century. They say that once your ship gets close enough to spot the island, you're too late...bound for a rocky fate. The island is nearly uninhabited. However, there are over 300 hundred of these beautiful wild horses.

Love

In 1994, Roberto Dutesco obtained special permission to go to the island to photograph the horses. The horses are not used to any human contact and were amazingly fearless by his presence. In fact, Dutesco reported having trouble capturing some of the photos because the horses would curiously walk right up to the lens.   


"It is a world that exists by its own rules, a place without trees, without shade, and without shelter. It is a place where I have witnessed true peace and unquestionable love among its occupants- the wild horses of Sable Island." --Roberto Dutesco

My sister, Kurby, visited me in Connecticut last week (which explains my lack of posts!)  We made a day trip to Greenwich and stopped into the Samuel Owen Gallery  (Owned by Lee and Cindy Milazzo). 

I talked to Lee in greater detail about the wild horses, sable island and the photographs.  (Little does my husband know that this is my next art quest).   Lee mentioned that Dutesco personalizes the photographs.  He will doodle art on the edges of the photograph.  For example, he may draw Sable Island, or ships or mermaids or fish.  He often scribes details about his island exhibition.  I love this added detail! 

You can check these wonderful photographs out for yourself if you find you way to Greenwich.  Samuel Owen Gallery seems to always showcase uber cool exhibits (Remember Star Wars?)

 Here are other links you may be interested in:

Check out video from Dutesco's visit to the island here

Read more about the Wild Horses of Sable Island Project here

Sorry for the hiatus!  It's nice to be back! 

xoxoxox

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