Dining room chairs

I've been looking for dining room chairs for the longest time. My table is a very old weathered "farmhouse-type" table of light-colored wood. Currently I have mismatched chairs of darker wood but the look isn't working at all- probably because I don't like the chairs individually.
I love some of the classic Thonet bentwood chairs I've seen recently (those in the 2nd photo of this group are my favorite), however they are so expensive. (photos from living etc. and domino)



I've just aquired a set of 4 chairs that look like Tolix chairs- kind of like these above, but with a steel finish, and I'm thinking of painting them. (this photo from coco+kelly)

living etc.

from viva terra

photo from diana vinoly interiors

living etc.

The colorful Eames chairs seem a great match for almost any dining table, but it is a look that has been done to death, I'm afraid! I'm still tempted to use black and white ones. (photos from the home of AB Chao via apartmenttherapy.com; the home of Heather Frazier on apartmenttherapy.com)




These white Bertoia chairs look lovely with this white weathered wood table, especially in such a sunny room! (photo from Jed Johnson)

I like the mismatched look here, but to make it work, I think either everything else in the room needs to be sparse and serene (like this one) or the room should be really spacious. (living etc.)

I also think that the dining chairs matter very little if the kitchen / dining space is this great. (photos: nadia tolstoy's home on apt therapy; domino magazine)

Kitchen love

I never tire of looking at kitchens: Floor to ceiling cabinets (or "cupboards", as I was corrected in saying); open shelving; windows; huge rough-hewn chopping blocks; gleaming tile or bright colorful wallpaper; wooden countertops or marble surfaces- I love it all. To me, kitchens inspire creativity in the way we cook and eat, as well as provide a backdrop for the place where your family and friends spend a lot of time, since that's where crowds tend to gather.

I happen to have lucked out in our new London flat- the kitchen is roomy (by my standards) and has loads of cabinets and a fantastic stove range. But the best feature is the windowed french doors looking out onto surrounding neighbor's gardens! My next task is to find the right chairs for my little wooden dining table so we can have a real dinner party. (images from Domino, House Beautiful, Bolig Liv and Country Home)

Katie Brown's laid back style

I loved peeking inside Katie Brown's home (featured in April 08 Country Living). I especially am crazy about her kitchen! So open- and the massive center counter would be so handy. I think the challenge with open, spacious kitchens or even just open cabinets is to keep them looking neat and tidy enough to always be on display. Lovely!

Oliko Swedish vintage

Oliko, is like an online Swedish flea market full of interesting vintage treasures. If the 50's and 60's decor is your thing, you have to take a look. It's worth it for the pictures of retro rooms alone. I'm a child of the '70's so this makes me remember things about our kitchen during my childhood. The site has a lot of glass dishware, painted ceramics, kitchen plastic containers and other fun things like an old map.

Love for Kitchens

I'm enamored with pictures of kitchens- and maybe it's an unusual obsession. I think it stirs my imagination related to the love of food and cooking. MarieClaire Maison often has the most creative kitchen ideas. I love the way they throw things together.

Backsplashes in tile

It wasn't until I'd been collecting photos for quite a while that I started to see some common elements. That must be why professional decorators advise clients to start clipping photos of homes before they even think about decorating their own. It's true that when you spend time finding what you like, you end up being able to separate your own taste from the trends. And that's how I discovered I loved black & white tile backsplashes- I kept clipping pictures of kitchens that had them! If I ever design my own kitchen, I'd like to have one. Photos courtesy of : Travel & Leisure May 2002; Vogue June 2004; Si un mas m'était conté.

Well-scrubbed

An all-white kitchen might be seen as a blank canvas on which to unleash culinary creativity. Or, more likely, seen as a consistent struggle to keep clean since every single splatter or speck shows up. I love the idea, but I'm also messy in the kitchen and don't necessarily want to see every blemish.

White makes everything seems so spacious and bright. This kitchen, being larger than my living room, actually is spacious. The well-scrubbed look is attractive, but there is a sort of sterile quality about it. Photo from stylist Atlanta Barret's site, Beach Studios, in the UK.



This smaller cream and white version from Marie Claire Maisons is appealing, partially because I am used to cooking in a small space, where everything is within arm's reach (literally). I especially love that kitchen was cobbled together from used things: the floorboards were taken from the cars of old SNCF trains in France and the marble countertops were dug from a ditch of a former marble worker!