BLANCO: The Serious Business of Kitchen Design

 BLANCO Stainless Steel QAUDRIS Kitchen Faucet.

High-end kitchen sink and faucet manufacturer BLANCO captured my attention with their stainless steel QUADRIS kitchen faucet which is decidedly modern and minimalist in design, and sports a strong square profile (almost as in homage to the great cubist artists.) . The QAUDRIS faucet is more than an attractive kitchen faucet, it’s also highly functional: stealthily hiding a powerful pull-out sprayer.  Love that it gives the kitchen sink a visually long, lean feel with no abrupt interruptions which is often the case when the sprayer is installed next to the faucet.

 BLANCO PRECIS Multi-Level Kitchen Sink.

Though I rarely cook at home anymore due to my busy travel and business schedule, when I did in the past I would often dream of owning the “perfect” kitchen sink; One that could accommodate large pots and pans, while at the same time offer up the convenience of an easy to use food staging and preparation area, cutting board and strainer. Imagine my delight when I happened upon the BLANCO PRECIS Multi-Level Sink at the 2009 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Atlanta. I so loved that BLANCO had made available such a great chef-inspired kitchen sink that the PRECIS made it onto our list of  “10 Hot Trends in Kitchen Design for 2009”. 

This year at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, BLANCO offered up a great new range of high-performance kitchen sink and faucet products that are as beautiful as they are functional. I’m looking forward to seeing BLANCO’s kitchen design products again next week while in London for the London Design Festival.

I will be publishing design updates live from the London Design Festival and Decorex via Twitter and Facebook. 

Disclosure:I’m thrilled that BLANCO is one of several fabulous sponsors of BlogTour 2011 London.  I am one of several design, lifestyle and travel bloggers and writers that have been invited to participate in BlogTour 2011 London.

Kelly’s Kitchen Sync by Kelly Morisseau

Several years ago I decided to give my kitchen a facelift and set about: pulling magazine pages for inspiration; visiting kitchen and bath showrooms to talk to designers about cabinets, counters and plumbing fixtures; reading how-to do kitchen remodel books from cover to cover; and walking the appliance aisles at the big box stores all with the intention of creating my dream kitchen on my own. How hard could it be? I loved DIY and design, and had been decorating the homes of others for quite a few years so I didn’t give it a second thought. I would undertake the kitchen facelift project on my own.

A few months into my project my enthusiasm waned as I learned that kitchen design is a whole different beast. I got through the project but I suffered needlessly. One of my biggest frustrations was the day the refrigerator was delivered. I had worked closely with the appliance store to make sure the refrigerator would fit perfectly in the niche left behind by the late 80s era refrigerator the previous owner had installed. I measured, measured, measured, so imagine my surprise when this expensive refrigerator refused to fit where it was supposed to based on the wall, cabinet and counter measurements and the appliance specifications. My frustration turned to absolute dread when the delivery guys said to me, after trying to shimmy the refrigerator for 30 minutes, “We have another delivery and as much as we want to help you out here, we can’t. Got to go.” They left me with a refrigerator which was slightly angled in place because the top cabinet jutted out less than 1/16th of an inch. Enough to prevent the refrigerator from sliding in snuggly right under it – and the problem wasn’t with the cabinet and counter measurements; no, the refrigerator specs on paper were off by a bit coupled with a less than level floor and a slightly less than square wall-all of which led to the fitting problem. The nightmare scenario then ensued. I had to go to my husband and ask him for help. After some discussion we agreed that we’d keep the refrigerator. I really wanted it and didn’t want to send it back. So we removed the upper cabinets forsaking valuable storage space in the process.

How I wish I had my friend Kelly Morrisseau’s handy guidebook “Kelly’s Kitchen Sync: Insider kitchen design and remodeling tips from an award-winning kitchen expert.” back then. Kelly is a second-generation kitchen designer who lives and breathes kitchen design and remodeling. It’s her passion; one that she has generously shared with readers of her blog, Kitchen Sync. She gleefully answers questions on all things kitchen design with a perfect balance of charming wit, and top notch expertise. Her newly released book expands on the topic of kitchen remodeling and design and offers up loads of tips, advice and recommendations delivered in a warm and conversational tone – just like having Kelly right alongside you! 

I adore Kelly’s take on writing this book, as she shares not only the tips from her successful projects, but she opens up and shares about several design challenges she encountered and how she approached the problems and delivered to the homeowner the kitchen of their dreams.  In the following passage, Kelly details a design challenge: fitting a refrigerator into an angled corner:

Refrigerators are deeper than all other appliances, up to a maximum of 34” deep with handle. Even the “built-in” refrigerators still protrude further than 24” deep once we allow for the electrical plug and counters and side panels.  How the doors swing also determine whether they’ll pinch against a corner.

The last refrigerator I placed next to a lazy susan, I allowed 15” of swing space to the adjacent counter. The design was hindered by the kitchen door to the garage, which wouldn’t allow us any more movement away from the corner. So I designed with the understanding that according to the appliance specifications, 14” of clearance width to the corner was sufficient.

Except it wasn’t and the specifications were incomplete. Any time the door swung wider than 135 degrees, it hit against the counter and eventually had to be redesigned.

When you design the refrigerator next to the corner, ask how wide you will be swinging the door open before you make your final decision…and allow more than what the specifications say.

Kelly also goes beyond offering her design expertise in this book. She discusses some of the leading appliance and cabinetry trends in the kitchen design industry which I think makes this book even that much more useful to homeowners. For example she shares why she thinks Induction cooking ranges will overtake gas ranges over the next few years. Those little industry insights peppered throughout the book will give homeowners the additional information that they won’t necessarily find at the design showrooms or big box appliance or cabinetry stores where they only show you what’s available now. Which is fine if your project is a near-term endeavor and/or you don’t necessarily care about technological or design innovations. But if your project is slated for a few years out, and you do want to buy the most technologically advanced designs, then it’s imperative that you know where the kitchen design industry (appliances, cabinetry, surfaces, etc) is headed.

“Kelly’s Kitchen Sync” is a wonderful guide book that covers kitchen remodeling from inspiration to designing to purchasing to completion while offering homeowners fantastic and insightful tips to help them avoid many of the pitfalls often associated with remodeling.

Where to buy:

Kelly’s Kitchen Sync on Amazon

Contact:

• Kitchen Sync Blog
• Kitchen Sync on Twitter
• Kelly Morisseau {Kitchen Sync Book} on Facebook

3 Kitchen Design Pro Secrets to Create an Amazing Backsplash

1.  Focal Point Design

Capuano Kitchen Design Project: Custom hand-painted backsplash over cook top.

Custom hand-painted tiles are a beautiful way to create a unique kitchen backsplash that becomes a statement piece–one that mirrors your design aesthetic, style and personality. Many tile companies offer beautiful murals, hand-painted borders and decorative tiles that can be customized to fit your design needs, and project color palette.

2.  Seamless Beauty

Bartlett Kitchen Design Project: White Pillowed Tiled Backsplash.

Patterned tiles work well to create an overall pattern repeat similar to that of wallpaper which creates a visual impression of seamless flow. The pillowed tile shown in the above photo was hand painted to match the clients fabric colors in the adjacent family room. The tiles are 6′” x 6” which makes the 18” high backsplash area seamless without cuts. In this kitchen plug molding was used so there were no outlets on the backsplash and the switches were placed on return walls.

Avoid creating visual distractions such as outlets, pot-fillers and switches in the backsplash.  A kitchen design trick for Pro results is to plan for these visual disruptions early on. Designers are keen to use plug moulding (to hide outlets and switch covers), which is installed under the cabinets and is hidden by light rails trim or using a countertop disposer switch as a great way to avoid having a disposer switch on the tile backsplash. Another easy to implement design trick is to have your electrician place outlets very close to the countertop and run them horizontally instead of vertically. 

Milwit Kitchen Design Project: Mosaic Backsplash in earthy, rustic tones.

Though mosaic tile is beautiful in any setting; mosaics are the perfect solution to create an illusion of seamless design. In kitchens, one of the major obstacles that often pops up in tiling backsplash walls is the issue of uneven heights like those under the window sill, behind a hood area, along a peninsula and inside an open shelf. Those uneven height considerations often call for smaller tile cuts which can give a seamed look to the wall, instead of a nice, uninterrupted visual flow.

Mosaic tiles come in an exhilarating array of materials (marble, glass, ceramic, metal, slate, leather and other enticing materials), textures, colors, finishes, patterns and sizes, so there’s no end to the lovely combinations you can find for your kitchen backsplash design project.

3.  Illuminate and Brighten

Smith Kitchen Design Project: Backsplash implemented in light reflecting glass tiles.

Glass tiles are very popular and are often used in contemporary kitchen design projects, eclectic kitchens, and transitional kitchens. The reflective qualities of glass tile are a great source of light and color, and help to create the visual illusion that your kitchen is much bigger and brighter than it really is – the perfect design solution to brighten and enlarge that dark, and small kitchen space.

About Davida Rodriguez

Maryland-based, kitchen and bath designer, Davida Rodriguez has been creating beautiful kitchen, bath and tile designs in the Washington, DC area for over 22 years. Davida’s love for design was nurtured early on in her college career as she studied fine arts and crafts.  She is recognized for her design talent in artfully expressing her clients ideas and dreams for their kitchen, bathroom or tile project.

A native of the Washington DC area and an Interior Design graduate from the University of Maryland, Davida embarked on her career in kitchen and bathroom design at Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens. Davida spent nine years there until she  on a new journey focusing in the area of tile design at Architectural Ceramics, in 1997. Davida saw a huge area for growth in tile design and knew that this emerging design direction would help to transform her kitchen and bath projects to a whole new level.

In 2006, Davida seized the opportunity to establish her design firm, Davida’s Kitchen and Tiles, which would combine her extensive knowledge of the kitchen, bath and tile fields together in an extraordinary showroom. Davida’s Kitchen and Tiles showroom, located in Old Towne Gaithersburg, offers inspirational displays of custom cabinetry from WoodMode and Brookhaven, as well as glass, stone and ceramic art tiles from around the world. She also works with a host of “green” building materials, including formaldehyde-free cabinetry, recycled glass and countertops.

Contact Information and Showroom Location:  435 A&B East Diamond Ave · Gaithersburg, MD 20877 · 240-361-9331 · 240-361-9351 (fax) | EMail: davida@davidaskitchenandtiles.com

Layla Altman of Posh Living LLC Shares her Favorite Holiday Recipe

The Crystal Bud Chandeliers add an elegant, feminine detail
to this classic style kitchen design by Posh Living, LLC

Crescent Chicken Squares

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 (8-ounce) can refrigerated crescent melted and divided rolls
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 3/4 cup seasoned croutons, crushed
• 2 tablespoons milk

Combine Cream Cheese and 2 tablespoons butter; stir in chicken and next 3 ingredients. Set aside. Unroll crescent dough, separating into 4 rectangles; press perforations to seal. Spoon one-fourth of chicken mixture into center of each rectangle; bring corners of each rectangle together over chicken mixture, and twist gently to seal. Brush packets with remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter; dredge in crushed croutons, and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake, uncovered,at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Yields: 4 servings.

(Recipe Attribution: JoAnn Frazee, Premium Recipes That Really Rate Insurance Women of Sussex County Ocean View, Delaware)

About Layla Altman of Posh Living, LLC

After spending her childhood in Miami, Florida and then later finishing her education in Atlanta, Layla developed her own style early on, influenced by the clean lines and sophisticated details of stylish South Beach and historic Atlanta architecture. After completing her degree at The Atlanta College of Art with a BA in Interior Design, Layla started her career in midtown Atlanta.

She was employed by a well sought after design firm whose focus was on corporate, educational, medical and high-end residential design. Layla’s design management experience includes projects for companies such as BMW, Coca-Cola, Cingular Wireless and Emory University. Designing interiors for the homes of Atlanta executives sparked her passion for Residential design, which continues today.  Layla holds the highest level of ASID membership (Professional Member, ASID), having achieved an accredited education and experience in interior design, and successfully passing the difficult NCIDQ exam.

Layla’s work has been featured on Southern Living Presents television show, published in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and Coastal Caroline Homestyles Magazine.  She also co-owns the pillow website, PillowFolly.com with her partner Kerry Ann Dame.  Ever creative, her new project is creating a line of framed art and photography based on vintage pieces and her own photographs.

Layla’s stone & tile designs, furniture layouts and custom millwork are created using Autocad for her clients. Her involvement in the design process from the pre-construction phase through the completion of the interiors results in a cohesive and less stressful experience for the client.   

CONTACT

• Website: Posh Living LLC and Pillow Folly
• Blog: Posh Living Blog
• Facebook: Posh Living,LLC on Facebook
• Twitter: Posh Living,LLC on Twitter (Layla)
• Twitter: Kerry Ann Dame on Twitter 

Related: Posh Living, LLC’s design portfolio and Interview with Kerry Ann Dame of Posh Living, LLC on The Decorating Diva.com.

Johnny Grey’s 26 Christmas Entertaining & Decorating Tips

Warm, charming and inviting kitchen designed by acclaimed kitchen designer Johnny Grey.

12 Holiday Decor Tips

1. Create a portable cooking station. Buy a low-height, compact camping gas ring that sits on any surface. This creates an instant cooking space. Most hardware stores stock them for the price of a take-away meal.
2. If you don’t have a hutch or dresser, create a temporary one by adopting some shelves or a small piece of found furniture like a carte or trolley so that you can make a harvest festival style display. Bring out various sized bowls and fill to overflowing with produce, whether nuts, egg plants, tangerines and pumpkins in all their sizes, colors and shapes.
3. Spruce up your window sill, shelf, or dresser. Signs of abundance add a reassuring dimension to the Christmas spirit.
4. Your eyes can make your mouth water. Make sure you have somewhere to plate and serve. If necessary bring in a trolley (cart for our USA readers) from another room.
5. A splash of color change. Take one wall and repaint it with a dark rich color. Choose one that is quick to do without too many fiddly bits to paint around.
6. Find some old hooks and screw into a ceiling joist. Having things hanging down is very festive, not just dried hams but herbs, onions and open baskets of colorful goodies.
7. Buy one of those clip-on lights to illuminate a dark spot. Place it on a shelf where you won’t hit it when you lean forward. You may be surprised how it changes your pattern of use.
8. Use one of your spare Christmas tree lights and dress up a piece of kitchen furniture.
9. If your table is too small, extend it by buying a sheet of cheap ply 8mm thick and cut it to (any) shape you like. All you need is a tablecloth and you are all set for dinner with extended family and friends – with space for decorations, candles, big serving plates, and that fine china on its annual outing.
10. Gather holly or evergreen branches and spray with silver or gold paint. Tuck them behind pictures or mirrors; tape them onto shelves or dressers.
11. Wind string around hooks, the stems of light fittings and pined onto shelf or architraves and place Christmas cards upside down card-to card. That way you can see all the friends who have sent you their wishes as a constant reminder of the affection.
12. Candles everywhere, placed around fire-safe things including fruits, bowls of seasonal produce. Tea lights along the edges of horizontal surfaces makes the room more dramatic, and feel longer or wider!
    

    6 Holiday Cooking and Preparation Tips

13. Buy a copy of Elizabeth David’s Christmas a book dedicated to holiday cooking. It’s chock full of out-of the-ordinary ideas. I might be biased because she was my aunt and she cooked for us during my childhood, but it is the only cookbook I know that offers an original view with a choice of light, traditional, rich and seasonal recipes. It’s wittily written and accurate with the listing of ingredients.
14. Hibernate. Think of Ratty’s kitchen in Wind in the Willows which feels so modest, reassuring and safe from the world above. Fall into a sleepy routine of book reading, games, TV viewing, preferably around a fire, with plenty of time for strolls.
15. Eye contact allows for conversation so when you cook and prep do it facing into the room.
16. The pace makes a difference to the enjoyment and sense of satisfaction of cooking. If you create a sense of order, starting with sharp knifes, accessible recipe instructions and well laid out utensils cooking becomes a pleasure, a craft not a grind and the pace can be more easily sustained.
17. Cook Christmas day lunch the day before so you don’t have to cook twice on the same day. Serve the different dishes like tapas, putting them on display for all to take in. (This should allow the cook to earn brownie points and escape the washing up.)
18. Debate the menu in detail but if you can get everyone to make something. Democratize the cooking. Its more fun, exciting and takes the burden away from any one person.
    

    8 Entertaining Tips  for Christmas Day

19. Cook together. Accept help from anyone keen to join in. Adapt your kitchen to have two prep zones by using the table or bringing in a temporary one on trestles.
20. Stretch and share the music menu. It’s very important everyone gets a look in, so along with seasonal family popular choices like old musicals, carols and contemporary favorites.
21. For dinner, dress up in something posh. Iconic fancy or vintage dress for dinner makes it feel important, theatrical, or even slightly absurd, but memorable.
22. Traditional fare for Christmas dinner can be straight forward. Meat – whether turkey or goose with spiced up bread sauce and gravy – and two vegetable dishes is the norm for our family.
23. We still enjoy child-friendly desserts; it makes us recall Christmases past. We usually luxuriate in home made ice cream and biscuits, the former made in advance but not churned until we sit down to the second course (texture is everything).  Fine wines for each course, favorite old glasses and candles everywhere, crackers to nibble on and lots of chat about the last year.
24. You can live comfortably on the leftovers for several days, so cook generous quantities of everything. One of the joys is these only need reheating. The cook can take a break and meals eaten casually without much pre-planning. (In other words, try to get some relaxation during your winter holidays).
25. Make Christmas day lunch light and savor the prospect of dinner.
26. Get some fresh air. Wining and dining can quickly turn to over-indulgence, and my family always finds it refreshing to walk off a feast and encourage an appetite, especially on Christmas day between lunch and dinner. A bracing hike and the mood is set for a feast.

About Johnny Grey

British kitchen designer Johnny Grey was born in London and raised on a farm in the Sussex Downs in England. One of his first kitchen projects was for his maternal aunt, British cookery writer Elizabeth David.

Johnny was later educated at the London Architectural Association School of Architecture. After graduating, he set up a design studio and furniture workshop and also pursued a brief career as an antique dealer.

In the early 1980s, while working with British kitchen manufacturer Smallbone of Devizes, he pioneered the “Unfitted Kitchen,” resulting in a new freedom and creativity for designing kitchens, bedrooms, and bathrooms without built-in rigidity of continuous counters and wall based units.

Johnny has authored and contributed to several volumes on kitchen and home design: Kitchen Culture: Re-inventing Kitchen Design; The Complete Home Design Book; The Hard-Working House; The Kitchen Work Book; and The Art of Kitchen Design.

For the last several years, Johnny has been involved with neuroscience research at the University of Salford in Manchester, UK with Professor John Zeisel on the subject of well-being and architecture. His global speaking engagements have included a design tour of Canada, Australia and New Zealand to discuss “Sociability and Sanctuary” of kitchen design. In 2008, Johnny won the Simon Taylor Award for lifetime achievement in the kitchen industry.

CONTACT

• Website: Johnny Grey Studios
• Twitter: @JohnnyGrey
• Facebook: Johnny Grey-Studios on Facebook

Designer Cheryl Clendenon’s Guilt-Free Holiday Treat: Low-Fat Key Lime Bars

 Beautiful, traditional styled kitchen in rich,warm-toned woods designed by Cheryl Clendenon.

Award-winning kitchen and bath designer, Cheryl Clendenon, is always on the go whether working on various design projects or attending industry shows. The last time I caught up with her was in Chicago at the National Kitchen and Bath Industry Show – and from there she was off to the spring High Point Market in North Carolina, and then off to spend a few hours at the Coverings show in Orlando. So how does such a busy business woman have time to create scrumptious holiday treats? Cheryl shares her holiday culinary secret, “the low-fat key lime bars are one of my favorite quick and easy recipes for the holidays to whip up and take with you as a hostess gift! They are easy to make, taste great and look like you spent more time than you did…and they’re low fat as a bonus! ” She also offered up a delightful morsel of holiday decorating advice, “Edit, edit, edit”. As for holiday decorating in her home, Cheryl keeps it “ …simple and elegant natural greenery is my favorite with a few glittery accents….and of course, since I have kids, the homemade tree with lots of little keepsake ornaments is still the only way I do my tree!”

Low-Fat Key Lime Bars Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 package of light cream cheese 8oz
• 1 can fat free sweetened condensed milk 14 oz
• Lime zest 2  tablespoons
• Lime juice from 4 limes about half cup
• Graham crackers crushed for crust 
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar ( to mixed with graham cracker crumbs)

Instructions

1. Mix the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together, then add lime zest and juice to the mixture. 
2. Crush the graham crackers together and add the brown sugar.
3. Pour the cracker mixture into a greased baking pan (8×8) and press down firmly: spray the top lightly with butter flavored cooking spray, and pour the cream cheese mixture over top.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 min or until springs back in middle.
5. Cool completely then refrigerate for approximately 2 hours.
6. Slice into bars and top each bar with a lime curl. 

About Cheryl Clendenon

Cheryl Kees Clendenon, a California transplant to Northwest Florida, has been in the design industry for eleven years and continues to learn something new every day.  She credits an education in the fine arts for helping to shape her perspective and how she views spatial relationships.

In Detail, Cheryl’s Pensacola, Florida-based kitchen and bath design firm, is a 3000 square foot boutique design showroom which focuses on design and furnishings for kitchens, baths and interiors. Her award-winning designs have graced the pages of over 50 national consumer magazines. She has won multiple prestigious national design awards for kitchens, baths, and closets. Cheryl’s most recent industry recognition includes being a finalist in the following design competitions: the 2010 National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) Design Competition, Caesarstone Design Competition, Closets Magazine Design Competition, and she received a Merit award in the 2010 Kitchen and Bath Business design.

Last year at the NKBA conference in Chicago, Cheryl was a featured speaker at the Brizo Media panel event along with Fashion Designer Jason Wu, Industrial designer, Judd Lord and Kitchen and Bath News editor, Janice Costa.

Cheryl is also the editor of the popular blog, Kitchen Details and Design, where she journals in a bitingly funny, and refreshingly honest manner, her experiences as a working designer.

Contact

• Website: In Detail Kitchen and Bath
• Twitter: @indetailsays
• Facebook: In Detail on Facebook
• Blog: Kitchen Details and Design

 

Related:

• Interview with Cheryl Clendenon of In Detail
• Cheryl Clendenon’s Style Maker Look Book: Dream Bath Design

Designer Kelly Morisseau’s Yummy & Nutty Holiday Butter Tarts Recipe

 Contemporary kitchen design by Kelly Morrisseau at Cupertino Kitchen Design.

Kelly Morisseau, kitchen and bath designer, and editor of the witty and informative Kitchen Sync blog, shares her favorite holiday pastry recipe for making what is sure to be a decadent, buttery and delicious holiday treat – makes us wish every day was a holiday.

Butter Tarts Recipe

(Requires tart shell pan or muffin tin. If you don’t have one, you can buy aluminum tart shells, if available in your area, which would be placed on a cookie sheet.)

Pie Crust Ingredients

You can either use this recipe or any of your favorite pie shell recipes.You can also buy ready-made tart shells, if available in your area, or buy ready-made pie shells and cut to fit. Homemade is really the best, though:

• 2½ cups (625 ml) sifted cake-and-pastry flour (Canadians, use regular flour – gluten content is different than US)
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) granulated sugar
• ½ tsp (2 ml) salt
• 1 cup (250 ml) chilled unsalted butter (alternative is Crisco lard)
• ¾ cup (175 ml) ice water

Filling Ingredients

• 1/4 cup soft butter
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup nuts (walnuts or pecans, chopped into small pieces)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Making pastry shells: Make pie dough in a bowl by sifting together flour, sugar and salt. With a fork or pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Slowly add ice water in a trickle, and mix until the dough can be gathered up into a ball. (You’re really mixing until the dough follows the fork around the bowl.) Divide in half. Take one half and roll out onto a lightly floured surface using a floured rolling pin. Roll out and cut circles approximately 4" (I use a wide-mouth glass but if you have a big cookie cutter, it’s a bonus); fit dough circles into tart shell or muffin tin (ungreased) and set aside.
3. Making filling:Mix the first 4 filling ingredients in a medium sized bowl until creamy. Mix in egg and vanilla. Stir in raisins and nuts last, or drop 6-8 each  (or more) into each tart shell.
4. Fill shells: Fill the tart shells with the filling mixture to 2/3rd full only (you don’t want the filling to boil over unless you like scrubbing pas for a long time.)
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until filling is light-to-medium brown. How long you bake them depends on if you like them runny or slightly chewy – I like mine caramelized around the edges, so I bake them until they’re a rich golden brown. Don’t let them get too dark or grandma’s dentures will come out.

About Kelly Morisseau

Kelly is a second-generation Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer (CMKBD) and a Certified Interior Designer (CID) in California.When she’s not working on her current day job at Main Street Kitchens, an award-winning design/build firm, she studies design, trends, and generational behavior for her blog, Kitchen Sync.

She understands and empathizes with homeowners and the challenges they face as they remodel their homes. As the sub-title of her blog states, “Some people jog to get their heart-rates up; I design kitchens.”

Contact

Surreal Sustainable Kitchen by IKEA: SURREALISTIKA Sculpture

“SURREALISTIKA” is IKEA’s artistic homage to their futuristic vision- one that gracefully intertwines design, usability and sustainability- for the one room in our home, the kitchen, where creativity, inspiration, and the joys of home life and family are centered.

Bringing fantasy and imagination to life, the [SURREALISTIKA] sculpture incorporates the natural beauty of the Silver Birch tree intertwined with elements of an everyday kitchen. It depicts a surreal vision of the future when environmental concerns will be ever more at the core of kitchen design.

Designer Andie Day’s Holiday Decorating & Entertaining Tips

Serene, beautiful kitchen design by award-winning designer and Aging-in-Place specialist, Andie Day.

The always elegant and stylish, Boston-based designer, Andie Day, shares the following fabulous and chic holiday decorating advice:

• Whether you envision holidays filled with elegantly decorated rooms or radiating exquisite simplicity the key to success is an organized home. We suggest tackling this sometimes overwhelming task with an objective friend or hiring a home organizer. Simplicity is conducive to an improved quality of life for you and your family.
• Layer scents throughout home.  My favorite candle is Diptyque French candles with their beautiful and long lasting fragrances. The candles last about 50 hours making it a better value than many other candle collections.  (Andie’s favorite Diptyque candle scent is, Figuier "Verte" / "Green" Fig Tree.)
• Add a little sparkle using glinting crystal, polished silver and festive ornaments.

Andie also shares two of her family’s favorite holiday recipes: German Coffee Braid, and, an equally delicious sounding, Santa’s Toffee Chip Cookies. “ Both [recipes] are time consuming but well worth it “, according to Andie. She explains, “I must confess that I’m not much of a cook – I do rely heavily on my husband for this. While he’s bringing the turkey to perfection I work toward designing a memorable martini…White Blizzard Chocolate Martini. “ (martini recipe also included below).

German Coffee Braid Family Holiday Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 package yeast package = 2 1/4 teaspoons
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• ¾ cup scalded milk
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 3 cups flour

Ingredients for Filling

• Soft Butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Pour hot milk over butter, sugar and salt. Let cool to luke-warm. Add yeast, egg and ½ flour (or 1-1/2c) Beat until smooth then add remaining flour. Knead. Let rise, punch down and let rise again. Divide into three equal parts. Spread each with butter and filling. Roll the three pieces of braid together. Let rise. Brush top with butter and sprinkle with spiced sugar. Bake for 30 minutes.(Recipe origin unknown)

Santa’s Toffee Chip Cookies Family Holiday Recipe

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 c flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup English toffee bits
• 2 eggs
• ¾ c brown sugar
• ¾ c granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 7 ounces of Kraft caramels
• 3 tablespoons of milk
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Walnuts for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Stir flour, salt and baking soda together and then set aside. Cream butter with both sugars until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, mix well. Add toffee bits. Take two healthy tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Place 4 balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes.

While the cookies are cooling, melt 7 ounces of Kraft caramels with three tablespoons of milk over medium heat. In another pan, melt one cup of chocolate semi-sweet chips over low heat. After the cookies have cooled, spread the melted caramels over the cookies, and then the melted chocolate over the caramel.

Garnish with crushed walnuts. Makes 12 huge cookies.

(Obtained from Salem Evening News)

White Blizzard Chocolate Martini Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 ounces of Absolut Vanilla vodka
• 1 ounce of clear Creme de Cacao
• 2 ounce of Godet White Chocolate liqueur
• 1 teaspoon of coconut flakes
• 2 freezing martini glasses

DIRECTIONS

Add the vodka to a shaker half full of cracked ice. Shake vigorously for a full minute. Add the white chocolate liqueur, and Creme de Cacao. Swirl the shaker for another full minute, and then let it rest for a minute.

Strain your martini into the freezing martini glasses. Each glass gets half of the coconut flakes.

Stir each martini gently to start the blizzard!

(Recipe obtained from Group Recipes. Obtained from Salem Evening News)

About Andie Day

Andie Day is a national award-winning interior designer whose inventive solutions have been featured in, Kitchen and Bath Ideas®, Washington Post, New England Home, Design New England and in NECN’s inspirational television series: New England Dream House.

Andie Day is CAPS certified and has crafted her niche as an Aging-in-Place specialist. Ms. Day has expanded her expertise and passion for combining safety and fine design through her philosophy, DESIGN FOR LIFE™.

CONTACT

• Website: Andie Day Design
• Twitter: @andieday
• Blog: Andie Day Design Blog

Interior Designer Julie Bova’s Holiday Recipe: Peppermint Ice Cream Pie

Kitchen Details:  Julie designed this kitchen, in a house located on an incredible horse farm, that proves attention to detail matters. Some of the material details such as the  Knotty Alder,Stone and Butcher block and an elegant Onyx backsplash that reflects the light capture the warm, welcoming nature of this kitchen.

At The Decorating Diva, LLC we are quite fortunate to know so many talented and creative designers, and Julie Bova is one of those designers we absolutely love. Besides Julie’s extraordinary design skills, she has a huge heart, and is always ready to generously give of her time and gifts to help others. We will always appreciate Julie’s efforts to raise awareness and funds to assist with pediatric cancer in support of the beautiful Layla Grace.

Julie shares some quick, and easy holiday decorating ideas for your fireplace mantel and a refreshingly, chilly and  minty holiday pie recipe, Peppermint Ice Cream Pie, that we think you will love.

Julie’s Peppermint Ice Cream Pie Recipe

Ingredients

• 18 Oreo Cookies
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• Small can of evaporated milk
• 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate
• 1 Quart Peppermint Ice Cream (with red & green candies) softened

DIRECTIONS

Combine butter and Oreo cookies in the food processor. Mix and press the cookie and butter mixture into the bottom of a 9″ pie plate and freeze.

Spoon the softened Peppermint ice cream on top of the oreo crust and freeze.

Melt 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate with 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon of butter, and the small can of evaporated milk. Cook the mixture until thick and cool, stirring occasionally.

Apply to top of pie and freeze.

Julie’s Holiday Decorating Tip for Fireplace Mantels

Julie tells us that she “Love[s] using lots of Greenery, Willow Twigs, Pine Cones and a touch of color. Always try to find beautiful ribbon! Lots of great resources are now online if you plan ahead”.

About Julie Browning Bova

Renowned Indiana-based interior designer, Julie Browning Bova, is the owner of the eponymous design firm Julie Bova Interior Design.  With over 20 years as a respected interior designer, Julie has worked on design projects ranging from residential endeavors to commercial and public works.

Using travels and experience as a touchstone for inspiration, along with her passion for design, Art & Architecture.  Julie’s commitment to her clients and projects never waivers.

She has been featured in numerous design publications, and thoroughly enjoys throwing herself into anything design related.

Currently, Julie Bova Interior Design is working on numerous interior design projects, overseeing new home construction, and continuing to pursue work in care/assisted living.

In addition to working on her design blog, Paisley, Plaid and Read, and her popular Twitter site @jbint, Julie loves to give her time to the industry.  Last year she participated in Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) Dining by Design 2009 held at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.

Read our feature on Julie and view her Interior Design Portfolio.

Contact

• Website: Julie Bova Interior Design
• Blog: Paisley, Plaid and Read
• Twitter: @jbint