Open Plan Kitchens

The majority of kitchens in America are "open plan", meaning the kitchen opens onto at least one other room in the home - dining room, family room, etc. Some home designs are very open, where the main living space is nearly one continuous open room. Others have more boundaries between spaces. We are each comfortable with a certain level of this openness and certain boundaries.

 I had not given Open Plan Kitchens a lot of thought until I moved to London nearly 10 years ago. I was used to Colorado and the American West - big open spaces and big open floor plans. Most English homes and apartments have a very different way of living - each room is it's own separate box with 4 walls and a door. This is often because the buildings are older and were originally built this way. However, even newer buildings follow this plan, primarily because it is a comfort level for the British. Just as I am more comfortable in wide open spaces, they are often more comfortable in enclosed, cozy spaces. It's what we've always known. But I didn't know this when we first moved. Let's just say my first hour of house hunting was quite an eye opener! And I learned a lot about myself and how much I crave open spaces in my home. We did find a beautiful flat with an open Kitchen, Dining Room and Living Room. It was perfect. We were happy!

Many in England have started to embrace more open floor plans, particularly around the kitchen, but they are still a smaller percentage of the housing market. There is a possibility that my family and Beautiful Habitat will find ourselves back in London again, so I'm dreaming of open, open, open kitchens. Here are some inspirational interiors featuring very open kitchen designs and ways to include features from each to create your masterpiece.

via Comfree Ontario

via Homedit

via Rugdots.com

via Trendzona

via creative-furniture

Get the Look : 1. Wooden bar stools from Cymax 2. Chalkboard Paint DIY Tutorial on The Handmade Home 3. Metal Basket (Set of 4) from Wayfair 4. Hanging Lamps from Shades of Light 5. Pull Down Faucet from Home Depot 6. Iron Wall Clock from Lamps Plus 7. Le Creuset Cookery in Dune can be found at Cutlery and More 8. Wooden Countertops and Islands from John Boos

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Designing with Bed Draperies | Half Testers and Coronas

My last post was all about bed drapery, specifically canopies with and without four poster beds. Today is all about 2 other looks - half testers and coronas, with can be achieved through hardware (an actual half tester bed or corona) or "faked" through clever drapery. Are you a bed drapery person? Which look is your favorite?

Half Testers

Half Testers have a similar relationship the the four-poster and canopy relationship in my last post. A half tester is a type of bed which has a low foot board and a canopy that projects from the head of the bed.

via fourposterbeds.com

These half tester beds are not common unless you've got some serious European antiques. However, the "look" is one often created by mounting drapery from the wall or ceiling above a standard bed as in these examples.

via House Beautiful

 

via Meghan-Blum Blog

 

via Veranda

via Centsational Girl

Coronas

Corona is a super beer and reminds me of summer. It's also the Latin word for "Crown" and in bedding and draperies, that is exactly what it means. A Corona is a crown for your bed. Coronas can be wall mounted or ceiling mounted and can be circular, oval, or half circles. Coronas can also be an elaborate pre-made wood or metal piece to which the fabric is attached, or it can be created through fabric as in the House Beautiful example below.

via House Beautiful

 

via ZsaZsaBellagio

via Splendid Sass

via Architectural Digest

Other Creative Bed Drapery

I couldn't help but include this bed project. It's very much like a half tester, but the box and molding are built in to the room and simple fabric panels are installed inside of the box. It's clever and a very dramatic look.
 

via Home Depot

  Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com