grey and white, carrara and granite

I love white kitchen cabinets, but as I've mentioned before, it wouldn't be practical for homes with young kids as they would get their grubby hands on them. I also love grey kitchens.

So, to have the best of both worlds, I've decided (thus far) that I'm going for grey lower cabinets and white upper cabinets. With white for the upper cabinets, it would be less maintenance for me as upper cabinets are usually less handled and the kids won't be able to reach up to them. :-)

And white Carrara marble countertops as I've always loved the look of white marble.

After going through my contractor's quotation today, I was trying to cut out as much unnecessary stuff as I could to keep within our budget. Of course, I knew marble would be rather expensive, but I didn't want to compromise it with anything else!

Until I read this post by the super-talented Joni of Cote de Texas blog the other day and saw this photo.

I always love how her photos are so big on her blog

Grey lower cabinets and white upper cabinets! But.... black honed granite countertops! And Carrara marble for the island! And it looks gorgeous!

So, I asked my contractor (within half an hour of reading the post) of how much black granite would cost. She said pure black granite would be rather expensive and would get back to me on that. Sigh.

Then, I saw this photo on Greige.

The granite countertops here are not black, rather grey-speckled and it looks gorgeous, too!

I think I need to stop looking at photos of beautiful kitchens otherwise I'll never make up my mind!

So, what's your preference?

Carrara marble?

Or granite?

Double sigh!

A study in natural materials

Remember when I wrote that post that one day I would have an awesome study that was kinda industrial and masculine-looking?

Now I think I wouldn't mind having a girly study area like this one, too.

via Roses and Rust

I absolutely love that burlap-covered board leaning against that wall! So natural and effortlessly pretty. I'm in love with the curves of the unfinished wood desk and chair, too. Oh, and the grooves on that wooden lamp. And those thick linen curtains and matchstick blinds.

I love the use of natural materials in decorating - its so authentic and naturally makes you feel at home.

My favourites from Phoebe Howard

I've been a long-time fan of Phoebe Howard - I admire her work as she brings an elegant touch to all of the rooms she decorates.

Her signature style is her use of neutral, soft colours and her rooms are almost perfectly balanced. I believe she is a perfectionist in her work.

Here are some of my favourite rooms decorated by Phoebe Howard.

Her use of blues and greys in her rooms are gorgeous.

Mrs Howard Personal Shopper

She usually hangs mirrors vertically, flanked by photo frames and a sunburst/round mirror centred above...

The below photo is simply beautiful...

Her bedrooms are usually my favourites...

I love how she often uses a chest of drawers on the left of the bed and a desk on the right side of the bed in the photo above.

Pale blues and dark brown wood make a perfect palette. I absolutely love that window seat.

She uses a lot of fabrics for her beds...

A wonderful pink bedroom...

This room is blue and pink. I love the soft pink roman blinds.

The room below is beautiful. I love how she uses silk sheers for roman blinds and thick curtain panels. An elegant bench at the end of the bed is gorgeous.

I can't help but notice how terrified that cat looks!

Greens make this guest room calm and serene. I wouldn't mind staying the night here!

A more modern bedroom - clean and perfectly made bed.

I could spend all day staring at Phoebe Howard decorated rooms!

Photos taken from Phoebe Howard. Click here if you haven't had enough yet!

matchstick blinds tricks

Over my extensive reading (and viewing) of interior decorating blogs and magazines, there are a few tricks of the trade that I've learnt to make your homes more visually appealing.

One of them, is using matchstick blinds to make your windows look taller.

If your windows are lacking in inches, you can hang your curtains further up (closer to the ceiling), and fill up the gap between the rod to the window frame with these blinds.

Here's an example of some rooms using this trick.

Velvet & Linen

A Thoughtful Eye

Matchstick blinds also bring out the casual and informal side of otherwise formal rooms.

A Thoughtful Eye

Looks good in the bedroom too. I'm considering to have it in mine :-)

A Thoughtful Eye

So if your rooms lack a little texture, you can opt for this for your windows!

a little Ikea goes a long way...

Can you spot which items are from IKEA? 

Via The Bride's Diary

Well, I can, but it is still pretty, isn't it? 

I'm not sure I would use that shelf for my own home, as yes, it's too Ikea for me. But I love their use of textures with the baskets and all! 

Have a wonderful Monday!