Kristan Cunningham » kitchen – Trends and Design Ideas – Kristan Cunningham

On the Wire

Kristan — Fri, 06 May 2011 18:40:01 +0000

I love the look of wire baskets. A little bit country, little bit industrial, they work beautifully with so many styles. On tables filled with fruit, by the front door as a place to put mail, holding yarn or magazines… anything you please. You can find lots of new options at stores these days, but I like the patina and the price of vintage ones more. Just look at this sampling of totally affordable cuties from etsy!

Vintage Metal Wire Planter Stand for Flower Baskets from GlassnMore $18
Vintage Metal Chicken Wire Basket from GreySquirrelAntiques $25
Vintage Yellow Wire Egg Gathering Basket from HuntandFound $44
Vintage Farmhouse Wire Canning Jar Basket from JunkFromMyTrunk $12
Vintage White Wire Farmhouse Basket from Wavelee $17
Vintage Metal Dairy Crate from vintageseventyfive $32

SupermarketHQ for You?

Kristan — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:02:58 +0000

If you follow this blog at all, you know by now that I love Etsy. So do a lot of people, however, and the downside of its popularity is that it’s huge and can be crazypants overwhelming… especially when you’re just browsing. That’s why I like copycat site SupermarketHQ .

Sleek and petite, SupermarketHQ is sorta like early Etsy- manageable and shopable without all the crazy new tools Etsy now needs to help its shoppers. They divide their wares into three categories: wear + carry, space + place & paper + prints. Yet another way to connect with great designers all over the globe and another opportunity to make your home, your life and your wardrobe uniquely you!

Le Petite Sterling Silver Bike with Hearts Necklace from Rachel Pfeffer Designs $76
BA 8×10 photo from hassography, $89
Small Nest, Aqua from Heather Palmer, $60
Kimono Sleeve Top in Red from finch-design, $39
Grey Ceramic Cable Knit Cups from Reshape Studio, $28
Disc String Lights Custom Glazed from Pigeon Toe, $164

Counter Top-Worthy Kitchen Cuties

Kristan — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:46:09 +0000

A small kitchen is an exceedingly common dilemma. If you’re short on storage space, a good trick is to find items that’d otherwise take up drawer or cabinet space and have them live on the counter top, or on exposed shelves and act as decor as well as be available for their task. Here are a few great finds that can clear out some extra space in your drawers and cupboards.

Roost Carved Wood Bottle Opener, $25 from Velocity Art and Design

Set of 3 Mixing Bowls from Bram, $79

Milk Bottle Measuring Cups from Anthropologie, $24

Le Cuistot Cast Iron Mortar and Pestle Small $21.50 from Amazon.com

Crate & Barrel Salt Pig with Scoop, $12.95

IKEA PS Spraka Spice Mill, $19.99

Tile Tattoo-la-la

Kristan — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:02:38 +0000

Oh the amazing things you can do with a spare Sunday afternoon! Check out these ingenious Tile Tattoos made by British design company Mibo! You can give your kitchen or bathroom an instantaneous makeover with these water -resistant beauties. Just peel and stick, and if you tire of them, take ‘em off! They come in a bevy of styles and colors, can go on plain 4×4 ceramic tiles, or they have 3x subway options too, and they really dress up a plain room. Absolutely perfect for renters or if you are on a budget. Available in the states through 2jane for $18 for a set of 6.

Bamboozled!

Kristan — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:21:51 +0000

We have all heard by now how sustainable bamboo is…it’s an all around fantastic material, in so many ways. It also happens to look great, with a warm honey tone perfect for a light minimalist feel. The best news is, it’s not just good for flooring! Check out these fantastic bamboo finds that not only make a small impact on the environment, but on your bank account too!

Bamboo Bowls from West Elm, $5-29

IZOLA Numerals Toothbrush Set from Velocity Art and Design $11

IKEA Boja Table Lamp $39.99

Bamboo Dry Erase Board from CB2 $59.95

Dragan Jar with Lid Set of 3 (Painted Bamboo) from IKEA $14.99

Bamboo Box Knife Holders from Viva Terra $49-$89

Bamboo Basket/Shopping Bag from Pearl River $14.35

Towel Ring… What a Bore. Here’s The Key!

Kristan — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:42:35 +0000

A cute idea, and sure to inspire more inventive solutions, Cake Vintage’s Vintage Key Plates turned wall hooks are a great, simple way to add character to your bathroom, entryway, kitchen- you name it! Just $25 from The Inspired Room. If you have the time and inclination, you can make a project of finding and making similar ones, or, just scrounge around in your garage and see what else could be turned into a unique, utilitarian conversation piece.

But at $25, why bother! Just order this lovely and hang it already!!!!!

The Last Measuring Cup You’ll Ever Need

Kristan — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:33:57 +0000

I was recently turned on to the wonders of the Tala measuring cup. I love it’s semi-industrial old school look, not to mention it’s sturdy, lightweight and petite. This guy allows you to do away with the drawer full of mismatched cups- come on, you know you have this drawer, and it’s full of random funnels as well as skewers and chopsticks that you just won’t throw away because you swear you need them for parties, but you’ve thrown, like, a hundred parties and still never used them…is this just me? Also, it measures in metric, imperial and cups, AND converts to weights, so no matter what country your internet recipe is coming from, it’ll do just fine, and you’ll feel super smart!

Tala Measuring Cup, $18 from Conran Shop

Making Marrakesh Yours

Kristan — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:41:39 +0000

Looking at photos of the unbelievably chic palatial resort, The Baglioni Marrakech, I was thinking what a shame it is that this ultra-luxe getaway is attainable for so few. Then, I saw this photo, and it gave me an idea of a truly affordable way to get a touch of the Moroccan feel in your own home. This breathtaking backsplash is a classic pattern, made up of simple hex-tiles. Using 2 colors of 2” tiles, a little craftiness and some help from someone with tiling know how, you can totally achieve a bit of North African glamour too! Daltile makes a 2” hexagon tile in variety of colors, and I love the colors available at American Restoration Tile ( see pics below for a great match). You can find hex tile for $9.18/sq. ft. from South Cypress. Not bad for a taste of the good life!

Back in Batik!!

Kristan — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:01:57 +0000

The word “batik” used to conjure up all sorts of icky seventies sundresses and head scarves for me. Hippie-dippy, colorful craftiness (in the worst sense of the word.) But it occurred to me recently that with the resurgence of great ethnic textiles, I’ll bet someone is doing a modern version of batik and doing it well. I turned to Etsy to see if that was so and sure enough, look what I found! I may just be coming around…

Mini Tablecloth Tomato Soup Orange $35 from Margot Bianca

Zig & Zag – African Fabric Button Earrings $7 from Orese

Fishscale Hand Dyed Batik Fabric Yellow Red Half Yard $19 from Jackson Fabric Arts

Youth Electric Guitar Batik $24.50 from Jarusha

Red Batik Zipper Purse $14 from Urbanknit

Mottled Gray Mini Tablecloth $35 from Margot Bianca

Ovals Rectangular Pillow Cover in Aqua and Gray $45 from Stitchindye

Spice It Up and Show It Off

Kristan — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:49:48 +0000

Although I am certainly no chef – we all know this by now – I do have a huge collection of spices. Why, you may ask? Because I know that spices are a great way to add a kick of color to your kitchen in a natural and simple way. I came across these fabulous spices and salts from SeeSmellTaste, available from Amazon for $10 a jar, and while they aren’t super cheap, they do save you money. The packaging is so fantastic you don’t have to buy spice jars!