The Foundation
Welcome back y'all! This week we'll dig into the foundational selections for Project Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue. Whoa that's a mouthful. 😂
The foundational selections set the tone for pretty much everything that is to come. As in the case of this project, I almost always begin with textiles. They're my favorite and I often draw the most inspiration from them. So, with the drapery fabric, upholstered banquette and the wood tone of my cabinetry already determined, I set off to determine the tile, paint and wallpaper selections for the space. These would become the foundational elements in the design, so getting them right was paramount.
Let's start with tile, shall we?
The Tile Shop has a ton of great tile options. With numerous locations across the country, I'd highly recommend them for your tile needs. If you go be sure to tell them Dwell by Cheryl Interiors sent you. I was pretty certain that I wanted a patterned tile, but I envisioned using it on the flooring. After quickly realizing that nothing quite fit the bill for the floors, I landed on this beautiful Annie Selke ikat ceramic wall tile.
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| Annie Selke for The Tile Shop Shadow Navy Ceramic Wall Tile |
I knew it was perfect almost as soon as I spotted it. I love that it was fun, yet classic and would infused a little culture into the space as well. It was also pretty much a dead ringer for a preliminary window cornice fabric I'd been eyeing.
Man I love it when things just seem to fall into place.
Next, it would just be a matter of finding a complementary selection for the flooring. Since this Annie Selke option struck just the right note, I decided to explore other options in the collection. Turns out there was a pretty great selection of floor tiles as well. I was immediately drawn to these two options:
I have no doubt that it's because they both remind me of fabric and provide an awesome visual texture. Ultimately though, I decided to go with option 2, which I affectionately named "seersucker". I mean it looks like pants to me. 😊 Once I narrowed the pattern down, I had to figure out the size and color I wanted.
They seem pretty similar but once I got the samples and viewed them at home, there was a pretty big difference.
I ended up going with the darkest option of indigo in the 6" x 20" planks. It seemed to work best with the wall tile and I figured the darker might be a little more forgiving in terms of daily wear. As soon as the installation began, I knew I had made the right decision.
The plank style just felt like the right option for my cottage home. I was right! I have a tendency to lean a bit more formal in my tastes (upholstered skirted banquette, full length drapery, vintage dining table...), so this more casual tile style would be a nice juxtaposition against the more traditional options. I also don't have a huge kitchen so the smaller scale seemed like the better option.
Eek!! So freaking exciting!
Once I had the tile selection done, it made selecting a paint color so much easier. Sherwin-Williams graciously agreed to partner with me on this project and provided the paint. I wanted a neutral hue with a little warmth. Of course, I have my SW go-to's but I wanted a little less gray neutral than our clients tend to want. In the end, I decided on Accessible Beige.
It's a really neutral...neutral (lol!). Not quite warm, but also not quite cool in color. It reminds me of a really light pair of khaki pants. There I go with the textiles again. 😜
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| Sherwin Williams Emerald Interior Acrylic Latex Paint |
My painters were really excited to hear that we'd be using Sherwin-Williams' Emerald Paint, informing me that it was their favorite. We went with a 20% Accessible Beige/80% white mixture on the ceiling. This helps to provide a more seamless transition from wall to ceiling rather than simply painting the ceiling white.
So much fresher!
Lastly, but certainly not least among the foundational pieces was the wallpaper for the corner nook. Here I wanted something fun and classic that could serve as an exclamation point in my kitchen space. This space would be all about function but also pretty things. As soon as I heard that Milton and King would be a ORC sponsor, I headed over to check out the options.
I landed on these two options-one in three colorways.
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| Tulip Seeds |
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| Wildflower - 1 |
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| Wildflower - 2 |
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| Wildflower - 3 |
All were really beautiful options. I really wanted a large scale floral wallpaper, so the Wildflower just seemed a little too dainty pattern. I selected the Tulip Seed! It was a really striking paper, but something about it just felt classic. The deep navy had a grounding effect that I felt was missing, making it the perfect option.
The folks at Milton and King were awesome and wasted no time in getting us the wallpaper so we could get the installation scheduled. Jordan's Wallcoverings is my go-to for professional installation. Zach and his team are second to none. Installation was an absolute breeze. Especially for me. Lol! It was a small space, so they were done in no time.
I mean, the cutest corner ever right!? It's only two small walls, but the impact is astounding. I love wallpaper!
Paint, Tile (Backsplash and Flooring), Wallpaper - ✔
Talk about a good foundation! These are the pieces that will serve as the base for a really pretty kitchen. Stay tuned...
Check out the progress of the other featured designers. There's some pretty incredible stuff going down!
