Style at Home - February Roundup

The February 2012 issue of Style At Home is my favourite to date! I think I love it so much because it's all about kitchens and I have kitchens on the brain as-of-late.

If you look through my kitchen inspiration folders, you'll find I have a definite style when it comes to kitchens: white shaker cabinets, dark wood floors, stainless steel appliances, chrome hardware, gray tile backsplash. So that being said, you can see why I would love to have any of the kitchens featured in this issue! So beautiful.

This kitchen belongs to designer, Elle Maison. And look! It has everything I love in a kitchen. Swoon... She also opted for a large single sink instead of a double so that she can soak larger pots and pans. Kevin is the dishwasher in our relationship, so I'm sure he would appreciate something like that.

This home is owned by Sarah and Aaron Smith, and was designed by Aly Velji. I love everything about this kitchen too. The glass-tiled backsplash adds just a hint of colour to the space and I love the effect. I also really love the pendant lights, the roman shade, the marble counters, and the micro-suede island stools. 

This homeowner, Christopher Craib, hired designer Jessica Kelly for his kitchen reno. While this kitchen is just a tad too industrial for my tastes, I love love love the backsplash. I love that it's textured and that it is continued all the way to the ceiling. At the other end of the kitchen (not pictured) is a built-in bench. I'm such a sucker for banquettes and benches in kitchens!

Up next is Style At Home Editor-in-Chief, Erin McLaughlin's Ikea kitchen makeover. The kitchen plan was created and executed by Ryan Martin, Amy Kent, and Michelle Lamontagne of Toronto's Croma Design. This is a real chef's kitchen for sure. My (and Erin's!) favourite element in this room is the hand-cut Calcutta Michaelangelo marble from Antica Tile & Stone laid in a herringbone pattern for the backsplash. It's just gorgeous. 

 

A snippet from an article from Scott McGillivray caught my attention and applies to 3 out of 4 of the kitchens mentioned here because a lot of people (me included) probably can't afford counter-to-ceiling marble backsplashes - Scott suggests saving money in a kitchen reno by applying more budget-friendly tiles in a creative way (ie: subway tile in a herringbone pattern like below) or just use the expensive tiles as a trim or in a feature area. Smart! 

And last up is fellow Canadian blogger of Rambling Renovators, Jennifer Flores, whose home was featured in Style at Home!! Congrats to her! It's very cool to see a magazine spread of someones home whose blog you've been reading. Her home is already gorgeous and S@H did a great job with the photos. 

There are two things that I really love about how Jen and her husband renovated and decorated their home: 1. I love that they use yellow and blue as the accent colours and carry it throughout the home. It creates great flow. 2. I love that they decided to keep the original layout instead of tearing down all the walls to create an open concept house. Sometimes open concept has its benefits, but I think I favour more the division of rooms. Yes, it might make the house seem smaller, but it also creates more intimate spaces (and allows you to make a huge mess in the kitchen without anyone being the wiser :P )

Did you enjoy the February issue of S@H as much as I did?