The Inspired Room
Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to a fellow blogger (The Inspired Room), Melissa Michaels. For those of you who aren’t familiar with her, she has written the New York Times bestseller, Love the Home You Have. She lives with her husband, son and two cute pups in the Pacific Northwest. I admire Melissa Michael’s and all her great insights to home decorating. She has such wise and calming words, and so I was excited to read her latest book (that is available November 1st), from cover to cover. I immediately fell in love many passages in her new book, The Inspired Room, Simple Ideas to Love the Home you Have.”
Here is one of the quotes that resonate strongly with me:
“The right piece is worth waiting for. We may think it’s best to have everything all at once, but that pressure can make us crazy and cause us to miss out on the beautiful unfolding of our home’s look and story.”
We definitely experienced this truth in regards to our kitchen. We lived in our home for a whole year before tackling our project and this was so hard for me to hold still. In the end, it was great to feel the space and figure out flow and needs. It was so beneficial to slow down and get the project right. We had limited storage and counter space and both my husband and I love to cook and bake, so our old kitchen wasn’t going to support our culinary passions. Also, we wanted to create spaces that would warmly welcome our family and guests, so we made these a priority in our kitchen design as well.PS: please read the post all the way through, it has important information at the end.
I know this photo is a bit blurry, but it gives you an idea of our old kitchen. Here is the link to the blog post: Kitchen Remodel Most our friends thought we were a little crazy to remodel it, but we knew the new version would suit our family much better and would have more storage, counter space and a lighter. Another one of our goals was to lighten up the look with white cabinets and glass fixtures.
Lighter Look
This was one of our first choices, we wanted a range hood that had mostly glass so that natural light could come streaming through while we cooked.
These are hand-blown glass lights that I love how they tie in with our color scheme and lighter style. Also, we chose the white cabinets to also create a light and airy feeling. I find the light also bounces off the white cabinets that even add more light into our kitchen. Who would’ve thought you get a bonus light source with lighter cabinets!
Convenience
A few things that I love about our kitchen is the microwave is now located below on the kitchen island. It is out of the way and very accessible. It is nice to have it not visible in the sea of all the other stainless steel appliances.
Since we both enjoy preparing meals for our family, pull out drawer features makes the cooking experience so convenient. If it is in your budget to add pull out drawers, you must.
Having a pull out drawer for the garbage and recyclables is heavenly!
I love it when an organizational project is family friendly and is used daily! That is a successful project in my eyes! Here is the DIY project post: Chalkboard Labels
Organizing
Tackling and organizing a pantry is essential, and I finally took on the project. Once I got in the mood to bring order to this pantry it was a fun and satisfying job. It did take me a few years to get started on this plan, but now I’m happy that it is complete and also very functional for baking and cooking. Here is the link to the DIY post: Organizing a pantry
Spaces which are inviting
We wanted to create a space that would welcome family and guests to sit and relax. Eventually, I would love to place a little table in front of the window seat. I can totally picture myself sitting and drinking a cup of tea and reading a book. I love how Melissa says to not rush into buying decor, but to wait for the perfect piece. I find when you do this, this space becomes more meaningful and thought out.
Also, my husband wanted the kitchen to have a countertop that was warm and welcoming. I had to toss out my white granite and white marble choices and relinquish control in this area. It did take me a while to order the orange/yellow granite (I visited the granite company a ton), but once it was installed, I knew he was right. Our countertops bring a sunny, happy smile that you can’t ignore, every hour of our day! And you know we are all about “happy” around here. 🙂
Seasonal Entertaining
Our kitchen island is the gathering point for our family and guests. Homework is done on this island as well as entertaining. So, I thought it might be fun to show you the different looks that I have created for the various seasons. This photo is from Summer. Here is the link to the post: Summer Home Tour
Autumn entertaining, you can find our blog post: Fall Home Tour
Here are more inspiring blogger’s you might want to check out. They are all sharing their own review of her book as well as one room in their home. Here is the exciting schedule for today:
~ October 26 ~
…
Honey We’re Home
Home Stories A-Z
Fieldstone Hill Design
~ October 27th ~
…
Finding Home Farms
Daily tours with links, so stay tuned for new blogs tomorrow!
______ … ______
______…______
The Inspired Room is hosting a
$300 Anthropologie Giveaway!
I’ve enjoyed, The Inspired Room I found many new inspirations and I hope you have a chance to buy your own copy. I assure you that you’ll enjoy the photos as well as the insights on how to get your home ready for the four seasons. Melissa provides step by step ideas on how to build every room in your home with decor and items that you already own. I love that she encourages us to use our own things and to also take our time in decorating our home. When we don’t rush into things we end up with a home that is well thought out, meaningful, and personal. Let me know if you found this post and book helpful, I would love to hear from you.
Cheers,
I named my blog Happy Happy Nester because I love everything related to the home. I’ve always enjoyed decorating my surroundings. Get cozy and stay for a bit, thanks for visiting!
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Unknown
I can't wait to get this book. 🙂
Janine Waite
I LOVE this book and it such an encouraging book, that makes you motivated to decorate. I hope you can get a copy and let me know what you tackle at your home! Thanks so much for your comment!
Melissa @ The Inspired Room
Thank you, Janine! What a treat to get to see your kitchen and to have my book featured here! I'm so excited that you shared today, thank you friend!
Janine Waite
Hi Melissa,
Thanks so much for including me in this project! I LOVE your book and it totally inspired me to create and tackle some rooms! I hope your book does well, let me know if there is anything more I can do for you! I'll review it on Amazon as well!
ElevenGables
Great post!!! So happy to meet you among these fabulous fellow bloggers!! I truly loved Melissa's book. A beautiful, new favorite book! xox, Emily
Janine Waite
Emily,
It is so nice to meet you too! Hooray! Yes, it sounds like you had the same reaction to Melissa's book as I did! I fell in love with it the minute it arrived in its beautiful package!
Ok, I'll be haunting your blog in a bit!
Janine
nancy john
These are the perfect interior design for a home. Its like a dream house of anyone. Also these designed houses shows the luxuriousness by their amazing interior design.
style designers window
Janine Waite
Thanks so much for your comment!