This living room and kitchen depicts a popular solution for opening up the walls in a kitchen: the pass through.  The pass through is a cutout in the wall between kitchen and typically the dining area or dining room. Pass throughs are named for the ability to pass food and beverages through the opening.

The opening of a pass through can be a narrow opening under the cabinets or, as seen in this space, a large opening between the two rooms.  A pass through can be created without too much consideration for load bearing walls and beams if the pass through is not too large.

Because both rooms will be visible, you might want to consider matching or coordinating the flooring between the kitchen and the other living areas.  This will create a greater sense of flow in the home and between the two spaces.

There is a cottage industry that creates nostalgic and girly rubber gloves for doing the dishes. Some gloves even have rhinestones and pearls on them to add a little touch of bling. If these feminine style rubber gloves can make even one person like doing the dishes more, then they are a good thing. These rubber gloves can protect hands and manicures when cleaning, mopping as well as doing the dishes.

Aprons are also practical as they are pretty.  Aprons can protect your clothes from water when doing the dishes or food splatters when cooking. Our mothers and grandmothers were smart to wear them when doing projects around the kitchen.

Today’s aprons and gloves are often color coordinated with other kitchen accessories like tea towels and toss rugs.  Runners and mats in front of the sink are a great place to add an accent color or tie in with other colorful accessories in the room. Why not coordinate other accessories like aprons and dishwashing gloves into the overall color palette.  Whether your kitchen style is vintage or not, a pretty apron and a charming set of fancy gloves can be stylish and practical vintage inspired accessories.

Two sinks ideally mean that you each get your own sink. This can be true in some homes while in others the extra sink is rarely used other than to store makeup and hair dryers.  Sometimes one sink with extra counter space is a better option. Even a vanity or make up area would be preferential to the second sink for some couples.

If you do have a bathroom that has enough space for a long vanity and two sinks there are many sink options available.  Vessel sinks continue to be popular as do undermounted sinks. Vessel sinks’ smaller footprint will allow more counter top to show around the sink. Vessel sinks may allow you the space to install two sinks on a smaller counter top space.  Wall mounted faucets can also save precious countertop space. Atypical shapes like these rectangular sinks are popular in contemporary and modern design.

Because double sink vanities are such large elements in a bathroom, coordinating the sink color and material with the counter and flooring helps give a polished looking design to the room. Matching the counter top with the stone or tile of the bathroom floor can unify these two design elements.

A wet zone puts the shower and tub in a single area in the bathroom, like the picture above.  This one has a glass enclosure that contains both the shower and tub. If the glass goes all the way to the ceiling, a sort of steam room is created.  The shower can be a step up from the rest of the bathroom or simple divided from the room with the glass partition; a tiled wall would also work to delineate the space. Continuing the same flooring, whether it be slate, tile, or marble, throughout the bathroom and wet zone helps unify the room. For the wet zone, a textured flooring surface will prevent slips when showering or getting out of the tub.

The remaining area of the bathroom can be dedicated to a large vanity with double sinks and storage. A water closet for the toilet keeps that separated as well. Containing the wet zone and steam is ideal for a master bathroom that opens onto the walk-in closet or dressing room.

Birch, ash, beech and maple are all naturally pale woods. These woods are favorites of Scandinavian design which favors lighter wood tones and colors.  Other woods like pine and oak can come in lighter shades or be stained with a white wash to make them as pale as possible. Light woods with tons of grey can recalled sun and salt water bleached driftwood, making them perfect for coastal style.

This picture illustrates how blonde woods can be used together to create an interesting and stylish design. The heavily figured wood on the chair backs adds pattern to the overall neutral space. Blond woods on table tops, the banquette, shelves and the room divider help unify the seating around. Pairing blond woods with pale neutrals creates an open and airy design.  Accents in darker wood tones or color can easily be added to such a neutral design. A few touches of black on the chair legs and table bases ground the overall pale palette.

The pitched ceiling in this bathroom makes us think it is probably a converted attic or other garretted space on the top of the home. A walk up attic is the perfect space to carve out a master bedroom with en suite bathroom in an older home. Small homes in the Cape Cod or Dutch gambrel style may also have sharply angled ceilings on the second floor, including in the bathroom.

Maximizing the height of the ceiling where it is most needed is key in an awkward space. Keeping the toilet and shower in the tallest part of the bathroom ensures you won’t bump your head. Splitting a double vanity into two separate vanities means they can be tucked under the roof line. A large rectangular mirror and simple wall sconce make the vanity nooks feel more spacious.

Light wood flooring and a skylight make the overall space in this bathroom feel larger. Natural light through windows and sky lights make the room feel more open as well.  Skylights are a great feature for second floor bathrooms, especially ones that do not have a window.

Wine connoisseurs who have the space will probably have wine cellars in their home with proper temperature control. If you don’t have space for a proper wine cellar, a wine refrigerator is probably your best choice. These small refrigerators can store both white and red wine at the perfect temperature. Wine refrigerators can be installed in a kitchen island or row of lower cabinets. These refrigerators can also be installed in a bar area or pantry if your do not have the room in the main kitchen. Adding a wine fridge definitely will give your kitchen an updated feel.

If you are a more casual wine drinker or want to display your bottles, a wine rack on the counter can serve your needs. Do not store wine or liquor above the refrigerator as the heat can destroy the wine. Better to create wall or counter storage as seen here.  Built-in wine storage is a nice feature in a kitchen and along with stainless steel appliances, stone counter tops and wood floors can give your kitchen the look of an update without a huge renovation or remodel or the cost that come with it.

Stainless steel appliances set the tone for all other metals in the kitchen. When your largest appliances like the fridge or stove are stainless steel, they demand that other metals in the kitchen coordinate with them.  Of course you could add other metallic finishes to the room like oiled bronze or brass, but using silvery finishes with stainless steel gives the room a more unified appearance.

Silvery chrome and nickel work well with stainless appliances and sinks.  Chrome and nickel come in a number of finishes including satin and polished.  The more shiny the finish, the more the metals will stand out and sparkle in the space.

Silvery metals also work with any number of cabinet and floor choices. Dark wood cabinets and floors get a pop of sparkle with silvery chrome or nickel pulls.  The silvery pulls are like sparkling jewelry against the wood, like a sparkling bangle or necklace is against a little black dress.

These metals also look great with glass front cabinets and marble counters veined with grey.  Using silver against grey and white is a sophisticated look for the kitchen. It is also a great look for a bathroom.

The warm neutral color of the wall above the sink has enough tint to counterbalance the cool grey of the marble tiles in the shower.  Continuing the same warm cream from the wall onto the counter creates a wide swath of warmth. Both the stone countertop and wall color are complemented by the warm wood of the vanity.

The lack of flourishes and clean lines actually puts more emphasis and color and materials in this bathroom.  Wood grain, wall color and the stone all stand out as key design elements. The marble of the shower or the warm wood of vanity could either be put on the floor for a cohesive overall design. Another choice would be to carry the countertop and wall color onto the floor.

Adding an orchid brings in a beautiful organic touch to the cool surfaces and straight lines of the room’s designs.  A single natural element like a plant or vase of flowers stands out in a sleek space.  The orchid adds a pop of color as well as visual interest. Wood accessories would also add organic, natural warmth to the cool stone that dominates this bathroom.

The warm neutral color of the wall above the sink has enough tint to counterbalance the cool grey of the marble tiles in the shower.  Continuing the same warm cream from the wall onto the counter creates a wide swath of warmth. Both the stone countertop and wall color are complemented by the warm wood of the vanity.

The lack of flourishes and clean lines actually puts more emphasis and color and materials in this bathroom.  Wood grain, wall color and the stone all stand out as key design elements. The marble of the shower or the warm wood of vanity could either be put on the floor for a cohesive overall design. Another choice would be to carry the countertop and wall color onto the floor.

Adding an orchid brings in a beautiful organic touch to the cool surfaces and straight lines of the room’s designs.  A single natural element like a plant or vase of flowers stands out in a sleek space.  The orchid adds a pop of color as well as visual interest. Wood accessories would also add organic, natural warmth to the cool stone that dominates this bathroom.