susan's Profile

I LOVE an open floorplan. We just moved from a very big open floorplan to a smaller version. In our new home, the kitchen looks over the family room by virtue of a taller than typical half wall with a granite overhang, same stone as the countertops.

Nice enough, but in the context of the "great room" (the kitchen and family room combined) the kitchen yells KITCHEN!

When we renovate, I will remove this higher than half wall among other things like upper cabinets and instead use freestanding functional kitchen furniture pieces as work stations rather than continuous cabinetry. This way the room will look even larger, I predict. I'm a kitchen designer but I don't necessarily want my kitchen to be within a great room/open floorplan but stand apart visually. I want it all to work/blend together. Transitioning from one area to the next is very important in open floorplans.

Oh, sorry I didn't get back till now. No, I'm not in that picture, but that is my husband and kids on the left side!

What a nice memory for you. Those moments are so precious.

Hate it. My goal is to design my kitchen with a big furniture like island that transitions to a family room, which happens to be a few feet away. At this stage (kids grown) there is less likely to be a constant mess, so it could fit my lifestyle well (sort of like that very open loft look is what I'll be going toward) when I redo the kitchen.

I prefer a transitional kitchen that fits well with surrounding open rooms, not one that is so utilitarian.

You got it....let me find some images, just got back here. I'll add them today or tomorrow, my pleasure!

I usually have several heads of garlic hanging around and I keep them in a bowl nearby, in a very decorative bowl that I love. The onions do go into a good looking wire basket in the corner, nothing very innovative there, just pure function (except for the onion skins...)

Slate...from the northeast only, and unfading green is one of the best. No need to ever seal it, it's denser than granite, it does not stain. It's a beautiful matte finish and has this wonderful, organic, look. I've used it for my clients numerous times and they all love it, never a problem. I also love wood countertops, but not for ease of maintenance!

Oh, I don't think so...what was 80s was all the red oak floors that got pickled and turned to pink! If it's whitewashed with paint, that's totally different (to me, anyway.)

I'm really glad you guys like it...I haven't been able to get it out of my mind either since August. The walnut is gorgeous, the teak, with a soap finish I saw last week was very, sort of beachy and very consistent, you'd never recognize it as teak. I sure didn't. It's just this natural finish that's so beautiful, on any wood.

Come see us at ICFF in May! Say hello to Knud and his whole team, they're all coming to New York. We'll be in the Danish section. They'd all love to chat, answer questions, explain the concepts behind the design, etc. A very friendly bunch of people.

I walked into Hansen's Copenhagen showroom in August, and I was so moved by Knud's beautiful, yet simple, design that I immediately resolved to bring these pieces to the U.S. one way or another. So I am thrilled the response is so positive!

I've worked with kitchens, professionally, for over 20 years, and I have not seen anything like it in the kitchen and bath marketplace. It's made of solid wood, completely eco-friendly, including adhesives and finishes--which is quite impressive!

About the pricing, I'm currently working on that, and while it will be considered high-end, it won't be over the top. Hansen is a small factory, with smaller costs than larger factories.

What you could do is pick out a great wallpaper just for the backsplash and put plate glass on top of it. This is becoming a wide spread trend, at least in Denmark, where I looked at lots of kitchen showrooms in the late summer. Looks very modern, and it's usually seen with nuts/bolts to secure it to the wall in certain areas. You could also faux paint behind it, a slightly deeper shade than the surrounding walls, also with the glass on top. I'm familiar with your granite, it's really nice!

I lived with a warm toned mirrored backsplash for about 10 years. I loved it and didn't need to clean it every day, more like once every two weeks or more, and it takes all of 2 minutes. Easy enough.