jinbosm's Profile

-Paint the walls white, the yellow seems to be "highlighting" the yellow not so nice undertones in the brown cabinets. Also, you have a few colors in there, the less the more uniformed and neat it looks. Since you can't do anything about the appliances and the countertops, at least the walls will match the appliances, and they will blend better.

-You change the knobs of the doors if you want, but I can go either way. It's less distracting if you leave them on. However, Ikea has some great inexpensive ones. I used some stainless steel looking knob ones since like you, I was on a tight budget.

Speaking of Ikea, they have some great organizational stuff to clear of clutter. The less you have on your counters and stovetop, the less the eye is drawn to "disorganized mess."
We are drawn naturally to similar sizes, similar colors, repetition in general which makes it seem more organized. I would replace the 2 things on the wall above the stove, with something a little more functional, like a spice or knife rack, in the same finish. Get a dish rack (Ikea has a great one), that hangs from the backsplash area, that will fold up when not in use. This will eliminate all the various colors and things from the countertop. Your countertop should be free of clutter.

If you want to get a bit creative, and your lease allows it, you can stencil small repeating patterns on your backsplash which you can always paint over when you move out. You can also get removable stickers, like blik.. http://www.whatisblik.com/ if you don't want to mess around with stencils.

hope it helps.

I love it. Would you recommend the builder that you used for your cabinets? Did he also do your bedroom closet? Is your closet door made of veneer? How much more are custom cabinets versus stock? I'm looking to redo my apt, and my architect is suggesting that I use custom for the bottom but stock for the top. Would you do that if you're on a tight budget? Or just do the whole thing custom? Sorry for all the questions, your apt really inspired me!

The Santoku knife would be my culinary choice to test. I own variety of both Henckels, and Wüsthofs, who have served me very well in a plethora of cuisines, everything from Peruvian, to Thai, to Greek. Devoted to my tools, I am curious as to how the new technology infused in this Wüsthof knife would dare to replace one of my own in the drawer. Since I create 95% of my dishes from scratch, and being a buyer for 8 years for companies such as Williams-Sonoma and Design Within Reach, I would love the privilege to take this knife to the mat, everyday for 2 weeks.