• Finishing touches

    Undercounter retro fridge

    by  • April 3, 2013 • Appliances, Eco, Favourite things, Finishing touches, Shopping • 1 Comment

    Retro-look appliances have been making a resurgence lately – KitchenAid, Gorenje and Smeg all have gorgeous new offerings and deVOL has an entire range of cabinetry – but if you have a dinky kitchen, you might not have room for one of the tall fridges.

    Enter Husky and its fab undercounter fridge:

    Retro fridge in Black, £449

    At just 84cm high and a width and depth of 55cm, it’s sure to fit snugly into even the smallest scheme for a 1950s look with plenty of modern technology concealed within.

    This mini retro fridge can go anywhere!

    Inside, it boasts a generous 108-litre capacity, A+ energy rating and a wine rack. Soon to be available in other colours, find it at John Lewis.

    Love this? Find more appliance guides on on the Beautiful Kitchens homepage. You can also join in the fun on our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter.

    Rachel

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    Kitchen-diner tables

    by  • April 1, 2013 • Finishing touches, Kitchen furniture • 0 Comments

    The last time all my family came round for lunch, we had to bring in the garden table and tag it onto the end of the kitchen table so everyone could sit down. With Easter looming and another family gathering planned, I think it might be time I invested in a new kitchen table.

    I’m rather taken with the Magic Table. It can be adjusted to any height, so you can use it as a coffee table in your sitting room and just extend it to its full size when needed. Clever, eh?

     

    The Magic table and four chairs, in Ruby Red

    The compact design of the Union White dining table, with its four nestling chairs, would also make a nice addition to my kitchen.

     

    I like the look of Nordic Style‘s Round Oak Top Table (and I’m also rather taken with the Open Top Dresser. Plenty of room on that for my large collection of colourful crockery).

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    New! Red kitchen appliances

    by  • March 31, 2013 • Appliances, Favourite things, Finishing touches, Shopping, Small appliances • 1 Comment

    Chic neutrals aside, red is definitely a colour for the kitchen. In terms of primal association, it’s also the colour of good quality meat, so it’s no coincidence we like it in this room so much.

    If you’d like to choose it as an accent colour for your scheme, there are lots of gorgeous options – here are just a couple of the newest ones that have caught my eye.

    Britannia have just revamped their collection of range cookers and I can’t help but have a massive kitchen crush on its new Delphi cooker in Gloss Red.

    A study in scarlet… the Delphi 100cm range cooker, from £2,799

    You can see the new models soon at John Lewis. If red doesn’t tick your boxes, they also have some stunning matt finishes as well as more classic designs – Fleet and Wyre – and the professional-looking Q Line.

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    How to store coffee pods

    by  • March 20, 2013 • Appliances, Favourite things, Finishing touches, Kitchen trends, Shopping • 1 Comment

    The age of the capsule coffee machine is a wonderous thing but a common problem is how to store those tricky little pods.

    Bleary-eyed folk in the morning need a simple solution and if you’re revamping your kitchen, it’s wise to work one into the design.

    A drawer is a smart idea – this bespoke pull-out in a Mark Wilkinson Furniture Newlyn kitchen has individual slots for minimum fuss.

    Organised coffee pods underneath a built-in machine – genius!

    In a similar vein, these carved bespoke drawers from Tom Howley feature the names of the coffee pods!

    Carved wooden drawers from Tom Howley

    There are plenty of freestanding racks on the market but a bespoke solution is often more elegant. This one from Kaizen Furniture is crafted from rich black walnut.

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    New blue and white crockery

    by  • March 18, 2013 • Accessories, Favourite things, Finishing touches, Kitchens, New designs, Shopping • 0 Comments

    I know I’ve said it before and now I’m going to say it again – I love blue and white china and now spring has sprung there are some lovely, fresh, new designs around. Here are some of my favourites.

    The Cirro collection from the LSA immediately caught my eye. Team the blue and white porcelain, with its hand-applied pattern, with blue and white glassware and table linen. Perfect for summer dining.

     

     

    We always get excited when we hear Le Creuset are bringing out a new colour and their latest colour, Marseille, doesn’t disappoint. Here’s the Cast Iron Shallow Casserole and Stoneware Petite Casserole…

     

    and here’s the Cast Iron Square Grillit and Stoneware Pie Dish

     

    We’ve mentioned Jersey Pottery’s Sardine Run ceramics, from Liberty, before – Ysanne’s a bit of a fan. The bold, contemporary design makes this collection of tableware perfect for both casual and formal dining.

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    Best new online shops

    by  • March 17, 2013 • Accessories, Favourite things, Finishing touches, Kitchen makeovers, Shopping • 0 Comments

    Kitchen in need of a revamp? I’m a firm believer in a little retail therapy in the form of accessories.

    This week, clearly just in the name of research, I have been scouring the internet for the best new online shops that offer quirky kitchenalia.

    Fans of real stars and stripes Americana, get ready to bookmark Lexington – a treasure trove of flag-tastic tableware. I love these Country Placemats, which declare that ‘Happines is Home Made’.

    Country Placemats from Lexington, £20 each

    Also check out their Mini Cups – United States of Adorable!

    If you have more modern tastes, take a browse around Forever Contemporary, a sleek boutique with lots of interesting products from independent designers. Not that I open many bottles but I do have a soft spot for this cute character – the Undergrowth Bottle Opener. It’d look just right standing on my open shelving.

    Undergrowth Bottle Opener by Vitamin, £16

    There’s also brightly patterned mugs, crockery and lighting galore to spice up your scheme.

    Lastly, The Wise House is also all about originality – and one of my favourite features is that whatever you buy arrives wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string.

    Why not try these funky coloured storage tins?

    French Kitchen Storage Tins, three for £37.50

    Love this? Find more kitchen inspiration on the Beautiful Kitchens homepage. You can also join in the fun on our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter.

    Rachel

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    New! Orla Kiely’s Pure radio

    by  • March 13, 2013 • Accessories, Favourite things, Finishing touches, Small appliances • 0 Comments

    As I stand on the verge of starting my own kitchen project, one thing I know, is that there will always be room on my worktop for a radio.

    Previously boxy silver or black things, the latest radios are more design-led than ever, in pretty patterned guises that I just love.

    The latest from Pure is its Evoke Mio Striped Petal edition by the renowned Orla Kiely and it’s the third one the designer has created for the company in her retro florals.

    The new Orla Kiely radio is inspired by buttercups

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    Add colour to your kitchen

    by  • March 11, 2013 • Accessories, Favourite things, Finishing touches, Kitchens • 0 Comments

    We all need cheering up after the last few months of gloomy, cold weather and I think colour in the kitchen is the way to go.

    Eco Happy is a new range of colourful wallpapers. Hopefully, the name alone has made you smile, if not the range of bold, colourful, floral and graphic patterns, in vibrant shades, will do the trick.

    Eco Happy Wallpaper, 3866

     

    Now, I’m not suggesting you’d want it on every wall. But it would make an impressive feature wall. Here’s a close up of another of their vibrant designs:

     

    Eco Happy Wallpaper, 3850

    Wabi Sabi, from Scion is an equally striking and eclectic collection of prints, weaves and wallcoverings, guaranteed to brighten up the darkest kitchen.

     

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    It’s (nearly) Mother’s Day

    by  • March 4, 2013 • Favourite things, Finishing touches, Kitchens, New designs, Shopping • 0 Comments

    As you are no doubt aware, it’s Mother’s Day on March 10th. Now, I’m sure, like me (ahem) you’ve already invited your mum to lunch and have bought her the perfect present. But if you haven’t, don’t panic, there are still seven days to go and we have some lovely ideas for you, which are sure to keep you in her good books.

    Put a touch of cottage chic into her kitchen, with the Helmsley Kitchen Range, from Laura Ashley. The stoneware range includes a pretty jug, a set of three herb pots and a utensil holder, all with embossed detailing.

     

     

    Enjoy afternoon tea together, with Sophie Allport‘s new fine bone china range, ‘Rose’. It includes jugs, mugs, tea cups, espresso cups, plates and a teapot. The pretty cotton fabric can be bought by the metre and is also available in a whole range of accessories, including napkins and a tea cosy. You can even buy your mum a nice, new ironing board cover…

     

    Don’t worry if you couldn’t be bothered to bake a cake, let the aroma of lemon drizzle cake waft out of the kitchen, as you unwrap your shop bought offering, thanks to these Fragranced Kitchen Candles, from Cox & Cox. Choose from Lemon Drizzle Cake, Victoria Sponge and Apple Crumble. Delicious!

    Or what about these graceful pouring bowls, from Pablo Blue? They have tactile dimples instead of a handle and can be used as a bowl or a jug. Gorgeous and practical. I’m tempted to keep them for myself.

     

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    Kitchen chalkboards

    by  • February 25, 2013 • Favourite things, Finishing touches, Shopping • 0 Comments

    I like the idea of having a chalkboard in my kitchen, so instead of scrabbling around, writing shopping lists on the back of envelopes, I’d have a writing surface, permanently to hand.

    I haven’t enough space for a giant chalkboard wall, like this, which has been created by painting the wall in blackboard paint…

     

    Or one like this. Perfect for shopping lists and toddler scribbles.

     

    But this large chalkboard in a simple frame, looks just as good and would be very useful. It fits in well in this traditional country kitchen diner, too.

     

    Or I could get super organised and create a corner in my kitchen for a noticeboard and mini chalkboard wall.

     

    Once I started looking around, I found plenty of lovely chalkboards. In fact, I was spoilt for choice. Here are a few of my favourites.

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