interior gray doors

Sometimes I will see a picture and it will just click - I should paint all of our upstairs doors gray! Then, I look for reference images to convince Jeff of my genius plan...

from top left - via BHG - via M Street Style - design by SR Gambrel - source unknown - design by SR Grambel - kitchen by Chalon via The Paper Mulberry - design by SR Gambrel

flower feature: autumn joy sedums

The thing I love most about Autumn Joy 'Sedums' is how much they change and evolve throughout the seasons. In the spring, they just look like a large succulent before turning into a sort of giant broccoli. Green blooms begin to form in early summer and by late summer they have turned pink. Through fall, the pink blooms turn to a rusty red and tend to stick around longer than most flowers before turning into dried seed heads in the winter. 

This perennial is super low maintenance and grows in hardiness zones 4-11. They need partial to full sun and grow about 18 - 24 inches tall. 

from top left - autumn joy sedums in spring via Stephi Gardens - via Monrovia - via Wikimedia - via Ledge & Garden - via Fine Gardening - via BHG

ikea kitchens

IKEA is coming to Saint Louis this fall and I am pretty pumped. I make it a point to shop at the mega store while in Chicago or back in Detroit but to have one just 15 minutes away is sort of a game changer. In particular, I am excited about exploring IKEA's bath and kitchen products. Without a local store, its pretty difficult (although not impossible) to do an IKEA kitchen. As such, I had never really looked into how it worked or what they offered. Like all kitchens or spaces that require customization, a good amount of planning is required. And seeing that I am a researcher by nature, consider this post phase 1 of investigation - the look around. 

Beginning with cabinets, I am most curious about the Hittarp series.

Its old fashioned for sure but I think mixed with some simple and more modern elements, it would look amazing. The Bodbyn is a more traditional style although the fact that it comes in gray makes it more interesting.

The Laxarby is a classic shaker which you can never go wrong with. I like the idea of this style in black.

I have always heard really good things about the construction of the IKEA cabinet boxes. And while my first choice would be to do door and drawer fronts from Semi-Handmade (see this post), I think you could make their stocked fronts look great as well. Check out this beautiful Ikea + Semi-Handmade kitchen of Sarah Sherman Samuel. 

via Smitten Studio

IKEA's countertop options are not readily available for online viewing but judging by the pictures it looks like they have some good options. Although countertops would most likely be an area where I would splurge and opt for a granite, soapstone, marble or quartzite.  

In perusing, I was perhaps most pleasantly surprised to find that Ikea has some great and super inexpensive faucets and sinks. 

I am thinking one of these could work really well in our new mud room.

The key to an Ikea kitchen is to mix it with other elements. If everything is from IKEA, your space no matter how well organized and designed, will look like its from the IKEA catalogue. Below are some impressive IKEA based kitchens that really do a good job with mixing.

via IKEA Share Space design by Veronica Martin Design Studio

For me, this contemporary kitchen is set apart because of the mix of the wood doors with the sleek white. That, and of course, the beautiful slab marble backsplash...

This kitchen is riding pretty close to the all IKEA look but still super impressive (via Elements of Style).

via Elements of Style home of Acre Creative

The above white kitchen does a nice job of blending the old and the new - the IKEA and non IKEA. 

via REMODELISTA 

Saving the best for last, I love the mix in this kitchen. The stainless steel IKEA cabinetry looks super high end with the brass bin pulls. And paired with all the other unexpected elements, you would never know this is an IKEA kitchen.