Apartment Therapy Kitchen

A friend of mine, who happens to be an architect and blogger (you might want to check out some of her great recipes!), came across a kitchen on the Apartment Therapy website and said....'Hey, this work looks familiar'.  Well, it turned out it was! Mowery Marsh Architect designed the kitchen which received many envious comments!  When she emailed me, I realized I should spread the word so you could all see it too


Here's the back-story...  my sister-in-law, Karen Marsh, owns the store Mackeyblue here in Hoboken.   Her quaint little shop on 12th Street has become a local favorite for authentic vintage finds.  It's an eclectic mix... from big ben clocks to classic suitcases to old-school typewriters to retro chairs... the list goes on and on. You never quite know what you'll happen upon, as her slogan states... "What might you find today!?"   We found this great mirror that was perfect for our own bathroom...


One day a writer for Apartment Therapy stopped by her store and loved all the great finds.  They got to talking and when the woman found out that Karen redid her own house, she asked to do a house tour for the Apartment Therapy website.  There's a slideshow of the whole house.

Brian had a hand in lots of the repairs throughout the house, such as the new Marvin windows he installed in the bedroom...yes, he does windows!


I remember working with Karen to find the right blue for these walls.  We decided on Benjamin Moore's Covington Blue...  I think we got it just right... it ties together all her blue greens and feels quite homey. 

Here are some more pictures of the kitchen from my website...








I find it interesting how different the mood is in these photos compared to the AT house tour... the color rendition is quite different with the lights turned off.   Something to remember when you're taking photos...turn on all those lights!

Let me point out some design items from this kitchen that you might want to consider should you renovate your own...
  • Areas of open shelving break up monotonous upper cabinetry. And beautiful everyday items like glassware are readily accessible.
  • Cabinets to the ceiling integrate the kitchen to the architecture... it feels like they've always been there.
  • The legs on the base cabinets give them the look of furniture and the black toe kick makes the floor appear continuous under the cabinets.
  • The high wainscoting in the dining area enhances the height of the space while creating a cozy eating nook.
We all know the kitchen is the heart of the home and the current design trend is to open up this space to other living areas.  It makes sense to me... what host or hostess wants to be holed up in the kitchen while everyone else is having a good old time socializing?!  So if we're opening it up... then it better look good!  And in my mind not feel too 'kitcheny'.   I think Karen's space fits the bill.

What do you prefer... a kitchen that is closed off so you don't see the mess... or a kitchen that is open and invites everyone in?

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