KHS-designed custom bathroom vanity

Take a look at a recently installed custom bathroom vanity designed by KHS. (Yes, in addition to architectural services, KHS offers interior- and furniture-design services.) This new vanity replaces a tiny vanity in the master bath of this antique home. The homeowner requested additional counter surface and cabinet storage in a design that would complement the traditional interior, which also includes a claw-foot tub. The resulting KHS custom design is meant to be elegant and furniture-like to suit this stately residence. The countertop is Carrara marble; the mirror, faucet, and sconces are from Pottery Barn; knobs are from Adler’s Design Center and Hardware.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’re interested in getting the “KHS look” for your home, too.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Get the KHS Look: Design featuring C2 Paint "Magnet" color

If you’re a frequent House Enthusiast reader, then you’ve heard me sing the praises of C2 Paint before. Their “Magnet” color is one of my favorites. Depending where and how you use it, it can be deep and striking, liquid and soft, or stony and subtle. On the fireplace surround above at the KHS Harvard Shaker House renovation/addition, it tends toward the deep and striking, boldly contrasting the putty grey (C2 “Pavement”) floor.

“Magnet” on the floor of the KHS Shaker House renovation/addition

Elsewhere, in the same KHS project, C2 “Magnet” makes an appearance as a floor paint. Here, it comes across as more liquid and soft, especially where it juxtaposes the C2 “Sheer” cabinetry and trim. Using a limited palette of colors — sometimes in different applications — can help rooms of a smaller home flow one into the other to create an overall more spacious effect (as I mention in The New Small House and The New Cottage).

At our own cottage, C2 “Magnet” on the screen door and Dutch door (which I had modified from an existing stored door) takes on yet another tone. It has more of a stony subtle flavor in an exterior application. I wrote about this Dutch door in an earlier House Enthusiast post.

As with any paint color you’re considering, you’ll want to look at a sample of it in different qualities of light and in different orientations (vertical or horizontal) to get an idea of how it will look in relation to the other surfaces where you plan to feature it. Fortunately, C2 offers poster-board-size samples to help you make a decision.

Now, go forth with color confidence. You’ll be glad you did.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Cottage kitchens from The New Cottage in The Vine from the Vineyard Gazette

Pick up a copy of The Vine from The Vineyard Gazette for a story I wrote about three cottage kitchens found in my latest book The New Cottage from The Taunton Press. Better yet, pick up a copy of the book ;-) Available at Bunch of Grapes on Martha’s Vineyard, a local bookstore near you, and online.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Get the KHS Look: Design featuring Oliveira Textiles of Bristol, RI

As an architect and designer, I’m often asked to identify the various products and resources that appear in my projects. So today I’m creating a new category expressly to share the many great finds — along with the people behind them — that currently appear on my portfolio pages, as well as those that I hope may appear in the future. Going forward, keep your eye on this House Enthusiast new category that I’m calling “Get the KHS Look.”

For the inaugural post, I’m featuring Oliveira Textiles, led by fellow Rhode Island designer Dawn Oilveira. These photos are all from the KHS Wenham Ranch renovation/addition project in Wenham, Mass. Since the homeowners are avid sailors who love the sea, the whimsical sea creatures and scenes featured in Oliveira’s “Ocean Collection” sustainable fabrics were a great fit for the newly renovated KHS contemporary, airy, and fresh home.

The new window seat borders the open living area on one side and a group of new ganged Marvin windows, looking onto peaceful conservation land beyond, on the other side. The custom cushion (with cording of the same fabric) and the pillows also feature the “Spiral Tide” pattern in the same green custom colors.

The kitchen island, constructed of a combination of IKEA cabinetry and custom cabinetry, sports a Photo-Tex 100% poly peel-and-stick panel of a jellyfish found in Oliveira Textiles’ “Planktivore” pattern. The jellyfish adorns what would otherwise be the blank side of a custom built-in bookcase. Here, again, we’re using the same custom green colors.

The pillows in front of the linear gas fireplace are not far from the dining alcove and pick up on the same grey “Ripple Effect” pattern that’s on the valence there. The grey works well with the stainless fireplace surround, so we chose a similar gray for the hemp/organic cotton fabric on the reupholstered ottoman.

One of the joys of offering integrated architecture and design services is working with other allied professionals, like Oliveira Textiles, to realize architecture and interiors that are in sync.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast