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Image via House and Garden UK

Inevitably there comes a time on every project where I have the discussion with a client regarding glass front cabinets. Everyone loves the way they look, but few want to deal with the worries regarding mismatched dishes, unsightly cereal boxes, etc.  Even though all the kitchen tear sheets they’ve shown  me show perfectly organized, spotless kitchens with glass front cabinets with perfectly arranged white dishes gleaming from behind the transparent doors – they inevitably get spooked when faced with day to day reality of their lives. That they’re lives are sometimes messy, mismatched, and that they frankly don’t want to have to worry about being perfect put together. I cannot blame them – who does! I typically listen and let the client express all their fears and then I jump in and begin my passionate discourse on the subject.

It goes something like this:

• All the magazines are meant to show fantasy, not reality. Don’t feel like you have to keep up with that expectation of perfection. No-one’s house really looks like that all the time
• You can’t have the look without making the choices. If you want the look of glass front cabinets, you have to take the risk and do them. If you do all solid front cabinets your kitchen will look completely different than all those pictures you fell in love with
• Glass fronts add depth, texture, and space to a kitchen, especially small kitchens
• Kitchen stuff, food, dishes, bottles, etc. – the accessories in a kitchen that make it look lived-in and give it a soul. Don’t worry about having all that stuff exposed
• If you’re still not convinced, there are a few tricks. Rather than clear glass opt for reeded or textured. If that still doesn’t hide enough, go with frosted or white laminated glass (the latter is completely opaque but still bounced light)

Image via Renovation Style

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Image via Traditional Home

Image via Cote de Sud Ouest

Image via the sadly shuttered Cottage Living

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a tile nut. I just love tile, all kinds, but I especially love dramatic, patterned, tile with a patina that makes it look vintage, antique, exotic, whatever. In my younger days, I took to thrift stores in order to find fun, funky clothes (to my mother’s dismay).  I would show up at Thanksgiving in some 70’s shirt with a swanky pattern that would make her roll her eyes and say: “I swear I threw that out once, why can’t you buy anything that someone hasn’t already owned”. My mom loves anything new (though she’s coming around), and I love anything with history, the more patina the better. The tiles in this post represent some of my favorites over the years. Whether they’re mid-century modern, middle-eastern, or look like they could be in a French country farmhouse, they all speak to me. I’m so lucky to do what I do for a living that I don’t have to pick just one!

Image via Cote de Sud Ouest

This wonderful tile could easily be used on a mudroom floor or a backsplash.

Image via Apartment Therapy

Love this graphic black a white tile. The pattern is a little large for a backsplash, but scaled down something similar would be terrific.

Image via Apartment Therapy

Not sure if this is the same tile as shown above (doubt it, since the picture was credited as being in Barcelona), but this tile I shot at the Ann Sacks showroom.

Image via Apartment Therapy

We love the classic black and white kitchen with white subway tile, and it appears our customers do too since the Petworth bag is our top selling bag! These are great examples, and the important thing to notice is that even though the palette of materials is the same, you can still make  10 different kitchens with the same materials look completely unique from one another.

Image via Kitchen and Bath Ideas Magazine

Image via Kitchen and Bath Ideas

Talk about vintage charm. The Southport bag is a customer favorite, look at this palette for your kitchen remodel today.

Inspiration room for the La Colle Bag.

Image via Cote Ouest Magazine

We just love the fearless use of color in this middle eastern style room – not sure if it’s a restaurant or someone’s home, but who cares! It works either way.

Inspiration room for the Bleeker Bag from the Classic collection.

Image via Traditional Home

Inspiration room for the harewood row bag.

Image via Country Living

Though this room doesn’t look exactly like our Harewood Row bag, the feel is what inspired us. The dusty gray-blue finish on the island and muted white cabinets. Simple and textured at the same time.

Congrats to this week’s final winner of our giveaway for lucky Better Homes and Gardens readers! Tasha Tottleben Roe will receive the Franklin Bag. Thanks to everyone who entered and stay tuned on Facebook, Twitter, and our blog for more giveaways coming soon!

Image via The New Yorker