Kandrac & Kole Interior Designs, Inc.

How To Create The Bathroom Of Your Dreams

We learned SO much in Orlando this year at the National Kitchen and Bath Show – I’m still thinking about how to use what product where in our personal and professional projects. As chosen designers on the 2018 Modenus Blog Tour, we were lucky enough to get up close and personal with products you need to know about to create the bathroom of your dreams!

I personally have allergies from hell. I am constantly dealing with sinus infections and more mucus than a human should have to deal with. I’m sure that’s TMI, but if you AREN’T like me, you’ve probably had the flu or the worst cold of your life this winter.  How many times did I drag my kids when they were little with Croup into the bathroom and run the shower until the entire bathroom was a steam room? Would you die for a steam shower about now?  I WOULD. My skin is dry, my nose is dry – this has been one cold winter.

Introducing Mr. Steam.  The answer to all of my dreams in a bathroom. 

The next time you are facing a remodel or new construction – this is how simple it is – shower walls to the ceiling and a generator the size of a brief case built into the wall. 

I have such breathing issues (and stress issues) that I have turned to diffusing essential oils to help me relax at night. Of course Aromatherapy is just one of the many benefits of a Mr. Steam steam shower. SIGN ME UP.

The notion of WARM towels that small like LAVENDER just gets me giddy.

I urge you to visit the Mr. Steam website. The Virtual Spa guide is super helpful – just enter in your shower dimensions and the wall materials (both of which impact the size of the generator you will need) and then choose all the goodies like shower controls, aromatherapy, chromatherapy (adds the effects of colored lighting to your steam) and music therapy (surround yourself with the music of your choice).

Just a few benefits – ALL of which appeal to my life and I’m sure yours too. 

Hydrates drink skin

Naturally detoxes and removes impurities

Provides relief of symptoms of colds, flu, bronchitis, allergies, arthritis and more. 

Eases the pain of tired muscles and joints. 

Let’s say you are in the mood for a long hot bath instead of a steam shower.  No problem. Let’s look at DXV. If you are a fan of the new modern farmhouse movement, you will love the Oak Hill Collection. From the tub (notice the wood legs) to the potty to the vanity – I love it all!

Not to freak you out, but if you’ve never sat on a potty with a warm seat, you should really try it. The DXV Spalet has a warm seat, will clean you front and back, deodorize the bowl and more.  Don’t roll your eyes until you try it!

We are specifying a lot of freestanding tubs in our projects.  I loved this “3-sided” tub from the American Standard Townsend collection created to install against a wall and save space. 

If you are short like me, you will appreciate the new Spectra collection from American Standard. Change the functions on your shower with a touch of a button installed anywhere you want in the shower (i.e. easy to reach).  I love this!

The nicest part? You can just change out your current shower head to a new Spectra shower head without renovating your shower. By the way, the price is also right!

Last but not least, I have to leave you with some FUN.  Check out these Grohe Essence kitchen faucets.

There is SO much more to share.  We talked a lot about these products and more on our podcast “Inside Design with Kandrac & Kole”.   The show on KBIS airs Wednesday morning, February 7th on iTunes.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR NEW PODCAST.

Cheers,

Kelly

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Beth Webb: An Eye For Beauty

I have design books all over my house – literally STACKS! Not only are they gorgeous books that are great to stylize with, but they are constant reminders of the creative genius that surrounds me in an industry I’m so proud to be a part of. The most recent addition to my collection is Beth Webb’s “An Eye for Beauty”.

Throughout the pages of BETH WEBB: AN EYE FOR BEAUTY, Beth  leads us through twelve residences from Atlanta to Costa Rica and reveals how she has layered the house’s history and the homeowners’ past with the way they want to live now.

One of my favorite quotes that really resonates with me is this “…. my ideas for what a home, at its best, should be: spacious and light-filled; gracious and welcoming; functional to a fault but with the elegance of simplicity; expressive of personality but visually quiet, deeply calm, and rich in comfort. To this day, these are the qualities I believe make a house feel like a home.” 

Wouldn’t every home by special if they all had these qualities? Definitely ones I will keep in the forefront of my mind when designing upcoming projects. 

As Joann and I both plan trips to Italy with our families in the next 12 months and a trip together to Marrakech, Morocco, another point that Beth makes resonated with me again: 

“I believe one learns by looking. Our critical faculties and our aesthetic sensibilities are constantly informed by a barrage of visual stimulation. The most inspiring for me is travel; the more exotic, the better – think the Great Pyramids, the souks of Marrakech, the Greek isles. By taking me out of my comfort zone of home, travel brings the world into sharper focus. As a result, I see things differently. And as I subconsciously internalize these experiences, they become part of who I am as designer.” 

I have a quote on my bulletin board that I have lived by for years that says, “You are only as good as what you’ve been exposed to.” I firmly believe in this especially as a designer who constantly needs to be inspired.

I’ve shared just a few of the inspiring photos that Beth includes within the 255 pages of An Eye for Beauty. Her book is published by Rizolli and available on Amazon.

For more about Beth, visit her website. 
ENJOY!
Kelly 

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How To Add Interest to your Home

I’m continually shocked when I walk into a clients home and instantly feel a void. Where are the stories, the history, the collectibles, the memories displayed that layer warmth and personality into the home?  This is something that Joann and I take very seriously when designing homes for our clients – we may be purchasing new things but we are constantly trying to infuse the spaces with items that have a meaning – whether it be a color or a texture that brings back a memory, an heirloom that has been reupholstered or painted, a silver collection brought out of the attic and put on display or a family gallery carefully hung with old and new photos.

When I look around my home, there are so many pieces of art, furniture and knick knacks that bring to mind an interesting story or place of origin. Many of them came from places like Scott’s Antique Market that I visited this past Thursday.

These are the kinds of things that add interest to a home (they might not be your style but you get the gist). 

For example, I bought this organic teak sculpture to put succulents in (or probably a tall orchid) to use as a centerpiece.  However, it could go on a fireplace hearth as decoration or on a big kitchen island holding fruit. 

We recently had a client ask us if all the area rugs in her open floorpan should match – the answer – absolutely NOT! Actually nothing should ever MATCH (ok I do love a pair of matching lamps) just coordinate well together. 

I’m a big fan of turkish and indian rugs.  They last forever and go with any style from traditional to contemporary.  

These small ones are perfect for powder rooms and single door entries.

Hide rugs are great for layering (on top of a sisal rug), super durable (hose them down if you need to) and so pretty in neutral colors. These are from a company called The Wild Goose. (P.S. No these do NOT make your home look like the wild wild west or a country cabin.) 

Pillows, pillows and more pillows – QUALITY pillows with QUALITY down forms (note: the insert should be one size larger than the pillow case) – makes a huge difference in your home all day long.  I love the velvet and linen mix in this pillows – texture is king.

COLOR!! Color makes the world go round. 

I use these African beads all the time – layered on books, in a bowl, around a candle. 

These are handmade in Vietnam and sold by a vendor at Scott’s that sells fair trade handmade goods – Alan Vogt with Manos de Sur. I think these would be so cute hung over a crib or on a curtain rod layered with panels.

If you live in the Atlanta area, Scott’s Antique Market is open the 2nd weekend of every month.  No matter if it’s an Arts in the Park festival, a Country Fair or a local Antique or Flea market – take a wander – you never know what interesting things you can find for your home. 

Kelly 

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Before and After Home Transformations

The “Big Reveal” is why we do what we do at Kandrac & Kole Interior Designs. To transform houses into homes, to bring alive memories and stories, to build a design that perfectly reflects our clients lifestyle, personalities and dreams. It is our policy to install our projects all at once (NEVER piece meal) and the clients cannot be home (or at least anywhere in the vicinity).  Thus the “Big Reveal” is always AWESOME!!!

We have SO MANY unbelievable “Before and After” photos and then I forget to share them!  So here are just a few… 

First up is a home here in Atlanta in a Buckhead neighborhood.  Home to two very busy doctors and two very busy little girls, we had a lot to accomplish.  We started with the first floor.  We are now working on the rest of the house so stay tuned…

Here is the BEFORE  of the family room. 

Here’s the AFTER of the same room: 

All Photography for this project by Lauren Rubinstein.  

Here is the BEFORE of the library:

Here is the AFTER (hee hee I laugh thinking about you reading this and gasping when you see the transformation).

BEFORE of the Dining Room:

AFTER (it’s a beauty huh?)

Next up is a Chicago condo we designed last year on Michigan Avenue. This was the second home for one of our favorite Atlanta clients that we’ve worked with for years. It was an empty slate and boy did we have fun!

The Family Room on our FIRST visit:

The Family Room on our SECOND visit (yes we did not go back until it was install day. That my friends, is called good measuring and space planning:0)

We rendered the design first:

Then brought it to life exactly as planned: 

All professional photography in this project by Werner Straub.

The Sunroom before:

The Sunroom rendered:

The Big Reveal:

The Master Bedroom before:

Rendered:

VOILA!

I love this next one because we see SO many Atlanta family rooms that look like this. Our client had waited a long time to redecorate her house and she was ready to GO FOR IT!  The new built-ins and painting the paneling and wood trim was a big step in the right direction. 

Yes this is actually the same house:) 

It’s fun to give new life to old possessions as we did in the living room of the same house by refinishing and reupholstering family heirlooms while adding updated lighting and custom window treatments. 

The other thing we see a lot is clients purchasing large homes with no possessions to fill them. DARN!

Like this bedroom for example:

TA DA! 

All photography in this project by Emily Followill. 

The Family Room was so sad…

Until we got our hands on it:) 

Styling bookcases is always a struggle for people but we LOVE it.

Some of the most exciting Before and Afters come when we do renovations in kitchens and bathrooms.  Like this one in Vinings (Marietta, GA):

Bye Bye upper cabinets…. Hello Stikwood…

Photography of this project by Emily Followill.

So exciting!

Here’s the adjoining room BEFORE:

On Reveal Day….

Well that was fun.  Joann and I are on a flight to Las Vegas for the Furniture Market as I write this and our flight is about to land so that’s all I can show you for now. There’s a lot more of these fun Before and Afters in the library so I’ll be sure to follow up with another one.

Cheers,

Kelly

How to Mix Traditional and Contemporary in Design

I realized recently when working with a client with a traditional sense of style in a 1910 era farmhouse that unless you are exposed to a variety of design aesthetics on a regular basis, you might not be comfortable with (or know how to) mix styles.  In these cases, I think the only way to set our clients minds at ease is to share visuals on how we are able to mix traditional and contemporary design (as these seem to be the two aesthetics that we mix the most). 

When my husband and I downsized into a new house in Woodstock, GA, I consolidated many of my antiques and more traditional pieces into my guest bedroom and master bedroom.  However, not without adding in some contemporary artwork throughout which was the easiest way for me to infuse some fresh vibes. I was so happy to find this original abstract art by Sally Powell Boyd from Gregg Irby Gallery or my guest bedroom. I also added the Stanton carpet  (cut to the perfect size) in a cheetah print for a little zush – animal prints will never go out of style and work in any design aesthetic.

Photography of Kole house by Emily Followill 

Speaking of classic animal prints, I purchased these gorgeous cained chairs at Scott Antique Market for $75 for the pair and then promptly reupholstered them is some pricey Cowtan & Tout fabric (I had no choice – I was obsessed).  I then paired then with my commissioned piece of art from Dallas artist Kelley O’Neil.  A great mix if you ask me!

Another way to integrate different styles and type periods is to reupholster vintage pieces with current fabrics. In my guest bedroom, I found this petite rocker for $75, recovered it in an updated houndstooth fabric with contrast welt and then jazzed it up with a blush color mohair pillow from West Elm. The sideboard on the right was also an antique find that I had painted and updated with new hardware.  The brass and hand blown purple lamps I bought for $60 for the pair at a little vintage store in N. Georgia.  I updated them with gorgeous silk shades with clean lines for a new look.

One of my favorite ways to combine traditional and contemporary is with paint (high gloss lacquer is my favorite) and wallpaper (if you don’t have wallpaper in your house, contact us immediately so we can help you!).  I’m completely in love with this design by Bachman Brown Design that was featured in House Beautiful.

Arkansas designer Tobi Fairley did a fantastic job of using traditional pieces like the blue and white  china and the toile fabric on the banquette with a unique mix of colors, lacquered chairs and a stunning chandelier  to give this dining space a contemporary push.

Here is another space by designer Tobi Fairley that mixes traditional furniture pieces, fabrics and art with an unexpected color palette, a geometric rug and a WOW chandelier. Doesn’t this visual help to see that mixing design aesthetics is a VERY good thing? 

One last visual of the “new traditional” as many refer to it.  I took this photo at the most recent Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Designer Showhouse. This family room by designer Phoebe Howard stopped me in my tracks. It’s traditional it is overall aesthetic but the fresh colors, symmetry and clean lines give it a fresh appeal.

So many of our clients say things to us like “Oh that old thing… that was just my great grandmothers…  you don’t have to use that…”  Ummm excuse me but yes we do! We can paint it, reupholster it, lacquer it, restain it – whatever it takes to breath fresh life into it and then mix it with something unexpected like a fabulous piece of abstract or modern art.  

Fun right? 

Kelly