Design for a Beautiful Life » Organizing

Ina Garten’s Kitchen of the Year

Joyce — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:28:29 +0000

I’ve been a fan of Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa for a long time and have all of her cookbooks. She’s shown me and others how to entertain easily and serve simple food that bursts with flavor. Now her latest kitchen in East Hampton has been replicated by designer, Robert Stilin for House Beautiful’s Kitchen of the Year 2009.

Even though this kitchen is neutral in tone and maybe doesn’t stand out at first (at least to me), it has all the features that are Ina’s hallmark designs for good, efficient cooking. Be sure to take a look at the images from the House Beautiful website. Then see the video tour with Editor in Chief Stephen Drucker of House Beautiful where Ina explains the great features of this kitchen.

I especially like the videos that showcase Ina herself with Stephen Drucker talking casually about her philosophy of the important components of what makes great kitchen design. See the one about her tips for organizing a kitchen. She divulges her most used kitchen tools in this one. And don’t miss the one about her favorite colors of the kitchen.

Let me know if you’d like more features like this and what your favorite parts of this kitchen are!

Technorati Tags: Ina Garten,House Beautiful,Kitchen of the Year 2009,Barefoot Contessa,efficient kitchens,kitchen trends,kitchen tools,kitchen design

Making Sense of Your Kitchen

Joyce — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:07:09 +0000

When you look at your kitchen, is it the organized and dream place to cook that you’ve always wanted? If so, skip this! For most of us there is always a better way to have every tool right at our fingertips, just when we need to whip up that omelet or quickly sprinkle lemon zest over the chicken.

Here’s some wonderful ideas for every cook to have a kitchen that works every time from PointclickHome.

Have plenty of room to store your dishes within arms’ reach with adjustable shelving and hooks for tools. It also looks great!

I especially love this sliding backsplash! How beautiful is that!

Nooks are always a cozy place to eat so why not add storage to the mix and double the space and the value!

Rounded shelves let you store more under the sink right where you need it.

Love this pull out drawer that has shelves which are tilted back to prevent the pans from falling out when it’s opened.

Great ideas for tilt out storage and a cutting board that swings down, revealing shelves to hold necessities.

Eliminate the need for a special cupboard to store tall items with this handy flip up opening!

Don’t have a pantry? This wonderful cabinet has a central pole to rotate shelving so that nothing gets lost or stale. It’s always easy to find those little packets of spices that used to get old in the back of the cupboard.

I love this baking center, especially the appliance hideway for the mixer and food processor. This makes me want to pull out my favorite recipe for hot buttered scones!

Ok, one more!

This is a great place to quickly select your favorite chopping knife. Put this in a wall cabinet if you have kids though!

Hope you enjoyed all these incredible new ways to make sense of your kitchen! Next blog, we’ll show you some amazing ways to never lose anything in your drawers again!

Let us know what you think of these cabinets!

Smart Women Entrepreneurs Pay Attention to Their Surroundings

Joyce — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:58:47 +0000

By Sheri McConnell

Your environment contributes to your overall success in many ways. Just like certain types of fish, your business and personal growth will come to a complete halt based on the size of your “tank,” As an entrepreneur, you should consider not only the size, but also many other elements of your “think tank”.

1) The size of the space. Do you have enough space to hold meetings with clients or to process packages? Can you spread out when you need to work on a large project? Does your chair bump into the wall?

2) The lighting. Do you have adequate lighting? Can you relocate your home office to a room with lots of windows?

3) The strategies in place to keep you organized. You must have a system in place to manage all the people, ideas, and projects you encounter as you grow your company. Visit www.elizabethhagen.com for excellent help in this area.

4) The tools you need to do your job. Is your office equipment functioning properly? Have you invested time in learning how to manage important tools that run your business?

5) The boundaries you have set. How do you manage interruptions? How do you manage e-mail? If you don’t have a system in place with specific time management rules, your bottom line will suffer. Timothy Ferriss’s 4 Hour Work Week is an excellent resource on this topic.

6) The overall energy of the space. Is your furniture old? Is the space clean and inviting? Does the color affect your mood in a positive way?

These are just a few suggestions to get your started thinking about your surroundings. Creating an environment for success is one of the easiest and “controllable” steps you can take to ensure you will move forward. It is easy to do and makes “the difference”.

Sheri McConnell is the CEO of Sheri McConnell Companies, Inc. and the president and founder of two national organizations, the National Association of Women Writers-NAWW and the Global Institute of Associations-GIA. You can visit Sheri, access her free article archive, and find out more about all four of her companies at www.sherimcconnell.com. Sheri lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, their four children, a weenie dog, and two cats.

A Solution To A Beautiful Uncluttered Life

Joyce — Thu, 28 May 2009 04:33:15 +0000

Our environment is a major component in facilitating a beautiful life. I am an interior designer that cares about designing a beautiful life for myself and passing that desire and knowledge on to my clients. I want to make every aspect of my life, along with my environment, a place of peace and harmony.

Just a small action makes a difference. It’s important to surround ourselves with those things that we love and remind us of the good experiences we’ve had in our lives. I’ve made a pact with myself to finally clear away any of the clutter in my life that’s been holding me back from fulfilling my goals and dreams. I started small with the craft closet that I have under my stairs. Just that small action has lifted a weight that I didn’t realize I was carrying. I feel lighter and excited to take on the task of re-evaluating what I’ve kept and what I don’t need any more.

The act of releasing… When I used to organize closets and cupboards, I would throw some things away or give them away but the majority of items I would keep. I’d just buy new bins or cute boxes to put them in. Now I realize that I’ve still been holding on to too much. I don’t need to keep those things that will never again see the light of day! I can get rid of more than I ever thought I could. I don’t need to be afraid that “I might need this someday.” The act of releasing it now is so important that buying it again in the future if I really need it, pales in comparison.

Letting go has never been so sweet! I already have some new projects in mind to use the items I’ve kept. Lots of creative things came to me as I saw the valuable pieces remaining. But I wouldn’t have thought of them until I cleared away the nonessentials.

Need help in simplifying your home and asking the right questions to keep the best and get rid of the rest? I contacted Carrie Greene at http://www.carriethru.com and took her Escape Your Clutter Boot Camp. This program helped me make the quick progress I was looking for. She also has individual and group coaching programs if you’re looking for more personalized support.