July 20, 2019

A kitchen remake update with Cosentino

It has been a while since I showed you my stripped kitchen and between work and travel I have been busy organising things. An electrician prepared everything for induction cooking, plumbing is done, and I got all walls plastered and made a colour moodboard for the adjacent living and hall. I also visited Cosentino to choose a countertop to finish the three meter workspace.

I first got introduced to Cosentino six years ago in New York, they were sponsor of the first blog tour I was ever invited to. Many blog and press trips later we teamed up again and I got to meet the team in Madrid and visiteded several of the best restaurants where Cosentino is used in the kitchen, read the story here: Meet Cosentino at Madrid restaurants DiverXO & Tatel. I have been following the brand ever since and recently we met in my own hometown at two events where Cosentino presented their new collections.

For the base of my new workspace I will be using some cabinets from our Swedish friend as they give me the opportunity to update the fronts easily in the future. I will also have two cabinets adjusted for my kitchen to perfectly fit my needs, more about that later! Holidays took off in the Netherlands and I have good hope I found a carpenter who has some time left to help me with the last bits next week, but I thought I'd give you a little update already of what is going on and what I did so far including a moodboard I made for the kitchen.

Even though I wish I would have everything finished by now, I am actually happy it took a bit longer than expected. Because meanwhile I refined my style, changed products and I love to see that my first ideas and colour preferences come really close to the hopefully final result to be, but in another and unexpected way, thanks to my friend Anouk.

Studio AnoukB & A Moodboard for a new Kitchen
Minimalism, sober warm colours, natural materials next to black, and a kitchen I feel more connected with at the moment are some of the terms that come to mind when thinking about my ideal home. Making decisions and finding the perfect balance in materials is something I find really difficult in general as you might know. After taking out all floors and the complete kitchen I realized I needed someone who could help me with the total look and could bring the atmosphere I am after to live.

‘Studio AnoukB’ might be best known for their stunning homes, retail project design and beautiful boutique style interiors. Next to project design, the Studio developed ‘We are WoW makers’, you have seen me using their paint in my bedroom remember, see here!

I first got in touch with Anouk some years ago after discovering one of the homes she designed online. I admire her style and love her as a person and feel blessed to have her in my life. Being a real bad decision maker, I am so happy she is helping me and will redesign my kitchen for me bringing my ideas to life.

Choosing the right countertop with Cosentino
I must admit I am overwhelmed by the many choices Cosentino offers, one even more beautiful than another. During the press event I got introduced to some great new collections, one rawer than another. What I really loved were the different options within the loft series, dark and industrial next to light, soft and elegant.

Pictured above my first choices for the countertop, selected from the Silestone Loft series and (in the middle) a black one from the Dekton Industrial collection. As you maybe would not have expected a light-colour worktop was also an option that I seriously considered after getting a first impression from the small samples that were handed out during the press event.

Cosentino showroom visit
At the Dutch Cosentino headquarters and showroom in Deurne, large slabs of the complete Cosentino collection are on display! At first I was not sure if it would be a good idea for me to see even more options, but I was gently guided along both the Dekton as well as the Silestone collections.

I don't even know where to start as I have seen so many amazing pieces, including the Natural stone collection with unique patterns and colours. Rather difficult to take good pictures in the huge space though, I managed to snap a few, and some small IPhone video's I made to give you an impression of the huge space, can be found at my Insta stories in the next days.

When it really came to making choices ‘black’ won after all, I was actually surprised how well the people at Cosentino Netherlands seem to know me! The fun thing was that at arrival I was told that even if I talked about choosing a light coloured countertop with them at first, some beautiful black slabs were waiting for me as well.

We choose a beautiful countertop from the Dekton Natural series that presents both an industrial and chic look with elegant white veins. As said, there is still some work to be done and what started with a kitchen makeover kind of became a mini renovation for my whole home. Luckily I have Summer holidays and can start painting and talk through some last necessary details. I really start to miss a proper kitchen, and dishwasher and can’t wait to have an improved new version back soon.

Pictures used in the moodboards in this post are from my 2019 Kitchen inspiration album on Pinterest which I started some time ago and is a bit of everything I love, luckily some major decisions are made, and orders are in progress. Thank you Cosentino Netherlands for thinking along and your hospitality!

Loft Series
Dekton’s Industrial series, were created to pay tribute to the beautiful imperfections of the metals and stone in all their different stages of ageing. Organic processes that are reflected in the richness and complexity of oxidation and the authentic beauty of maturing stone… just beautiful and you’d say totally up my alley right!

Dekton can be used both inside as outside and is offered in large-format slabs of varying thicknesses that open up all new kinds of possibilities that you can imagine and had previously been unthinkable. A real plus for the kitchen also is that Dekton has an excellent resistance to high temperatures and a highly scratch-resistant surface. I found the video below online that explains the concept behind Dekton industrial.

Dutch links:
Dekton
Dekton Industrial collection

Kitchen of Karine - Bodie and Fou

Eternal collection inspired by natural stone
Another collection I got introduced to is the Eternal collection by Silestone, with colours inspired by the world of natural stone. The collection gathers the magnitude of natural resources associated to Silestone attributes, Silestone is made of more than 90% of natural quartz which means it possesses strength in its surfaces, providing outstanding resistance and durability properties that you need in your home. These characteristics provide the best option not only for your kitchen but also in bathroom, floors and cladding.

Eternal represents the endless beauty and elegance in time, presenting the exclusivity and originality of nature itself. For this reason each slab includes a personal variation of veins and colour to turn every slab into a unique piece. Colours from this collection are softer and my favourite from what I saw so far must be ‘Desert Silver’ inspired by the classic marble trend with an icy surface. Silestone Suede finish posses a soft velvety and natural touch.

Dutch links:
Silestone
Silestone Eternal collection

- Dekton Slim -

Recently I joined another post Milan event with Cosentino, where I got to see the new Dekton XGloss Stonika and Slim series of which the last one is a whole new revolution in surfaces in architecture and building projects, reduced thickness (4 mm) and weight (10 kg/m2) makes Dekton Slim the perfect material to use as cladding for furniture, doors or large panels, and much more.

Dutch links:
Slim collection
XGloss Stonika

This post is written in collaboration with Cosentino | Follow Masterplan2.0 for home makeovers

July 12, 2019

A home near the sea for Summer | Casa Pyla

Casa Pyla is the beautiful brainchild by my long time French friend Karine and her family. I can't even remember when Karine and I first met, I am sure it was online somewhere in 2007 maybe when she was still running her successful online store Bodie and Fou. Over the years we met in London where she lived for 23 years, Paris and Amsterdam. We have always stayed in touch and following and encouraging... something very important in any good friendship I think, each other with everything both on our blogs and in real life.

Since moving back to French she not only renovated their family home but also started a new project Casa Pyla, a multi-disciplinary creative studio for branding, styling, photography and interior consultancy. Casa Pyla is also available for Location hire and Summer rentals! For me knowing Karine for so long I recognize her as she calls it effortless chic style, it is minimalistic in a French way.

Summer Rentals
From June to September Casa Pyla is availably for Summer rentals and can accommodate up to 10 people (14 in fase two). I have been following renovations through Karine's blog and Instagram and can't wait to see what will happen to the home in phase two that will start in October. Casa Pyla is located two minutes from the beach and 5 minutes from all shops and restaurants in Le Moulleau (Arcachon), it’s the perfect base to explore the region with friends and family and make your Summer a memorable one! Book your stay!

photography ©Karine Kong

July 10, 2019

About Spaces and how they are created

There's been a lot of talking about painting and kitchens on the blog lately, and I hope to finish the first work and painting before Summer holiday's. Sometimes it takes time to make the final plans, but what I have learned over the years is that my first idea always is the best and eventually I will always come back to what felt best at first.

Talking with Niels Strøyer Christophersen (founder of Frama) some time ago about my kitchen and my fight between light and dark he told me: "Sometimes the space decides and not us...if the space decide.. what would it choose do you think" Definitely food for thought and such a good way to approach a space, don't you think? With this in mind I thought the new Frama space above the store perfectly showed how the team gave the old building lots of room to speak and shown its history.

Bare walls, a small corridor and different rooms, including a small quest apartment with a kitchen and bathroom and lots of space to work. A space with a perfect imperfect look, I hope you will have the chance to experience your self some time when in Copenhagen.

pictures ©vosgesparis

July 8, 2019

A monochrome masterclass by Paint & Paper Library

- current state of my home -

When an invitation to join a Monochrome masterclass by Paint & Paper Library hits your mailbox I am curious to find out more! At the event space, the beautiful location of Enter the loft, huge pictures on painter’s easels showed different interiors all in Monochrome colours Ruth Mottershead and her colleague Vincent with his charming French accent, explained the different paired combinations and how to combine them in an interior.

I thought the new collection ‘Monochrome’ by Paint Library looked quite sophisticated. I think one of the most difficult things when adding colour is finding the perfect colour combination. Also when it comes to a monochrome colour scheme at home finding the perfect balance and matching colour is difficult.

In my previous post where I talked about finding the perfect colour for my home I explained how ‘The Little Book of Colour’ offers a variety of related colours to help you make the best combinations. The good news is that the Monochrome collection consists of six nuanced pairs of black and white shades, tonally formulated to be used together in chic, subtly harmonious relationships.

- Enter the Loft -

Monochrome collection explained by Paint & Paper Library
Each white tone has been carefully selected for its versatility: all six whites can be used as striking, independent, all-over shades, but appear equally effectively as beautiful, plain whites within a scheme of tonal similarity.

Each black tone has been judiciously designed to be used with its monochromatic partner, in lesser or greater proportion, to dramatically change the interplay of light and space in a room, while at the same time effortlessly coordinating with existing materials and surfaces in the interior scheme.

Each white and black pair adopts the hue of the Paint & Paper Library ‘Original’ colour shown alongside it, thus presenting six options of varying undertone, including ochre, pink, warm grey, cool grey, blue and green. A few examples...

Clean White & New Black: These ‘Original Colours’ are currently extremities on Paint & Paper Library’s renowned colour card. The palest white and darkest black, each can be used to bring more depth to a classic, cool grey interior.

Eau de violette & Pontefract - With a visibly pink undertone, this elegant combination brings perceptible warmth without the use of any yellow pigment. It is particularly smart against darker hardwoods and pinkish stone or marble.

Minim & Kolh pictured below - A beautiful white in its own right, Minim is clean without being too bright, and is very stable in north and south facing rooms. Kohl is a charismatic neutral black with a suggestion of warm charcoal. The new collection will be available from September 2019

July 5, 2019

A new colour moodboard for my home with Little Greene

You might have read the last post about my home changes, have a look here if you missed it: Soft Minimalism | Masterplan 2.0 In the post I showed you a few inspirational pictures and talked briefly about trying out some colours from the Little Greene collection and my search for the perfect colour to fit the atmosphere I have in mind.

Running this blog, I come across many paint companies and get to visit different colour events where new collections are introduced. It must have been some years ago I first got to meet Little Greene, an independent, British paint manufacturer, committed to the socially and environmentally responsible production of high quality paints and wallpapers.

With records dating back to the year 1773, the Little Greene Dye Works of Collyhurst Wood, on the outskirts of Manchester is one of England's most ancient industrial sites for the making of paints and dye solutions. More about the history of Little Greene can be found here

A Grey Colour card
I personally really don’t like strong colours, and I have been using mostly plain white and black over the years. Recently I painted a bedroom wall in soft grey and I loved it so much I decided to learn more about, and study different colour options to use at home. As many of you I love to use Pinterest when working on something new. The pictures in this post are some of my favourites from my Colour moodboard.

Impressed by the ‘Grey’ colour card of Little Greene I decided to try out different shades of grey. I discovered there are many shades of white and even if they all look the same a small nuance can give a total different feel to a room. I personally really love that particular colour of freshly plastered walls and it was this almost stone like colour I was after.

The Grey collection consists of a palette of 28 greys, four variations in seven degrees of intensity, and embraces shades of grey from the palest, almost white, tones through to charcoal, brown and blue-black hues. A proven palette of graduated greys, which have been formulated using four naturally-occurring pigments as standard: verdigris, umber, ochre and red oxide. These pigments have, for many centuries, been used to create harmonious, balanced and tranquil interiors…. Just what I am after for my own home!

I have always learned that even if a colour looks great on the colour card, once tested in your home it can look totally different. Testing different colours from the Grey colour card confirmed this theory, I ordered a few sample pots from the different variations except for the ones at the far left of the colour card as I thought those would look to cold, and it is a more warm colour I am after.

Once testing at home I discovered the colours I thought I would love most actually didn’t matched the light in my home after all. So far so good… I selected two colours, the lighter Tusk 237 and a matching variation Limestone 238, another favourite is Mortor 239 which is a bit darker. The three colours match beautifully together. Little Greene has a great guide called ‘The Little Book of Colour’ that offers a variety of related colours for interiors to help you make the best combinations. The colour card can be found also in my Pinterest album: New colours for my home

Finally it was good to see, after showing the two colours to a friend who I asked to design the actual kitchen’s work space, in consultation with me, the colours I have chosen perfectly fit the plan she made. Now it's time to finally finish installation, order products and start painting soon.. I will keep you posted... meanwhile have a look at Masterplan 2.0 to keep up with my latest home changes.

'Tusk' colour sample on my wall & new ceramic
Below a colour test with the colours all next to each other I did first

Follow Masterplan 2.0 for my latest home changes

moodboard photography: Benoit Linero and Damien de Medeiros / pedro paulo venzon / kinfolk / vosgesparis | picture 2 Norm Architects | picture 3 x+l | picture 4-6 vosgesparis | picture 7 Koen van Damme