Kitchen Design Archives - Page 2 of 3

Do you remember seeing photos of this North Dallas dining room BEFORE we got ahold of it? Check out the BEFORE below….

In this room we designed the following….

Opened up to the adjacent kitchen
Replaced the carpet with engineered wood flooring to continue to the adjacent rooms
Took out the crown molding to keep the ceiling from appearing lower than it actually is (TIP for lower ceilings – skip the crown!)
Selected a fabulous wallpaper for the focal wall
Found a beautiful chandelier to add some sparkle
Selected a clean paint palette as a crisp backdrop
Custom window treatments with texture and added tape detail
Custom furniture selections
Custom artwork to make a bold colorful statement!

Now take a look at the family room and kitchen from the SAME project!

Project Reveal: Soft Modern Interior Design | Dallas Interior Designer | Barbara Gilbert Interiors

Where to begin? So much changed in this part of the house!….

Continued engineered wood flooring
All new custom furniture
REMOVED outdated wood paneling
REMOVED wall between family room and kitchen for a large peninsula working and serving surface!
Custom original artwork
Updated tile fireplace
Continued beam and ceiling into kitchen that was previously only an 8′ ceiling
Updated lighting to cleaner layout and LED fixtures
Selected vent hood in ceiling that would not hinder the openness factor
Selected a fun backsplash complimented by a monotone paint palette
Custom window treatments

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Remodeling Realities: How to Choose an Interior Designer | Dallas Interior Designer | Barbara Gilbert Interiors

A lot of great design changes brought this kitchen up to date and more efficient!

We took in 4′ from the adjacent oversized dining room to make the kitchen larger.
Updated appliances and plumbing fixtures
Larger, reconfigured island
Updated color palette with new cabinets, marble backsplash tile, monotone paint colors
Selected accent pendants for the island and updated, efficient LED lighting
Stress free quartz countertops for a very busy family!

This is a recent BGI project in Farmers Branch that we haven’t photographed yet but couldn’t help but share the BEFORE & AFTER! Take a look and see if you can find all the remodeling changes as well as the aesthetic updates!!

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SNEAK PEAK OF A CURRENT #PROJECTMANCAVE BEFORE & SELECTIONS!

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What do you think about some of our favorite BEFORE & AFTERS? Would you like to see more in the future??

This is the fourth post in a series called Remodeling Realities. We’re looking at all the moving parts of a home remodel, from how to choose an interior designer and general contractor to picking tile treatments and finishing touches. Read the last post in the series here and stay tuned for all of them!

Remodeling or redesigning your kitchen can be quite costly, but many Dallas homeowners find it well worth the effort. A new kitchen can significantly raise the value of a house, and families in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are able to recoup an average of 84 percent of the cost of a remodel. If you’re thinking about redesigning your kitchen, here are a couple of expert tips on what to keep in mind when drafting your plan.

Don’t forget kitchen storage

When remodeling your kitchen, it’s easy to get swept up in island setups and new appliances. Too often, homeowners fail to account for storage and end up wasting valuable counter space on rarely used items. Make sure that you include plenty of cabinets and drawers in your new kitchen plan to store all of your dishes, cutlery, cookware, and more. It’s also a good idea to include a pantry with ample space for nonperishables.

Consider a smart setup

If you’re remodeling your kitchen, you may be thinking about upgrading old appliances. If so, it’s a good idea to consider adding a smart home setup to your kitchen. You can coordinate devices, making it easier to cook, clean, and even remember the shopping. A smart fridge, for example, can help you keep track of ingredients and leftovers, while a smart oven can remember cooking settings and operate under remote control. To clean dishes automatically, you can even find smart dishwashers that can be turned on and off with a button on your smartphone, anytime, anywhere.

Include plenty of counter space

As a chef, you can never have too much counter space. Your kitchen design should include ample room for you to spread out as you prepare and cook your meals. If you don’t have the wall space for counters, you may want to consider including an island in your kitchen. You can also find mobile and collapsible prep counters if you’re short on space.

Keep the room bright

A kitchen needs plenty of light so that you can safely work with hazards such as knives and boiling water. Make sure that you include plenty of light fixtures in your kitchen, especially near prep areas and over the stove. If possible, you may also want to add a window or two to let in natural light during the day. Just make sure that you use insulated glass to save on your energy bill and help reduce carbon emissions.

A new kitchen will not only make your life easier but may also add value to your home. When redesigning your kitchen, make sure that you account for storage, counter space, lighting, and appliances. Taking care during the planning stage can save you from both financial and emotional stress later on down the road as you carry out your remodel.

What do you think of our tops on remodeling or redesigning a kitchen? Leave a comment below or on Facebook or Twitter.

We’ve got years of experience creating inspired, gorgeous homes — contact the team at Barbara Gilbert Interiors today at 214-641-7897 or via the website contact form. We offer DFW interior design services in Preston Hollow, North Dallas, Plano, Allen, Frisco, McKinney, and many more parts of North Texas — please see the list of the areas we serve.

Here are the other 6 Remodeling Realities posts in case you missed them!

#7 – Add Style,Value with Home Gym

#6 – How to Choose Flooring

#5 – How to Have a Pet-friendly Home Remodel

#3 – 5 Space Planning Tips for Good Home Design

#2 – Picking a General Contractor

#1 – How to Pick an Interior Designer

Transitional interior design is all about the clean-lined aesthetic of soft contemporary with some more traditional elements to reveal a highly livable — and always beautiful — look.
Last week, I shared part of my project reveal, bespoke, bright transitional design in a Dallas home renovation. This week, part two. My team and I were called in to refresh a dull and dated ranch-style house. The owner is a widow who has made many wonderful memories there but wasn’t thrilled with the floorplan or older interior vibe. She loves to cook and entertain, especially family, and the house just wasn’t cutting it! This was particularly true of the kitchen, a closed-off galley space without good flow or function (see my “before” photos below for proof!).
Our solution? Take down the wall between the living room and kitchen and build a peninsula with seating and storage on both sides. We took some square footage from her oversized laundry room to create a butler’s pantry and the new kitchen is so much more conducive to hosting gatherings and being able to visit with people in the living room while preparing meals.
One aspect of this design stands out in my mind and I’m proud of our solution to a vexing problem. The family room ceiling is vaulted, so when we took out the wall dividing it from the kitchen, we had a real problem butting in a vent. Had we used a standard one that hung from the ceiling, it would have been off center. So with research and diligence, we found a ceiling vent from Best Hoods that draws up smoke and odors amazingly well — props to Thaddeus from Thaddeus Drew Remodeling who scouted the hood and did a wonderful job during this project.

Project Reveal: Bespoke and Bright Transitional Design | Dallas Interior Designer | Barbara Gilbert Interiors

The oversized breakfast bar created seating for four. In the ceiling, you can see the overhead vent hood, which works beautifully. Such great technology! The fabric on the bar chairs is from Crypton and is stain-, odor-, and moisture-resistant.

Storage is the name of the game in this Dallas kitchen redesign! The owner wanted more of it everywhere and we delivered. The countertops are quartz, which I love for durability and look.

Even with a bay window, the old kitchen was dark. No more! This breakfast area shows how sophisticated and bright the space has become. That beautiful light fixture is from Arteriors Dallas. The table is by Stanley Furniture, the chairs are by Vanguard, and the centerpiece bowl is from Global Views.

The Presidio encaustic tile backsplash carries into this built-in cabinetry to the right of the breakfast table. We took about two to three feet from the oversized laundry room next to the kitchen to create this area.

The old kitchen was cramped and dark with limited seating.

That wallpaper and window dressing had to go!

Sometimes a home office looks like an afterthought. Not the case here! We put a lot of care into carrying transitional interior design into this room to make it both functional and fabulous.
In the psychology of color, blue colors tend to be soothing, like other earth colors — this is the color of the sky. Blues make people feel calm. Darker blue, like this are also linked to creativity and intelligence. For a home office, this will keep tempers steady, mood happy, and thinking sharp.
Throughout the house, we’ve used custom upholstered furnishings to create a luxury look. In the office, we did a sitting area with comfortable chair and side table.

In the psychology of color, the deeper the hue, the great the effect. This saturated blue will make the office a relaxing space for our homeowner. That sunburst mirror is designed by Global Views.

The wall art is from Global Views.

Custom upholstery graces this club chair from Vanguard in the home office. Custom art is from La Montage and the side table is designed by Bernhardt Furniture Company.

Now onto the master bedroom, one of the most relaxing and posh spots in the house. This blue will not only promote relaxation, but also calm and clarity. Blue slows heart rate and breathing, perfect to promote meditation or relaxation.
In this room, we mixed several patterns, something that makes a lot of people break out in a cold sweat when they try to do it themselves. With consideration of pattern scale, saturation, and personality, we made it look cohesive and complementary.
A problem we encountered in this room was a large window in the middle of the wall behind the bed. We took fabric and had it “paper-backed” so it could be hung like wallpaper, an option not many people know about. Our window treatment fabricator made a custom shade and matched its pattern layout perfectly with the wall’s fabric. Now when the shade is pulled down you can’t even tell there is a window at all!

The bedroom used to be so dark (see the photo below). Now it feels like a peaceful retreat. What appears to be wallpaper behind the bed is actually fabric from Robert Allen. For the walls, we had it paper-backed and the Roman shades are custom. The bed linens are customized from different vendors.

Using blue in the bedroom promotes serenity and relaxation. The light fixture is from Made Goods and fabric on the left window is by Kravet.

A detail from the master bedroom with a side table from Caracole and a lamp from Robert Abbey.

A custom upholstered sitting chair and gallery wall sit in the corner of the master bedroom. The frames from West Elm.

The master bathroom redesign created a soothing spa-like room for a client who loves to take long, hot baths. As you can see from the “before” photo below, it just looked blah. But the cabinets were in great shape and provided plenty of storage so we repainted them a light cream color, put on new pulls and knobs, and installed recessed lights to brighten up the whole room.
The corner jetted tub was also in great condition, so we kept that and redid the tile surround in a soothing light blue glass tile. On the wall leading up to the tub, you can really see the large-format beige tile we chose for other areas. We also totally reimagined the shower, adding a new glass enclosure, tile, and fixtures to create a flawless, serene look.
New marble countertops, contemporary light fixtures, art prints with mother of pearl frames, and a sliding barn door for the entrance finished off the look.

We kept the cabinets in this master bathroom renovation, repainting them a cream color and using a sliding door for its entrance.

We kept corner jetted tub and retiled the surround and wall leading up to it. The walk-in shower got a new glass enclosure and tile, as well as fixtures.

Good lighting is important everywhere, but especially in the bathroom!

What do you think about our transitional interior design plan for this Dallas house? We had so much fun with this project! Please leave us a comment here or over on Facebook or Twitter.

We’ve got years of experience creating inspired, gorgeous interiors — contact Barbara today at 214-641-7897 or via the website contact form. We offer DFW interior design services in Dallas, Preston Hollow, the Park Cities, Frisco, McKinney, Southlake, Westlake, and many more parts of North Texas — please see the list of the areas we serve.

We’re starting a new series, Barbara’s Dallas Kitchen Remodel, following Barbara Gilbert’s renovations in her new home. Today, the first installment looks at the “before” pictures.
My husband and I are empty nesters and purchased a zero-lot-line home last year. While the bones were great, the overall design of the kitchen just didn’t work for us. As a DFW interior designer, I have some pretty specific ideas about what I want in my personal space. I saw room for improvement.
For one thing, the venting system over the cooktop was 48 inches across and hung too low to be able to cook without banging your head. A venting system should always be hung at 30 to 36 inches above the cooktop for maximum efficiency. The other issue with this area is the slide-in range was only 42-inches wide. To create symmetry, I have to replace it with a 48-inch cooktop.
I’m starting this series to share my kitchen renovation as it progresses from the ripped-apart phase (currently happening) to completion. Today, I’d like to show you the “before” pictures, and the initial phases of demo — we started ripping it apart last Monday. We have a hard deadline: my daughter and her family are coming to visit June 17. The countdown begins!

Dallas Kitchen Remodel | Interior Design Dallas | Barbara Gilbert Interiors

Everything about this kitchen will change in the next month!

The new pendant fixtures will be aqua and the counters will be gold Carrera Marble.

Our new refrigerator-freezer will be an oversized built-in from Jenn-air.

The current space includes white cabinets, granite countertops, a center island, white backsplash, and clear glass pendant lights. I’m definitely looking to achieve a more transitional look in the space and use some elements that will be make it sophisticated and somewhat timeless.
For my kitchen remodel, I’ll be replacing the granite with gold Carrera marble for the countertops and I absolutely love it. Marble is as close to timeless design as one can get and it adds some luxury along the way! The backsplash behind the range will be the same marble, but in a diamond pattern, the rest of the backsplash will be a warm gray glass tile.
It’s funny, I swore I would never use marble in my kitchen due to the delicate nature and the upkeep. After talking with quite a few industry professionals, I realized that if I embrace some of the etching that happens to marble and enjoy the patina that will happen as it ages, I will never be unhappy with it. It does have to be sealed once a year, but so does granite and quartzite.
To add color and open up the window, I will remove the shutters and add a colorful flat-fold shade in aqua and orange. It will blend beautifully with artwork in the adjacent dining area. The pendant lights are handblown from Viz Glass and they will be aqua, too. I love color, and although the main kitchen components will be neutral, I will strategically add pops of color.
The cabinets will stay white as a neutral backdrop, but I’m changing out the pulls and knobs to gold — I’ll be mixing metals, actually. The light fixture in dining room adjacent to the kitchen is chrome. But the gold Carrera Marble is so warm, I think the gold knobs will work beautifully.

The vent hood is hung too low, and will be replaced.

I’ll be removing the plantation shutters and replacing them with a colorful flat-front shade.

The cabinets on the island will be painted a medium-to-dark gray.

One of my favorites appliance manufactures is Jenn-air. Last year, they flew me up to their headquarters for a designer summit where they cooked every meal and demonstrated their latest and greatest appliances. That’s when I knew I had to have a Jenn-air steam oven — they cooked creme brûlée and salmon together and there was no flavor transfer. We’ll have a Jenn-air range and build a space for their double ovens, too, one of which will be the steam one I want.

For the sink, I’ll be replacing the stainless steel sink with a farm-style one in Silgranit by Blanco Sinks. It’s a granite composite material and I’ve chosen silver for the color.

The island will stay and be topped with the gold Carrera Marble, but I’ll be painting the cabinets a medium-to-dark gray, which I think will look sharp with the gray glass tile backsplash.

The area where the cabinet is now will be built out to accommodate double ovens.

The kitchen remodel has begun!

I’m so excited to have the demo of our kitchen remodel project underway, and I’ve got a fire under me to finish before my daughter gets here next month. I’ll keep you up to date you as we make progress with more photos and stories of our adventures. I’ll also be sharing photos of my fireplace redesign!
What do you think of my ideas for a kitchen remodel? Leave me a comment, or share your thoughts over on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Are you considering a Dallas kitchen remodel? Contact me at 214-641-7897 or use my website form. We offer interior design in Dallas, Highland Park, McKinney, Frisco, Plano, Coppell, Fort Worth, and many more parts of DFW — please see a comprehensive list of the areas we serve.

It’s time to redesign your kitchen or bathroom and you’re stuck: Quartz vs granite countertops? There are so many options and people tend to have very strong opinions about these choices.
Each material offers a beautiful look and durability, but they have their advantages and disadvantages, from color selection to long-term maintenance. Here’s a quick guide to making your decision for quartz vs granite countertops.

Quartz countertops

Quartz countertops are a fabricated composite, made from ground natural quartz, as well as glass or metallic flecks, and about 5 percent of a binding material called polymer resins. Together, they create a nonporous, extremely hard surface that is resistant to bacteria and stains, and never needs to be sealed. Cleanup is quick and easy and you’re not likely to damage your quartz countertops with a spilled glass of red wine or a hot pan.
Quartz offers a wide variety of color choices, from natural stone colors, to bold, saturated choices, like a navy blue. The look is uniform, unlike granite, which offers natural pattern variation. Because this is manufactured stone, you can order it in exactly the size you need and it will be manufactured to your specifications.
The cost of quartz ranges from about $80 to $140 per square foot installed.

Granite countertops

Granite is a natural stone quarried from the earth, cut into slabs, and polished to a shine. This is a very hard stone that is resilient, but not as durable as quartz. You need to seal it at installation, and reseal it every year or so. It also is more susceptible staining than quartz, so be careful with your food and drink. But it is scratch and heat resistant, so no worries there.
One of the things people love about granite is its natural color striations, formed as the molten rock cools in the earth. No two slabs are the same, so your selection for your kitchen or bathroom will be one-of-a-kind. You’ll have dozens if not hundreds of slabs to choose from—just make sure the slab you fall in love with will work with your room’s design.
The cost of granite is about $80 to $175 per square foot installed.

Quartz vs granite countertops

So, how to decide? Both quartz and granite offer durability and strength, with granite needing slightly more maintenance. They cost roughly the same, unless you go with a very high-end granite, which is the most expensive. So it probably boils down to an aesthetic choice. What look do you prefer? Leave us a comment with your thoughts on quartz vs granite countertops!

From pumpkins to autumn leaves, orange is all around us this time of year. But why is a color that brings fall foliage tours and smiles to so many faces seldom used in interior design?
Simply put, while most people love color, they’re afraid of choosing the wrong color. So they choose colors they think are “safe.” And while understandable, they’re missing out on the power of color!
Orange is a powerful color, and orange decor can be dazzling. Orange is considered the color of joy, adventure and creativity. It combines the warmth and happiness of yellow with the energy and stimulation of red, and it’s also thought to invoke feelings of optimism.
Here are some of our favorite rooms with orange décor that embrace the power of color.

Home Office

Via Barbara Gilbert Interiors

Home offices don’t have to be all work and no play! Liven up the space with fun patterns and vibrant hues. Orange and fuchsia make for one fun, festive color combination in this family-friendly home office we designed for a busy family that loved cheerful rooms.

Nursery

Via

Forget pink or blue! An orange and white color palette mixed with cheerful yellow and blue accents creates the perfect nursery for a boy or a girl. In this room, it would be hard not to smile evening during those late night feedings!

Guest Room

Via

As complementary colors, orange and blue always bring out the best in one another. Add a bold detail like these large-scale suzani headboards, and you’ve got one showstopper of a room.

Kitchen

Via

Yellow isn’t the only happy color to paint a kitchen. Break with tradition and wow with orange! The color alone sets the mood regardless of the decorating style you choose.

Dining Room

Via

There’s a reason people flock to see fall foliage. The warm, dusky hues naturally soothe the soul. So what better shade to choose than a deep earthy orange for the dining room – a frequent gathering place for friends and family?

Can you blend rustic charm with contemporary design? Absolutely! And reflecting this unique union was the guiding principle in our latest project – a rustic contemporary design home built in Celina, Texas.
Our design was inspired by Celina’s own duality. The small city sits at the intersection of a State highway and a farm to market road. Corn-lined roads usher you into town, and high school football is still king. In fact, Celina High School has one of the most successful football programs in the all of Texas, and that’s saying something!
But Celina also sits just north of the bustling Dallas Metroplex and the Dallas North Tollway, adding modern convenience to its rural appeal. The area is known as the “Golden Corridor,” and Celina’s housing market is booming. It was important for our design to reflect this balance, and a rustic contemporary design was the perfect fit!

The Exterior

Natural lighting and elements are prominently featured in the design. Expansive windows make the most of the home’s beautiful surroundings, and create a continuous flow from the outside in. A stone facade, clean lines and light-dark contrast set the tone for interior finishes.

The Kitchen

The heart of the home opens to the living room, creating a spacious area for friends and family to gather. Dekton countertops offer a seamless surface, and beauty that matches function. The sophisticated blend of raw materials is fireproof and non-porous, with virtually zero water absorption.
X-mullion white cabinetry and opulent Duraglass accent tiles bring visual interest and light to the space. A custom-designed, two-part island system offers the ultimate in function and flexibility. The system includes one stationary section and one mobile section mounted on casters, which can serve as a serving or prep area, breakfast bar or craft table.

The Living Room

A floating hearth with dark porcelain tile surround serves as the focal point of the living room which is bathed in natural light. Dark faux ceiling beams and casings match the tone of the porcelain tile, and are in stark contrast to room’s light finishes.

The Staircase

A modern staircase with metal and glass railing greets visitors to the home and can be viewed from the majority of the house. At its pinnacle, a contemporary chandelier descends from a double vaulted ceiling through faux beams illuminated with LED uplighting.

The Master Bathroom

In the master bedroom, an ensuite spa-inspired bathroom features a freestanding tub, frameless glass shower and porcelain flooring in a herringbone pattern. Dekton countertops, polished chrome hardware and glass accent tile complete the look.
Thaddeus Drew Signature Homes builds amazing homes, and we loved working with everyone involved. Great collaboration!

Source of Images: Barbara Gilbert Interiors

Art and accessories may make a home look beautiful, but they do little to help us with everyday tasks. That’s where home appliances come in. And with today’s technologies and finishes, they’re looking quite dazzling on their own!
I had the privilege recently of attending the Jenn-Air Designer Forum at the World of Whirlpool in Chicago. Design specialists from around the country were invited and treated to a visit to the Windy City to explore the latest in home appliance technologies.
The World of Whirlpool facility is a showstopper in itself. The 30,000-square-foot facility is located in the penthouse of the historic Reid-Murdoch Building in downtown Chicago.

The Chicago landmark was built in 1914 and once used as a makeshift hospital after the S.S. Eastland capsized in the Chicago River on the opposite shore. It also contains 12 state-of-the-art demonstration kitchens, interactive laundry showrooms and innovative meeting spaces.
For two days, experts from the world’s leading appliance brands shared their knowledge and educated us on the latest in home appliances. All of the products showcased were extraordinary, but of course I have my favorites and want to share them!

Black Stainless Steel

Can’t decide between black or stainless steel kitchen appliances? Now you don’t have to choose. You can have both with KitchenAid’s black stainless steel!
KitchenAid has introduced the first-ever black stainless steel finish in the appliance industry, and it is stunning! The finish has all the same material qualities as stainless steel, but in a warmer tone. Plus, it hides fingerprints and other marks! I love using contrasting colors in kitchen designs, and this finish offers so many new and exciting options.

Steam & Convection Oven

Steam and convection ovens are one of the hottest (no pun intended) trends in appliances, and for good reason. Steam preserves nutrients in vegetables and tenderness in meats, while convection heating cooks food more evenly and quickly. Combining the two results in healthier, better cooking – food that’s tender inside and roasted or crisped outside
To showcase the oven’s abilities, the Jenn-Air chef cooked salmon and creme brûlée at the same time. There was absolutely NO flavor transfer and both were delicious! The ovens are so popular, many of our clients are choosing to omit a microwave from their kitchens and rely solely on a steam and convection oven instead.

Induction Cooktop

Another appliance heating up the marketplace is the Jenn-Air induction cooktop. Induction cooking heats the cookware, rather than the surface of the cooktop, through magnetic induction. This keeps the surface of the cooktop cool to the touch and easily cleaned. Induction cooktops are also extremely energy efficient, offer precise temperature control and heat up more quickly than a traditional gas or electric cooktop.
As an added bonus, a dishwasher-safe silicone pad can be placed on top of the cooktop, between the cooktop and cookware while cooking. The pad can then be thrown into the dishwasher after cooking for super easy clean up! Four of our clients have already chosen to substitute an induction cooktop for an electric range, and all have raved about them.

The Food!

Of course, the trip wasn’t all work and no play. While showcases the appliances and their abilities, chefs prepared some of the best food I’ve ever tasted.
The “broken cone” dessert was without a doubt my favorite! Homemade vanilla ice cream with salted caramel and chocolate pieces was served with broken cone pieces with a hint of peanut butter to scoop up the deliciousness. I literally could have licked the plate!

Source of Images: Barbara Gilbert Interiors and Jenn-Air.

A quiet revolution is underway, but this often overlooked revolution is producing big results. In fact, some people are calling it the most exciting change in lighting since Thomas Edison introduced the light bulb over 130 years ago!
LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are transforming the lighting industry, and are expected to change the way we light our world. LEDs use at least 85% less energy than incandescent bulbs, last more than 25 times longer than traditional bulbs, contain no mercury and produce very little heat. They also emit virtually no UV or infrared radiation, and they gradually fade out over a long period of time rather than burning out all at once.
Recent advances in technology have also greatly altered LEDs. The diodes’ once cold, bluish light has been replaced by any color and temperature of light desired. A soft yellow light similar to incandescent lighting is achieved with a low Kelvin color temperature. Manufacturing costs are steadily decreasing, and LEDs are now available in countless forms, from bulbs and light tubes to light strings and strips.
Flexible and easy to install, new applications for LEDs are constantly emerging. The end result is safer, more energy efficient and more dramatic designs and interiors. Here are just a few ways we’ve recently used LED lighting and some ideas for your home. Join the revolution!

LED Lighting Projects

LEDs highlight reclaimed timber beams on the ceiling in this family room, and cast a soft light from above. The modern and rustic elements blend beautifully, adding warmth and visual depth to the space.

A built-in bookcase becomes anything but ordinary with the installation of a metallic grasscloth wallcovering and LED accent lighting. The LED lighting gleams off the grasscloth and showcases a variety of personal treasures.

LED lighting, placed under the cabinets at the toe kick, provides a nightlight effect in this serene master bath. An additional LED at the height of the architectural arch adds impact and further task lighting.

A dark cork wallcovering is illuminated by LED accent lights, creating the perfect backdrop for white accessories and built-in shelves.

LED lighting in all the right places gives this contemporary kitchen a light and airy atmosphere. The lights illuminate the glass uppers and accent tile over the cooktop for a dramatic effect. The cabinets and toe kick are also lighted, but from beneath, to add safety and task lighting to improve function.

Source of Images: Barbara Gilbert Interiors

The Interior Design Society (IDS) recently celebrated their fifth annual Designer of the Year Award winners, and awarded Barbara Gilbert Interiors (BGI) first place honors in both the Kitchens and Sustainable Design categories.
BGI received both awards for the Village Park Eco Home project – a contemporary hill country style home built to answer the question, “What’s next in high-performance home construction?” The net zero energy ready home was built with sustainable and recycled materials resulting in high style with minimal impact to the environment.

1st Place – Kitchens $50,000 & Above

The 3,752 square foot home features advanced framing and insulation techniques, LED lighting, a rainwater collection system, custom formaldahyde-free cabinets, “standing dead” Red Oak floors, numerous sustainable and recycled materials such as glass, bamboo and cork, and over 23 paint colors.
Award winners were selected by a panel of notable judges that included Deb Barrett, Mitzi Beach, Leslie Carothers, Patti Carpenter, Tobi Fairley, Susan Inglis, Joe Ruggiero, Barbara Viteri, Jackie Von Tobel, and Amy Wax.

1st Place – Sustainable Design

“IDS is proud to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Designer of the Year Awards, which received a record number of entries this year,” said Snoa Garrigan, IDS Executive Director. IDS is one of the country’s largest design organizations in the residential interior design industry.
A complete listing of all winners and award-winning projects can be viewed on the IDS website.

 Source of Images: Barbara Gilbert Interiors