SOIREE
COLLECTION
are alike, we'd use different coun-
tertops for contrast, say, granite and
butcher block."
Arizona designer Elizabeth
Spengler, who creates kitchens for
Dorado Designs, Inc., in Oro Valley,
often uses one color for base cabi-
nets and another for wall cabinets.
Her own kitchen is a medley of con-
trasting woods and colors: red birch
flooring, glazed oak base cabinets,
perimeter wall cabinets painted
granny apple-green, and a cherry-
stained work island with a black
glaze.
Elizabeth also advocates a mix of
different wood species throughout
the house, such as a rift-cut oak in a
contemporary kitchen with birds-eye
maple furniture in the dining room
and olive ash burl pieces in the living
room.
Even hardwood floors in adjacent
rooms may vary "as long as you use
some transitional device to make it
work," Elizabeth says.
Her favorite: a border incorporat-
ing the wood species or color from
the floor next door. "Just make sure
there's enough contrast to show you
mean it," she says. "Near-misses
don't make it."
What about wood moldings in
the kitchen? As a general rule, the
designers agree that ceiling mold-
ings should be finished like the wall
cabinets. Base and other moldings
usually follow suit.
The pros point out that painted
moldings make the space look
lighter and more open, while stained
wood creates warmth and coziness.
New York designer John Buscarello
is definitely a paint partisan. "Paint
the moldings!" urges John, whose
kitchens have been featured at the
National Kitchen and Bath Industry
Show and in dozens of decorating
magazines.
"Painted ceiling moldings make
the ceiling look higher and the rooms
look larger." Painting also downplays
moldings, he says, "and lets the
wood of the cabinets be the star."
For more designers' opinions about
mixing-not-matching hardwoods
in your home, visit the American
Hardwood Information Center at
www.Hardwoodlnfo.com and click on
"Write and Request" for a free copy
of the booklet, "American Hardwoods
By Design."
Article courtesy Home Improvement
News and Information Center
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November 'i9 2009
31