A very Parisian afternoon. Wait. Let me make that un après-midi très français

I just fished a piece of spam out of my junk mail folder and despite its being junk, it made me feel so international and worldly that I just had to acknowledge it before I send it to the trash. It's directed to my kind attention and it informs me that I may have won 50 million Euros in a contest sponsored by la Compagnie Coca-Cola. Mon dieu! Zut alors!

Regardez:

A votre Aimable Attention.

Nous avons le plaisir de vous annoncez que vous etes l'un des heureux gagnants de la promotion COCA COLA portant sur les adresses émail des internautes. La valeur totale en jeu est de 50.000.000 Millions Euros et votre adresse a été tirée au sort par sélection informatique. Le tirage a été effectué la semaine derniere par La compagnie Coca-Cola et votre émail a été sélectionné parmi les 500 gagnants chanceux qui ont gagné la somme de 100..000 Euro par le biais de la promotion COCA COLA COMPAGNIE.

Of course it's nonsense and of course it's some scam to get me to part with some information so they can raid my bank accounts, but it's had me thinking of Paris and singing La Marseillaise all afternoon. Thanks for the junk mail Monsieur Scammer.

Allons enfants de la Patrie, le jour de gloire est arrivé... C'mon, join in!

At home with a range

Somebody asked me what kind of range was in the photos I posted on Monday and since this is turning into the week of the marble kitchen, here goes. The simple answer is that it's a KitchenAid 36" with dual-fuel and steam assist.




KitchenAid Architect Series KDRP767RSS 36" Pro-Style Dual Fuel Range with 4-15,000 & 2-6,000 BTU Burners, Self-Cleaning True Convection Ovens, Steam Assist & Cl

The range went in the week before Christmas and the counters were finished on December 23. So this means that my client broke in her new range with a big Christmas Eve dinner. She was happy to have a functioning kitchen again, but it was quite a leap of faith to make an important dinner on an unfamiliar appliance. Well, the KitchenAid passed the important dinner test with flying colors. She has the same gift for superlatives that I do and she couldn't say enough good things about this range. 

What makes this range unique is KitchenAid's use of something they call steam assist that works in conjunction with its convection fan to cook foods in a rather unique way. There is an eight-cup water reservoir built into the front of this range and when a user selects a steam setting, measured doses of steam cycle on and off while the oven's in use. Using steam while you're baking or roasting keeps foods like seafood, vegetables and desserts from drying out as they cook. This range has an onboard computer that will talk you through its many uses. So between its convection settings and steam assist, there's very little this range can't do. It even has a setting to proof bread. It even impressed me and I'm so brand loyal to Wolf it's scary.

I'd originally specified a Wolf for this kitchen, but my client had other ideas. At least it's not a Viking I thought. It's not as if she selected this appliance to save a whole lot of money over what I'd suggested. I mean, this KitchenAid sells for $6000, and that puts it in competetition with my beloved Wolf. It was the steam assist that sold her on it and its the steam assist that has her falling in love with the thing. So she's thrilled with her KitchenAid and really, that's the only thing that matters. 

Overstock.com --who knew?

When I posted the photos of my marble counter the other day, I heard a lot of questions and comments about the faucet and the sink that went into that kitchen. Originally, I had specified the Kohler Vinnata faucet and a Houzer flat-bottom sink.

Here's the Vinnata from Kohler in another project from last year. The Vinnata is a beautiful fixture and it retails for around $700. That's honed Calacatta marble on that counter in case you're wondering.

This is the back end of a Kohler Verity apron-front sink in this photo, and it's also a great sink, but that's a topic for another day.

So anyhow, despite my explicit instructions, my client went off on her own and found some less-expensive substitutes. Good for her I say, she picked out some good stuff. She must have a good coach. Hah! When the sink and faucet showed up she was pretty proud of her selections but a little cagey about where she got them. Eventually, I pried the source out of her. It turns out that this client, who's become the current holder of my Best Client Ever title, found her fixtures on Overstock.com.

I mean, who knew? I'm a pretty Internet-savvy guy and I had no idea that Overstock.com sold plumbing fixtures. Well, they do and they sell all kinds of other home-related things too.

So in the kitchen featured in Monday's More Marvelous Marble, here's the faucet.

And here's the sink she bought.

I don't get too attached to my plumbing recommendations and I love saving a buck as much as the next guy. So if you're in a bind and you're looking to save some money on an upcoming renovation, Overstock.com might be a good place to check. But be careful, their offerings are kind of hit or miss from a quality standpoint. But hey, times is hard.

Check out Willow Decor

On of the great joys of writing a design blog is the chance I get to meet people who write on the same topic. My fellow bloggers are a great source of inspiration and camaraderie and though I've never met any of them in person, I feel an instant affinity for these fellow travelers. So I'm glad to welcome interior designer Gina Milne to my growing network of design blogs.

Gina writes a blog called Willow Decor, a site I mentioned in an earlier post about the work of Christopher Peacock. I had a request from a reader to track down some lighting that was featured in a Peacock publicity shot and Gina had already done the research by the time I stumbled upon Willow Decor. Bravo Gina for making me look smart!

Gina is a current resident of Boston and former resident of Munich. She's the proud owner and gradual renovator of a slate-roofed Royal Barry Wills Colonial Revival home, and her writings are seasoned with her own experiences in period renovation. The woman knows her stuff and her research is painstaking to say the least. She shares what she learns freely and with a writing style that's best described as neighborly. I recommend her blog and her opinions completely. Please give her a read when you're thinking about clean and classic design.

More marvelous marble

Here are some detail shots from my current favorite project. I rarely get to design something that I would like for myself, but this kitchen hits so many of my buttons at one time I can't help but to slobber all over it every time I visit this job site. This marble is Italian Carrera and I have never seen slabs of Carrera with this many other colors in it. I can't keep my hands to myself! The cabinetry is Medallion Cabinetry's Platinum inset in a dark-stained cherry. The Carrera counters are from Custom Marble Works in Tampa and the hardware's from Restoration Hardware, believe it or not.