{the anatomy of a windsor smith kitchen}

I love Windsor Smith's work ... ALL of it. She's got the magic formula of mixing classic bones + an amazing wow factor down pat! But there is something extra special about a 'Windsor Smith kitchen,' don't you agree?

via Rue

via Veranda

Ooh, that's a whole lot of kitchen pretty. Let's dissect, shall we? What must a Windsor Smith kitchen include? Gobs of marble is a good start, a tiny touch of rustic glam through a wide-planked wood floor or a large marble-top french table, a mix of seating styles that could include this navy brushed side chair and Windsor Smith's own slipcovered wingback chair, a ceiling pot rack for added charm, and of course two oversized black drum-shade light fixtures for that WS wow factor!

Yep, I could live like this :) Could you picture it?

One more thing! I'm excited to be visiting Victoria's lovely blog vmac + cheese, participating in her Behind the Scenes series today, hop over to learn a little more about me, like which 4 books I hope to read this year and what keeps me blogging.

I also guest blogged over at the fabulous & fellow Canadian Designwali blog a couple of weeks ago, sharing a spot of color in my home that brings a smile to my face. Thanks to both wonderful ladies for having me!

{aya 'blogpodium bound' contest}

I love what this amazing community of bloggers has been able to create; so many fabulous events with opportunities to learn, connect, and grow are taking place in so many cities. Enter BlogPodium: Canada's 1st and only conference series for design bloggers. They are holding a fantastic 'The Business of Blogging' meetup in May, and I'd absolutely love to attend it! Of course, fellow Vancouverites can tell you, the price for us to fly to TO is almost as much as it is to fly Europe ... and that's where the wonderful people at AyA Kitchens & Baths come in:

What an amazing opportunity! To enter you have to design your dream kitchen using products from AyA's website and other sites you love. I have to say, it was so much fun searching through their site and dreaming up a gorgeous kitchen. And I think you'll agree, this kitchen is SO me {you can click to enlarge for all the lovely details}:

No.1 - The Metal Peddler Copper Hood; No.2 - AyA Kitchens Antique English knob; No.3 - AyA Kitchens Classic/Traditional Allegra cabinet door style; No.4 - AyA Kitchens Traditional Large Crown; No.5 - Home Depot pot-filling faucet; No.6 - Ann Sacks marble subway tile backsplash; No.7 - Circa Lighting wood pendants; No.8 - La Cornue Chateau range; No.9 - AyA Kitchens English Antique Handle; No.10 - Paul Marra Brass chair; No.11 - 1st Dibs burled walnut table; No.12 - One Kings Lane accent chair

This really is my dream kitchen, because it has an 'old meets new' feel, with a dash of young traditional. References to the old-world include herringbone floors, large-scale cabinet crowns to the ceiling, the antique table, and plenty of brass from the Antique English AyA Kitchen hardware to the delicate brass chair. The geometric wood pendants and fabulous artwork add the touch of modern I need. Oh, and a pot-filling wall mounted faucet is totally on my must-have list, I'm not a fab cook so the easier the better! But in THIS kitchen, I think I'd become a chef ;)

Best of luck to everyone & thanks to AyA Kitchens & Baths for the amazing opportunity!