Blueprint - Exposed Ceiling Rafters

I'm pretty sure Jimmy could care less about most of the features I blog about as part of my Blueprint series. Deep kitchen sink, really? With that said though, I know for a fact that Jimmy also loves the subject of this post - exposed ceiling rafters. There is something so cool and rustic about beams and rafters. I definitely lean towards lighter ones to keep everything airy. Beams, you will be mine...

{House Beautiful}

{House Beautiful}

{Tom Sheerer}

{Coastal Living}

Blueprint - Kitchen Sink

The title of this post makes it seem like in my dream house I'd have a kitchen sink, as in I don't currently have one. That's of course not the case, but the alternate title would have been "Blueprint - Big, Deep Kitchen Sink with High Powered Dish Sprayer Thingy" and that's just ugly sounding.

Washing dishes after dinner tonight - my big Calphalon pasta pot and it's built-in strainer to be exact - my next blueprint post came to me. I would LOVE a more messy cook friendly sink. It needs to be deep and it needs to be big (maybe even two full size sinks like shown below). My current sink is neither big nor deep and while it has a sprayer, it does a lousy job. That's why I'd love one of those heavy-duty sprayers. They have an industrial feel, usually seen in cafeterias and restaurant dish stations, but I think they're super practical.

Blueprints - Subway Tile

I love, love, love subway tile. Kitchens, bathrooms, white, colored, big and small. I just think it's really classy and a great investment for any house, as it really never becomes outdated. You'll see it in my house someday. That's a promise. Oh and I'd adopt these little boys if Jimmy would let me...

Blueprints - Kitchen Office

I have very fond memories of my grandparent's house where as a child I spent at least one week a summer (sans my parents and siblings) and weekends here and there for other visits. I can remember it like it was yesterday, sitting at the desk in their kitchen doodling and making calls home to tell my parents all the fun I was having on my summer vacation. Throughout my life, most other "offices" I've known have also been in the kitchen or direct extensions of the kitchen - the heart of every household. Who needs a big, grandiose office for paying bills and minimal record keeping? Not me. I much prefer something like seen below.

Blueprints - Built-in Bookshelves

This is the first in a post series I'm going to call Blueprints. Blueprints is my way of cataloging aspects of house design that catch my eye. While I love, love, love my house and feel very fortunate every day for our slice of Heaven by the beach, I also have a natural wanderlust for things 700 S. 5th Street just didn't come with. I figure if Jimmy and I ever remodel a room in a house or build a house someday, I'll always have my Blueprints, my inspirations, big and small, to refer back to. I hope I don't bore you too terribly. So here we go...

Hi, I'm Kaylie and I'm a book hoarder. I love getting books as gifts, buying my own books and being loaned a book. I don't like book-for-book exchanges or, God forbid, just flat out loaning someone a book - what if they don't give it back?!?! I don't like libraries because then you have to return the book. And my Kindle, as cool as it is, definitely goes against the grain of my obsession. All this babble aside, it's always been a dream of mine to have big built-in, best case scenario, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. I especially love when they straddle doorways and windows like pictured below. We already have my hoarded loot, so now all we need is a wall and a little wood, right?