Design Inspirations: Kitchens

I chose these kitchens at random from a set of almost 300 images. All share clean lines, natural light, functionality, silver metal finishes, wood, and warm but natural colors. Vintage-rustic-meets modern-industrial. I know the trend is for large, open 'entertainment spaces' but I still like the idea of the kitchen being a space all its own; with a cozy nook for sitting, and maybe a hidden little spot for office duties.

What's your kitchen like?

Images via my home ideas.

Organize: my fave ideas from Real Simple

Laundry Bag
Original purpose: Saving delicate unmentionables from getting stretched in the spin cycle.
Aha! use: Keeping mini Tupperware lids, baby-bottle caps, and other small items from falling through the dishwasher rack.

Rubber Bands as Strap Securers
Original purpose: Bundling mail in the postman's bag.
Aha! use: Keeping camisoles and sundresses from slipping off their hangers. For this stop-strap measure, wrap a band (or two if you use skinny ones) around each end of a hanger.

File Drawer for the Kitchen
“File” plastic containers and their tops in orderly zones within the same drawer to keep them easy to locate.

Desk Organizer as Cupboard Divider
Original purpose: Keeping files orderly.
Aha! use: Sorting cookie sheets, cutting boards, and jelly-roll pans in the kitchen.

Keep Papers Accessible With Memo Holder
Originally made for keeping track of food orders in restaurants, this sleek stainless-steel and chrome rack will ensure that mail, messages, and shopping lists are not misplaced.

To buy: Memo holder with spring clips, $48, the Museum of Useful Things.

Found HERE.

Garden: Grow veggies in 2-4 square feet

For anyone that loves fresh veggies but is short on space or maybe you just doesn't want the upkeep...this might be just your ticket for a mini garden this summer.  

TOMATO
In a sunny 2-foot square bed, tuck a single plant. Prolific varieties include 'Sun Gold', a cherry type, or 'Early Girl', a medium slicer. 

+ BASIL
In a 3-foot square bed, grow three basils and a tomato plant.  Perfect for making pesto and for pairing with tomatoes and mozzarella in summer salads.

+ CHIVES & CUKES
In a 4-foot square bed, add a row of chives beyond the basil, then plant a single cucumber vine.

Discovered HERE.

Design Inspiration: Mudroom

Galvanized steel planters provide just the right amount of rugged storage ― and a fun metallic glint ― above coat hooks in a mudroom.

They sell these planters at Ikea, folks...I'm so lovin' this idea to store hand tools out on our deck!

Good People: The Power House Project

The Power House was started by the Design 99 duo, Gina Reichert and Mitch Cope in March of 2008 with the purchase of one house and two empty lots totaling $4,900. These properties were purchased with the kind help of family members and friends.

What is a Power House?
The Power House intends to be a stimulator and not an end in itself as a singular art object. The house is a broadcaster of potential ideas and a place to plug those ideas into. It will be used as an interactive site, by Mitch, Gina and their neighbors. The Power House is meant to be a symbol for creativity, new beginnings and social interaction within a neighborhood.

upcycled free paint - renovation begins

The house is meant to act as a cultural catalyst and an opportunity for cultural exchanges through workshops and residencies. It will also provide lessons in wind, solar, and sustainable strategies by implementing these systems and introducing them to the community. Installations in the landscape will be the first outward sign that draws attention to the facility and its mission. The exterior skin of the house itself will also exhibit unique characteristics and 'green' materials and strategies appropriate for the Michigan climate. Power House will serve as a showroom both inside and out.

Why create a Power House?
The communities of Detroit have been hit hard economically for many years now. Prior to the foreclosure crisis the property values in Detroit had been extremely low, and they have hit an all time low due to the current real estate market. There has always been a need for low income housing, but often what is called low income is not really that affordable to purchase or sustain. The Power House is designed to prove that it is possible to take advantage of the housing crisis and produce super efficient, self-sustaining homes all for under $99,000. By taking advantage of today’s housing crisis, the Power House Project can help people to rethink their city's aged and decaying housing stock and bring the homes back to life.

neighbors help plant a community garden

Long Term Goals
As the foreclosure crisis hits all around them, with house after house going vacant and vandalized, they began to strategize ways of making positive changes. In 2008, Gina and Mitch purchased a bank foreclosed house in Detroit for $1900 (originally valued at $85,000), almost on a whim, simply to try and take control of their immediate surroundings which were quickly destabilizing due to a spike in foreclosures. Since the house had been scrapped- all its electrical, plumbing and heating systems stolen- the idea became to work with the house in a way that turned a negative value into a positive asset by reinventing the house as a Power House.

Positive Ideas + Interactive People = Healthier Neighborhoods
The Power house Project was designed to stimulate communication and action within an otherwise challenging but unique Detroit neighborhood by way of mining out the existing positive and productive aspects of the neighborhood. The Power House is designed to be a space where people can feel comfortable to share their ideas, knowledge and expertise about the fundamentals of neighborhood living, i.e., gardening, house work, new technologies, safety, and so on. The Power House is also designed as to be magnet for gathering whether they be neighborhood resources, energy, social change, story telling or simply a place to produce and view art and culture.

candidates for future power houses in the neighborhood

Future Power House Projects
Each Power House will be capable of creating enough energy for its own consumption and produce enough excess power for at least one neighboring home. This is feasible due to the extremely low cost of purchasing property in Detroit and the amount of available small single family vacant homes in Detroit. A certain percentage of each Power House would also function as neighborhood hubs by producing not only electricity but also a new point of identity, gathering place of creative exchange, thus a new type of neighborhood where undesirable homes become experimental factories for community action and power.

Currently they are in the process of bringing other artists in to help set up a small neighborhood radio station and sculpted landscape work.

Learn more about the Power House project and Duo 99 HERE.

Info and photos in this post credit to Design 99 and the Power House Project.

And I quote...Eleanor Roosevelt

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."

~Eleanor Roosevelt


Brick Fence by Tina

Photo copyright Pfeiffer Photos 2009 - all rights reserved.

Blogging: The Low Cost, High Return Business Marketing Tool - Part 3: Case Studies of Successful Business Blogs

David Harlow, a lawyer and health care consultant in Boston, began writing his blog, HealthBlawg, to market his private practice after leaving a large firm. Two years later Mr. Harlow says he is happy with the results. His blog gets about 200-300 visits per day and has been utilized as a reference site for publications seeking commentary on issue in the health care field. He also stated that he has gained new clients because of his blog, has met many people and has been able to communicate with other bloggers in his field across the country.[1]


Click the grid for a larger view

l 2 r: Cherry Blossoms Lavender eye pillow - small city styles, Ripe White tea - ruaTea, Circles Yoga Mat Bag - small city styles, and Raspberry Minis Anna's Oatcakes - Down from the Mountain

Sarah E. Endline, chief executive of sweetriot, a producer of organic chocolates, started her company blog before the company launch in 2005. Endline wanted to have a place for customers to get a behind-the-scenes look at the business of making chocolate treats. Being personal with customers is a common reason cited for blogging, especially for companies that want to be known as mission-oriented or socially responsible. The sweetriot blog includes an entry written about their first cacao shipment from South America, greeting the truck on Labor Day weekend after it cleared the customs process at Kennedy International Airport, and the appreciation she felt toward the delivery driver who helped her sort through and inspect her product.[1]


click the grid for a larger view

l 2 r: Chocolate Chili Cashew Biscotti and Homemade Chocolate Marshmallows - whimsy & spice, Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies - Vegan Propamanda, Chocolate Chai Bread - Get In My Belly

A company blog guarantees that the blog author can tell their side of their story, in their own words. The best bloggers type fast and talk a lot. They are chatty people and are into relationships. Blogging provides small businesses global reach for a very low cost. Blogging is soft marketing and can work in place of an email newsletter and with better results. Companies that already have a website can add a blog and achieve higher rankings in search engines. Examples of the benefits of a company blog can include but are not limited to:

IMPLEMENTING IDEAS - One person can come up with a good idea but it can take 100 or more people to implement the idea--blogs can help provide resources for both.

INCREASING REVENUE - Great ideas that can come from the conversations and feedback between a blog author and blog readers can increase revenue and marketing power.

KNOW THE CUSTOMER – Blogs can link companies directly with their customers, help them to understand their market, and aid in discovering ways to deliver new products on time and on budget.

FEEDBACK - Relying on a small sample of customer feedback can hurt development of products and ideas. With blogging, you can ask your entire blog readership for their opinions. Insight to what a larger community of readers want can help you to deliver better products.

VISIBILITY - Blogs allow marketing visibility and help to reach the right people and make them aware of the right products and services at the right time.

MESSAGE – Blogs can help a business connect to individual customers with a specific message instead of marketing a generic message to a global mass of random buyers.

SPREAD THE WORD - Blogging, a component of viral marketing, can create word-of-mouth advertising about a product or service and introduce incentive programs and contests for customers to interact with the company and create relationships.

This post is part two of a marketing series. Please visit my archives for parts one through eight.

The photos displayed in this post represent items sold by our talented fellow small business owners, in their online Etsy stores. Please click on their links to browse their shops for quality handmade and edible goods.

[1] "Blogging - Low Cost, High Return Marketing: NY Times." [Weblog smallbiztechnology.com] 6, Jan 2008. The New York Times. 24.4. 2008 .
[2] Alboher. Marci. "Blogging - Low Cost, High Return Marketing: NY Times," The New York Times 27, Dec 2007. The New York Times. 26.5. 2008

copyright pfeiffer photos 2008 - all rights reserved. do not use my writing or photographs without my permission. Contact me HERE for info and permissions...thanks!