Blue Sneak Peek

©Kara Rosenlund

Well here you have it, the gorgeous Blue and White sneak peek. We have pieces from all over the globe including Denmark, Italy and England.

Vibrant and fresh, blue and white is so completely timeless.

**Note Timothy O's heirloom tomatoes in the second shot, we are having our own little tomato feast at the moment; I love this time of year!

More to come soon!

K x

The Kitchen Reveal!

©All Images Kara Rosenlund

Here you have it... finally the kitchen is finished.... a few of you have asked me while doing Travelling Wares at the market whether I use and decorate with similar objects to what I sell.

As you can see the answer is a firm yes! I love combining the old with the new. I definitely like to keep cooking tools at arms reach, so if they are going to be out they need to look beautiful too!

So, we are two rooms down so far, if you missed the bathroom here it is.

Watch out floor boards, we are coming with a sander and gusto!

P.S Below are a couple of before shots.

Wholesome Sunday

©Kara Rosenlund

A big THANK YOU to all of our lovely customers who came to the Powerhouse Famers Market on Saturday, it was great to see you all!

What a cracker of a gorgeous day! I hope you have had a chance to use your new found treasures over the weekend - baking tins, silver cutlery, milk jugs, plates and more!

I whipped up a quick roast chicken lunch yesterday in between tree lopping with Timothy O and a couple of furniture deliveries.

I love a good ol' classic Sunday lunch, so wholesome.

K xx

White Sneak Peek

This one is for all you white lovers out there (myself included!).

Here is a sneak peek at what will be available this Saturday at the Powerhouse Farmers Market. A beautiful array of white ware and pale wood for the kitchen.

I personally think produce should only be served on white plates, just like an art gallery with white walls, there are just some things you shouldn't mess with!

K xx

©Kara Rosenlund

Ode to Enamel

I love old original enamelware! I love how practical and utilitarian the approach is with enamel - no nonsense. Plus I think it looks pretty attractive too, especially the white palette!

It looks as though I will have quite the collection come Saturday on offer at Travelling Wares, we have colanders, ladles, skimmers, pitchers, and some stunning old sets of white storage canisters.

All kitchens needs a dash of enamel!

K xx

© Kara Rosenlund

Cutlery Calmness

Over the weekend a girlfriend of mine asked how wide our new oversized kitchen drawers were, as she is redoing her own kitchen. It got me thinking about how the small details and choices we make for such hard working areas really matter.

Above are two shots of our drawers, the top one is what I call the 'daily' drawer for obvious reasons and the second drawer down is what I call the 'chefs' drawer (not that there are any chefs in our house, its just a bit more hard core.) Everything is in there that we need, grouped together either by job or by handle finish (wood/plastic) and easy to see.

Time to be honest. Our drawers never used to look like this - they were an overflowing utensil disaster, so much so that I was embarrassed to get cutlery out when people dropped by.

However, the key is a good quality cutlery organiser. I swear by these ones. I love them! They are available through Howards Storage World and are extendable to fit almost any width.

Go, treat yourself, it will make you smile next time you open your drawers!

xx

Incase you were wondering, yes, I am a virgo.

SUCCESS

Our Travelling Wares was a success on Saturday!!! We sold our beautiful stock to many happy customers who loved their new finds and also loved Frankie! We even had Rick from Frank Creates sign writing on Frankie at the market, which was an added element of interest too.

We had so much support from our wonderful friends and family and also our new friends that we met on Saturday. Thank you all so so much. Seeing all your familiar faces bright and early Saturday morning just melted my heart.

For all of our new friends you can also find us on Facebook.

Thank you and hope to see you at the next market!

K xxxx

EXCITING NEWS Travelling Wares Launch

Finally I can share with you my EXCITING NEWS! I recently bought a gorgeous vintage 1956 Franklin Caravan (affectionally known as Frankie) and have turned her into my 'Travelling Wares' pop up Caravan Shop! Yup, thats right, I have a caravan now, which is also a shop!

A love of early morning hunting and scouring at the trestle tables in Europe has inspired me to get amongst it myself and share my objets d'art and found delights with you from far and wide.

Come along this Saturday to the Jan Power's Powerhouse Markets at New Farm and say hi! On offer will be European porcelain, Polish enamel ware, silver cutlery, small furniture pieces and goodness knows what else!

The Smell of Progress

Mmmm, the smell of glue is the smell of progress. The kitchen is almost done, just a few more tweaks and she will be finished. The custom built counter I designed has come up a treat!

More to come soon!

x

Take me to Calacatta

A couple of people have emailed asking what the surface is I shoot on. It is actually our brand new slab of Calacatta Oro Marble on our kitchen island. A traditional and also an exquisite work surface, this beautiful stone is only available from one quarry in the world, in the town of Carrara, Italy. To care for marble keep harsh chemicals and cleaning agents away, use warm water and a micro fibre cloth. It will reward you for many years. Also watch out for that tipsy friend pouring red wine near by, red wine and marble are not a good match.

'Before and After' kitchen shots to come soon!

xx

Cake Tricks

© Kara Rosenlund

On a recent shoot I had the opportunity to work with some pretty serious foodies who opened my eyes to baking and how simple it can be. All you need are the right tools and a few tips and tricks.

One thing I didn't know about baking cakes was that those pretty shaped cake tins actually serve a purpose; I always thought those different shaped cake tins were just to keep home cooks entertained in the kitchen, "Should I bake a round one today... or a square one".... apparently not.

A Springform tin is best for fragile cakes, such as a mousse cake. Bundt tins are used for dense rich cakes; the hole in the centre allows the heat to penetrate from all sides, cooking the cake faster.

Fancy That!

Ode to Wooden Spoons

© Kara Rosenlund

Wooden Spoons - 'in or out' in your kitchen? They are definitely 'in' in our kitchen. Nothing says homely and safe more than a big collection of wooden spoons in a kitchen. Big ones, tall ones, small ones, burnt ones, they all serve a unique culinary service. The perfect spot to keep your wooden spoons is next to the stove, efficiently at arms reach for a quick stir and taste.

xx

Subway Splash

A new chapter is unfolding this week within the walls of our little cottage - The Kitchen Splash Back - tiled in traditional white subway tiles.

I love the utilitarian and understated aesthetic of white subway tiles; they are as cheap as chips and are as chic as Chanel (well, sort of... in a kitchen way). They have always reminded me of butchers shops and old dairies - places where you roll your sleeves up high and do serious elbow work.

Without professional advice it can sometimes be overwhelming making decisions when it comes to kitchens. To achieve a good balance with materials, a combination of many different yet high quality surfaces will bring a feeling of warmth to the hard working area; materials such as tiles, zinc, wood and marble will do the trick.

vR x

SO French

For Christmas just gone I received the wonderful cookbook and memoir 'SO French' by acclaimed restaurateur Dany Chouet and Trish Hobbs from my thoughtful parents. I absolutely adore french cuisine and this particular book hit the spot for me. Apart from sharing over 60 recipes the book details Dany Chouet's French beginnings, her arrival in Sydney in the early 1970's, and her adventures shaping French cuisine in Australia through her successful restaurants 'Upstairs', 'Au Chabrol' and 'Cleopatra'.

With the abundance of cherries at the moment, I'm planning on baking Cherry Clafoutis over the weekend; a simple fast family dessert - with an air of elegance... I hope!

Cherry Clafoutis Clafoutis aux cerises

INGREDIENTS

500 grams pitted very ripe black cherries

1 tablespoon of kirsch

40 grams unsalted butter

3 eggs

55 grams caster sugar

35 grams of ground almonds

200 ml thick cream, plus extra to serve

1/4 teaspoon natural vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon natural almond extract

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Place the cherries in a mixing bowl with the kirsch, let them marinate, tossing from time to time, for about 15 minutes or until the juices are released.

With some of the butter, grease a 25cm pie or flan dish and set aside in a cool place.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar, add the ground almonds, cream, extracts and lemon zest and mix well. Strain the cherries and add their juice to the cream mixture. Spread the cherries in the dish, pour over the cream mixture and dot the remaining butter over the surface.

Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until set and golden brown.

Serve warm or cold with extra cream.

yum!

vR x

Kitchenaid LOve

The time has finally come for this girl to become a Kitchen Goddess. Yes I'm talking about bringing home a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. It is an object I have been lusting after for many a moon, however I could never fully commit to a colour..... until now!

I'll keep you updated on the pursuit.

vR x

Milkie White

One of my all time favourite things to do is to go treasure hunting in thrift shops. I do approach it like a sport and I do tend to take it a tad seriously apparently; there are rules, strict colour codes, objects of desire, route maps and there are even 'lucky charm' favourite car parks in each of my regular op shops to wish me luck upon embarking.

Just yesterday I came across a little handful/armful of delights; white vintage glazed china. I just can't get enough of it (as you can see from the above image); I love the crazing and the delicate unique creaminess of each piece.

A friendly fellow treasure hunter approached me to compliment my selection, she told me that if I wanted to strengthen the pieces to soak them in hot milk for a few hours.

I love ol' world kitchen tales

vR x

Isle of White

White is often dubbed the 'safe option' when it comes to decorating which really surprises me, as she can often be one cranky stubborn mule to work with! What is often over looked is actually how complicated white is to get right.

A tip is to know your whites and to know which white is right for you!

Whites can be divided into two simple categories: cool whites and warm whites.

Cool whites have a subtle blue undertone and appear bright and cool. When used in a warm, bright area, cool whites feel tranquil and inviting rather than stark and clinical.

Warm whites have a subtle yellow or pink undertone. Many heritage or country style interiors feature warm whites as they work in harmony with rich timber finishes and other 'country' colours such as two of my personal favs dusky pink and duck egg blue.

As a cool white devotee I always recommend using a wide variety of different textures to add interest to an all white scheme. Choosing textured furnishings and decorative objects in several tonal variations adds layers depth to any room.

LOve White

Above is a collection of sample images from a recent kitchen project.

Kitchens and White go together like Salt and Pepper!

vR x