{Tile Baseboard in Our Kitchen}

A kitchen, like a bathroom, needs easy cleaning so we went ahead and did replace the wooden baseboard with a tile baseboard. Husband Pieter did do it himself, again using Bright Snow White tiles from Home Depot. At Complete Tile Collection NYC New York they do have a 5-½" high Normandy Baseboard by Vermeere Ceramic Tile Molding. That might have worked too. Their Skirting Baseboard is almost 1" too short for replacing our wooden baseboards. We were restricted to size. 

Our floor is white tile from Italy that we did bring back home with us when moving back to the USA.

The Snow White tiles from Home Depot do go well with them.

Our window sills in the kitchen and veranda are custom made from Corian.

Calla lilies we received from dear friends; in memory of our sweet Sacha-girl. See post: {R.I.P. SACHA GIRL}

The other side of our bay window area, where the table is.

Okay, okay I lie down for you on my belly—to show you more in detail how it looks...

Very shiny and easy to clean; I am quite happy with them!

You can see the grout from the floor tiles being reflected into the baseboard tiles.

Husband Pieter has been working on his belly a lot... He even managed to screw a backer board with tiles onto the kick space that is under the Miele dishwasher. So it can be easily removed if needed.

The kick space under the cabinets is now also entirely with a tile baseboard.

Do you also have a tile baseboard in your kitchen?

Related links:
{Our Guest Bathroom} | previous post by me showing you also tile baseboard
{Our Hallway} | previous post by me showing you also tile baseboard
{Our New Shower with Dreamline Frameless Sliding Shower Door} | previous post by me showing tile baseboard

{TIP For Kitchen Improvement}

Today I want to share with you a practical TIP For Kitchen Improvement. Above our Miele US oven we have still a rather deep cabinet, which was very hard to reach from the floor. Husband Pieter did add a 20" X 21" ROLL OUT DRAWER IN CHROME from Wayfair. Link you find below post. This works like a charm!

Above our Miele oven is this deep cabinet. It has another wooden shelf up high towards the back.

Now I just roll out this chrome drawer and can get to all the items I need.

Mainly oven proof French Pillivuyt items are nested in here...

Four sets are stacked in there; two deep and two wide and they still fit under the top shelf.

Lids can be stashed on the side.

There is even one Pillivuyt platter that fits underneath! It is an 8"x 8" serving platter.

Are you working with Roll Out Drawers in your Kitchen as well?

Related links:

• {Our Kitchen Improvements} previous post by me
• {More of Our Kitchen} previous post by me
• {Our White Ceramic Chandeliers from Italy} previous post by me
• {Giovanni Raspini Silver Christmas Balls} previous post by me
• {French Floral Pillow Set and our Gazebo} previous post by me
• {Our new IKEA Nordmyra Chairs} previous post by me
• {My Old-Time Spun Glass Halloween Ornaments} previous post by me
• Wayfair Roll Out Drawers in Chrome link for several sizes of roll out drawers

{OUR EXCEPTIONAL VOSSEN INTERNATIONAL TERRY TOWELS}

Due to my severe back pain I have recycled this interesting post...

This is an exceptional post about something that got initiated by my husband Pieter, while he was taking care of laundry at the time I was too ill to do anything. He told me that I had to get back in touch with the company that made such extraordinary terry towels that held up for decades. TRUE, they have had at least their 34th birthday all together and lived up perfectly to the name in their label, which reads Vossen International. We took them from The Netherlands to the USA, from there to Italy and also they went with us to Indonesia and back home again to the USA. All the time happily together, lending us a soft and eager absorption any time we needed to towel dry. Well, let's start from the beginning... In The Netherlands at De Beddenspecialist in Venlo on Parade 37 we bought these kind of moss green towels, probably in 1978. Also wash hands (not the usual cloths they use here in the USA) and one large beach towel. Guess I got a total of some 18; one large beach towel and from several guest towels my seamstress in Indonesia did sew together more wash hands. Clever idea, they're just a tad longer than the original hands.

So there we go... I did look up on the Internet the company and found them in a heartbeat still producing their quality Vossen towels.

So I did contact them and got the nicest reply from Ms Nicole Neuhold in Austria, on March 29, 2009; requesting to send her some pictures... Well, that sounds like easy done but NOT so at our home for that time. My German build Miele washer had just quit working and my towels were all in the laundry bin; not ready for such a glamour shot! Pieter, being the handy man he always has proven to be, did change a fuse and it worked again! Only to quit a second time but he did find the problem and did bypass that for occurring ever again. My, was I glad for not yet having to give up on my Miele. So after all, there is a chance it will stay healthy and happy till past its 16th birthday on August 29, 2009. Talking about German quality; WOW!

Back to the terry towels, after they got their Miele treatment, I did fold them, brought them into the freshly cleaned bathroom and started putting them out for the glamour shots. After all, they will be presented to the very cradle where they came from long time ago, before traveling with us the world. But with some sunshine peaking through the windows and with putting my best foot forward, using all my newly-learned photo-lessons from Pieter, I did capture them nicely I think. First I want to introduce them to my blog readers and next, Nicole will get them delivered to her by electronic mail. It is super that my letter with photos will get a place in a kind of Vossen Museum!

Let's start with the year 1978 in which they got adopted... because we had green tiles in the bathroom then, it was the green theme for which the towels were chosen! These photos were taken in May of 1983 so the towel on the rack had already done five years of service then. We immigrated in August of 1983 to the USA.

Below, underneath the two old photos, taken at our home in Horst, The Netherlands, follow the ones taken now at our home in Georgia, USA. So all these towels are living proof to SUPER quality and we wonder IF they ever will give in at all...

Our Bathroom in Horst, The Netherlands with the moss green Vossen towels.

In our present bathroom... our Vossen wash hands.

Rolled up, ready for use...

Luxurious soap bars within reach

White Pelargonium in our Silver Rose Vase...

Ours indeed LIVED to be international, in three continents...

White pelargonium in silver rose vase.

{Gardenias and Roses as Hostess Gift}

Sometimes a self made gift is the best for a certain occasion. And such was the case when both of us were invited to dinner at a Church friend's home. We happened to have perfect blooming Gardenias and Roses in our garden. Both white colored and great for making two lovely nosegays in a recycled marmalade jar, tied with some twine. Judge for yourself and tell me if you like them too. Sorry but the heavenly fragrance I cannot reproduce here...

Before carrying them off to their new destination, I had to photograph them on top of our Miele 

Cooktop.

These are the roses... 

By using some natural twine, instead of any synthetics it sure made for a 'Green' bouquet.

Our Aimee Yoshioka Gardenias...

I followed the concept: KISS = Keeping it Sweet and Simple

Going Green & Learn from Mariette

Wishing you a Happy New Week!

{Miele Catwalk Fever}

In my previous post you have read about our Miele US  kitchen appliance such as the oven, plate & cup warming drawer, dishwasher, ceran cook top and built-in hood. Will write later about our food warming drawer from Miele and our washer and dryer from Miele. Oh, yes we got a Miele vacuum cleaner as well...

BUT the 2010 Miele Magazine shows you whether it's haute couture, business dress or casual wear, when it comes to fashion, Miele's connection is clear to see. This is demonstrated by events in the USA, Belgium and Great Britain, which deal with the topic of fashion in quite different ways, but all with the same result: their customers are inspired. This did result in a first place winning look at Product Runway in Seatle, Washington. The following images are taken from the above hyperlink (2010 Miele Magazine) and you can find the matching page right there. Hope you will enjoy this fascinating catwalk made from Miele appliances. The dress below is made from the anti-slip warming drawer mats! Guess you will need more than one warming drawer so I will not be able to convert mine into a très chic ensemble... Enjoy!

{More of Our Kitchen}

On August 30 in my post {Our Kitchen Improvements} I did promise to show you more of our kitchen, so here it is... When we bought our property we were looking for a lot with sun in the back of the house, south side for the afternoon. That also meant that our bay window area would have morning sun as it is facing east. We never did regret this—as it is the most joyful start of the day for having breakfast in the sun! 

Husband Pieter did make the design of our home and we had it custom build by a local contractor.

Seen here also are our IKEA Nordmyra chairs.
You have seen my hand crocheted curtains before in my post about {Our White Ceramic Chandeliers from Italy} also in this post about {Giovanni Raspini Silver Christmas Balls} and in this post {French Floral Pillow Set and our Gazebo}. Oh and also here: {My Old-Time Spun Glass Halloween Ornaments}...

Detail of handcrocheted rose curtains.

Door to our veranda.

Miele US  Plate & Cup Warming Drawer above Dishwasher.

Miele Oven above Plate & Cup Warming Drawer.

Great feature is the TOP SOLO

Well deserved recognition! It is so true. Miele is available at Miele USA.

See how those two Gardena scissors are hung from three chrome knobs.

Gardena Garden Scissor for removing thorns from roses.
These chrome knobs are available at Home Depot in sets of two, see info below.

Our Amana refrigerator with pull out freezer drawer.

Energy Star rated.

Wide shelves are great for large platters.

Door to living room and hall-way.

Door to dining room.

Buffet with tea chest and tray.

Feline resident Tiggy-Tiger girl...

Related links:

• {Our Kitchen Improvements} previous post by me
• {Our White Ceramic Chandeliers from Italy} previous post by me
• {Giovanni Raspini Silver Christmas Balls} previous post by me
• {French Floral Pillow Set and our Gazebo} previous post by me
• {Our new IKEA Nordmyra Chairs} previous post by me
• {My Old-Time Spun Glass Halloween Ornaments} previous post by me

{Our Kitchen Improvements}

It is almost impossible to keep up with posting all that is going on in our garden and in the home... But today I proudly want to share some projects that my dear handyman Pieter accomplished just before summer. It made me so happy and it is a daily joy to work with it. Once the weather will cool down a bit (after Labor Day...) I will enjoy my kitchen even more. For now it often is salad time, or something that doesn't require much 'heat' in the kitchen! How about you?

Our kitchen is white... my favorite color. To the left are our Miele dishwasher; plate & cup warming drawer and oven. All Miele appliance is a lot more eco friendly!

The white hot-water faucet has been replaced and also the white kitchen sinks.

Here you see the new hot-water faucet in chrome.

The Atag kitchen sinks and Atag electric cooktop have been replaced after 20 years of use.

One of our 3 Kichler All in One Xenon Under Cabinet Lights as I've written here in a previous post.

They are very slim and have two settings.

New Italian Ilve stainless steel kitchen sinks installed, all by Pieter himself.

Ilve, from Padova, Italy near where we lived...

The two sinks together and the faucet, which does have a pull out hose and it swivels over both sinks.

Our Amana Energy Star easy reach pull out drawer bottom freezer.

That fridge is super for placing large platters in for special occasions.

Rösle grater hangs with the ladles on rack...

Will show more later...

Here is the newest Miele KM 5656 Electric Cooktop.

Pieter had to cut out the Corian counter in order to put this in.

The previous cooktop was 24" (60 cm) wide and this Ceran one is 30" (76 cm) with as bonus a new drawer underneath. This Miele Ceran Cooktop is so slim...

By the way, the mouse is a pink cat toy; not a real one!

There it is, our Miele KM 5656 Ceran Glass Electric Cooktop with 4 heating elements and 6 cooking zones (2 variable zones).

Oh, how happy I was with this additional drawer that Pieter installed!

This Miele is also a very sleek one. Click→ Miele Built–In Wall Cabinet Hood.

Great halogen lights and easy to clean removable, dishwasher safe metal filters.

Here you see the back element which is either round or large oval.

The same for this one that is in a variable round size.

The bonus for all my Rösle gadgets... a new drawer!

It is a blessing for having such a great husband with golden hands, who's always eager to please others.

Indeed a blissful relationship—ongoing!

Show more about our kitchen later.

Related link:

{More of Our Kitchen} previous post by me