Kitchen Islands in the Sun

Anonymous UK Homemaker - I'm loving my new house, and the best thing about it is the amount of natural light. The windows are enormous, and there are French doors all across the ground floor overlooking the garden. In the kitchen, I'm making the most of this by having my primary work space facing the doors so that I get a great view all the time.

I've always admired kitchens with islands, and now I own my own! It took a long time to decide on how best to use the island – with a sink, a hob, a split-level breakfast bar, or simply a work surface. In the end, I went for a plain and simple granite top so that I can spread out my ingredients when cooking, or clear everything away for eating. It's become my new favourite place to be for coffee breaks and culinary creativity alike, and as Spring arrives, the sun through the open doors is paradise.

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Interior Decorating for Small Spaces in Paris

What better time of the year than April for a quick trip to the City of Light? Temperatures remain brisk, but the springtime sun is warming up the earth, and Paris is awash with springtime blossoms. And, no matter when you go to Paris, it is, after all, Paris - filled with some of the world’s greatest design, art, and architecture, all waiting for you to jump in and enjoy.

Le Pinot Noir

Although it’s known as the City of Light, Paris could easily also claim the title City of Design. You could spend an entire day wandering the rooms of Louvre that have been restored to the way they looked when the building was, literally, a palace. The gilding! The mirrors! The marble flooring! The brocade!

But while Louis the XIV had acres of sumptuous rooms to work with, most Parisians today face the very contemporary problem of how to make the most out of a small space. In addition to being known for its grace and beauty, Paris is known, especially among tourists, for its miniature quarters, including hotel rooms with barely enough space for admiring one’s latest fashions after an afternoon’s shopping at Le Bon Marché.

And yet, as students in the best design schools learn, with enough creativity and know-how you can make any space work.

We dropped in on the apartment christened “Le Pinot Noir” to see how designer Linda VanderMarliere solved the space problem while creating a tiny apartment fit for a king.

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