Farm Meets City Sleek | 3rd Anniversary of Summer Kitchen Design Masterpiece
At Design Your Lifestyle, we’re proud to feature an outstanding kitchen or bath design for each season. Our Summer 2017 featured design was a gorgeous transitional kitchen design by Peter Salerno Inc. – the most award-winning North American custom kitchen and bath design of the 21st century. As the summer of 2020 blazes on, we’d love to take a look back at one of our favorite Peter Salerno Inc. kitchen designs of the last 5 years.
Transitional kitchen design, Peter Salerno Inc. 2017 (Photo: Peter Rymwid)
“Farm Meets City Sleek” is a lustrous transitional kitchen that manages to combine rustic charm with uptown chic. One’s first glance at this transitional kitchen design is bathed in white and ambient light, a nod to the recent kitchen design trend where whites and neutrals are used as the primary focus of the overall color design scheme. From the custom Maestro Rosolino cabinetry (a trademark of Peter Salerno Inc. design) to the kitchen island base, this kitchen is adorned with white.
Notes of gray and neutral complement the design, through the custom range hood and counter to the island countertop and wood flooring. One of our favorite aspects of this kitchen design is the the 2×8 mixed metal and glass mosaic backsplash over the range, created by the team at Stratta, the Tile Boutique.
Transitional kitchen design, Peter Salerno Inc. 2017 (Photo: Peter Rymwid)
Here are some specific details about this gorgeous transitional kitchen design.
Cabinetry: Maple wood painted Tennis White
Perimeter Countertop: Caesar Stone Piatra Grey #5003 1 1/4″ by Stone Surfaces in East Rutherford, NJ
Island Countertop: 1 1/2″ Stainless Steel by EMI Industries in Boonton, NJ
Flooring: Original hardwood flooring from home, no information was given by homeowner
Backsplash over range: 2×8 mixed metal & glass mosaic by Stratta Tile Boutique in Wyckoff, NJ
Sink: Franke MHX710-30 30x21x9
Island Light Fixtures: Exter 16-Jar Pendant by Potterybarn
Appliance Information:
Refrigerator/ Freezer: 48″ Sub-Zero 648 Prog
Gas Range: Wolf #GR606F
Steam Oven: Wolf #CSO24
Wall Oven: Wolf #SO30PE/S/PH
Hood: 60″ Stainless Steel
Dishwasher: Miele Futura Dimensions #G5675SCVI
Microwave: GE #PEM31SFSS with Trim Kit #JX827SFSS
Warming Drawer: 30″ Wolf WWD30
Ice Maker: Sub-Zero UC-15IP
Transitional kitchen design, Peter Salerno Inc. 2017 (Photo: Peter Rymwid)Transitional kitchen design, Peter Salerno Inc. 2017 (Photo: Peter Rymwid)
NOTE: All photography featured in this article is courtesy of Peter Rymwid, on behalf of the team at Peter Salerno Inc.
Stop leaving the powder room for last! You know what we’re talking about. From TV design shows to boutique home designers, the world is flooded with video and images of opulent master bedroom, living space and office designs. And these are wonderful – but don’t forget the ‘little gems’ in your home.
Peter Salerno Inc. focuses on custom kitchen and bath design for good reason – these are two rooms in your home where you want to feel pampered, relaxed, and bathed in beauty. And while kitchen and master bath designs are stunning, all too often the powder room gets overlooked.
It’s time we all get on the same page and make Summer 2020 the season of luxury powder room design!
A small space doesn’t have to feel confined or forgotten. Instead, it can become a tranquil, opulent retreat for you, your family and guests. All it takes is the spark of creativity from a master designer (like Peter Salerno, CMKBD) to turn a small bathroom space into an elegant modern powder room.
“Even the littlest details make the difference in a smaller space,” proclaims the official Peter Salerno Inc. Instagram account. From a novel approach to the sink basin (like the carved stone and chic glass examples seen in these Instagram posts) to intriguing vanity materials (like recycled leather for cabinet panels), now is the time to let world-class bath design experts flex their creative muscle.
Do these powder room designs give you “design inspo” for the summer of 2020? What would be your ideal powder room update? What decisions would you like to see made? What bold material, pattern and color choices have your creative mind working overtime? And what do you need to make your dream powder room design a reality?
We’d love to start a conversation – don’t be afraid to leave a comment and interact with us!
Peter Salerno isn’t just a master kitchen designer, he loves spending time in his own kitchen entertaining family, friends and guests. This love of cooking and creating recipes filters up and down the Salerno family for generations, and has produced some time-tested, delicious recipes.
When Peter Salerno married his wife Tracy, she brought with her a wealth of delicious recipes, cocktails and other “secret family recipes”. Tracy’s father, Mike Cavallo, was a master of many of these – but one of the family’s favorite creations from Mr. Cavallo was his famous sangria.
What makes the “Cavallo family sangria” recipe so delicious? It might be the perfect mix of ingredients, or the use of brandy and triple sec at the base. Or it may just be the special amount of love with which Mike made it.
In any event, it’s a sangria recipe that’s sure to please, and we’re sharing it with you. It’s the perfect summer sangria recipe to beat the heat!
Mike Cavallo’s Perfect Summer Sangria Recipe
Ingredients
7Up/Sprite
Triple Sec
inexpensive brandy (something like christian bros)
a bottle of cheap red wine (barefoot works) either merlot or shiraz
ice
oranges (you can add apples and pears as well)
Preparation
Fill a *large* pitcher with whole slices of orange (leave the peels on), use a wooden spoon to press on the oranges to get a little bit of juice at the bottom.
Fill a 1/3 of the pitcher with ice
Pour even parts 7Up/Sprite and wine (pouring both at the same time is the easiest way) until 2/3 of the way filled
Pour equal parts brandy and triplesec to taste (usually about 1/2 -2/3 a cup)
Fill remaining with the rest of the wine
Stir and let sit for 10 minutes in the refrigerator
Enjoy!
If it comes out too strong for you, it can be diluted by adding more soda.
DON’T add sugar, citrus fruits (lime, lemon, pineapple), or bitters!
The phrase “beach house bathroom” has conjured up the wrong images for far too long. Ratty throws, sandy floors, and outdated showers and tubs once dominated the bathrooms of summer homes, as homeowners were preoccupied with all the things that could go wrong with its design.
Instead, why not focus on what can go right? The start of summer is the perfect opportunity to update your beach home’s bathroom to a sleek, stylish appearance that reflects the pride and presentation that you’ve built into the rest of your space.
Update your beach house bathroom to be sleek, stylish and inviting. (Credit Peter Rymwid)
Many of the questions that beach house owners have about updating their bathroom designs seem logical.
“Why should I invest in the bathroom; it’s just going to get dirty!” “What happens when family and guests track sand all over?” “Shouldn’t I just consider my beach home’s bathroom as a glorified mud room?”
The answer to all these concerns is a simple one. Your family, friends and guests will inherently assign the same value to any room in your home that you do – bathroom included. If you invest the time, focus and proper design elements towards making your beach house bathroom sleek, stylish and beautiful, its users will treat it with the same care and respect.
Great views and open floor plans can maximize your beach house bathroom’s space. (Credit Peter Rymwid)
Great views and open floor plans can maximize the space in your beach house bathroom. As Ren Miller, editor-in-chief of Design New Jersey magazine, stated in our Summer interview, “Views are important – get some big windows in your vacation home!” Make sure the designer handling your bathroom space values clean, functional design.
Also, don’t be afraid to trade in those ratty rugs and throws for tile floors. They’re much easier to clean and maintain, and once again – if you present a beautiful space, it is bound to be respected by your guests.
Finally, if you are dealing with an interior or narrow bathroom space, and space is at a premium, there are still creative design solutions! In our photo example at the top of the article, note the use of floor-to-ceiling mirrors to present the illusion of a larger space. Also, our design team was sure to stack as much functional storage as possible within the beautiful vanity and mirror combination on the far wall.
A great designer or design firm can make the most of any beach house bathroom, large or small. For more information on how Peter Salerno and his team can be of service, please visit their website.
Summer Food Trend Alert: Beat the Heat With Chilled Soup Recipes
When our most trusted recipe sources start producing mass quantities of chilled soup and cold soup recipes, we take notice.
The last few days have been blazing hot in our area (the NYC/Tri-State region), with the heat index approaching 120 degrees. For food lovers, eating a hot meal in oppressive heat can be uncomfortable. Cold drinks don’t provide enough nourishment, and cold meals don’t offer enough refreshment.
The answer, according to Epicurious and other recipe experts, is cold soups.
Find delicious cold soup and chilled soup recipes to beat the summer heat.
We’re not just talking about gazpacho! There are some extraordinary chilled soup recipes available, with inventive minds designing new additions to the cold soup cookbook. It’s no surprise that – once again – some of our favorite selections come courtesy of Epicurious.
Epicurious’ recent list of 34 Cold Soup Recipes to Keep You Cool This Summer features no less than a half-dozen recipes we’re instantly enamored with. From a cool AND filling Chilled Coconut Corn Soup to a guacamole-inspired Chilled Avocado and Yogurt Soup with Tomato Salsa, there are plenty of savory options that will leave even the biggest appetites fulfilled.
If your idea of chilled soup on a hot day involves lighter fare, we love the intriguing Chilled Tomato and Stone Fruit recipe, as well as a Chilled Golden Tomato Bisque that requires zero cooking!
We won’t post the full Epicurious recipes here (we’re not big on plagiarism… ha!), but here are links to six of our favorite Epicurious chilled soup recipes, along with brief descriptions of each.
Try them all, and leave us a comment about the one you love most!
Links to Our Favorite Epicurious Cold Soup Recipes
Possibly our favorite cold soup recipe on Epicurious’ list; this fulfilling soup comes stocked with corn, potatoes and onion. Coconut milk, ginger, turmeric and lime zest finish off a bright and satisfying recipe that we will be making again.
Currently holding a 100% “Make Again” rating on Epicurious, this Cool Jade Soup offering is inspired bissara, an Egyptian bean-and-herb purée. The mix of green and lima beans blends well with mint, parsley and other herbs to create a refreshing cold soup.
We were a bit skeptical about this recipe to start. It looked precisely like a normal gazpacho… until the stone fruit came into play. Peach and cherry ingredients give this gazpacho base a surprising – and very enjoyable – sweetness that kept us dipping our spoons into our bowls.
Try these chilled soup recipes to cool off during a hot summer.
Much like the Stone Fruit recipe above, we start with a gazpacho inspiration and venture off into inspired fruit-based territory. According to original author and recipe creator Susan Spungen, the key is a super-juicy, heavy watermelon.
This no-cook recipe is the height of ease; we found the final result every bit as enjoyable as the short prep period. The notes of sherry and mild honey are small but pop beautifully out of the heavy bisque broth, giving a sweet touch to a savory soup.
In terms of visual presentation, this soup might have the most beautiful color of any on the list. The mellow gold color of this chilled soup is due to carrots and ginger, and a healthy dose of chicken bone broth adds texture. Feel free to try this one hot as well.
Our Updated Guide to World-Class Grilling | Expert Grill Tips
When you’re a branch of the most award-winning custom kitchen design firm of the 21st century, the way you cook is very important. And when summer at the shore is your favorite time (and place) of the year, “getting your grill game” up to par is a must!
5 steps to becoming a better grill cook this summer! (Photo: Gyfjonas via Wiki Commons)
Making the leap from “throwing a few things on the barbecue” to becoming a grill master seems daunting. But like any journey worth taking, you shouldn’t look at it as a “leap” at all. Every skill is learned and mastered over the course of thousands of baby steps. It’s the same lifelong process that led Peter Salerno (CMKBD) to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a master craftsman and artisan. From his father’s cabinetry business in Sicily to Peter’s award-winning custom design firm in America, Peter’s journey to becoming a master wouldn’t have happened if his father hadn’t taken the first step so many years ago.
Using the Salerno backstory as inspiration, let’s break the journey to becoming a grill expert into smaller steps and look at what YOU can do to become a better grill cook this summer!
Expert Grilling Step 1: The Proper Grill
Peter Salerno is an avid grill enthusiast, with stellar grill equipment at his home, beach house, and award-winning showroom in Wyckoff, New Jersey. From Weber grills to Miele grill tops to La Cornue rotisseries, Peter understands that world-class grilling begins with world-class grill appliances.
Regardless of your budget, there is generally a ‘best option’ at most price points for grill hardware. Whether you choose gas, charcoal or pellet is entirely up to you and your personal taste; there are reputable reviews and ratings of every style readily available online. But whether you inevitably choose Weber, NexGrill, Kenmore or another brand, the type of grill is every bit as important as the brand.
You’re going to get a much different taste experience off a pellet grill, for example, than you would off charcoal. That doesn’t make one better than the other; it’s simply about your preference. Do you like the woodsier taste a pellet grill may provide, or the traditional smoke of a charcoal grill? Do you prefer the clean efficiency of a gas grill? There is no right answer to those questions – the only “correct” answer is what suits you best.
Each type of grill brings its own perks and its own unique cleaning and maintenance regimen; make sure you read up on these as well!
Expert Grilling Step 2: The Proper Ingredients
All else being equal, a great steak is going to taste better than a mediocre one. (Obviously, you can foul up a great steak as easily as a poor one, but let’s focus on the upside here!)
There really isn’t a ton to say here. It’s worth buying better quality raw ingredients. Spring for the fresher, in-season vegetables. Spend a few more dollars on the right cut of meat, or the higher-quality seasoning.
Expert Grilling Step 3: The Proper Technique
Learning how to grill properly is the most intimidating step in this process; don’t be scared! The Internet has made the journey from novice to expert grill cook so much simpler.
Start with the Epicurious Guide to Grilling. We love it. It’s a soup-to-nuts (or in this case, burger-to-chop) guide to grilling techniques and ingredients, from some of the best amateur and professional grillmasters today.
Get yourself a great Bluetooth or WiFi thermometer. Seriously. There are some amazing Bluetooth applications out there that gauge the temperature of your grill AND the internal temperate of what you’re grilling. Whether you’re cooking with the grill top open or closed, you can monitor the process of your meal no matter where you are. Gone are the days when you had to hover over your grill like a vulture, out of fear you’ve over-cooked!
We love the Weber iGrill 2 BluetoothThermometer; unless you’re on a smaller budget, it’s currently our favorite product on the market. If you’re looking for a WiFi-based alternative rather than connecting to Bluetooth, we suggest the ThermoPro TP20 WirelessMeat Thermometer
Expert Grilling Step 4: The Proper Accompaniments + Sides
Don’t just slather a ton of sauce on your beautifully grilled meat, vegetables or vegan substitutes! The right sides, dressings, dips and garnishes can make or break your summer grill meals.
We found an awesome treasure trove of Grilling Dips & Sauces courtesy of Patricia C. Wilson. We strongly encourage you to jump over to Patricia’s site and take a look at her grilling dips and sauces; there are some really unique, simple preparations that are going to ‘wow’ your dinner guests!
There’s also a wonderful piece on the Williams-Sonoma blog courtesy of their Test Kitchen chef, Belle English. Belle encourages us to “just buy the sauce or rub” – sometimes, there’s no reason to over-think the process! Belle does go on to provide some highly valuable advice on what sauces and rubs to pair with different types of meats, and how to incorporate them into your meal’s preparation.
Expert Grilling Step 5: The Proper Company
Well-prepared food is like any beautiful creation; it’s best when shared with others and consumed by people who will appreciate it! Expert grilling is meant to be shared with family, friends and loved ones.
So now that you’ve taken the first steps to improving your “grill skills”, it’s time to gather the people you care for around a big table, spread out some big family-style dishware, and have a summer grill celebration to remember!
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