Home Design with Kevin Sharkey

It's amazing what inspires me, catches my eye and finds its way into my apartment. Recently, I spied an Elliott Puckette print -- it's a simple gesture, a meandering line/whiplash curve with a lovely composition.  While I cannot imagine affording an original, large-scale Puckette painting (her work is part of the Whitney's permanent collection), maybe this limited edition print could work its way in somewhere -- across from the front door above a chair or console?

Puckette's print is offered through the Conde Nast store, online at www.condenaststore.com

Finding a less expensive print from an artist is a wonderful way to start collecting and I feel strongly about incorporating her style somewhere in my new world.

The original story, spied in Vogue.

For many, the art of upholstery is a mystery. You drop off a sofa/chair/headboard and a few days later, a new piece of furniture appears. Over the years, I have sent master upholsterer Luther Quintana many items, each with great bones but some well-worn and each returned looking new and fresh.

In the September issue (page 78), we asked Luther to demystify the process and explain why recovering can cost so much and, more importantly, why quality is a great long-term investment.

More recently, Luther and I have been talking about sofa options for my apartment's living room and library as well as re-upholstery options for a set of twelve Warren McArthur chairs for my dining room. Do I want to build a new sofa or work with an existing frame? Should the chair seats be removable in order to turn them over or remove for cleaning? What are the best filling options?

There are many questions, and I am lucky to have an expert on hand. It's very important to have a frank conversation with your upholsterer and give him/her as much information about color, style, and use as possible. I, like everyone, want comfort but something durable that will last. I have a feeling that Luther and I will be talking for a few more weeks before we come to any final designs.

Here is one of my chairs and as you can see, it is in need of serious care from Luther.

The sofa in the library should fit from one corner to the other, stretching across the room, but deep enough to be comfortable and cozy.

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1 This pull out organizer by simplehuman makes it easy to access my small appliances without having to reach into the cabinet.

2 The 20" size was good fit for my cabinet and left enough room on the side to store my stand mixer.

3 I organized all my cleaning supplies under the sink. This small pull out organizer fit nicely here and makes it easy to find what I need fast while keeping everything neat.

4 The 9" organizer that I used under my sink comes with a slotted divider. Great if you want to use it for storing lids to pots and pans, baking sheets or cutting boards. I removed the divider to accommodate my cleaning supplies. The plastic liner keeps any spills or drips contained and easily wipes clean.

5 I didn't want to keep my dishrack out on the counter, so this compact version fits nicely under my sink when not in use.

6 The steel frame dishrack has a coating to protect against fingerprints and hooks that fold away when not in use. Its larger size is great if you don't have a dishwasher and mostly hand wash.

7 I really didn't have space anywhere in my kitchen for a trash can but this pull out recycler fit perfectly in an end cabinet. I use the black bin for trash and the blue one for my recycling.

For my November column in Living, Martha helped me set up and organize my kitchen.  I absolutely love it!  We found some great products to organize and maximize my small space. Be sure to check out Order In The Kitchen on marthastewart.com to see pictures of my newly organized kitchen.  I thought I would share some of my favorite product finds with you.  I really needed a good solution for organizing the contents in my lower cabinets and found some great options from simplehuman. They offer well designed products for organizing the kitchen and other rooms too. I installed two of their pull out cabinet organizers in my kitchen.  One holds small appliances and accessories that I don't use everyday and the other holds my cleaning supplies.  The organizers are made with sturdy glides so that they slide in and out effortlessly.  I can see everything easily without having to reach into the cabinet.  I also love their collection of dishracks.  They offer features such as pivoting drainage spouts, flip up tines for drying plates and pull out hooks for drying glasses and cups.  For my kitchen, I have the plastic compact version but if you have the space, the steel frame dish rack is really great.  simplehuman's selection of trash and recycling containers not only look good but really make separating and sorting easy.  I installed the pull out recycler in one of my cabinets and it's perfect for my space and needs.  I hope that you will find something from simplehuman that will work in your home.