Seattle Bright White Kitchen | Interior Photography and Video

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I recently had the pleasure of styling and shooting a beautiful all white kitchen for Lux Design Builds. It was a fun-filled shoot day, and I'm sure you'll be amazed to see how this kitchen looks anything but sterile or boring! The detail in the hardware and finishes gives it a dynamic, layered look that’s absolutely gorgeous.

My favorite approach to photoshoots is to take an active part in the styling. Not only does accessorizing a space intentionally bring a visual edge, but it adds a storytelling element to the shoot that comes through in photos. I jokingly say that I’ve been preparing for this all my life, but I’ve been collecting unique home accessories since I was a teenager. Pieces that I bring to photoshoots live around my house and are constantly getting shuffled and rotated. I spend time with these accessories and they all have stories.

When I style an interior photoshoot, I look at the space beforehand in photographs and do some pre-planning. I collect pieces into a bit of a mood board and use that as a launching point for the rest of the accessories that I collect. I try to avoid over-planning and allow for some last minute changes once I’m on site on the photoshoot day. I always bring more than I need and make swaps based on the overall chemistry of the room.

A well-styled space will bring your eye through the photo intentionally, drawing the viewer to observe the design details in an authentic way.

Enjoy this beautiful kitchen!

Lux Design Builds does a great job gathering client testimonials (they have many happy customers). This video was created to show off their work and hear from their clients. I shot and edited this video as well! Adding interior design video coverage is a great way to show the space in a different way. I imagine all my favorite HGTV shows’ big “reveal moments” when I shoot video. It should feel aligned with the photos and take the viewer into the scene in a a fresh way.

Seattle Airbnb Photographer + Video | Cave B

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After a long Seattle winter (with still a good amount to go) I was more than enthusiastic about a daytrip over the pass to Eastern Washington. It’s really magical to emerge from the densely mountainous and green Snoqualmie Pass into the brown rolling hills of our desert land. To be greeted with pristine blue skies is such a gift in these darker shorter days.

Just inside the Cave B property is a unique and hyper-modern building project designed by the Seattle architectural firm Olson Kundig. Several groupings of neo brutalist dwellings are strewn about the desert property. Floor to ceiling windows and interiors that seamlessly transition to exteriors create an almost glamping-like effect (except with indoor plumbing and insulation). The view stretches over the Columbia River Gorge where you can walk to summer concerts.

Plato’s Cave is a new vacation rental on Airbnb that offers guests an experience of this stunning landscape. A perfect place to escape the Seattle grind and be surrounded by beautiful architecture, this new space has two bedrooms and two bathrooms and boasts a beautiful firepit lounge and hot tub.

As an interior photographer in Seattle, I’m used to lots of craftsman details, so to photograph an uber modern structure was such a fun change of pace. The interior design is muted and cool in tone, a refreshing shadow in a sun-drenched desert otherwise. The technical challenge in this project was bringing the view of the outdoors into every shot. I stray from real estate photography in which an almost otherworldly clear view out the windows is the norm, and everything is over-bright. I want it to feel like you’re really in the space, with the photos portraying an editorial and lifestyle approach. Reading the light and shadow of each individual space, I tailor my natural-light approach to finding the best balance of nuance and detail.

Enjoy beautiful Plato’s Cave!

My Favorite (and free!) Home Decor Hack

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In my kitchen silverware drawer, I keep a pair of clippers handy for routine plant maintenance and spontaneous trips to the yard to forage. Before I begin, I’ll tell you that I don’t live on acres of land or have particularly great gardening skills, and you don’t need them for this! A fresh and modern way to bring some nature indoors and to add visual impact is a dramatic arrangement of greenery in a simple vase. You simply head outside, find something that looks good and snip away!

A few tips and reminders:

Use good clippers! You can get them affordably at a home improvement or hardware store.

Forage wisely. Be aware of where and what you’re clipping. Don’t disturb protected wildlife areas, or your neighbor’s yard!

Bring your vase with you. Sometimes translating scale can be a challenge. If you have the vase you can clip and fill at the same time (and it makes less mess inside).

Dead or alive! Living greenery is really wonderful, but dried branches or flowers can be really amazing too, and even last longer since you don’t need them to stay in water. Look for interesting shapes and differing lengths.

For a more modern, minimal look, go with a few longer branches, and vary the lengths.

Happy foraging! If you’re looking for more tips on home decor check out this article.

Bright and Blue Kitchen | Seattle Interior Photographer

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When it comes to kitchens, Jennifer Gardner designs some of the freshest. This traditional Seattle craftsman got a big and bright update when she planned an open design that would let light through and reflect off of the stunning marble tile backsplash into the light cabinets and white countertops.

Staging and styling this space was an effort in restraint — the space itself is already so beautiful and full of detail. We paid attention to balancing the polish with some rugged elements, like the bowl and vase in the corner. Wooden cutting boards also bring a good dose of something organic which every space needs.

As usual, I photographed this kitchen using natural light only (with a few tricks up my sleeve of course). I turn the lights off whenever possible (unless the light source is architectural or aids in the design). As an artist, I feel like it’s important to observe the way light naturally enters the space. It’s an equal player to the design elements, and impacts every single thing in the space. When you’re looking at the difference between traditional real estate photography and editorial interior photography that’s one of the biggest changes. For me, good photography means telling the truth in an organic and elevated way. Sometimes it’s the simplest of production setups that have created my favorite work.

Design: Jennifer Gardner

Contractor: Western Red Homes

Backsplash: Tilebar

Range: Bertazzoni

Faucet: Brizo

Hardware: Rejuvenation