Upcoming Designer Retreat (+ A Confession)

This is somewhat of a hybrid… a kitchen post meets a personal post. It will all make sense once you start reading! I was invited on the COOLEST designer retreat that I want to tell you more about, and I’m sharing a deep dark kitchen secret… which will hopefully be resolved by the end of the month. Click through for more!

*This post is sponsored by Zephyr. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow us to create unique content while featuring products we actually use & enjoy!

I might as well begin this post with the confession and then jump to the fun part. The confession… our range hood insert STILL isn’t installed. There’s only one excuse… we’re being kind of lazy. We’ve been procrastinating and have one final kitchen inspection that we keep forgetting to schedule before we can finish that one last pesky item on our kitchen renovation to-do list. We’ve been living with an empty hood, but hopefully that will change in a couple weeks once we wrap up the office project. I’ll definitely share photos once it’s installed and running!

We bought this range hood insert (which was NOT sponsored) because I knew I wanted to design a custom hood to match our cabinetry, but Emmett was set on features, power, and function. Together we landed on the Zephyr insert, and I designed the hood around the specifications. He did a lot of research and we can’t wait to use it… hopefully soon! I will say- I like the way it looks and it checked all of his boxes on the list, so I’m assuming it’s only a matter of time before we can share rave reviews.

All of that to say…. it was pure coincidence that months later, Zephyr, the manufacturer of my range hood, emailed to invite me on a designer retreat to San Francisco to learn more about their cutting edge products and custom kitchen design. Without hesitation, I obviously said YES! I already knew they had a great reputation, produce quality products, and are a front runner for innovation in the kitchen industry. I’m also a big fan of continued education and learning, which is a necessary part of interior design.

The best part? We’ll be touring Zephyr’s local showroom in San Fransisco, we’re staying at the awesome new Proper Hotel (designed by Kelly Wearstler), and are drinking our way through Napa Valley. Want to know who else is on the trip? I’m excited to hangout with these talented people in person next week…

• Anissa (@housesevendesign)
• Jana (@janabekdesign)
• Caitlin (@caitlinflemming)
• Kate (@klinteriors)
• Kirsten (@simplygrove)
• Lauren (@laurenabradshaw)
• Natalie (@nataliemyers)
• Nicole (@livelaughdecorate)
• Sarah (@sarahshermansamuel)
• Sarah (@lifeonvirginiastreet)
• Vanessa (@decorhappy)

There will be three(!) “Sarah”s on the trip- all spelled with an H, so I could see that either being A.) potentially confusing, or B.) making it easier for people not named Sarah to remember names. Ha! Be sure to follow along on Instagram! I’ll share behind-the-scenes and let you know how the trip unfolds.

In addition to gorgeous range hoods and kitchen technology, I have to say- I’m mostly excited to hear more about their wine and beverage coolers. As a lady who enjoys a fine glass of wine, it’s sort of the dream to someday have something like that integrated into a kitchen or wet bar. I suppose I can vicariously live through client projects until the time comes for my own!

Do any of you have a wine cooler? How about a Zephyr range hood? Has anyone stayed at The Proper? I want to hear it all in the comment section! I’m so excited and still a little shocked that I was selected among this amazing group of individuals. It feels pretty surreal and I can’t wait to take you along!