Kitchen Lust

So I cooked in the new apartment for the first time yesterday. One Moroccan stew and a batch of scones later, I can definitively say that we have the least functional kitchen in the history of the world. Don't get me wrong--I love our place--but I'm at that stage of the move where my patience is short and my list of chores is very, very long. So indulge me as I torture myself with these yummy kitchen images...

I'm quite intrigued by the idea of a chandelier in the kitchen, as in the above two photos. It's a cheeky, winky touch--but of course anything is nicer than the bare bulb currently hanging over my stove. And that checkerboard floor? Our kitchen in Brooklyn had one just like this. Ask me how much I miss that!

I will never, ever tire of a simple kitchen in clean, neutral shades. White cupboards, bright marble countertops, touches of graphic black. Could anything be more perfect? Of course if you plopped me down in the lovely grey and taupe room below, I wouldn't complain. This image is from Martha's kitchen--surprise, surprise!

Lately I'm also loving the combination of whites and blacks with warm woods. This kitchen hits the nail on the head; it's sleek and streamlined, but it still feels really warm and livable. That island is so swoonworthy too!

However there are things to be thankful for in my new (albeit challenging) kitchen. For starters, I love the gas range. Mixing the scones with almost no counter space was difficult, but once those babies were in the oven they baked up beautifully.

The sink clogs if I so much as sneeze, but it is the original porcelain basin from when the building was constructed in 1927. With a plunger and some Bon Ami, it should be good as new!

The eat-in area of the kitchen is quite spacious, and one wall is comprised entirely of windows that look onto a rooftop garden. It's a lovely spot to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning!

And in the end, aren't storage and workspace issues just an opportunity for creative problem solving? An antique hutch would look charming filled with my wedding china and would free up cupboard space for pots and pans.

The merits of open shelving are much debated in blogland. Are you for or against? I'll probably end up in installing some out of sheer necessity. Think of it as motivation to keep my dishes super tidy!

Plus then I can scout out some fun canisters to keep pantry staples like flour and sugar on hand. Don't worry---I'll be mistress of the new kitchen in no time flat!

Let's talk kitchens a little more: Does yours have any quirks or petty annoyances? What would your dream kitchen be like?

Image credits: 1. Jason Loucas 2. Source Unknown 3. Emily Followill 4. Gentl and Hyers 5. Emily Followill 6. Domino 7. Anna Williams 8. Annie Schlecter 9. Jason Loucas 10. Domino 11. James Tse

Comments

[Pretty Little World]

This post was the perfect inspiration for me!

The kitchen is going to be the first room that we tackle. While I've always imagined having a white kitchen, we're actually thinking about a green for the cabinets with pale yellow accent paint.

I swoon every time I see white cabinets though, so we'll have to see how I feel once we get a "test" cabinet refinished!

[Cupcakes and Cashmere]

an all white kitchen with a chandelier? perfection. as for my kitchen, i wouldn't know where to begin with annoyances seeing as how it's practically a 3x6 jail cell!

[Kirsten]

Oh lovely! A new kitchen is high on the priority list, but low on the "able to afford" list. :( Annoyances? Yes, many! But mainly two words: portable dishwasher.

[Caroline @ Patagonia Gifts]

oh my goodness anne! these kitchens are so dreamy! i adoooore chandeliers in the kitchen. i tried to put one but hubby didn't like it, so it's on the living room now :(

[Anonymously Chic]

what a unique set up (in the eighth photo). i just recently moved and oh my goodness do i miss my gas stove/oven:(

[erin]

oh, kitchens! last march we moved into a new apartment whose teeny tiny kitchen we adore. it's 60 square feet, which might sound large, but after adding a full size range and fridge, believe me, it's tiny! we have open shelving above our sink (also the original porcelain, yay!)i keep my grains in glass jars and stack our glasses all topsy turvy. i love the open space. if our next apartment has icky cabinets, i think i'll just take off the cabinet doors altogether! our pots and pans are kept under a cart, and hidden by a little curtain (ok, it's a folded table cloth with ring clips, but it works)! the top of the cart provides much needed counter space--might be worth a try! good luck as you make your new kitchen work for you. (and please excuse this very lengthy note!)

[chris]

Oh, Anne. I feel for you. Kitchen troubles are the absolute worst. This "new" kitchen is a far cry from the one I had in the city...it was horrible! But there are still a few quirks. My biggest complaint is that there's no dine-in area. It opens directly up tothe family room, which necessitates that the table be located in the formal dining room. So, most nights, when we don't have an "official" dinner, I end up eating on the couch in front of the TV. But I guess that's not much to complain about, right! :)

Oh, and I'm totally FOR open shelving in the kitchen. Love it!

[Julia - wounded chef]

right now i have a sub60 sq ft kitchen. it kinda sucks but i'm used to working in a small space now, and at least it has windows. my ideal kitchen: no mice pooping all over my counter. open shelving to display all my goods in glass containers. lots of cabinets for storing kitchen equipment. window with a view of trees. some kind of non-ugly trash receptacles. a stereo hookup so i can listen to music! big sink with plenty of room for dishwashing. open to a big reclaimed wood farm table. i'm not into the redundancy of a breakfast nook and a dining room.

[Rachel]

We have been living in our flat for 2 years and the kitchen is tiny but nothing can be done as we are renting.

I still manage to bake a lot and M cooks every day so not too bad.

We have one of those 'hutches' as you call them - we call them a welsh dresser - in our sitting room though filled with our china (tea sets and cake plates and so).

My ideal kitchen would have a butlers sink like the 4th photo down and plenty of surface space - ideally granite or something similar as that is best for pastry (it stays cold). And lots and lots of light.

These photos are fab. Makes me long for our own house.

[Raina]

In our rental house, we have a Swedish dishwasher that loves melting plastic. Simply adores it.

[Rachel (Heart of Light)]

Oh, they're all beautiful!

I was cranky about my tiny kitchen in the beginning, but I've adjusted. I could use at least three times as much counter space as I have, but a teeny kitchen means less running around. Almost everything is right at hand.

You'll start to adapt once you get used to your kitchen! It always takes a while.

[please sir]

I am so lusting over that first image!

[robin pulsifer]

i'll take kitchen #2 please :0) funny, i was pouring through my new issue of architectural digest this morning over coffee and noticing all of the beautiful kitchens.

[miss aimee]

the farm table photo is my FAV.

[Luphia]

these kitchens are simply amazing, nothing beats a simple, clean white kitchen for me! :)

xx

[Claire T.]

My husband and I are buying our first house and finding one with a great kitchen was at the top of my list. The kitchen in my current apartment is a nightmare--tiny little bit of counter space. The only counter space is right above the only drawer so any time you want to pull out a utensil, the person doing all the chopping at the counter has to move. It's awful. The fridge is way too close to the stove, but there's no other place to put it. Every time I open the oven I have to stand to the side and carefully pull things out. HATE IT.

All these kitchens are just beautiful. Good luck overcoming your kitchen's quirks!

[Jill]

LOVE all of these... especially the one towards the end with the wood (butcher block?) counter... let's pretend it's butcher block because that is a great look and I am really into butcher block these days!

[from the right bank]

I'm really loving that third kitchen. Those windows! That wooden island with the stainless top in the fifth photo is gorgeous, too. I'm also a big fan of open shelving IF the displays are done well. And of course yours would be!

[Shell Sherree]

I would love a chandelier in our kitchen but unless a rangehood comes first, I'd be asking for teardrops and I don't mean the ones hanging off the chandelier! Gorgeous, though. Your original sink sounds gorgeous too, Anne!

[velvet and linen]

I would love to re-design my kitchen! Even living in Los Angeles, I still would have open shelves for my dishes. They just look so much better up there.
Right now I have industrial pendants above my island, but I think I would do something different next time. Perhaps some chandeliers or simple linen shades.

Love all of your ideas, Anne!

xo
Brooke

[little house on Green]

Oh, yummy, I love those kitchens! I want one!

[blair]

Oh no! I am sorry about your kitchen. My first night in my last condo I woke up to a flooded bathroom and a very wet kitchen (the room underneath). At least that didn't happen:)

[callie grayson]

perfect post for me today! i am spinning from designing my new kitchen and this post was a perfect inspiration!!

[PS~Erin]

I'll take a combination of #2 and 6 please. Updating our kitchen is on the short list of things to do... Patiently waiting and saving for now.

[Chessa]

my kitchen is completely non-functional either so I understand...but I try my best to make it work. you'll get there! and in the meantime, just enjoy these amazing photos:) moving is such a pain but knowing you, your new home will be ready in no time.

[Georgia]

you described what i was going for in my last kitchen—whites (cream and white) with black and lots of chocolate browns and neutral cappachino colored walls. it was such a soothing and clean, crisp combination, but still warm and comfortable. i loved that little kitchen!

[laura drescher]

i LOVE open shelves, but my husband won't go for it~

when you get to have yours flaunt them so i can live vicariously through you please~

LOVE a black and white tile floor too~

[Kristin @ Contented Me]

I was oohing and aahing all over this post! I'd love to see a picture of YOUR kitchen and that rooftop deck you get to look out over... that sounds wonderful. I think it'll just take some getting used to -- like very move does -- and before you know it, you'll have your routine in the new space down pat.

My biggest complaint about our kitchen? Shall I say complaints?? #1 - no storage. We took out a huge block of cabinetry to open up the space last summer, which was fabulous, but in the process lost about 10 linear feet of storage. Ouch. #2 - the countertops are currently clad in a fake green marble laminate. I hate hate hate them and dream of replacing it with a honed black granite. #3 - our dishwasher. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I really hate it when it doesn't.

But what I love about our kitchen? It's all mine, er, ours. And that's such a wonderful feeling.

[Erin]

you have so many images of my dream kitchen on here, I can barely stand it! Brava my dear :)

[ABC Dragoo]

So funny - I drafted a complete list Thursday on the ABCD Design blog of things I would do again and more importantly *NOT* do again when designing a kitchen! We are totally on a similar page! http://www.abcddesign.com/?p=2183

[ティファニー 激安]

tiffany & coスウォッチ グループ ジャパンはこのほど、東京?銀座のニコラス?G?ハイエック センター内に「ティファニー ウォッチ ショールーム」をオープンした。男性向けの「アトラス ジェント スクエア クロノグラフ」、女性向けの「ティファニー ジェメア」をはじめ、希少性の高いアイテムも展示、販売される。Tiffany Rings

[kitchen canisters]

I just love that all white kitchen, reminds me of John Lenon. It may appear weird but I love it.

[AngeWayne]

What a beautiful interior design:) Not only the design but also the things inside of that kitchens is great, i wonder where did the great idea of the designer to create an amazing kitchen design comes from.

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[Loreem]

You have a very nice and bright kitchen;) I wonder where you get the idea of your interior design. Very beautiful!!

[Bedroom Chandeliers]

a chandelier in the kitchen? love it!