Isn't it a lovely day in the cafe? I just pulled out a fresh tray of warm cinnamon rolls, so y'all help yourselves.
I feel a little odd being part of this kitchen tour for a couple of reasons. The first is because not long ago I shared our kitchen redo. Of course, in those photos my kitchen was pristine and nice, while today's kitchen is a little more lived in.
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| The pristine version. |
The second reason is that I'm in the process of trying to decide what my dream kitchen might look like. You've heard me mention that we'll be moving to the ranch in a few years and renovating my MIL's house. The kitchen is huge, however it is trapped in 1976, complete with orange countertops, gold flooring and brown appliances. Definitely not my dream kitchen. However, my tastes seem to gravitate in two different directions--the light and bright of cottage style or the rich wood tones of a more rustic style.
But that's a decision for another day.
Here's today's reality check.
Right after breakfast seems to be the worst for my kitchen.
Dishes left from late evening snacks, groceries I've unloaded, but have yet to put away (I almost always make my Walmart run right after I drop #2 son off at band practice. That means I'm in and out and back home well before 8 o'clock) and various other things, some of which have no business being in the kitchen.
What is the one thing I wish I had in my kitchen?
More counter space. One can never have too much counter space.
This is our hot beverage station. The coffee maker is hubby's, while the kettle is mine.
Here I've got a nice cuppa Margaret's Hope blend steeping in my favorite Penzey's mug. :)
This is the snack/breakfast/baking corner of the kitchen.
All the things we use most are within easy reach.
Of course, the boys get the Little Debbies and Fritos while hubs and I have the oatmeal, Truvia and whey protein.
And then there's my pot rack.
I'd be lost without this thing. Storage is at a premium in my kitchen and there's not nearly enough cupboard space to store all of my pots, so the rack is a must.
My cast iron stays in the cupboard, though. Or on the stove. All that weight would likely bring the whole thing crashing down.
You know, I've had a lot of kitchens over the years, from a tiny room with an even tinier stove and absolutely no counter space in Germany to galley-style apartment kitchens to where I am today. So if there's one thing I've learned, it's to adapt.
Which is probably why I'm struggling so with planning my dream kitchen.
So here's your question for the day.
If you were building YOUR dream kitchen, what would it look like?
I love the pot rack!!!! Oh my stars, that's awesome! But look how CLEAN your pots are, I mean the bottoms aren't charred, and scarred and BLACK.....
ReplyDeleteSigh.
I love this kitchen, Tex, it's just lovely, but I hear you about the ranch kitchen.... if we get to a point where we remodel our kitchen, I've had the same thought, the natural wood or ivory... and I think I'm leaning toward the ivory. We're surrounded by trees, great shade and dappled light through windows, but I think keeping the cabinets light will make the whole room more inviting and allow me to play with colors.... but first I must finish paying for the family room!!!! I'm laughing at our kitchen tour because we all know that mine will be tiny vignettes of NOT SHOWING you the rough spots, LOL! :) But that's okay, it's clean enough.... kind of.... to be lived in!
Ruthy, if only I could claim that I scrub those pots relentlessly to keep them looking new. But then I might get struck by lightning. Don't know if it's because of the glass top stove or that they're made of that hard-anodized stuff. I just wash 'em by had and hang them back up. We bought the pot rack from some guy who made them in his garage in LaGrange, Texas. Found him on the internet almost a dozen years ago and it wasn't expensive. Of course, then hubby had to find the studs in order to hang it.
DeleteI think I'm leaning toward the ivory, too. At least today. You're lighting sounds very similar to what we'll have there. Southeast corner of the house, but surrounded by huge live oak trees laden with Spanish moss.
I've seen a lot of kitchens where they'll do the lighter cabinets up top and darker on the bottom and it really looks good. Kind of like the old farmhouse style.
Ruthy, I love kitchen. It's a kitchen full of love. :)
And you know what's funny? Without knowing about this kitchen tour, my daughter Beth sent me links to u-shaped kitchen designs..... :) You can tell that she's thinking ahead, LOL!
ReplyDeleteThat's funny. ;)
DeleteI love that big window!!!!! Windows make me happy. Sunlight shining through windowpanes makes me even happier so I'd be happy dancing all around your kitchen. It's cavernous compared to the size of mine. Mine's a mini U emphasis on the mini. You can't open the doors to the fridge and the stove at the same time and they're on opposite walls! But I have a window. And a plant hanging in the window. So that makes me happy-ish.
ReplyDeleteMy dream kitchen would be HUGE. Big enough to have a cozy seating area and a breakfast nook. I lived in a duplex ages ago that had itsy bitsy rooms but a gigantic kitchen. So much floor space we could do Irish dancing sets in it. We did all our living in that kitchen and I loved it.
Kav, that window is great for light, but pretty much useless beyond that. It's so deep that you can't reach the windows to open them without climbing across the counter. Very poor design.
DeleteWhen I lived in Germany, my kitchen was very tiny. It had a sink in one narrow cabinet, no counter space, a 20-inch oven that my cookie sheets wouldn't fit in and one of those tiny refrigerators. You know, like the kids use for college dorms. But we do learn to make due, don't we?
You are so right about living in the kitchen. Whenever the kids come in or we have a party, everyone congregates in the kitchen. So I want to make sure I take that into consideration and just make the kitchen a big party room. Of course, how I'll do that, I have no idea. :)
Yum, warm cinnamon rolls, are they on the THM plan, count me in ;) I'm so enjoying the fall kitchen tour, I love home tours in general so this is so much fun. I've gotten countless ideas from both tours and magazines, then adapt them to work for me.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to dream kitchens, who says you have to choose one or the other? My taste runs simaliar to yours, the light cottage feel and the dark, rich wood tones. we moved into a 70's ranch style home 25 yrs. ago with dark pine cabinets and dark stained oak floors, both beautiful. It ended up being too much darkness all told. I painted my cabinets that creamy ivory and wa-la, a combination of the two. It's not my "dream" kitchen exactly, but I love taking what I have and making a variation of what I want out of it, a DIYer from way back. If I was going for that dream I'd still have the same look, just upgraded factory finished cabinets.
I think you can get the "look" you are after with a combo of light and dark, a sort of "cottagey" richness, a blending of the old and new. I find when I pick things I really like, without worrying about what's "in" at the time I get my best look, the real me.
Of course, they are, Tracey. Cyber goodies are always THM approved. :)
DeleteI love pouring over magazines, too. Hubby and I went to Lowes Saturday afternoon and just wandered around, looking at all kinds of ideas, collecting brochures. Very relaxing and fun.
I've seen the light/dark look and I do like it. I'm not a fan of the all white kitchen, but I love the accent of dark wood floors in an otherwise all white kitchen. So yours sounds like the perfect mix.
What was it about the 70's and dark houses. When we first starting talking about having our youngest daughter's wedding there last year, I mentioned it to my oldest daughter and her first response was, "But it's so dark in there." Opening the drapes and cleaning the windows did help, but there's much that has to go.
Be sure to take before and after pictures of the ranch kitchen. I am kicking myself for not getting before pictures.
ReplyDeleteI am a light and bright person myself.
I wish I had a second oven and a six burner stove. But other than that I'm living the dream!
You bet we will, Julie. Assuming I remember. Like you, I tend to forget things like that until we're well into the project.
DeleteLooking forward to seeing your after tomorrow. :D
GORGEOUS KITCHEN MINDY!!!
ReplyDeleteNow if I could only find a way to keep it clean, Tina. Self-cleaning ovens are great, but I wish someone would invent a self-cleaning kitchen. :P
DeleteEnjoying the Cafe kitchen tour! My dream kitchen would have a butler's pantry to display and store extra dishes. My current kitchen is close to my dream....cherry cabinets, black counters, and a hidden slide out for the trash can, but I'm envious of your pot rack. Thanks for sharing your kitchen AND the yummy cinnamon rolls....I made your chipotle brownies over the weekend....yum!
ReplyDeleteSherida, you need to stop that brownie talk right now. You're making me drool. And trust me, it ain't pretty. ;)
DeleteYou know, that's on of the things I love about my MIL's house is all of the storage. There's not a butler's pantry, but plenty of extra storage areas in both the kitchen and dining room. Which is good since I have an affinity for china and glassware. Not to mention crystal. I have my grandmother's china, my husband's great-grandmother's china, as well as some depression glass and LOTS of antique and crystal pieces.
Your kitchen sounds beautiful. I wish Blogger let us put pictures in the reply boxes because I'd love to see everyone's space.
Beautiful kitchen, Mindy!
ReplyDeleteAnd I hadn't heard you are planning to move out to the ranch. What fun!
My dream kitchen was in our house in Kentucky. When we bought the house, the kitchen was a small, cramped and dark end of a larger room, with a tiny (teeny tiny) space for a small table in one corner. But the rest of this room was kind of a family room with a woodstove at one end.
We refaced the existing cabinets (a light hickory - I loved them), and built a peninsula where the eating space was. Then we turned the "family room" into the dining room, and put a couple small recliners at the end of the room, flanking the wood stove. We called it the "keeping room."
It was the room where we did EVERYTHING. School, entertaining, Bible studies....oh yes, we ate there, too.
Sigh. I still miss that kitchen.
Thanks, Jan. I LOVE keeping rooms. They make so much sense since everyone seems to live in the kitchen. I bet you do miss that kitchen.
DeleteYes, hubby will be retiring about the same time #2 son graduates from high school. It's always been our plan to move down there, just waiting for the right time. Of course, if you asked the boys, they'd say now is the perfect time. Hunting season is almost here. :P
I'm late. But I LOVE your kitchen, Mindy! You kitchen would be my dream kitchen. :)
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