La Cuisine

I've designed two kitchens now, the shop kitchen which was an exercise in function over style and my home kitchen. We remodeled our house almost four years ago and took what was an decent sized but outdated, hideously painted and badly organized 1955 kitchen and turned it into something useful. I probably spend more time there than any other room besides the bedroom, and that's only because I'm sleeping in the bedroom. I had two main requirements for my kitchen: a big, industrial style stove with a convection oven and hood fan (ok that may be a couple requirements right there) and lots of light. Of course, if you're going to spend lots of time in one room it helps to make it pretty to look at. I'm not looking to remodel a kitchen anytime soon, even during bbq weather, but that doesn't keep me from being inspired by other people's beautiful kitchens. Here's a little culinary eye candy of some spaces that I find inspiring.

I covet this stove and I love how they've incorporated Ikea-looking shelving so seamlessly.

Chandelier. That's all I'll say.

Ok, so it's the stove again, but it's also almost the exact same wall color as my kitchen and therefore, love.

I don't even know where to begin here. The Beams! The open fire! The stone walls!

I find this so clever. I could actually do this DIY project. Or, more likely, get my lovely husband to do it...

This photos is from Cote Maison. It is so French I probably didn't even need to mention that it's French.

This is a view into the kitchen at the Chateau de Bagnois Hotel in France. Beaujolais, I think. For any of you who have worked in hotel kitchens, you know how utterly dreamy this is. Someday I want my home kitchen to look out onto a well-lit, gorgeous stone courtyard. A girl can dream, yes?