Friday, September 2, 2011

Cottage Kitchens

It's no secret that I love kitchens.  I spend a good chunk of every day in my kitchen, and though I may be a bit tight fisted, I opened up the wallet to completely renovate our kitchen.  Here's a sort of after pic.  I really need to take some new kitchen pictures.  This was taken before building the DIY Cookbook Shelves.

Over the years, even after my kitchen reno, I've spent a lot of time over on the GardenWeb Kitchen Forum and there is no better moment of relaxation than flipping through a Kitchen Trends magazine while sipping on a venti coffee.  The official term is TKO - totally kitchen obsessed.  Though I love my cherry cabinets, lately I've been obsessing over the details of white-painted cottage kitchens.  I adore the exposed hinges on these and used similar ones when we built our wine & liquor hutch.

My in-laws have started the ball rolling on their future retirement cottage.  They'll be adding onto the current cottage for a year round home, and the possibilities have gotten this TKO daughter-in-law really excited.  I may or may not have inundated their e-mail inbox with 1001 layouts and elevations of possible future kitchens.

I love the mantel hood and the butcherblock island countertops as well as the soapstone counters in this pic.
Image via here.
 Stacked glass front cabs say cottage to me, and I love the practicality of the solid upper stack for the not so pretty utilitarian stuff.  Does anyone need to see your Halloween bowls in April?  Love the thumblatch hardware, too, though they may not be the most practical hardware for an aging in place situation.

Stacked cabs can add up moneywise, and here's a nice solution for a softer hit on the wallet.  A wider stile at the top emulates that stacked cab look without the hefty price tag.

I'm not loving the proportions of these stacked cabs, but I adore the bleached wood enveloping the island.  You'll notice that I wrapped the island in my CAD rendering above in knotty pine.  Part of the cottage will be demo-ed to make way for the addition, and they'll be saving as much of the knotty pine as possible to be reused.

I love the look of a farmhouse apron sink, especially in a cottage.  This Ikea Domsjo sink is an affordable option for those on a budget.

I love the natural touches with the rattan baskets, and the pops of fun color with the yellow and turquoise in this kitchen reno found at The Handmade Home blog.  My in-laws are experienced DIYers with 2 kitchens under their belts, and I can see them putting in fun personal touches like in this kitchen.

Love the open shelves, blue island, and industrial lights in this pic.  In fact I love the juxtaposition of modern with vintage in a cottage kitchen whether it's lighting, stools, or a fab turbochef oven.

Love the casual feel of this kitchen, even with the great big hulking stainless steel range and hood.  There are no plans for a kitchen table, but don't you love how this table looks with it's flirty skirted chairs surrounding it?  Love the homey feel of the pleated shades, too.

 Love the classic blue and white of this Smallbone kitchen, but with a creamy white Aga range, this kitchen could do no wrong.  I love the large format floor tiles, too.

And finally here's a gorgeous Lauren Rubenstein kitchen that I'm loving for future cottage inspiration.  The architect's plans have the kitchen opening up to the dining room much like in this pic.  I love the wing back chairs and benches used here.  The future cottage's dining room will be much longer and rectangular as will it's table, and there will be a large 7' aisle way between, but I love the way the rooms relate to each other in this pic.  Again, the lamps and pleated shades make this space so warm and homey.

Thanks for popping in and checking out my current kitchen obsession.


17 comments:

  1. I enjoy looking at kitchen photos too and you shared some beautiful ones!

    Hope you have a lovely weekend,

    Carolyn

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  2. Yeah, even though I redid my kitchen, I can't stop looking at magazine and bloggers who do things to their kitchens...here I am, can't you tell!! Thanks for sharing, just great! XOXO FABBY

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  3. All that fresh white and brightness would be awesome for taking pics :)

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  4. I love the Smallbone kitchen with the Aga....OMGoodnes...it is gorgeous...it is my favorite but they are all lovely!

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  5. We are in the midst of a kitchen renovation and I cannot wait to have my new kitchen. We have been with out a kitchen since JULY 5th and I am ready to cook and clean and do dishes.....yes!
    My upper cabinets are white high gloss and the lowers are a smokey oak...
    sort or a gray...Counters are a white quartz. Floor is a tile which I love.
    It has the look of polished concrete. I cannot wait-
    thanks for your comment and happy weekend.
    pve

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  6. Oooh, beautiful pics! My little cottage kitchen is all white and I just love it. Thanks for your comment today - good luck with your tomatoes! Let's hope for a big late crop! ;-)

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  7. I have been obsessing about a white kitchen for years but never had one! Love all your kitchen inspiration images!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Have a fantastic Labor Day weekend!

    Jessie
    www.mixandchic.com

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  8. These are some great inspirational photos. I love looking at kitchens, too. Those with the table and chairs in them are my favorites.

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  9. Gorgeous kitchens! I love the last photo... those chairs look so comfy!! xo

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  10. Any of those white kitchens would be a joy to cook in. Love the letters spelling out "YUMMY".

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  11. What a great collection...love them ALL!

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  12. Thanks for sharing the lovely kitchen photos. We are lacrosse fans too.

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  13. These kitchens all look so so nice! I love the TKO term lol.

    Feel free to link your design ideas up to my new Make Yourself Monday blog hop!

    Jamie
    For Love of Cupcakes

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  14. I'm obsessed with some of these kitchens too! I always love open shelves, white and a little bit of industrial. So many great ones here...

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  15. I'm kitchen obsessed, too. I'm hoping for a renovation in a couple of years. Thanks for all these beautiful pictures. I saw a few that I had not seen before.

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  16. Choosing the best and excellent sink is required given that this is really a location in your home exactly where you can handle a little get together or party.

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  17. Mmmm lots of eye candy here! I really wanted a white kitchen when we did our reno (Gardenweb was like a second home to me), but my husband was dead set against it. Now, while I still think they're gorgeous, I think the white would eventually get to me because I'd be constantly trying to wipe grimy fingerprints off of the doors.

    But, if I could get past that, I think I'd be more inclined now to throw in more of a "rustic" look with the all-white cabinets. Kind of like this kitchen from the movie "It's Complicated." (http://pinterest.com/pin/29637326/) Still cottagy, but more cozy and charming.

    Have fun with helping your in-laws design their kitchen -- what a fun project!

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