Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Bon Appetit!

Remember this cute little 1950's kitchen. I loved it, but as we added on to the Chalet, the kitchen seemed out of proportion to the main living space. So we knocked down a wall and extended it 7 and 1/2 feet. I waffled back and forth for weeks on whether or not to do it, but Mr. Man put his foot down and said, "Yes! More space please!" I listed my priorities: Solid Wood Cabinets, An Island, Farmhouse Sink, and a Pantry. Mr. Man wanted: "Storage, lots of storage and a place to hide appliances. No white cabinets." Hmm... Check. Check. Oops!

For the last 10 years, ever since the purchase of our other house a.k.a. "The Chateau", I have been tearing out pictures I love from magazines and sticking them in a "Someday" file. When it came time to plan, I pulled out all the Kitchen pages I had torn out, and ALL of them were white, except one. Looks like I'm drawn to a white kitchen.

The day the cabinets arrived was better than Christmas. I could hardly stop smiling I was so excited. I had a friend say that she thought, "Everyone should design at least one kitchen in their lifetime." It was an interesting process and I learned a lot from it. Seeing it go from paper to real life was an adventure. Without further ado... I present the Chalet's new Kitchen. That is the very same view as the before pic. Can you believe it? I can't. In the picture below, the view of the city out that window is amazing. Next week the kitchen table gets a makeover to match the new cabinetry. The cabinet maker was a genius and insisted I do cubbies on the table side of the island. It's perfect for grabbing napkins or salt and pepper during dinner.Islands are interesting, in that they attract people to linger. I used to be in the kitchen alone, but now someone is always sitting at the island while I cook. Those light fixtures are like night and day, one was $10, and the other was... well a lot more than $10 from Pottery Barn. Can you guess which came from where?* Also, that awesome wall of cabinets houses a killer pantry. I've unpacked everything I own and still have one side that is completely empty. Time to buy more dishes! I love this section of drawers. I put all my dishes in these drawers and it makes unloading the dishwasher a cinch. Plus the kids can reach them to help set the table. This is my "Peanut Butter Cupboard" and it was the hardest thing to explain to the cabinet makers during the bidding process. My cabinet guy had no problem, he knew exactly what I meant. The cabinet guy also added these scrolls to the bottom as a surprise, I love them, it fits the personality of the kitchen.
This is what you find on the inside of the cabinet. Peanut Butter! and other baking things. It's a mini-workspace for baking and a giant appliance garage. It is genius and keeps my counters clutter free. I made cookie dough in under 3 minutes the other day since everything was at my fingertips except for the eggs and butter. I have to give credit to my Mother In Law who has the Mother (in law) of all Peanut Butter Cabinets.
Alrighty, whose hungry? Dinner is at my place!

*The chandelier over the table was steal at $10 from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. It was exactly what I was looking for. The pendants were a splurge from Pottery Barn.

14 comments:

[O] jai said...

Me! New kitchens make me hungry.

Mary said...

Shut up!!! I want a peanut butter cabinet. That looks AWESOME.

Your kitchen is so lovely. I love that you bumped out a breakfast nook with a bay window. PERFECT!

I love it all. The blue, the white cabinets, the light fixtures. I want to sleep in your kitchen.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! Love every aspect of it. Never heard it called a 'peanut butter cabinet', but whatever you call it its gorgeous!

Anna

Tammy said...

i said that! i said that everyone should get to design at least one kitchen in their lifetime! you quoted ME in your blog! awesome. and your kitchen...freakin' fabulous. i wanna eat in it, i wanna cook in it, i wanna clean it! uh...scratch that last one. :)

Sarah*Jane said...

This is just amazing. I can't believe that first pic is literally the *same view*! It's lovely.

... said...

It's amazing, Wendy. I adore the color. I am a jealous hag right now!

Patty Girl said...

HOLY KITCHEN! It is amazing! I am in love with the cubbies on the island and that peanut butter cabinet is absolutely brilliant! I agreed that the light fixtures were worth the splurge. It is beautiful and you did a great job designing it. Congrats!

Sherrie said...

It's gorgeous! I also love the paint color.

Ellen said...

Wow! I'm so happy for you with your new kitchen! I can't believe those first two pictures are of the same view. I just don't see it. But I'm way impressed! Good for you!!

Brooke said...

I'm jealous! It looks so great. If I could change one thing about my house, it would be an island in the kitchen...love that!

Raena Johnson said...

those are old schoolhouse style pendants honey. you rock. i knows a girl with great style when i sees one.

Anonymous said...

Hmm, may be time to update some of the introduction information. Isn't the house done? Or at least I hope it is!
-Mr Man

Chief Family Officer said...

Oh my, I love your kitchen!!! The Peanut Butter cabinet is genius. Excuse me while I wash the green envy off my face ;)

Unknown said...

NICE! I'm wanting something just like this...love what you call it. Silly me just called it a baking cupboard. Question: Could you please give dimensions? Depth of cabinet? And Depth of Shelving?
Also curious how it is working the mixer in the confines of the cabinet?

Thanks! Brenda in TX