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.