Kitchen Crushes

The “opportunity” kitchen that needs a little help.

This is the story of designing the perfect new kitchen for a condo in Atlanta, Georgia …

One of us has had a wandering eye.  It all started a few weeks ago, when a friend introduced me to a spectacular, one-of-a-kind condo that I fell in love with.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one, and this beauty got away … but not without my being bitten by the bug to go condo shopping again.  It is a favorite activity (unfortunately for my husband) which usually consists of my spinning out of control for a few weeks, visiting everything I can, having crushes along the way, measuring pros and cons, consulting spreadsheets and doing countless analyses … until I often end up back at home, happily staying where I am until the next crazy idea comes along.

This time, I’m in the spinning phase and have found a cool condo, in an intriguing part of town that has a lot going for it, but it lacks a good kitchen.  Of course I look at all design flaws as OPPORTUNITY!  And this one has gotten me thinking … how would I redo the kitchen?

If this little fantasy becomes a reality, I’ll pull in our design divas, Sam and Colleen, because I know they could make anything beautiful.   But since it’s just a dream, and I get to study and be inspired by some of my favorite designers ( like Suzanne Kasler), the sky’s the limit and I’m going to have some fun!

 

The way it looks now:  Front view of the “OPPORTUNITY!” kitchen and some ideas to follow

It seems that I always turn to Suzanne Kasler for inspiration

Another inspiring kitchen from Laura Ellerbroek’s blog

I don’t love the color of the cabinets (from Elle Decor), but I like the clean lines and thickness of the kitchen island.

So pretty! The gorgeous Calcutta gold marble, the striking backsplash and the touch of glam with a chandelier.  From Granite Gurus.

Ah, but wait! Look how dramatic this dark grey looks, especially with the contrasting brass fixtures that are so handsome. Tempting! From Decor Pad.

And from one of our favorite Italian kitchen designers that we know from Paris, Boffi. So clean, so streamlined, so functional.

Boffi again, with their clean, clean lines.

I’m gaga over this Gaggenau kitchen!

Let’s look at it from a different angle now:

The condo kitchen that I’d love to get my hands on.

And turning once again to wonderful Suzanne Kasler. Notice the contrasting brass fixtures again, and the beautiful detailing on the island.  From Architectural Digest.

And what about this intriguing way of hiding kitchen cabinets: Big doors that slide in and out. From Boffi again.

When the doors are closed up, everything is hidden. That’s pretty tempting too!

But I also love this big island, from Australian designers at  Sareenstone.com, which shows off the dramatic veining and again, has just the right thickness.

Look at these open shelves. Do we even need kitchen cabinets? From Better Homes & Gardens.

To open-shelf or not: That is the question.  Years ago, when we lived in France and rented a house for a year, the kitchen consisted of a big, thick farm table and an armoire, along with a cooktop, dishwasher, sink and fridge.  It was so simple, but it worked so well, and we cooked some of our best meals there.  When we renovated Les Murets, we took a page from the same book, and removed all the cabinets from the walls.

The Kitchen of Les Murets, where we removed all the cabinets and replaced them with an antique armoire.

And when we renovated our house in Atlanta a few years back, again, we removed the cabinets and hung paintings on all the blank walls.  Not only was it lighter and prettier, it was very functional (having all the dishes stored in one place) and put a smile on my face every time I looked up and saw a favorite painting.

Our old kitchen in Atlanta, inspired by Les Murets, where we replaced the upper cabinets with art.

And used the antique French armoire with chicken wire to hold all of our dishes.

You can hide your dishes behind chicken wire, as we did, or keep them on an open shelf, which looks great if you have the same color dishes! From Vinterior Design blog.

I love these open shelves, from Decor Pad blog, because they’re wonderfully chunky and handsome.

And this is a great, clean look from Remodelista.com.

And a more contemporary look, from a Finnish home on Pinterest.

And speaking of contemporary: I’m always drawn to clean lines, thick surfaces and fabulous use of stainless steel, like this one from Boffi.

So I’m torn:  Which kitchen do I have the biggest crush on? The gorgeous, elegant, French inspired kitchen like number one, below? Or the super contemporary, clutter-free design from Gaggenau?

 

 1.  A lovely French inspired kitchen that incormporates all my favorite things: open shelves, baskets, calcutta marble, chandeliers, and wonderful functionality. The Enchanted Home blog.

2.  Or this sexy, streamlined, elegant and dramatic kitchen from Gaggenau. 

Oooh, I think I have a big crush on Number 2!  What about you? Do you, too?

Ta ta,

HH