Let's talk about ... Kitchens!

Since working on the old house and vowing to make our current house feel more like "home", I've been on what feels like a project overload.  Even though I haven't actually done any projects.  Figure that one out.

It's just that I have so many ideas swimming around in my head of what I want to do with this house to make it work better for us, look better to us, and just feel better to us.  But friends, I don't even have the Christmas decorations down yet, so I have no business starting a project until that happens.  And until my dining room table is no longer covered in piles of clean laundry.  (Does that happen to anyone else?  It's just so big and clear and close to the boys during the day.  The perfect spot to fold laundry.

Anyway, I thought that while I tackle those things, I can at least dream about what I'd like to do with the house.  My kitchen is definitely on that list.  It's not as high on the list as I'd like it to be, because what I'd like to do is going to involve knocking out walls, which requires time.  And money.  We don't have much of either of those things these days.  So instead, I'll dream and plan so that when the time comes, I know EXACTLY what I want.

After Pinning a few things to my "Kitchen" board the other day, I decided that it might be worth sorting through a few Pins to think about what I actually like in each picture.  Care to join me on my little journey through my board?

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I'm a sucker for stone work, so that column is making me drool.  Also, I love the use of space above the cabinets.  Wasted space above cabinets drives me nuts!

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This shows a relatively narrow island, which may be the direction in which we go for our home.  The kitchen is fairly narrow as it stands, and depending on which walls we knock down, we may need to go with a narrow island.  I also love a good bookshelf on an island end.  I think it cozies the place up a bit.  

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I just love this space.  It feels open and airy, yet cozy and inviting.  Banquettes scream coziness to me too.  Also?  I love the concept of a cupboard that comes straight to the counter.  It could play the roll of an appliance garage, or simply to house dishes.  Regardless, it leaves counter space while maximizing storage space.  

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The butcher block counter is beautiful, although I'm not sure it would be right for our family.  The shelves on the side of the island and the cabinets up to the ceiling earn bonus points :)  The extra oven in the island also intrigues me.  Maybe a convection/microwave combo?  Either way, it's a way to squeeze in an extra oven if you lack the wall space for double ovens.  

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Another great option for a long, narrow space.  It doesn't feel cramped!  In our last kitchen, the refrigerator and wall ovens were next to each other and I really loved it.  The set up just felt natural.  

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The decorative panels on the back of the island are super, super cute.  The black/gray window and door are really visually interesting as well.  

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Drawers.  Drawers are essential.  I really prefer them over cabinets.  The are just all around easier.  That's all I have to say about that.  

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Lights on the cabinets surrounding the sink bring so much charm and warmth.  I also love a good barn-ish light.

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Hello, beautiful.  Stone wall!  Pendants!  Open, airy, yet cozy.  

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Look at that wall of cabinets!  Beautiful and smart use of space. 

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I feel like a broken record ... cabinets to the ceiling.  Again, great use of a relatively narrow space.  

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This is the motherload.  Cabinets to the ceiling.  Lots and lots of cabinets.  

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A narrow space, and yet that wall of cabinets makes up for it.  

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This sweet kitchen has so many of my favorite things crammed into it.  And if you've made it this far, you can probably pick them out yourself, so I'll spare you the list.  

The nice thing about needing to wait to remodel a kitchen?  You have the time to research and plan and make the right decisions for what will work for your family!