An Amish Kitchen - Via Quality Custom Cabinetry

I had lunch in an Amish home on Tuesday.

What a privilege that was. I have yet to write about it, (more about the event and what I learned soon) but, one of my major cabinet suppliers, Quality Custom Cabinetry, invited all of their representative kitchen design firms around the country, to celebrate their 40 years of business in this two day event, Monday and Tuesday of this week, in Lancaster Country, PA. For the second day of the event, three types of recreation were offered, at no charge. I ALWAYS rush back to the office, and when I heard that an Amish tour was offered, I decided to slow it down a bit and take advantage of this particular tour.

We toured the area, saw the horse drawn buggies, saw the corn being cut by men and horses, and entered this beautiful, different world of farms, one room school houses (many) and lovely people with strong values.

I had one of the best lunches in quite awhile, with some of the best food ever. Since the Amish do not have electricity, food is prepared in simple, traditional, ways. They cook with gas, and they may use battery power. There were no lights on of any sort in the kitchen where we had our lunch.

I wish I had taken a picture of all the food on the table, it just kept coming. Here's what was served:

• several types of preserved vegetables, previously home grown 
  preserved apricots in syrup in a bowl
  
• applesauce 
• fresh beans
• fresh potatoes, roughly mashed
• noodles
• fried chicken
• ham loaf
• white, sliced bread
• homemade jam
• pumpkin pie (best I ever tasted)
• shoofly pie
• iced tea
• coffee

Here is an image of three generations of women in an Amish kitchen, that I took. They have lovely homes, the Amish. The women grow their hair and put it in a bun. They have a quiet elegance, which perhaps you can see here. No dishwasher, only their hands to wash dishes, serving dishes, glasses, and pots, from a group of 20. Afterward, little recipe books came out, selling for $3.50 each. I bought one.

I must mention this too...after lunch, we went to a large Amish gift/food shop. As I was lingering outside, I glanced over at the ramp and spotted a woman being pushed in a wheelchair by another woman, with a man accompanying them. These people were my husband's relatives, also from Pennsylvania! I had not seen them since 2003, and shouting, hugging, and more ensued.

They live 3 hours away from the gift store we were at, and were in the area for a doctor's appointment for my husband's aunt. How could that happen? What if lunch were 5 minutes delayed? What if I went back to the bus 5 minutes earlier or to the restroom around the corner...that was a real WOW for me! Serendipity!

This is an image of the open kitchen just beyond the sales counter in the Amish store we stopped at.  

Kitchen Accessories

Everyone loves kitchen accessories, right? I go through spurts.  I'll take apart all my decorative "stuff" in the kitchen and redo it again. It takes me forever, but sometimes, I just need a new, fresh, look in the kitchen. And, with kitchen accessories, we can get a new look anytime we want. Here are a few accessories that will freshen everything up quick and easy.

First, I'm wild about these little disc plate hangers I spotted on decor8, when my jaw dropped at the perfection of the concept! It makes me want to go out and start hunting for lots of plates. I love how these plates are hung in such a modern way, too.

Here's your source for them, DISChangers.com. How, absolutely, awesome, are these??

Next, I want you to take a look at another fresh idea, from Design Public. Design Public happens to have a great collection of hip ideas for your walls.

These decorative wall art ideas are usually seen in other rooms of the home, but who cares? Be innovative and incorporate these ideas into the kitchen. Very easy to do.  

OK, maybe not what you wished for, but, hear me out...found these "trash chic" trash bags on Apartment Therapy -  Kitchen. The price isn't bad either, I was surprised...$14.95 for 80 liners. Makes trash removal something to look forward to now! Ok, it's a stretch...

 

Kitchen Artwork - You're The Arteeest!

I went to a serious, very serious (no smile is on my face) art gallery in New York City over last weekend. As I walked around, a thought occurred to me..."I can do this too!" As I walked and gazed (seriously) at the images before me, I knew I had to talk to you, my readers, about this thought.

I took 8 of MY images below and added 3 of the images that were in this gallery show that I attended.

I'd like you to tell me which images, below, you think were done by the artist in the show. That's all. Maybe mine are so bad this will be a simple task, and everyone will guess correctly! Oh, the embarrassment!

What's the point here?

The point, is that you have talent, perhaps unused talent, too. If these images can hang in this prestigious gallery, sometimes two or three next to each other with no space in between the white, simple, frames, a nice look, then you can enlarge your images too (or go out and take some) and hang them in your kitchen and look at them as art (which they are! You don't need to spend bundles on what you perceive to be "real" art. Find the artist inside you, hang your work in your kitchen, be proud of it, and you will feel something special. It's fun and rewarding, and relatively low in cost. 8x10s at mpix are $1.99. The matting and framing can be artfully done as well.

Those who know me know that I am a big proponent of putting art in the kitchen. Whether it is photographs, artfully framed and arranged, or oil paintings purchased from an artist, or other art forms, makes no difference.  I love to see space for art in the kitchen, and this is one way to do it, with meaning, AND, low cost.

OK, so which ones are the artist's images? Put the mouse over each image and its name will pop up at the top left of the small thumbnails.

Built in Coffee Maker Appliances - Rethinking Kitchen Design

The coffee pot! It used to be a non issue, never on the radar screen when planning a kitchen. Now, it's absolutely a checklist issue to discuss.

I'm in the middle of the kitchen design process with a client. Up to now, we had talked about having a place for his coffee/espresso maker and other small appliances, perhaps in one area of the kitchen. Sort of an appliance "center."

Then, I received an email from the client saying he would like a built in coffee maker system. Shortly after, he said, "oh, let's just put a pot on the counter, that's good enough." I then realized that I had not told him the concept behind the built in coffee maker.

It's about convenience. Convenience is nice. It means always having a cup of coffee when you are ready. 

Here are the reasons why one may want to consider a built in coffee maker appliance:

• convenience - always ready for one cup

• time saver - no more multiple steps of prep/clean up for one or two cups
  

• infrequent water filling, if at all (tank or plumbed)

• fast response, rather than waiting for the whole pot

• choice of different coffees and grinds

• no coffee wasted by making more than you need

• may select specific amount for a small or large coffee cup

Here is more information from The Appliancist on coffee maker systems. It has good information for comparative purposes.

 
You may read that the coffee maker system will "declutter" your countertops. I'm not so sure of that. The reason is, these appliances are fairly large in width, often 24". Now, space has to be found in the kitchen design, another challenge, which usually eliminates counter space and storage and has a large impact on cabinetry and the entire design.

In our house, the coffee addict (my husband) has, for now, found his solution. The one cup Tassimo. Can this $100 coffee maker compete with these gorgeous appliances in terms of taste? I'm sure the answer is no, especially, as most of the built in appliances grind the coffee beans to taste. So, there is convenience in the countertop one-cup models. The question then becomes, "at what price, taste??" (Shhhhh....don't remind my husband these appliances are available!)

Would you like one of these? 

The Scandinavian Style Breakfast Room

There was one photograph, similar to what I took below, that made me very quickly email the realtor back to say, "book it!" What is not shown so well is this structure of sorts that has a curved, stone, thick, back to it and the front is seating, like a curved sectional. It is situated in the perfect spot, and definitely a surprise in this room.

There is a variety of interesting elements in this room...the brick floors for one. These are real bricks, not veneer! I've never seen this used as flooring in a kitchen, a real kitchen. I'm a barefoot walker around the house, and it did not bother me to walk on this floor. Of course, the plants on the walls and ceiling are crazy!  It certainly was THE most interesting breakfast room I've ever had the pleasure to dine in.

And, always white, everywhere, as the perfect shade to complement these colors of nature, the brick and the green plants. Simple, not "decorated" per se, just sort of accumulated elements, creating a comfortable space.  

What makes a breakfast room/kitchen dining area great? I think one way (not the only way) as we see here, is to create the quality of the space feeling "real," not contrived, but to show an authenticity, with a goal to delight, and ignite, the senses. It's one particular look.

Did you say you wanted at least SOME accessories to integrate into this look?? Ok, come with me over to Desire To Inspire's second day of shopping the antique boutiques for some very wonderful furnishings and accessories to get this look! Thanks DTI! 

White Kitchen - Scandinavian Style!

I haven't really shown you any images from my trip to Copenhagen yet! I have so many....over 2,000 to be round about precise (call me obsessive, I'm guilty!) And, let's not forget my 10 (at least) magazines too. Lots of good stuff. Don't get me diamonds, just get me a Scandinavian interior design magazine! (I didn't really say that, right?)

Speaking of good stuff, I went a little crazy with taking lots of images of this very soft, romantic, Scandinavian style that everyone loves so much. I found this wonderful style (so much style) in some very special antique stores, Atelier September and Fil de Fer.

I have shared these particular images with Desire To Inspire, my good blogging buddies, because they have featured one of the stores before and I thought they would enjoy them, a fresh look from being IN the stores. I think they enjoyed them so much that they are doing a feature today AND featuring more, and different, images tomorrow! 

What's missing is the kitchen! The apartment we stayed in, in Copenhagen, definitely had this same romantic style going on. I saw pictures of it online and booked it immediately! I just HAD to stay there. So, here is a kitchen design connection to this romantic Scandinavian style that Desire To Inspire is showing.

Today I will show you the kitchen, tomorrow, I will show you the adjacent breakfast room which will make you fall right over!

Don't forget to check back with Desire To Inspire tomorrow too, to see the complete look, connected with my images here.  

Here are previous posts in Desire To Inspire...on Scandinavian Style  and more Scandinavian style and good Danish design too. I would encourage you to use the search tool in their blog, but watch the time, you'll be there all day!

Creative Kitchen Designing

I visited a blog I have been following for some time. It's about a "gut" renovation of a charming, old house in Sag Harbor, that really wonderful town on the east end of Long Island.

I've been waiting SO patiently to see what was going to happen in the kitchen, and finally, the images are up. Brooke Williams, Domino blog editor extraordinaire, (and mom-to-be very soon) did some pretty interesting things with her and her husband's kitchen. Definitely alternative!

Take a look at this kitchen post for more very interesting images and information on the kitchen.

The message, here, is that kitchens come in all different types and styles for all different reasons, and, in the end, should be as individual as you are!

Perhaps you would not have certain design elements or products such as is designed into this kitchen (no upright refrigerator, only 2 under counters opposite the range!) but Brooke and her husband thought this through carefully and decided a spacious, open feel was what they wanted most. Likewise, kitchen countertops made of unfinished, reclaimed antique wood, which will need to be finished on site. Another alternative idea! My understanding is that this will be a second, weekend, residence, another reason to make it a laboratory and venture beyond the typical.

Feel free to seek out, find, and then express your inner "kitchen!" You may get a range of comments and reactions, but, who cares, it's a reflection of who you are, and that's as it should be in kitchen interiors. I see it as having a very interesting mix of textures. Good work following your kitchen bliss, Brooke!

Blogging Kitchen Blogs

Let's see who's talking about what in the kitchen focused blogosphere...

K+BB Green's Jeff Holloway, CKD, who blogs on green kitchen and bath products, issues, and ideas, also looks at green focused kitchen and bath issues, but look beyond that post, and you will be enlightened in a green way.

Peggy Deras, CKD, from Kitchen-exchange, has a great post on a free service for lighting questions. Let me tell you, planning lighting for any room in your home SHOULD be given first rate attention. It's a small price to pay (in this case none) to get it right the first time and to "see" clearly what you need and want to see!

Ann Porter, CKD, of Kitchann Style has a very interesting post on opening up, or visually enlarging small kitchens. Now, the conventional wisdom says that one must pack in as much storage as is possible in a small kitchen. As Ann says, it's more about finding alternative storage solutions, with the benefit of a much more spacious look to an otherwise small feeling kitchen. I like this way of thinking!

Laurie Burke, from Kitchen Design Notes, talks about the maintenance of soapstone.  Soapstone is a quite misunderstood material. No need to be freaked out by scratches...with a little elbow grease, your countertop is brought back to life and lustre. Explore, there is more on soapstone in the blog.

And for pure style, one of my fave design blogs, Desire to Inspire always manages to sneak in some great kitchens in their posts, which are a joy to see, especially in the context of the whole house, apartment, or whatever the environment! Take a look and get, well, inspired...  

Kitchen Designer Diary - A Day In The Life

From time to time I will share with you real life client meetings, like today. It was an interesting day today. I had received a call last week from a woman who asked about my kitchen design services, as she and her husband are planning a kitchen renovation. I was immediately intrigued when she said they lived on Fire Island. Fire Island is a very long, and very narrow, strip of land, beyond the south shore of Long Island, about 1/2 an hour off of Long Island by boat, reachable only by private boat or ferry. No cars are allowed on the island, and there are several small towns. It's all about the beach on Fire Island!

I was born and raised on Long Island, and I had never been to Fire Island, the residential section of Fire Island, as opposed to the public ocean beaches, a totally separate area, so I was interested in going. The trip there and back was time consuming. I live on the north shore of Long Island, a straight shot across the island from the ferry on the south shore. Here's the math:

1/2 an hour to the ferry

1/2 an hour on the ferry

2 hours 45 minutes between ferries (once on Fire Island)

1/2 an hour on the ferry back

1/2 an hour back home, once on the mainland

= close to 5 hours and a fair amount of wear and tear!

But, again, I was interested in seeing it, so off I went. I thought I'd be met at the ferry, so after wandering around a bit, I called, and they said they'd be right there and asked if I rode a bicycle. Hmmmm...I dressed in a skirt and had 2 heavy bags with me, but, this was an adventure, so, I must do adventurous things. "Sure, I said, I ride a bike."

Some minutes later, up came a man (the husband) riding a big old bike and holding another bike as he rode, a female style bike, bright blue. The husband took my things, put them in his basket and off we went on the way back to their house.

We rode on some beautiful, very small, narrow, paved lanes, typical for the island, past lovely, small homes, with beautiful gardens, such lush growth everywhere, a front lawn with large seashells, tall beach grasses blowing, and passing others on their bicycles too. Weaving from one lane into another, we eventually got to the house, leaned the bike up against the house and went inside.

The home was beautiful in its simplicity, exposed beams everywhere, as the home is not winterized, and it was all in white. There was authentic, and beautiful, mid century furniture pieces by famous designers such as Hans Wegner, and a light by Louis Poulsen. It was very inspiring. We talked, all went well, and I immediately thought of a new line of cabinetry that I will be announcing soon (!) which would be just perfect for this particular setting. The kitchen is wide open to the living room and dining area. I know exactly what to do here. This kitchen needs surgery! The estimate was received well, it was asked that I fully measure, we'll see what happens.

It was a long day, oh, and how can I forget to mention the pouring rain on the ferry trip back, complete with rough seas, thunder and lightning (and let's not forget the below "E" gas fill-up at the self help mini mart gas station where one must go into the mart, fill up, then go back to the mart, then back to the car (in the rain)? Ugh.  

All in all, I had a great day, met nice people, saw a beautiful place, and an interesting home, it's definitely all good. 

Kitchen Cabinet Order Process

It was a very busy week last week. Of course, a large cabinet order for a kitchen had to be edited while I was away, which I did (while I was away). Then, it had to be looked at in its entirety again right after I got back, to do the back and forth editing with the factory, which I did, and have just finished.

I thought it would be interesting to give you a little glimpse of what is involved in ordering a kitchen, this stage of the order processing, which is the final stage. It's a stressful time. It's decision time, fish or cut bait, do or die, last chance and all that!

I do things the long way. When I put in my cabinet order, it's probably 95% accurate. Usually, that is because I need to rush the order writing somewhat so that I can reserve a particular week for delivery...timing is always critical in my line of business! At this time, the client and I go over the final plans and they place the deposit with me. In the course of going over every final detail, more issues often arise, changes, rethinking, etc. on the part of the client. I permit that, I never discourage it, because I want my clients to have things "their way." I want them to have every opportunity, even if it comes later than it should, to make their kitchen the way they want it.

Sometimes, as in this case, the client kept thinking and rethinking things well after we first placed the order, and I continued to accommodate this client until the day before I left for my trip (a surprise two hour meeting!) And, then we emailed and spoke again while I was away!

When the factory gives me back their interpretation of my written order, and before production, it looks like the image, here! I need to start from scratch with every single dimension for the entire room, taking another look at a couple of hundred+ cabinet order details, and taking everything else (appliance specs & more) into consideration all over again. That's how I do it.  It takes focused concentration for long periods of time.  As a result, I never, ever, have a problem with a cabinet's fit, and I'll often come up with new, better, ways of detailing a cabinet during this time.

There are four pieces of information that I check, one against the other, constantly: the specifications list in the contract, the floor plan and elevations, my order to the factory, and the original dimensions from the space. Back and forth, one to the other and back again.

Sometimes I have not been 100% clear in the order, and sometimes the factory makes a mistake or misinterpretation on their edited copy of the actual order. They check me, and I then check their final interpretation before it goes into production. We communicate via phone and email. To me, it's not over until it's the last day before production (well, the goal is to have it be over when the factory begins their editing process!) You can get a sense of how detailed a designer is if you ask him/her to tell you how he/she edits their orders with the factory. Sometimes I call it engineering the cabinetry to fit, as I design all cabinetry to the 1/8". If they roll their eyes at the thought of this stage of the process, it's a good sign! Now the order is done, and guess what, when the cabinets arrive, I'm doing the whole thing all over again to remember why I did what I did!

 

Thank you blogging buddies!

I think I'm the only one I've come across who refers to "blogging buddies." I do like the sound of it! I would like to thank my blogging buddies, Holly from Decor8, the gals at Blink Decor, and Linda from Surroundings, for showing my kitchen design work and/or my images from Denmark.

Thanks to Blink Decor for showing the images of my currently published kitchen. I'm glad they enjoyed it! I have to take a moment to say that I'm really crazy about the layout of their blog. I love the colors, it's very exciting, it always revs me up, and it's very user friendly. Good stuff on there too, and always thoughtful and informative advice. Thanks, gals.  

Thanks to Holly from Decor8 for creating that big, fantastic, post on Danish home interiors (images from some of my familys' homes) and for showcasing some of the great, Danish, furniture that I photographed in the fine, home furnishing stores. My cousin's comments on sources and designers of her home furnishings are very interesting. What a thrill to be on decor8! It's always a destination for me. Need to keep up to date and see what's happening design-wise!

And, last, but definitely not least, to my very good blogging buddy, Linda, from Surroundings. I laughed out loud when I saw the title of Linda's post, about the rotten state of Denmark, and wish I thought of that myself! Thank you Linda, for both showcasing my white kitchen and for linking to the Danish inspired posts on the blogs. Always a go-to source for interesting, eclectic, design information, and, I appreciate the mentions, Linda (each live link links to a different post). Surroundings takes the pulse from many sources and makes sense of it all to the rest of us!

You know, I really need to ask this question. Due to the enthusiasm over "things Scandinavian," I am often confused, because I'm SO tied into the culture and the beauty of it all. So, tell me, what do you all love about it? Do you see Scandinavian design becoming even more of a factor in today's design interests? Do you see it moving forward in everyone's design focused radar screens? Or is it just the classic beauty of it which will always be appreciated? Is everything old new again, or is it fresh, new, Scandinavian points of view that you are seeing? I'd really love to hear your thoughts.  

The image is my cousin's dining room, with some of our family, a beautiful Danish home interior.

Kitchen Dining Inspiration via Restaurant Interiors?

Knowing Design*Sponge has a love for restaurant interior design, I offered to snap a few shots of restaurants while in Denmark. Here's the result of passing by fantastic restaurants, during two weeks of strolling through Copenhagen and beyond.

See the whole slide show of my images via Design*Sponge.  

Now, down to the issue...can one get inspiration for one's home from restaurants? Of course! How many times have you gone to a hotel or other public area, including restaurants and been inspired by the colors, textures, or other interesting or beautiful feature of a public space? It's a fantastic source, truth be told, of inspiration. Keep your camera handy, snap what "speaks to you" and save it in your file of ideas. The interpretation of the design can shift from larger proportions to smaller in most cases. No, you won't have 50 tables in your own dining area, but if you are observant of the interior design, and are open to it, these areas can be a valuable resource of ideas. Remove the white table cloths, and you have a great kitchen dining spot which can be tweaked to be more or less formal as you need.

This image, below, is a room for a larger party in the restaurant. Both images are from the restaurant, Madklubben.  Thanks for the mention, d*s!

 

A White Kitchen by Susan Serra, CKD - Published by Better Homes and Gardens

I arrived home last night from my vacation to see one of my favorite recent kitchens I've designed, finally, in print! The feature just came out in the September issue of Better Homes and Gardens. It's in a section called "Better By Design."

I designed this kitchen a variety of different ways for the client, in an extensive design process, and in the end, the client decided not to change the existing location of windows, doorways, and appliances. BUT, that was only the start of the story. Maintaining these same locations, I wanted there to be a renewed excitement and importance to the kitchen design, but, based on good design principles, rather than easy, but, uninspired "runs" of cabinetry as you can see in the "before" pictures. I also wanted to "lighten up" the area above the refrigerator, which was achieved. A much more spacious feel on that side of the kitchen than before.

Other Ideas Which Didn't Make It:

Some of my ideas were not implemented that I would have liked, but I have to remind myself, it's not my kitchen! I had recommended that the rear wall, rather than subway tile, be some sort of subtle stone, a slab material, although the end result looks great. I also did not want to connect the cabinetry on each side of the range to each wall. I thought it would look interesting to be open, a bit unfitted. Then, I suggested open shelves with the wall showing behind, and no toekick. In the end, the client wanted a more "connected" look, but we did maintain the open shelving below, which makes it.  

New Ideas 

New design ideas were developed and explored, based on the proportion and scale of the space as well as taking into consideration the architecture and style of the home. I also created a personal style interpretation for the client, which bridges the concepts of tradition, a nautical feel, a bit of a "commercial" look, and some real beauty included in the mix too. Please see all of the images in the gallery.

 

Kitchen Design Diversity

I think I'm fortunate to have a fair amount of diversity in my extended family. As I end my trip to Copenhagen, it occurs to me just how important it is to design kitchens suited to the needs of the users. In my own extended family, I have these diverse personal situations, all of whom work in their kitchens in different ways for different reasons.

• Daughter/son-in-law in an apartment in an urban setting, concerned with healthy living and healthy cooking, with demanding jobs, and then, early evening, exercise routines, speed and efficiency in the kitchen being the goal, and leisurely cooking as recreation,
  

• Son, 21, and girlfriend, moving in together soon, who both cook up a storm nearly every night, with a health conscious and multi cultural focus due to their different cultural/ethnic backgrounds and green philosophies, (without a time concern, as I can attest to, having a recent meal with them at nearly 11 pm)
  

• A cousin and her (yes, her) wife (legally married in Denmark) who are expecting twins sons soon, sharing domestic responsibilities, as all married couples do, in a countryside setting by the sea, with one spouse working, the other not,
  

• My 93 year old uncle, living alone, preparing traditional Danish meals and also hosting weekly get togethers at his apartment, the apartment he has had for, oh, maybe 60 years or so,

• Another cousin and her husband, empty nesters, and retired, moving back and forth between an urban apartment and summer house in Denmark, with interesting food storage issues to solve,
  

• Another cousin's busy working life with two young children and a husband (the traditional "subjects" for all previously held kitchen design ideas) with the woman's mother as frequent helper and occasional chef,
  

• A recently widowed aunt, who lived a long life, preparing from-scratch meals for two, now, for one,

• A male cousin, single, 30s, in a new urban apartment, with a new kitchen, planning his kitchen HIS way,
  

• A male, 22, single, student, who owns an apartment and lives with rent paying roomates, but plans to live there a long time, later with a girlfriend, and just planning a kitchen now,

• Me and my husband, nearly empty nesters, soon to be spending more time in our city apartment, redefining "home" as well as our cooking habits.
  

 
Designers need to understand that there is no longer one family "model," but many, and oftentimes multi-cultural, multi-generational, perhaps a non traditional lifestyle, and sometimes all of these mixed together. It is imperative that each personal situation be dissected to uncover the needs for function and aesthetics which are unique to he/she/them alone. I do believe the time has arrived where both homeowners and designers are understanding the wide realm of new design possibilities that can be tailored to one's unique way of living in the kitchen.

Are you planning a kitchen? Look more deeply into your/your family's personal needs. Take time to do that. Don't settle for standard, typical, or one size fits all. Ask for , look for, plan for, personal design solutions.

Vive la difference! 

Kitchens Are Love

Oh, I have so much to share with you in the days and weeks ahead (and months!) We're here, in Copenhagen, nearly two weeks, and leaving to go back home Thursday morning. Our suitcases are packed, as tomorrow will be filled with two different family outings, maybe one more quick stop at a kitchen showroom, and somehow we have to pack the two paintings I bought!

Copenhagen is truly one of the design capitals of the world. To have two weeks to observe great design in shops, in public spaces, and in private homes, has been a constant source of education, enjoyment, and privilege. I've also been inspired by learning new ways of thinking about protecting our natural resources and changing the way we live in small ways. Danes are famous for subtle, but pointed, humor, and perhaps you will see this characteristic in this special exhibit I will show you on thinking green, which is taking place at the Danish Design Center. Coming soon.

So, having been in six of my family's kitchens this time around (that, not being all of them) and spending a lifetime of seeing these relatives only every few years, I can tell you that it struck me more than ever that our kitchens are a conduit to so much more than food, but to family togetherness, to sharing, to love. Kitchens are so incredibly important, wherever they are in the world and regardless of whoever is planning a meal for someone else, or for one's own nourishment as well. It's all good, isn't it?

The image is of my cousin, Lis, showing me the smoked herring we will have for dinner!