retro kitchens - kitchen nostalgia or shredder material? #9

So, kitchen fans, today's kitchen is from the "Yellow Period". Or is it from the "Brick with Black Grout Period" or, as I said another week, from the "Lionel Richie Dancing on the Ceiling Period"!

Look, good for the homeowners. My guess is they were very happy, cheerful, optimistic people, don't you think? Good for them, that they had the guts to go for it! Linda from Surroundings, can we even go down this road, as a companion for the bachelorette pad??

It looks apparent to me that someone had the foresight to recess the, normally monolithic, refrigerator. My guess is this was done because they wanted to have much more space on the opposite side, although that area is not shown. I also guess that the emphasis for, and placement of, ample counter space was on the other side because of the radius cutouts on each side of the cooktop.

Which makes me wonder if the refrigerator could have been positioned where the desk is, thus allowing for much more space surrounding the cooktop. But, who knows?

I cannot see any connection between, or reason for, the combination of the brick and the ceiling pattern (but I think in the 70s brick was obligatory as was pattern of ANY type). And, of course, more pattern was needed in the white lattice doors, and let's not forget the floor!

But, you know what? The owners get lots of points just for the overall happy effect. And, do to two different countertop colors at that time? Come on, how haute couture was that!

Scrappy Girl from Domino...thanks for the mention, is this what you had in mind for your kitchen? 

Go Large - Designing Kitchen Windows

I just got finished fertilizing about 170 roses in my garden. When I do something, I do it big! It's an extremely exciting time if you are a gardener in the northeast. Hour by hour, all the plants are popping. I'm doubly excited because the  fertilizer I ordered arrived today at my front door, hours before the start of several days of a good, soaking rain. Perfect timing. Coming into the kitchen in the morning shows progress and beauty in the garden every day.

When I remodeled my kitchen a few years back, one of my wishes was to have expansive views of the garden from the kitchen.  We installed 20' of windows. I wanted as many windows as I could get for natural lighting in the kitchen and wonderful garden views. I WAS a bit concerned with not so great views over the winter, but I was willing to pay that very small price. Of course, there is beauty in many winter views as well, with or without snow.

This is a little insight into why I designed large windows in my kitchen (these images are not of my kitchen!)

WHERE DO YOU START? 

When you consider remodeling your kitchen, window size and placement should play an important role. It's funny, but even today, when windows are getting larger in many homes, there is often still hesitation to "go large" with the kitchen window. And, in many cases, and this is a key point, if the kitchen is in the back of the house, the house may have been purchased, partially, for the beauty of the yard, and the existing kitchen windows do not often allow one to fully appreciate the views! It is a paradox that is amusing to me.

 

My recommendation, when planning new windows for the kitchen is to consider:

• the views of your yard and the role that a lovely view can play in your life in the kitchen
• the pleasant feeling you get when you are near natural lighting
• the energy saving costs you could incur, depending on the kitchen's exposure for heating and lighting purposes
• taking care not to worry that expanding a window relates to an "unacceptable" amount of lost cabinet storage. This part is tricky. Of course, in small kitchens, it is a more critical issue. In medium and large kitchens, carefully evaluate the pros and cons of a larger window before saying a quick "no...I'll lose too much storage."
  
• always taking into consideration the architectural view from outside looking in
• operable vs. non operable windows - operable for needed ventilation, non operable for unobstructed viewing
• the other windows of your home and select a window style that is the same or very similar
  
• if the window or windows should be situated for a specific view of a pool, a play area, garden, wide vista, etc.
• one's overall psychological well being with a connection to nature
• what role will privacy play in your window location?
  

What if your view is not park like, but looks toward a brick wall, a driveway or other nondescript area? Think beyond what you see outside at this moment. Is it possible to add some landscaping to enhance the existing view? Often, it is, but is something the homeowner did not consider.

Is there a spot for a long window? Long windows have a place in a kitchen as well. Short windows are not the only size that must be in a kitchen! I once spoke with a wheelchair bound homeowner and suggested a tall window just beyond the cabinetry, so that he could enjoy the view outdoors. This was a welcome suggestion! 

In a future post, I will discuss how to select the size and shape of the window. 

I'm now energized for the next 6 months of garden viewing out my kitchen window! (see below) And, no, we do not have a gardener! My husband and I designed the garden ourselves, dug every hole (2'x2'), prune every bush, hand water in between rains, do garden clean up multiple times a year, we do not have a "service", it is all our work, which we like to look at and enjoy. A "garden walk" with a glass of wine is a good reward too. Roses were purchased one by one over a several year period. Five more just arrived last week! What can I say? It's a obsession hobby. You'll find me in the garden most days now from 5-8 pm!

UPDATE: While I was thinking roses, see a follow up to this post with good information by Peggy at kitchen-exchange. 

 

Blogging Kitchens

I'm so thrilled when I come across a great kitchen in the blogs...they are not so frequent on interior design blogs, so I still say "YES! A kitchen!" and I think interior design bloggers also love kitchens too, I can absolutely feel it. They can't help but put a kitchen in from time to time, one that speaks to them. At least, that's how I see it. I KNOW they love them! The kitchens are often grouped with an entire home's images, so you can see the flow of the home, which is good for context. Here are a few recent ones I've noticed as being special.

An Eye For An I:nterior chronicles some very nice kitchens. Take a look through the "pages" of the blog.  This rustic kitchen with the (La Cornue?) black range is from the blog. The styles range from rustic to modern, and in between, and the feature with this image is from Sandra Lane, a photographer.

Take a look at the Peak of Chic's complete devotion to kitchens! OK, at least on April 24, it was wholly kitchen focused, and I'll take that! I find it very interesting to read how one responds to certain kitchen styles, and this is a peek at some nicely styled kitchens and some insight into what's liked and why.

Terramia, who has shown kitchens before, shows a charming kitchen image. Don't we all love a white cottage kitchen? The image is from the book At Home With Color 

I can easily tell you why I like these kitchens. And, I'm not looking so much at function, I'll save that for another day. But, look at the artwork. The textures. The imperfection as to what's positioned where. OK, maybe the lamp is a bit much right next to the range, but I WOULD have a lamp and just position it to the far right, why not? So, to me, these kitchens are carefully chosen, I'm sure, and they have soul.  

A special case are the ladies from Desire to Inspire. Jo and Kim sneak in a kitchen image, I think, possibly once or twice a week. They, too, feature great designers, and whole homes, and include the kitchen, which I always look for first. Just look at this fantastic red and stainless kitchen. Don't you love it? I do. It is part of the work of Tony Ingrao. I DO think, however, that they are admirers of modern kitchens, and/or that soft contemporary look. I'm happy about that, which feeds my natural inclination toward kitchens with clean lines.

I am rewarded when I take the time to seek out interior design bloggers' points of view, and it's a bonus to find a kitchen here and there. They are always inspiring.  Take a look at these blogs. The images are those which speak to the blogger in a meaningful way. I appreciate their efforts!

Do you like these kitchens? What do you like about them? 

Scandinavian Kitchens - Splashes of Color!

I think it's a very common thing in Scandinavia to show small splashes of color, like, very small. It seems the smaller the color, the bigger the impact (in some cases). My friend, Lone, a Danish girl who lives in New York, showed me an ad (she's a kitchen designer) she was putting in a magazine, and it was a kitchen that was all white with some black and then only half of a red chair was showing, sort of at the way end of the room...of course, an Arne Jacobsen chair. I didn't get it at first, I don't see that a lot, but now, these images brought that concept back to me, and brought it to life. Images from Bolig Liv.

So, now we have 3 interesting elements....white (nearly always), a splash of color, and texture (nearly always). Fantastic combination.

It's fun, cool, and fresh, don't you think? Oh, here's a nice Scandinavian blog, Molly's Heaven and another great one, Lantligt.