Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Ultimate kitchens round 3!

Hi there. It feels great to be getting back to the drawing board and doing what I love most.....blogging! I am working on various design posts and getting back to what I love to talk about. Haven't done a kitchen post in such a long time...think its overdue! For anyone who loves design, kitchens are always at the forefront of any discussion or photo collection. The heart of the home, the one room where everyone loves to hang out in, I believe a kitchen is one room that deserves the best you can afford.

Beautiful cabinetry, great appliances, abundant storage, beautiful finishes are all wonderful but above all else it must be a functional and practical space. There are so many styles of kitchens to love. While I love a white kitchen for its clean crisp aesthetic, a European feeling kitchen with a variety of finishes is my personal favorite, hence why I created the kitchen that we did for our own home. Trends come and go but there are some that are absolutely classic and timeless.

 Marble being one such thing. I wouldn't even consider any other countertop and would give up clothes buying for a year if I had to. I love the look of marble countertops. Some argue its not practical. Go tell that to the Italians and French bakers who have it all over their restaurant countertops and floors for years or the maintenance people who oversee The famed Spanish Steps in Rome..they have been there hundreds of years and still going strong!! It is the beautiful patina that comes with time and use that makes it so uniquely perfect in my humble opinion.

 As kitchens have never been given so much attention, lighting has become an equally front row and center detail. So many possibilities! I like the function of small high hats (still the best working light) coupled with interesting lighting like a chandelier or belljars. So enough of my gabbing, take a look at this newest collection of kitchens that have caught my eye for one reason or another. How about you? What's your style? What are your must haves in a kitchen? Do tell!


 This is a beautiful space. The bold blue and white paper adds so much to this beautiful kitchen!

 Bleached oak never looked so fabulous....love it with the Belgian bluestone in black, gorgeous!

 My own kitchen.......have since replaced the barstools. I really love my kitchen today as much as I did when I created it almost two years ago (can't believe its been that long)!

 There is certainly something very appealing about an all white kitchen and luscious white marble counterops, Homebunch

 Love the pale blue with white marble counter tops in this beautiful kitchen, the sconces are an unexpected touch too, Martha Stewart

Ellisa Cullman created this spectacular kitchen, very dramatic...love the "to the ceiling" cabinets

This beautiful kitchen has a similar feeling to my own, love the warmth the woods adds to the painted cabinets and of course the beams....Bill Litchfield

Mark Molthan created a beautiful and very inviting, cozy kitchen by combining a rich dark wood island with painted cabinets....gorgeous!

Great French inspired kitchen, love the mix of materials, big stone hood....fabulous and timeless! Homebunch


Thomas Pheasant did an amazing job creating a warm, inviting space out of this large family kitchen....love the added accents of blue and white, a rug, and the open shelving



When designing our own kitchen, this picture was one of my earlier/first inspirations...still love it! Traditional Home

Let's face it....a "statement range" can easily make a pretty kitchen into an extraordinary kitchen!

Another very classic look.....the timeless appeal of black and white checkerboard floors, love this look!


There is something so warm and inviting about this white kitchen, think it could be the pretty pleated shade fixtures, like that look a lot!

Tall, long lean cabinets are a fantastic way to emphasize height in a kitchen with high ceilings


This look I LOVE, a copper pot collection, a warm stone oversized hood, baskets, a pretty chandelier, some elements of black..stunning!



Fell in love with this at first sight...these are sooo my colors and love that floor! House Beautiful


Talk about drama! Wow...this is one dramatic and beautiful kitchen, love the way the blue and white pops against the black!  Frederike Kemp Biggs

Another successful example of how colored cabinets can work so well...I think the key is making sure there is a "chalky" effect to the color, or a milky version of the color choice.....beautiful!

Yes, yes and yes! Just amazing....love a collection of beautiful copper pots and those high ceilings! Chateau Montgeoffroy


Always have liked gingham and think this oversized gingham accented kitchen is mighty charming! Emily Ann Designs


Gorgeous classic space, Elle Decor


Giselle and Tom Brady's warm and expansive kitchen is as beautiful as it is functional


Interesting eclectic space with the stone wall and open shelving, Veranda

This is so warm and inviting, love the wing chair seating and gingham window treatment, Veranda

My kitchen again....love my belljars and reclaimed limestone floors, to me very classic accents

A few  of my personal favorite elements for a kitchen, start with flooring! Don't skimp, it is truly the foundation for this space in more ways than one.....

 Reclaimed limestone....as classic as it gets

LOVE this reclaimed Austrian terra cotta with the wood....fabulous!


And if you are going to use wood, how about this Versaille Parquet in a weathered finish?


COUNTERTOPS

White marble for a countetop goes literally with every style and every color kitchen, timeless!!


LIGHTING


Great lighting, for a more traditional look I love the classic feel of belljars (these are my online shop)


If you want something more transitional feeling, these round globe lights from Restoration Hardware are great looking!


And of course a crystal chandelier is a fabulous way to add beautiful lighting to a kitchen


Love the warmth and coziness that adding shades to island lighting offers

So much to  love here, what fun it is to design and dream up a new kitchen. I have to say every morning that I walk into mine, I love it as much as I did the day we moved in, there really is nothing I would have done differently, proof to try and get what you really love.  So tell me what style is your dream kitchen? What would be first on your wish list? I love to hear from you....so tell me all about it. Thank you for stopping in, if you want to see even more kitchen gorgeousness definitely  visit my Pinterest board "kitchen love", by clicking here. Wishing you a fabulous day!



Also only two more days to take advantage of the beautiful promo for the newest Annabel Ingall bags, click here for details! I have a few bags left.



37 comments:

  1. I think of all the kitchens you show here, my favorite is yours! It is so timeless. I am absolutely dying for a new kitchen - mine is classic 1980's all the way, but it is big and functions perfectly so my husband sees no need to renovate. I spend A LOT of time in there and would love a beautiful space. My dream kitchen would be by Christopher Peacock. Oh well...a girl can dream!

    Hope you are doing well on this dreary rainy day...it's the perfect day for staying home and catching up on blogs! xoxo

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  2. Hi Tina, Love your thoughts on kitchens and these inspiring photos. Our kitchen is one of my favorite rooms in the house - I love almost everything about it, white cabinetry, vintage chandelier, dark wood floors - but I'm not crazy about the counter tops. They are dark, speckled honed granite. In my old home where I got to take the kitchen down to the studs and rebuild it to my specs (although in a very small space) I chose solid black honed granite, which I loved, in the otherwise white space. In our current home, the kitchen just needed a few small tweaks, but changing the counter tops requires ripping out built-ins in both the kitchen and the dining room. I'd do it in a heartbeat if we planned on staying here forever, but we don't. Long story short, I couldn't agree more about the marble counter tops. Next house, you can bet will have gorgeous Calcutta Gold counters.

    Have a lovely week! XO

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  3. I agree with Sandy above. Your timeless kitchen is my favorite!! From the beautiful beams to the reclaimed limestone floors, it is a showstopper. What a warm and special space for family and friends to gather while meals are being prepared. xoxo

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  4. These kitchens are beautiful and most of them have the same thing in common: they are bright and alive and timeless with their white painted cabinets. Our last house had beautiful white to-the-ceiling painted cabinets (from original build, 25 years ago) with dark wood floors and I had white marble countertops installed to update. Lived with them for 5 years and I agree, would never buy anything else! Never a problem with staining but definitely some etching, which doesn't bother me at all. Like you said, they have been using them in Europe forever. We recently relocated to a nice house with a blah kitchen. All dark wood matching the floors. I, of course, immediately had the cabinets painted a bright white ($3500 and worth every penny) but the bad part is that it has black granite countertops. Ugh. Not only do I find granite to be frantic and chaotic while marble is calming and serene, but black granite always looks a mess with every water drop and fingerprint glaring. I will switch out the island for white marble, but I'm going to have to live with the granite countertops, as the cost to replace is far more than I care to invest in this house. Thanks for your great gathering of photos!

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  5. Darling, I wish you were closer! We have an "inside" kitchen which needs to be completely redone, walls knocked out, etc.
    Gracious, what inspiration you've got going on here. Biggest problem I have is that we don't know if we should sell or stay put. It's so hard to make decisions like this. Beautiful post !! As usual.

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  6. I used your fantastic bell jar lights over a clients island, when I do photo shoot I will send you a shot! I need to revamp my poor 14 year old kitchen .it needs refreshing so badly.. and these images are gorgeous!!!

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  7. what beautiful kitchens + stunning photos. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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  8. ok. shut the front door. your kitchen is the first pin I ever pinned and its the cover of my board on pinterest. I had no idea that was YOUR kitchen. I will now pick my mouth up off the computer table. gorgeous!

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  9. I'm speechless. ;-) Every one of those images, every one (!) I would love to have. Even the most grand in scale is still warm and homey. I love seeing so much rustic elegance, I'm just not a modern girl. Thanks for sharing it all, and your kitchen is just beautiful.

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  10. Lovely kitchens! Love love love marble counters....have lived with them for years.

    Take a look at my new favorite marble: Azul Celeste or also called Blue Celeste. See https://www.google.com/search?q=blue+celeste+marble&client=firefox-a&hs=CCC&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ZZ3VUpyMKem0yAGyuICgBg&ved=0CEAQsAQ

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  11. Wow. Simply amazing selection of kitchens one of the most beautiful posts I have ever seen on them in fact! Yours as many others have said is my favorite, it will stand the test of time.
    I love your choice in flooring and lighting, just beautiful. We are going to be doing a large scale reno in June and I cannot wait! Your blog has been an enormous inspiration.

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  12. Loved all the pics! I have to say I just droole over your kitchen every time I see it! take care, Maryann

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  13. Tina, love that you make such an effort with your blogging and posts. I know that I can always count on you for my daily dose of inspirational design. You always have something interesting to say and fun to look at. Thanks for all your hard work!

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  14. Tina we just did our ktichen in November and I have to say yours was the "gold standard" my husband finally relented and let me order the Limestone from Paris Ceramics and the white marble counter tops. We both love it so much, not a day goes by that I dont' want to kiss it! It makes me happy and I feel so good when i am in my kitchen. I know it will also be stylish forever, its really a classic look as are all the beautiful kitchens shown here. I am going to send this post to my sister in law about to embark on a full home renovation. Great inspiration here!!

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  15. Tina each and every kitchen is stunning! What a great roundup.

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  16. Gorgeous kitchens, but I love yours the best!!

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  17. WOW!!! Redoing my kitchen is happening in the spring...I loved every one you posted! Lots of inspiration...off you check out your Pinterest Board!!!

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  18. Floored over the beauty but of all yours is my favorite! I got some great ideas here for our new build !!

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  19. Wow the wallpaper in the first kitchen just hugs me!! And they're all amazing. I love the black kitchen too..it's really intense and moody and sexy but I don't know if I could live with it on a daily basis. I love light and bright too! This post was so fun!
    xo
    Sharon

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  20. Tina,
    You are so sweet to come by today! I have been a slacker in reading and writing and know I would need a day to get caught up if just you! I love these kitchens you have posted, yours is one of my all time faves. Love the double farm sinks, cabinets to ceiling, the flooring, I could go on and on. I remember too your Butler's pantry being dark cabinets...beautiful!
    All the very best to you in this new year that I know is going to be great! xo

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  21. I can't believe it's been two years since you designed your kitchen! Still beautiful as always! I love great kitchen designs and these are perfect!

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  22. i love your kitchen, tina!!!! and i love love love this post. bleached oak....oh yes yes yes. thanks for giving me an eye full of lovely tonight.

    michele

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  23. WOOOOOOOO! You are talking about my favorite room in the house to decorate! I LOVE YOUR KITCHEN and that white kitchen with the crystal chandy....also the one with the copper pot collection (which I have one of...a large one!) - oh you've done it again my friend!

    I want to paint my kitchen white this summer and open it up just by removing a temporary cabinet that we have in front of the window. Once that's out of there, I get my sunshine back and a feeliing of space!

    OK, now off to school...gotta give my seniors a final exam in French today! Anita

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  24. The beauty on this one page alone is staggering Drooling over all of these magnificent kitchens. Tina, I had not idea that was your kitchen! I pinned it a while ago which is how I found your blog, how funny! I love it and many of the others too. That first one is striking and I would never have thought to put a wallpaper in a kitchen but it really looks great! I will definitely be referring back to this post as we prepare to plan out a kitchen redo ourselves later this year, and I cannot wait!

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  25. Dear Tina, Your kitchen is classic and timeless. I love every choice you made!

    xoxo
    Karena
    Kansas City Culture

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  26. Great compilation of kitchen spaces. I love the black one and the Elle decor one. I also love the look of marble.

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  27. Such gorgeous kitchens!! I'm totally with you on marble countertops... We selected honed Vermont Imperial Danby for our kitchen renovation, and we could not be more thrilled!

    XOXO,
    The Glam Pad

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  28. I completely agree that the kitchen is one room that you should not skimp on. Your kitchen is my favorite out of all of these!! Hope things are going well. xo

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  29. I love your kitchen as you know, Tina - it's gorgeous. I am so drawn to the crisp white marble, white kitchens right now...it's my way of adding a little bright to my otherwise very neutral home. Happy Thursday!!

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  30. Oh wow!! Such a beautiful post, Tina! I had to pin away!
    Hope that all is well with you!
    Teresa
    xoxo

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  31. Is it possible to find out the paint color used in the picture that the caption states " Tall, long lean cabinets are a fantastic way to emphasize height in a kitchen with high ceilings"?????? I have cream cabinets and I'm wanting to keep the kitchen light and bright and creamy feeling and I'm having a hard time finding the right color.

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  32. What I would do for an amazing kitchen like one of these!!! Le sigh...maybe one day! Thanks for the fun inspiration!!

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  33. Beautiful kitchens, a pleasure to look at.Sam

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  34. Where is my sledgehammer....I need to smash up my kitchen and start over....oh wait a minute....that cost money. Crap.
    Why you tempt me like this Tina:)

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Would love to hear what you have to say......happy thoughts only please!!