Comments : 44

Hi, happy Thursday afternoon. With all the spare time on my hands from being home sick, it’s giving me time to finish up various posts which I had started bu didn’t complete…until now! I haven’t done a kitchen post in a very long time, I think it’s been years! So I am going to start a fun kitchen series just highlighting pretty kitchens, fun elements, materials that appeal to me, lighting, whatever goes. These posts will not have a particular theme other than a subject many of us enjoy, kitchens:)

And since I am going to eventually be doing an entirely new kitchen, kitchens are very much on my radar. There are so many styles of kitchens, all of which I have  a great appreciation for when done well. I for one, operate best in a light kitchen, I need light and airy to do my “best work” but I have surely seen a number of beautiful dark kitchens that are brilliantly executed.

Today is a look at kitchens that I think work well for a whole host of reasons along with details that I particularly like. Hope you will chime in with your own comments as to what is important to you in a kitchen. And here we go-

______________________________________

Beautiful, open and inviting..great space! Reno Shope and Wharton

What’s everyone thoughts on open shelving? I do like it in certain spaces but it would probably never work for me, however I think this shelf with a bit of a decorative element is very pretty, I ike how that they are “beefy” so they don’t look too delicate so to not be practical, Carol Reed

I actually really like this idea and may do this myself, love the idea of keeping all the appliances behind a conveniently located closed cabinet door, Amy Sklar

Thoughts on a white kitchen with a blue island? This pretty kitchen makes a strong argument for it! MMI Design

Pretty, white, bright and inviting,  Pineapple Palms

Though a lot darker than I would personally ever opt for, this really is quite a striking kitchen!

Another clever way to conceal,the microwave and builtin cappuccino/espresso machine are behind a pair of cabinet doors.

Brass fixtures are a big deal right now, what are your thoughts? I think they are beautiful as shown here but I am more of a nickel person, Atlanta Homes Magazine

I always find myself on the fence with a two tiered island, one higher surface for cooking/prepping and the other for seating…it sure seems to work beautifully in this pretty kitchen, thoughts?

This is an interesting nook, love the fridge and the open shelves add a lot of interest but I wonder about the day to day practicality of such an arrangement, would you do this? House Beautiful

Love the idea for certain kitchens of large oversized wicker lanterns, think it’s a more casual look but so chic Kara Herbert

I like this frosted glass design element, pretty wood tones too. Roux Macneil

Cromone bolt hardware is old school but still so beautiful!  Steele Street Studios

Always thought it’s very practical to carve out a spot for a small desk if space allows, it’s just a matter of practicality and convenience, Harding and Co

Though this island is a brighter blue than I would ever imagine doing,  I must say it looks gorgeous in this kitchen by Douglas Vanderhorn

Thoughts on glass paneled refrigerator doors? I actually like them a lot but am concerned it would become a part time job to be sure the fridge always looks in perfect order:)  R Cartwright

Love how despite how grand this large scaled kitchen is, it still feels so inviting and intimate. The  kind of kitchen that invites you right in, a space to cook in as comfortably as you could entertain a large group in! Reno Shope and Wharton

____________________________________

Well,  this should fill your quota for pretty eye candy for the day! Have a favorite? Maybe you are in the the throes of designing a new kitchen yourself, would love to hear what’s important to. you. Or if you could design a new kitchen, what would be most important to include in your new kitchen? Do tell! Thank you for stopping by, wishing everyone a great day. Until next time….

Last call for our Enchanted Home Love Contest-

We have a handful of spots left for our Enchanted Home Love contest where the winner will win three consecutive months of amazing Enchanted Home  goodies! Send your 1-2 pictures to [email protected] (picture must include an item from Enchanted Home) For full details click here

Through 2/14 everything pink or red is 20% in celebration of Valentines’ Day! Click here to see our specially curated Valentine’s Day collection

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I must admit to not liking granite or marble topped islands and they are so cold for one’s elbows and arms when one is sitting at them. Our large island is a beautiful wood and also quietens and warms the kitchen.

I love a kitchen to be warm, cozy, inviting and pretty.
I have a wood fireplace in my kitchen and I love it.

I 💚💚💚 brass fixtures used with gray cabinetry. Warms it up so beautifully. Also with dark painted cabinets.

Light and bright is my idea of a great kitchen. No open shelves, please, or clear fridge doors. Life is too short to spend any of it keeping these two items perfect looking. I also don’t like two-tiered islands. Just a little bit more difficult to clean.

Having done a kitchen remodel, I now know that mistakes are forever. Try to be as perfect as possible in planning.

The view of the backyard through the large kitchen window in the first photo is hands down my favorite. Breathtaking.

Agree about the open shelves. Pretty look, but one more thing to constantly sort. Think white kitchens will always be classic. Looking forward to seeing your progress with your new kitchen. What in your main house kitchen is a must for the farm kitchen?

Regarding your concern about having to keep all items in a glass door refrigerator in perfect condition…I thought that would be a concern also. (Probably a result of seeing too much of the Kardashians’ kitchens.)

However, the only Sub-Zero that would fit in the space on my 35 year-old Sub-Zero, without tearing into walls in my kitchen, was their PRO model, which I ordered with the glass door. I like the glass door, and am not bothered by the look of the items. Having said that, I do line up my Diet-Coke bottles and water bottles, but other than that, I am not bothered.

The Sub-Zero PRO model is built like a tank: very impressive. I think for the very reason that it is made like a commercial appliance, it seems logical that a commercial fridge would not have all items lined up in perfect rows.

I love brass in the kitchen, I need a bright kitchen! My kitchen overlooks a little private lake, I love the change of seasons, every day is different and it reflects in the kitchen, thanks for all your wonderful inspiration! Hope you feel better soon!

open shelves are a total no-no for me-have had them and hate them. You are always cleaning and tidying-they get messy very quickly and end up ruining the clean look of a kitchen-constant maintenance and if you have children-forget it. They don’t care how they put things back. I am a much happier and calmer person having things behind closed doors-and in a smaller or small kitchen, open shelves suck the oxygen out of a kitchen and make it cluttered looking. Yes-I feel that strongly about it-

I LOVE the appliance closet! The open shelves in the kitchen are a nightmare unless you constantly like to wash everything again before you use it. It collects dust in a day. To me the two tiered island looks a bit chopped, I would stay with the clean line of the one surface island. How fun to sit and dream! 🙂

I had a comment on every kitchen photo. All lovely. Some kitchen would appeal to a family with younger children. I, too, hesitated on two tier islands. The really high cabinets, really a waste of space. Out of sight out mind, out of remembering, to use too. One thinking is an area to store a folding ladder to get those treasures up there. No to open shelves. A microwave has to be convenient and readily available. Counter or above counter level to soften butter, Rewarm something. Not behind doors that need to be slide in to open. They would open. Trust me on this one

Wow so many thoughts. I’ve built so many kitchens over the years and yet I still love the process. Brass and gold I love but it will date, buckle is like jewelry and never be out. One level island. No question! No sick in island, as who wants guests staring into your sink. Besides the more space for prep and pretty the better.
Seating on at least two sides if island so guests are not always in a row. White cabinets are always a fav for me. I love having a different colored island but not a trendy color like the blues of right now. I have always had blue and white around but have also gone away from it twice (always return in different amounts). Love love the wicket or pendants but not for a timeless kitchen. Never want glass doors on fridge. Sometimes it’s not so neat and pretty in there. Appliances behind doors yes. But if putting coffee machine over micro, separate the doors. Lighting is everything. Put lots of lights but ALL on dimmers.
Few open shelves are wonderful but not many.
This is my take/experience as well as my clients. Love watching your site and look forward to your new project.

My primary residence is just one acre away from a horse barn, paddock, etc.
The wind (or breeze) blows into my kitchen daily, as I love old “crank out”
windows. No open shelves if you are having Duke close by!! 💚💚💚

Repost. Too many typos 🤪
Wow so many thoughts. I’ve built so many kitchens over the years and yet I still love the process. Brass and gold I love but it will date, nickel is like jewelry and never be out. One level island. No question! No sink in island, as who wants guests staring into your sink. Besides the more space for prep and pretty the better.
Seating on at least two sides of island so guests are not always in a row. White cabinets are always a fav for me. I love having a different colored island but not a trendy color like the blues of right now. I have always had blue and white around but have also gone away from it twice (always return in different amounts). Love love the wicker for pendants but not for a timeless kitchen. Never want glass doors on fridge. Sometimes it’s not so neat and pretty in there. Appliances behind doors yes. But if putting coffee machine over micro, separate the doors. Lighting is everything. Put lots of lights but ALL on dimmers.
Few open shelves are wonderful but not many.
This is my take/experience as well as my clients. Love watching your site and look forward to your new project.

An appliance cubby is perfection. Love that and it clears up the counter space 😁

Love spying on kitchens…….that being said….white kitchens are, in my opinion, just awful and boring. I really would like to try the glass fronted refrigerator. A real crowd pleaser.

I have several thoughts !
In the first picture I loved the large window with the detailed small pane duper window. I did not care for the location of the kitchen sink!
I like both of the ideas for the appliance garages.
I loved the light blue island in the white kitchen.
I absolutely adored the darker blue kitchen with the huge window. I think I’d go for the brass hardware. I do see the lighter blue island, not sure about how the entire room looks.
Didn’t care for the two layer island
The nook with shelves on both sides of the fridge just look too busy and no where to put items going into or out of the fridge. I love the fridge. Do with out the tv.
The wicker lanterns I like up not in the working area of the kitchen – grease and dust collector.
I know I’ve gone over board with my comments but I was so excited over this post I simply lost control of my thoughts😬😳😬

I love that you are doing this! I devoured every detail. I just cannot get over how common it seems to be to put a cook-top along a wall. There is this gorgeous open space, and then I have to look at a wall to cook?? I want the cooktop in my island—-I can still cover it if needed when I am serving from the island. And I can enjoy the beauty of the kitchen/open space and interact with people while I’m cooking.
Also love brass hardware and even mixing metals. Thanks for the great pictures!

Renovated my kitchen about five years ago to white cabinets with black island. The handiest appliance in my kitchen is my drawer microwave in my island. Have never understood why anyone would want a stovetop in an island especially with bar seating so near. I would never want glass doors on my refrigerator even though my refrigerator inside is usually tidy. It’s just a cluttered look. Likewise a desk in my kitchen is a “catch-all” for papers and stuff. I replaced it with a plate rack dish cabinet and buffet. Lighted glasses cabinets to ceiling. Beautiful pendant lights on dimmers over island. I didn’t put in a full-size Wolf range because I had double wall ovens; however, if I were to Reno today, I’d put in a full range Wolf stove and double oven or a similar brand. Definitely an appliance cabinet behind a closed door.
Looking forward to your new home reveal.

Enjoyed your post and look forward to watching your project progress. My vote is for no open shelves or glass front fridge, no to the split level island and no sink in the island. Love white kitchens, big windows, small appliances behind doors, inset cabinetry, all drawers instead of cabinets where possible, brass cabinet hardware and nickel faucets, and as another poster wrote I enjoy having seating on more than one side of the island. Also if not white, I like the island cabinetry painted a pale shade of blue gray or pale green with a tinge of gray. Thanks for the pin button.

Love the grand large kitchen for entertaining in the last photo! You didn’t mention the decorator…

I currently have an all white kitchen with Carrara and I love it. I agree with you though that there are some darker moodier kitchens that are show stoppers. I have seen a hammered copper sink in a dark moody kitchen and it was stunning. I like open shelves but feel they might be a little too trendy for me. If I had a second home like a lake house or something of that nature I would not hesitate to break away from my norm and have open shelving. As far as the glass front fridge…the way my family lives, it would not be a pretty sight! LOL I do not like to see appliances sitting out all of the time and prefer those to be hidden. I would kill for a butlers pantry!

Love all the kitchens shown. Love the idea of all white cabinets with nickel faucets and knobs. Must haves–pantry, coffee station, and desk. I have an open shelf over my refrigerator that I display some decorative bowls.

Love all the beautiful kitchens! I really like having a cabinet/closet area to store the smaller appliances,
but they must be accessible like the ones in the photographs. No doubt you will design a beauty when
the time comes.

Love this post! Great comments to read as I am in the process of planning a new kitchen. completely gutting the one I have (hideous dark wood home depot kitchen installed 25 years ago- time for a new one!) I agree with others- do not like the open shelf trend at all- way too much work cleaning and keeping things picture perfect, do not like the glass window for refrigerators, another thing to keep tidy- don’t think so. do not like the 2 level island either just doesn’t look right. some islands are so large now how do you wipe them down without practically laying on them to get to the center?
if you have the room, love the idea of a separate column refrigerator and freezer. garage for appliances is a good idea. all lighting on dimmers is a must! even under the cabinets if you have an open kitchen. Love everyone’s input such great ideas. meeting with kitchen designer next month but hearing everyone’s experiences is such help. can’t afford to make a mistake.

Love all the pictures! Thoughts…. open shelving would be a great way to display your love of blue and white….. the last kitchen image look fabulous but didn’t they all! I need a white kitchen to ” brighten” me and my food dishes up….

I love white or off white cabinets, no black countertops. A separate counter for sink and dishwasher would be ideal but not on the island. A well appointed pantry to handle the countertop appliances. Downlighting over the island. I love a nice round table overlooking the garden with nice comfy windsor arm chairs for coffee and conversation.

Not a fan of open shelving. I’m more traditional and love a warm and cozy kitchen. I do love the dark blue kitchen cabinets, they’re beautiful. Color (not white or gray) is the flame I’m drawn to.

Personally, I love nothing better than a white, bright kitchen with brass hardware. You can have assessories in cool colors in the summer and rich warm colors in the winter. As for a cabinet for storing small appliances, I think it is a great idea, but I would add a waist level shelf that pulls out with a few outlets in the back. I hate dragging the stand mixer across the kitchen. Having the pull out shelf allows you just a small journey.

I also have an appliance cabinet and love it! However, mine is a lower cabinet. As a shorter person with a bum shoulder, there’s no way I could safely lower my food processor or mixer from an upper cabinet, especially when I get older. Another note- When we built our house, I chose to put our range in front of the window. Our architect and builder tried to talk me out of it, but I’m glad I stood firm. I love it! Although it is more common to put a sink in front of the window, at the sink I’m looking down at what I’m washing/scrubbing. I can enjoy the view much more while I’m stirring a pot. Bonus- I have an induction stove, so could dispense with exhaust fan to keep the view clear. I just open the window when needed (I live in the south).

yes, nothing design wise is different.. There are other ideas once a person seriously begins to look.

As far as dark cabinets – think they work long term better if you live in a 4 season climate? Whereas Bluffton is so hot in the summer…
Have you thought about a Scullery?
I like the design of Scullery behind cooktop w/entry on left & right – great place to have sink under window for extra prep & dirty dishes, flower prep, etc & then lots of storage for vases, appliances, extra dishes maybe extra dishwasher & place for microwave or extra ovens for catering, etc & food or have Butler’s Pantry w/pantry – that’s what I did & the upper cabinets were like China hutch for crystal & China etc lots of deep & wide drawers for linens + I wish I could of had a hanging system for tablecloths & runners – I kept my appliances on one side of pantry – much easier on the back retrieving from shelf
I always need a sink in front of window & like idea of flanking wall w/Refrigerator w/Refrigerator drawers on one side & Freezer w/Freezer drawers on other side for symmetry
I would not do the shelves w/S/S like in picture cuz of dust & keeping clean – think Scullery w/some open shelving might work better & open shelves look nice, but you’ll have to clean whatever’s on there before you use it – love the brackets & maybe a wall w/2-3 open shelves…
What about banquet on back side of large island w/farm table?
Kitchen design ideas are infinite & fun to dream about – can’t wait to see what you end up doing

When we built, I put in a big kitchen that is separated from the den with an open wall space over the sink.. It has wide counters on both sides & shelves on each end for cookbooks & display.- main prep area. I can see the tv, fireplace & whoever is there.. I also built a brick “hearth”to the ceiling for my cooktop, which conceals the fan, Have had many compliments- matches the fireplace-Savannah Gray Brick. Can’t imagine why anyone would want open shelves unless they like dust on their plates. Black granite with flecks of gold & white cabinets. Can’t get much easier that granite. 10 foot clear island with 4 feet on either side- plenty of room for Buffets, guests & caterers. Love it! ♥️

I have seen kitchens with a butler’s pantry nook for all the appliances, a sink, maybe an additional dish washer or under-counter beverage fridge and extra storage. Love the huge islands, especially if it doesn’t have a sink.. Noticed that dark kitchen had huge windows, which would probably offset the choice of color.
Can’t wait to see what you do in PB.

Appliance “closet” is a great idea if you add electrical outlets and pull-out shelves so you could have full access to the appliances where they sit. Brass will get “old” looking once again as it has in the past. Nickel won’t be a dated look in 2025?? These are all lovely LARGE kitchens, the size of the kitchen and it’s position on the floor plan also will have a large and distinct bearing on placements, color, etc. Lighting is one of the most important elements as you (or others) are “working” in your kitchen. This is a great post, lots of great ideas. Thanks for doing the research for us.

Good morning, dear Tina. These kitchens are pretty but not nearly as much as your own. Hope you feel better.

I Tina
Sorry to hear you’re not feeling well, I hope you’re on the mend. These kitchens are beautiful and full of ideas! Thank you for posting, I’m sure you’re new kitchen will be a dream.
Have a wonderful week
Lucy

Tina…your ideas and photos are always so inspirational….and although not the most beautiful of these, the appliance closet seems to me the most practical of all. Thank you for your great information.

These are all beautiful…….can’t wait to see your new one! You have wonderful taste.
We are also considering a remodel….but having to be a little more “cost” effective……… budget wise.
But as an “antiquer” and a recycler, I would love to mix all these ideas.
Also love the warmth of the butcher block.

Join the World of the Enchanted Home!

Subscribe

Instagram

Designed and Developed by BNV Digital Marketing