{kitchen notes}

May 16, 2008

{kitchen notes}

i got a little side tracked i know. so back to the kitchen design. i'm still thinking of placing a compact stove, sink, dishwasher and cabinetry to the right wall (going up to the top of the ceilings with cabinetry for extra storage, and a refrigerator to the left wall, but on the left i also want a counter and some open shelves above it for storage. and somehow i'm trying to squeeze in a little breakfast nook for two because this kitchen is super bright in the morning since it faces the rising sun. :) here are some visuals to show you what i have in mind... remember, this is my kitchen (link for photos here).

or something like this so that i have more storage beneath the countertop on the left wall...

when i look at the first two images all i can think about is how i would be tempted to paint in here in the morning. maybe that's a good thing. i haven't painted since last summer. i've been sad lately that i've neglected one of the joys of my life: creating things. this new apartment is giving me back what i lost recently and giving me a chance to create, explore, and share my work again. i'm happy you are here with me and experiencing the process of 'holly turns over a new leaf' together. maybe you have some leafs to turn over yourself and we can do it together?

(images from wohn idee magazine, germany)

Comments

kelly said…

I'm smitten with these photos!

In the first example (love the look!), perhaps you could just have *one* of those pull-out tables and the other side could be under-cabinet storage? Sort of a happy medium.

The second idea is great, but I'm worried about that heater you have under the window... would it work with that? (Although it looks like there is a heater in this very photo, so I may be wrong in this thought.) Also, where do the chairs go when not in use?

Another thing I like about the first design is that those little tables move -- you could set them up wherever you want, which may be useful if you want to take them somewhere else in the apartment (serving buffet for a party, perhaps?)

Keep it up -- this is fun!

May 16, 2008 at 3:48 AM

haus maus said…

kelly you make some great points. i like the idea of mobility like this, to be able to pull one table out when needed to use for eating and tuck it away when not in use. i could also pull it out and use it for preparing food, as an additional prep surface. hmmm.

yes there is a small heater in the bottom image, same place where my small heater is. so i'm thinking of leaving that space somewhat blank and not do a table there because i don't really know if there's room.

i need floor plans! my husband still hasn't called for those. Arrrgh!

May 16, 2008 at 4:37 AM

Juliette said…

I adore those first two images - definitely clever! Love what the PP said about how you can roll the tables around the house - so smart! I think you would need two together to really sit at though...but you could put skinny cabinets under the far ends of each table...fun concept!

I wouldn't worry about the heater - we have never used our kitchen heater, and ours also has a huge window facing East. Both my oven/stovetop heat up our kitchen dreadfully fast, so there's never been a need.

still can't get over those rolling tables - great use of space!

May 16, 2008 at 9:24 AM

Mari said…

Hi! I read you frequently because I love your ideas and I'm thinking about changing my kitchen. Actually I love the last photo you show, I love to have breakfast while I look outside! Maybe you have already seen this, but the Domino Magazine shows several kitchen photos like this one http://www.dominomag.com/galleries/rooms/kitchenbath/kitchen/surprisekitchen?slide=19 which seems to be a kitchen corner quite similar to yours. I love the color. It's not exactly the same, but I'm sure it'll be an inspiration. Thanks for your blog!

May 16, 2008 at 9:35 AM

Anonymous said…

your kitchen ideas are looking very lovely! have you solved your water heater conundrum? we have the same size water heater in our kitchen and the cabinetry just goes right over it. i didn't realize until just a few weeks ago that the tiling underneath it wasn't actually part of the wall, as of course the boiler has all sorts of pipes and cords, and they built a false wall in front of it that had me fooled until the gas man came to check all the lines. but your ideas are looking so much airier than cabinetry, so just curious as to how you'll treat the other corner now! :)

May 16, 2008 at 10:01 PM

haus maus said…

shimelle - i still don't know what to do with it! i am not in germany until august so i'm just laying out all of my ideas right now. i may end up putting magnets all over it or turn it into an inspiration board/note center but i'm not sure if it gets really hot or not because i don't live in this apartment yet. i don't want to stick photos or paper on it and the apartment burns down!!

May 16, 2008 at 11:11 PM

nbeltane said…

i love those first two pictures, and what a great idea i too am in the process of sorting my kitchen and i also want a seating / study area for my DD6. this idea is perfect. thanks so much for such a great blog.

Nicole
Perth Australia
http://shabbypinkscrapper.typepad.com

May 17, 2008 at 8:39 AM

Anonymous said…

Wow. Congratulations ! I love the colors : mixing light pink, sky blue and little touches of red is such a good idea ! It inspires me for my bathroom which is light blue too, thank you...

May 20, 2008 at 8:32 AM

Anonymous said…

Hi Dear! how about a plyable table. Have a lokk at Car Selbstbaumoebel online. they have nice tables that are oval and you can ply two sides that only a rectangle is needed. So it doesn't take up space when plied down. And you can always use one or two sides if needed for example heavy pre-Christmas cookie baking..)
I wanted to do that in front of my kitchen radiator but I needed the space. I put metal shelving to put my pans and pots and metal storage boxes.
How exiting to plan everything new!!!
Yvonne

May 20, 2008 at 4:36 PM

katie lake said…

I LOVE those pink baskets - where did you get them? All the pictures feel so happy to me. Kind of one of those "I will never feel unhappy in this space" feelings. And the natural light from the windows is amazing!

May 22, 2008 at 8:02 PM

Anonymous said…

Believe it or not, we lived in a great apt in Germany (small, small town called Holzhausen) a few years back. The kitchen was my biggest hurdle bc it was such a small, separate room from the great living space. (even our bedrooms were larger) I went crazy at ikea, kitting it out with pantry shelving and organizational space + a small table. That being said, we never ate in the kitchen. We developed the very deutsch habit of eating a bit more formally in the dining room or on our very small deck for breakfast. It didn't hurt that our landlady was a excellent chef who often had us down for meals as well!

May 27, 2008 at 2:17 PM

marta_tururu said…

Great idea!! so i decide post it in my two blogs. Thanks so much!!

Regards from x4duros Deco Design and Deco Inspiración

June 11, 2008 at 3:20 PM

Anonymous said…

Holly- It's a month later, but maybe you'll see this anyway! I had that pretty top photo bookmarked ever since you posted it, to remind me that I absolutely needed to get on putting up the shelf in my kitchen--a To Do item since we renovated in October. We finally did it last weekend! I wish I'd used the pale blue I used in my office for the kitchen, like in that photo, but the yellow will have to do for now...

July 11, 2008 at 6:57 PM