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A Casual Kitchen
This simple Three-Step Method is the secret of every interior ever designed.
- A successful room is functional.
- A successful room expresses a mood.
- A successful room exhibits a sense of harmony.
How do they work? How can you apply them? It's beyond the scope of this article to teach you every nuance, but you will get an inkling from the analysis that follows.
Examining this room through the lens of these three guidelines, we see that it's a warm and welcoming kitchen, drawing people in through the wide-open floorplan, with plenty of room for cooking up big bold meals for friends and family. It sets a mood that's perfect for relaxed entertaining, and all the elements in the room fit in together to achieve that. This is not a kitchen for someone who thinks "breakfast" is synonymous with "pop tarts" or who tries to pass off take-out as home-cooked.
Looking first at the function of this room, it's clearly a kitchen built with the serious cook in mind, with enough counter space to roll pastry dough, chop vegetables, and prepare a spanikopita all at once. There are drawers along the length of the counter to keep implements handy, and a super convenient stove placed directly across from the sink. What chef doesn't know that in preparing complicated recipes, it's necessary to be able to turn quickly from sink to cutting board to stove top and back? The layout here allows for such swift pirouettes, saucepan or ladle in hand.
But the function of a kitchen usually isn't limited to making it easy to cook up a meal; the kitchen is the heart of the house, the first place the kids gallop to from the school bus, the hotspot at the start of a party. The kitchen is the place we get our sustenance, both in food and in company. This is a kitchen for someone who also truly enjoys entertaining, who doesn't want to be sequestered from the guests or the family while preparing their food. The handy, casual stools allow room for friends or family to perch while they give advice about proportions of lemon or garlic, or keep the cook entertained with stories, perhaps swirling a pre-dinner glass of wine.
Here, the mood is relaxed, and casual; the natural wood paneling, marble countertops, and the roomy, airy feel bring the outdoors in. The afternoon light pours through those windows, and you can imagine sitting at that counter with a steaming cup of tea while the soup simmers, scenting the air with onions and fresh tomatoes. This mood is enhanced by the view of the woods from the windows; the pane-less glass allows for an unobstructed view, and the peace and quiet of the woody surroundings saturates the interior, enhancing the relaxed and friendly mood.
The third factor to consider is harmony. Do all the elements, from the natural paneling to the cooking utensils, fit in with the same look? Here, the answer is undeniably yes. Notice the wooden utensils casually and conveniently waiting in a jar for the cook. The wood of paneling, cabinets and floor and the natural marble of the countertop seem to flow from the outdoors in. The interior colors have been carefully chosen to reflect colors found in nature, and even the flowers on the countertop aren't fussy or fancy, but are equally down-to-earth.
Put together, all three elements of function, mood and harmony work together here to make a kitchen that will keep the guests lingering to savor the preparation of the meal, as well as its delicious results.
Recommended Reading: Setting Up Home: The Essential Guide to Creating a Home From Scratch | Beautiful Home on a Budget
What's Related: Nice Nooks | The Nook Look | An Organized Pantry | Fridge Clutter and How to Avoid It | The Hub of the Home - Organizing Your Kitchen
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