The kitchen really is the castle itself. This is where we spend our happiest moments and where we find the joy of being a family.
–Mario Batali
The kitchen truly is the heart of our home. We built twelve years ago and I love our kitchen more every day! It doesn’t matter what is going on, everyone always ends up in the kitchen.
Each space in our home reflects our style, but more importantly who we are and what we love. Succulents are a modern and simple touch to the rustic farmhouse look. I love to have something inspiring in every room to uplift those who enjoy the space. We also love photos and memories like the above menu from one special New Year’s Eve at Spago in Maui where Wolfgang Puck came around to each table and visited with us. They allowed us to have him sign the menu and bring it home.
The important things for us were plenty of natural light, view, and to have the right spaces to prep, gather, and cook together. We had the privilege of working with a lighting designer to make sure we supplemented the natural light with excellent task lighting. One of my favorite parts about building our home was selecting the decorative lighting. These fixtures by Eurofase were the perfect mix of modern and elegant without taking away from the rustic style of the home. I loved mixing that old Italian farmhouse look with a pop of modern edge in the lighting and appliances.
It took a great amount of effort to get the finish we ended up with our cabinetry. It had to be just right. I had found a photo of a vintage Dutch cabinet in Veranda Magazine which became my inspiration for the finish.
The range was a unique brand and style that reflected the mix of modern and rustic. We’ve loved having the Bertazzoni oven. The only thing I would do differently if I were to build again, is to have two full ovens for holidays and parties.
I love a little bit of color, especially red, it’s the Wonder Woman color! So in this little desk space, the books and little magnetic poetry kit give a little nod to the bright colors, sprinkling in some fun into the tone on tone soothing decor.
Storage space is essential. We built into our storage space a counter to use for entertaining and food staging. This space has a door on it to close it off from the rest of the kitchen. In hindsight, I would have put a sink in here and possibly a dishwasher. It now also doubles as our coffee bar now that we have our own Fastlife Coffee with Alamance Kaffee Werks. More on that later!
The window seat was a must! We wanted a cozy place to gather and connect. The table and chairs were found at a local Southern Oregon home store. It’s hand painted and rustic detailing fit perfectly in the dining nook.