I’m convinced. Martha Stewart is definitely going for world domination. She has now jumped into kitchen cabinetry design with her new line of cabinets, countertops and hardware at The Home Depot. My goodness, she is unstoppable.
I’ve never been that big on overly posh, shiny kitchens, but I did find some nice ones that I thought you may enjoy too in Martha’s collection. Now that I’m on the topic… I’m wondering what kind of kitchens you dream about because I don’t show/feature them much on this blog. You’ll have to tell me!
When it comes to kitchen design, I guess I’m more of an industrial Scandinavian kitchen type if that is even a design style for kitchens, or something very laid back with cabinets from flea markets, a big vintage farmhouse sink, old Belgium tile on the floors (some on the walls too) or a reclaimed antique hardwood floor, and a creamy white SMEG fridge. I get excited to cook just thinking about that arrangement of beautiful things!
Can you put into words how you imagine your dream kitchen? I’d like to hear your thoughts. I just so happen to be in the process of designing one for our new place (we move in 22 days but I’m not counting!!!) so it would be fun to get your input — I need some kitchen inspiration right now, badly! It’s NOT my favorite space to design…
(Images: Martha Stewart Living at The Home Depot)
September 8th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
Hey Holly!
I like the rustic type with a big farmhouse sink, and I also like some free-standing vintage storage, as opposed to all built-ins. I go more for quaint and homey than industrial/stainless steel everything, or looks that are super “matchy.”
Some open shelving is ok for items that are in frequent use and won’t gather dust (that horrible, greasy kitchen dust…ack!), or for displaying decorative items that you change on a regular basis.
My dream right now is for a big sink with built in drainboard countertop. Oh how I wish…
lisa h.´s last [type] ..Free wallpaper for your computer- Small notions
September 8th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
I love kitchen designs and worked designing kitchens for a little while in addition to planning two of my own (IKEA based). My favorite types are very similar to the ones you’ve shown above – clean, cottage, simple, not too sleek or fussy, with plenty of variety in texture and finishes. I would love a kitchen with a huge, reclaimed farmhouse sink with a big window behind it, lots of open storage for pretty things, and classic details.
It makes me a little sad that many people feel their dream kitchen is out of reach because of how expensive they’ve typically become. That’s where I think a great kitchen designer can really help work through a design that you can possibly do a lot of yourself.
Jillian´s last [type] ..Daily Art Fix- Eva Juliet
September 8th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
I loooove all-white kitchens, myself. Just moved into a new place and I’m hoping to paint the cabinets! Beautiful pics from Martha!
Adventures in Dressmaking´s last [type] ..Happy day off! Raw corn salsa
September 8th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
I think that kitchens are often very boring, too modern and too steely or too big an rustic. Sounds like I am pretty much the same kitchen type as you! I like personal flea market details and open shelving. Got a shelf with hooks for my moomin mugs in my kitchen that I love! Loving simple country kitchens. My dream kitchen would have a black and white checkered floor, either tiles or painted wood.
I have saved picture of a kitchen where they have put wallpaper behind glass instead of tiles above the counters, it looks so pretty.
Kajsa´s last [type] ..Book in advance
September 8th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Well, I’am definitely more of an industrial Scandinavian kitchen type, too. In fact, that’s the kind of kitchen I have at home and I love it, because it’s functional, clean and easy to clean (mainly when there are little children helping on cooking, lunching, dinning)
September 8th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
I never thought much about kitchen cabinets until I rented the home of a good friend after they moved. They had designed the entire kitchen & it was small, simple but amazing. Everything had a place & fit nicely without being crowded. Cupboards tall enough to fit big pots & a huge mixer. It was heaven. I still miss that kitchen terribly!
That’s my dream, along with nothing much on the counter tops, an island for prep work & two sink areas. My darling man seems to only need access to the faucet if I’m already there & in the middle of something. :)
kalanicut´s last [type] ..Beautiful Baby Moccasins
September 8th, 2010 at 5:59 pm
Funny you should ask, I’m just in the process (pain) of designing our kitchen. You pretty much described my dream kitchen, except that with ours, the creamy Smeg turned into a creamy Gorenje. The reason for that was that here Smeg is three times more expensive. People actually import them from Germany because in Germany they have reasonable prices. We also have vintage 1957 cabinets in the basement waiting to be restored. We got them from an old house that was going to be remodeled. The biggest problem for me at the moment is deciding on the tiles. I actually just wrote a post about them yesterday, where I used pictures found via decor8! I hope that’s ok though?
Jutta´s last [type] ..In my dreams- Handpainted tiles
September 8th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
I need three houses for a dream kitchen because I can’t pin it down to one single style yet.
A Martha Stewart Kitchen is only as good as the people who put it together. Anyone can line up cabinets on a wall.
September 8th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
I like these shots, however I can’t help but feel they’re still a little too tight. You know? You can tell it’s crafted to look this way whereas the Scandinavian kitchens have a more organic feel, like they’ve been lived in.
September 8th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Justine – TOTALLY GET YOU. Yes, I agree completely.
September 8th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
Lisa H. – That sink is my dream too. My grandparents died and left the most gorgeous vintage farmhouse sink in their home, I think it’s at least 70 years old… and it’s just sitting there in the vacant house that my mother refuses to go into…. I wish she would go in there and take that sink and put it on a boat to Germany!!!! Oh the memories of that sink, she washed me in it when I was a baby.
September 8th, 2010 at 6:57 pm
I love the rustic farmhouse look. I love cabinets that are papered inside, so that when you open them, they suprise you with color and smiles (Do my cabinets have this? Nope. I’m just dreaming!). I love perfectly stacked plates on display. I love a clean, non cluttered look. The. Happy. En. Ding.
September 8th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Those kitchens are so dreamy! I love the clean rustic farmhousey look she has created with these kitchens. So beautiful!
September 8th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
hello holly!
in redecorating any room…i like to think a little bit of paint goes a long way! don’t like the color of your cabinets? paint them! suddenly feeling like your kitchen furniture is a little dull? paint them! with kitchens, simply changing the hardware can make your space more your style.
i love painting things to give them a quick update. i’m a sucker for all white cabinets…but alas, i’m renting and can’t fulfill this love!
check out http://www.houzz.com…they have great inspirations for home interiors, and you can make your own album of favorites!
another good article on younghouselove here:
http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/08/reader-redesign-one-amazing-1k-kitchen/
younghouselove is an awesome DIY house blog if you haven’t stumbled upon it already!
good luck in your redecor8ing!
September 8th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
@Janelle – Thanks for your ideas and links but I am not redecorating a kitchen, I wish it were that easy!
I have to take a completely blank room with only the plumbing, current tiled floors and walls, and put a kitchen in there that I will love for several years and I need to get my head around what I want.
September 8th, 2010 at 7:44 pm
Oh, gorgeous. I love me some pretty kitchens- it’s easy to tell what I like because I feature them every week on my design blog. Like you, I’m into industrial Scandi-chic with a retro, rustic sort of vibe. Nothing too modern and sleek, or too farmhouse and twee. Lots of white, but a good amount of reclaimed wood and stainless steel, too.
I love kitchens so much I’m even considering going back to design school (but this time interiors instead of fashion) so I can design them professionally!
Ele´s last [type] ..Helpful and Nostalgic- Succotash with Wild Rice and Tomatoes
September 8th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
redesigning our kitchen was agony last year, but it totally paid off. I am sooo glad I have drawers for everything below the counter; it’s so much easier than getting on your hands and knees to get stuff in the back! We also have a pull-out lazy susan which is awesome for corners or (like us) under eaves. Since I’m a tall gal, I also raised the counter height and had the oven installed at waist height. SO much easier on my back! (also safer for when little people visit, no hot ovens to lean against) We also have a ‘pull out’ pantry thing which is really great.
‘luxuries’ that were worth it: Spending an extra 100+ Euro on getting an electrician to come and rearrange some wiring so we could hook up our oven elsewhere in the room. This allowed me to have twice the counter space and be less visually-cluttered. I also love our under-counter lights. They add a lot of atmosphere to an otherwise utilitarian room. -oh, and they’re good for food prep =P
Something nerdy I did which paid off: wrote out all my appliances/pots/major foodstuffs, etc and decided what needed to be accessible where. I’m totally OCD in the kitchen (obviously) but this helped me feel like ‘it will fit’.
The only thing I would’ve changed – but it would’ve been too expensive as renters – get an external exhaust for the fan. We don’t even cook greasy stuff, but the few things we do have out near the stovetop get sticky if they’re out and unused for longer than a few weeks. So gross. I hate open shelving for the dust and kitchen grease, so I’m glad we don’t have that in this kitchen, but I do wish we had external exhaust for the fan!
Good luck planning!!
juliette´s last [type] ..On Hamburg- Must go back
September 8th, 2010 at 9:51 pm
:::Drools::: that last Martha Stewart kitchen pic you posted is absolutely divine! I love the soothing colors and clean style. I’ll be painting my oak (ughhhh!) cabinets hopefully sometime in the near future, and I really like the color of these. I might have to take a trip to the home depot and do some color matching…. Thanks so much for posting these inspiration photos, they are fab!
Violet´s last [type] ..Sunday Blog Hop!
September 8th, 2010 at 10:16 pm
My dream kitchen would be small and very basic, all I really want is a large sink and a gas stove. An island with some bar stools and it would open up into a common area with a large table that has sofas instead of chairs (ok maybe a few chairs) so that family and friends could hang out while my boyfriend cooks :) . Wood and stainless steel would be the main elements but I’d maybe paint little designs or images or use decals on a few for pops of color, closed cabinets for dishes because we like to collect too many different kinds to display it all and open shelving for foodstuff used regularly and those few special dishes. I definitely want a tile backsplash behind the sink and stove because I hate having to clean off the walls! Lots of plants and hanging lights on different switches to go with all of our moods.
Even though it may seem a little daunting right now, I think it’s really exciting you get to build from scratch! Remember your lists and what you imagine your kitchen to be for you and your family and then also how you actually use your kitchen, it’ll all come to you!
September 9th, 2010 at 1:07 am
Oh my gosh, you had me at the words Smeg fridge – I dream of having one! I dream of a white kitchen as I’ve always had dark laminate kitchens in the past and I am SO over it. Must have a touch of timber in the room, probably by way of a floating timber shelf or two along with some accessories. Stone benchtops because you can roll pastry on them and preferably recessed handles or no handles. I must admit I am partial to a sleek kind of mid century looking kitchen rather than rustic or posh. Although some of the kitchens in the post above this post really speak to me (I love the tiles in the first shot). Good luck with your kitchen planning.
julie´s last [type] ..every inch
September 9th, 2010 at 3:02 am
I am in the process of designing my kitchen. I used the IKEA kitchen planner, because I thought it was a really good tool and easy to visualize, though I am probably not going with their cabinets. (They are super cheap, though, if you are looking for something easy on the wallet.)
I made a few lists and then tried to design based on those.
- things i need to store in my kitchen
- things that totally irritate us about our current kitchen
- things we do every day in the kitchen
it is an exhausting process. Best of luck.
September 9th, 2010 at 7:04 am
My problem is that I will need several (dozen) houses (a la Martha Stewart) so I can have all the different types of kitchens I oooh and ahhh over regularly. For now, I’d settle for a window over a double sink. But I’d have to move to get that. ;)
September 9th, 2010 at 8:00 am
Martha Stewart is really unstoppable..teehee My dream kitchen doesn’t have to be big. I want it very cozy, all white wooden cabinet with a little mix of colorful kitchen utensils. Oh and it needs to have a big window too. I really like it when the sun shines in especially in the morning. I actually quite like Martha’s design. :) Have a lovely merry happy day and love to you!
jacqueline´s last [type] ..Good things Happy things
September 9th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Hy There,
I ve moved to a new house, I don’t have the kitchen of my dreams, not at all, but I will get there :)
To me, a kitchen must be functional and well organized ! A dream with a white kitchen with a island or a old table and a huge window above the sink. Shelves to keep my recipe books and all the things that I really like and want to look every day! A chalkboard on the pantry door, an old vintage table with 4 blue chairs and much more..:)
I have a collection of kitchen inspirations on my visualize us if you would like to take a look: http://vi.sualize.us/marianamegre/kitchen/
September 9th, 2010 at 6:56 pm
i’m with you, i love the more country but clean look. when my husband and i have looked at places to rent, what the kitchen looked like was often a deciding factor to me; i can’t stand those remodeled kitchens with shiny dark wood cabinets and brass knobs, all matching black appliances and dirt-colored granite countertops. (do you know what i mean?)
i’d really love to have a vintage stove. a friend of mine has an o’keefe and merritt stove with built in salt and pepper shakers which is the coolest! i’d also love a chopping block counter.
the fabled needle (jen)´s last [type] ..Some Things for Wednesday
September 9th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
Dream Kitchen: I’m currently in love with white cabinets plus dark or light wooded countertops, something very similar to your Kitchen Inspiration post.
To top it off, using small olympia tiles (the tiles they use at IKEA) as the back splash!
September 10th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
I like a bright kitchen, it must have windows, there must be at least some white BUT I adore shots of red and green and yellow. There must be herbs and other plants; there must be a pot rack; there must be a place to put my tiny little glass bottles of every color despite the possibility of their becoming wee missiles in an earthquake. And the kitchen must have my grandmother’s hand-sewn apron hanging somewhere in it.
WanderChow´s last [type] ..The Weathers Cool The Folks Are Fine
September 11th, 2010 at 1:20 am
Oh Holly, your dream kitchen sounds *exactly* like what I love in a kitchen!! We extended our 100 year old stone house 2 years ago and built a big, light kitchen/diner, and I never had so much fun than designing that kitchen: -so give me measurements and light aspect and I’ll happily design you a few!!!!
Delighted you are moving in so soon!
Emily@theNest´s last [type] ..Fairycakes For Helena
September 11th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Hi Holly
exciting time for you thinking of new decor for your
place.
I too like the natural and White style you’re drawn to.
And a smeg fridge in creamy White sounds gorgeous!
Kat x
September 11th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Favourites: White (or off-white, or light grey – I do like the grey colour of those martha cabinets even if they look a little suburban showhome-y) cabinets with cutout handles, butcher block counters. OR warm wood cabinets with cutout handles and white countertops. And drawers that are amazingly organized. Actually, more drawers than cabinets. And if my kitchen was big enough (it’s not. at all.), I’d get rid of upper cabinets and just have a single open shelf made of something rustic. reclaimed wood or something!
Yes, I can dream. Can’t wait to see what you do!
Anna Elena´s last [type] ..coffee little shows of love
September 11th, 2010 at 11:49 pm
The kitchen of my dreams is a composite of a few movie (&TV) kitchens: Somethings Gotta Give, Its Complicated and Brothers and Sisters. You can google images to see some of these lust worthy kitchens.
Brooke H´s last [type] ..Fashions Night Out- THE SHOW
September 13th, 2010 at 2:44 am
You have a great eye for everything, so yes, please include kitchens! I didn’t think of the dust problem with open shelving, so I’ve already eliminated that idea based on your comment. It’s nice to see that not everyone is lock step about a cute kitchen. I’m so tired of granite and boring symmetrical boxes. Love your suggestions.
October 22nd, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Anyone know what the paint colour is in that last kitchen?
January 14th, 2011 at 8:06 pm
Hello!
I recently came across your site. For a short time, I also lived in Germany! I used to go to flea markets thoughout Europe to collect one of a kind pieces! That’s exactly the kind of kitchen I love too! I love a space that looks unique and traveled. I love an all white kitchen, with white shaker stlye cabinets, white subway tile as a backsplash, farmhouse sinks and marble countertops. I like to contrast all the white with dark wood floors and light color on the walls. To make the workspace functional, I love huge islands with a painted finish on the wood (sage or light gray). A great way for it not to look “cookie cutter” is to have the island be an antique piece of furniture! Oh…… the kitchen of my dreams!