Ah, there is nothing like a custom kitchen. Whether you do it yourself, try a budget-friendly option like IKEA, or go all out and design a kitchen having it completely customized to suit your needs, there is truly nothing like having the kitchen of your dreams. I don't care what "they" say, money can buy a measure of happiness. HA! :)

Thing is, so few of us have our dream kitchen. I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer here, but it's true right? I look at most kitchens that I see and love and think, "Seriously?", because there is just no way people really live like that. I don't have my dream kitchen mainly because I rent and there are limits to what I can do. When I designed my kitchen using the online IKEA planner (smile) and some of my own to-scale sketches, I kept thinking of how I would have gone all out if I actually owned this flat. I'm happy with my kitchen but it's not my dream. It's definitely not epic! I can't install the subway tile that I really want nor can I install hardwood floors, the killer lighting or knock a hole in the wall to create a larger space. I am dying to add a transom window over my doorway to let in more light.For my upcoming book, we photographed a home in the south of England and this homeowner had the best kitchen ever - when I was styling it I was secretly pretending it was my kitchen. I lived the dream for the day on that shoot because not only was the kitchen to-die-for but the entire home was drool inducing. You'll see it in my book that releases this Fall. It was completely custom and so clever and very English.

Kitchens are my latest obsession, I think about them constantly! I think it's because there are so many options these days when it comes to the overall design of them. There are oodles of great kitchen designers and companies who make dreams come true everyday. Though I cannot trick out my kitchen anytime soon, I still borrow from some of their ideas and often find inspiration for my big fat dream kitchen that I tuck away in a folder for when the time comes when I can design my own from the ground up. Consider Plain English Cupboardmakers for instance. They have a gorgeous and very English approach to kitchen design that I absolutely love. When they contacted me about sharing their kitchens on decor8 this morning I thought about how timely it was because just yesterday I was thinking about my own kitchen and what I could do to make it better.

By the way, have you noticed that some of the best kitchens come out of Scandinavia, America, Germany and England at the moment? But the same goes for cookery books. That's my opinion, but when I see kitchen design in these countries and go to fairs I'm always blown away. The kitchen fairs in Germany have some killer kitchens on display, for real. But then again, Germany is developing into a total foodie culture so I'm not surprised that their kitchen appliance obsession has morphed into world class kitchen design. I often wonder if the restaurants and cafes here in all major cities (not just Berlin and Hamburg for instance) will evolve as well because I've been visiting regularly since 1999 and have witnessed huge changes in the culture of food as a whole... But I'm rambling. Back to kitchens.

What kind of kitchen do you dream of when you think of the ideal workspace to whip up your meals? Would it be eat-in? Open plan? A cook's kitchen? How do you imagine it? I think Amy Neunsinger's kitchen in LA, which was in my first book, is one of my ultimate dream kitchens - you can see photos of it below.

Isn't it AMAZING? When I found out that actress and GOOP-founder Gwyneth Paltrow shot a few of her cookbooks in Amy's kitchen I wasn't surprised because that was truly a gorgeous space.

SO...Do you currently have a dream kitchen? Is it a tear from a magazine, a page flagged in a book, an entire folder of kitchens on Pinterest? Here is my kitchen folder where I currently have 90 pins of favorite kitchens from around the world. So, tell me friends - what sums up your dream kitchen in a nutshell?

All of this kitchen talk has motivated me to go make some lunch! See you later friends! xo

(images: plain english cupboardmakers and all amy neunsinger photos from her own portfolio)