Dreams - A Kitchen of Dreams to be Exact

I received several comments on yesterday's post along the order of "I have a kitchen with a lot of counter space, but the counters are cluttered - so I really don't have space at all. Who lives with clean counters, anyway?" Well, my Mom did. In her condo (the final house where my parents lived before their deaths), the kitchen was relatively small, but well laid out. Entering from the south, you faced the stainless steel sink with above-counter and below counter cabinets on each side. 

 
I like this kitchen a lot. I'm not necessarily 
fond of the white on white approach, but it's 
pretty well laid out and has a lot of cabinet 
and counter space in a smaller area. I could 
do without the center island, if necessary, but 
it's a pretty nice design. 

To the right was the refrigerator, a small stand of drawers the stove with a built-in microwave above it, and the upper cabinets progressed from the fridge, over the microwave, and joined in with the northern wall's cabinetry. 

Obviously there's more to this kitchen, we're missing 
the refrigerator completely, and it's probably to 
the left. But, I like the warmer cabinets, I like 
the recessed lighting, and the sink and stove are 
convenient to each other. I'm not sure if there's a 
dishwasher, but since I haven't used one for more 
than 25 years, that wouldn't matter to me. 

To the west was another bank of free-standing cabinetry above and below with a counter top, stopping to allow passage to the dining area on the other side of the kitchen area. Mom had them install an industrial glass cutting board to the left of the sink on the Northern wall, and there was overhead lighting above the sink as well, with smaller cabinets in that short area. It was well organized, and Mom kept it absolutely immaculate. 

I like this kitchen. It's small, but with the associated 
eating area, it gains some counter space and a more 
friendly feel. Again, white cabinets, but there are a 
lot of them and I need lots of cabinets. I like the overhead 
lighting above the eating bench also. 

My own kitchen is actually similar in a lot of respects. I have the banks of cabinets, upper and lower. I have the open area where the sink is. If I get another microwave I'll probably have it mounted over the stove which would clear a bit more of the counters. I would welcome that. But the main difference between Mom's kitchen and mine is that final section - the counter top that is the pass-through to the dining section. Mom kept hers almost completely clear of stuff. I can barely squeeze an orange into the space I have open on mine. 

I've lived in places with Gallery kitchens before, and 
they can be a nightmare. But I really like this one - the 
layout is good, and those cabinets and drawers 
are spectacular. I think I could be quiet comfortable 
in a kitchen like this if there was sufficient electrical 
outlets available. 

That's pretty much due to DH who keeps a lot of paperwork there. We also have a small TV because he's addicted to having a TV on in every room, and at the end, there are his piles of loaves of bread and various buns for his meals. On the kitchen side we have the toaster, his ground coffee bags, his fruit for the week, my fruit and veggies waiting to ripen bowl, and a pile of papers that he really needs to go through before I lose patience and shred the lot. 

My ideal kitchen would come close to this one - warm 
woods, stainless steel, some natural light, and good 
interior lighting with lots of cabinet space. I doubt I'll 
ever have a dream kitchen, but sometimes it's good 
to dream a bit. 

My kitchen would look awesome if that pass-through was cleared, but I don't ever see that happening. He's having fits because I'm now "sharing" the kitchen with him, and his mood is down the toilet again because I won't (refuse to) eat what he was planning for our Sunday dinner (refined sugars are an absolute NO). He had agreed he wouldn't be picky about Sundays until after WildFit ended, but now he's breaking that promise. I'm NOT happy about that. But I'm sticking to what works for me and he'll just have to deal. 

Have an excellent day. I hope you enjoy some of the lovely kitchens I've shown above. We can dream, right? LOL As always, please be kind, stay safe and wear your mask. I'll be back tomorrow.