Our Kitchen.
The one part of the house we NEED to change. It is also the only major change to the house that we are allowing ourselves.
I am the planner and the kitchen person (not to say Thomas doesn’t cook—he chops onions, boils water and bakes a mean pizza, which is about 80% of the cooking right there, if we are honest). He just doesn’t care to shop and gets visual fatigue after the second oven. So we made a deal. I would check out kitchens, figure out what we want and how we can apply it and then present him with 3 options completely configured, priced, and planned. We would then consider these three together and make a decision.
So I am considering and have made it to one kitchen studio (actually on accident, but that is another story) despite not having all the facts on hand to make a concrete decision. That will have to wait until we get into the house.
The Size:
Our kitchen is relatively small. Right now it measures 2.4m x 2.1m (in feet that is about 8 x 7 feet) it is TINY. Looking at the house plan from the realtor, the size is actually 2.85m x 2.1m. It appears they “widened” a non-load-bearing wall to “even out the back” taking away a LOT of floor space. I want that space back, darnit!
To make it even MORE interesting, the Tektur plan (the original architectural plans with elevation, etc.) had the kitchen at 3m (10 feet) wide and the bathroom behind it in a slightly different position. Returning to this plan with a slight change would be my “DREAM” solution. It would remove that awkward hallway and “tighten-up” the floorplan. It would also allow for a small pantry behind the kitchen, just like the one Thomas’ mom has.
But for that too many pieces would have to fall in place, so I am not holding my breath on that one.
One thing we both agree on, however, is that we need to open up the load-bearing wall on the dining room side of the kitchen. It would provide the much needed width for a good-sized kitchen with 1.2m between any workspace. This would place the kitchen at 2.4m wide (hopefully 3m x 2.4m with an extended workspace with a max. of 50cm into the dining room area) which would be a perfectly sized kitchen for this house, in my humble opinion.
The Shape:
Thomas originally visualized an extended L-shape into the dining area—maybe along the dining room wall. I am not sure, as the great room is only 7m (24 feet) long and I think it will take away from the dining experience. I want the option for a more formal dining experience
The option of a U-shape then came up, defining the kitchen from the dining area. Maybe with an island. But we both quickly realized that an island option is just not practical for this small of a space. So it automatically turned into a U-shape with the “island” docked onto the wall as a peninsula.
When I told Thomas I wanted a galley kitchen and not a U-shaped, he wasn’t sold. I just see the extra space and more open feel as a better solution. It would also allow for 2 different countertops and countertop sizes. We both prefer a slightly higher countertop, anyways.
So I did what any convincing person would do, I looked for pictures on Pinterest of what I liked. While nothing is exactly my style, there was enough to convince him that my idea is not TOTALLY insane. It would also allow for future “modifications” without completely changing out the kitchen – win-win.
Then I told him I would really want a door from the kitchen to the garden. The garden faces East and that would make a quick step out to the East terrace and the (planned) kitchen gardens so practical and easy. I’m still working on this one.
The Look:
As our house is in the country with a (one day to be) open view of fields, forests and mountains, it just seems appropriate that I aim for a “country kitchen” look. I have liked this style for a long time and it just seems to “match” the house. My mantra: the design of the house should match it, not change it.
The words “Country Kitchen” evoke so many different visuals and each person has another vision. It took me a while to realize that MY understanding of styles is different than what many of my friends and family around the world view. For a more in-depth look at the different country styles, hop over to my mood board where I am compiling all the information I have learned throughout the years and am still learning while on this journey.
To get an idea of our style and see some of the tricks I want to implement into our new Kitchen, visit my Little House in the Alps Kitchen Board on Pinterest.
