The kitchen as a workroom

[kally]

The post about outdoor furniture got me thinking. In all our hurry today to renovate our kitchens, marble counter tops, maple cabinets etc I see a lot of lovely kitchens. And they may be very usable to their owners, but not really to me.

I like a kitchen that is an attractive workroom. A kitchen that allows you to leave what you need on the counters, hang what you use on the walls etc. I saw a scene in Julie/Julia where Julia Child's husband is hanging utensils on the wall and outlineing them with paint to mark the spot, just like in a workshop.

Maybe it is just me, but I want a room I can work in and will never really decorate to look good.

Any thoughts?

[Rosemary]

My kitchen is a workroom. My most-used pot is stored on the stove. My other pots hang on a rack. Not only does that make extra storage in a small kitchen, but it's very practical as well.

One of my former coworkers used to always say that his wife never really cooked - yet they spent $25k one year on remodeling the kitchen. Ouch!
I guess that I've made the stretch to looking beyond the worn formica and cabinets in my kitchen to seeing the beauty of the food that comes out of it. :)

[Kat]

I know what you mean, kally. I was just about to do what you suggest people do sometimes--decorate for looks and not in a way that reflects my values or lifestyle. I'm glad I realized it before I did it!

I prefer that things be beautiful and functional if at all possible, though I am learning that what is beautiful to me isn't necessary beautiful for someone else. One of the many, many things that I really appreciate about the folks here is that they are very good at using their home in a way that makes sense to them and the lives that they lead.

We are re-doing our kitchen now.. Our remodel isn't being done for cosmetic reasons--our plumbing and electrical needed to be updated, and we had no insulation. Before, the kitchen cabinets were painted plywood. The floor was peeling up, the backsplash was falling off tile by tile, and there were huge cracks in the walls. It wasn't a gorgeous kitchen, but I could cook in it. It served its purpose fine, and I'd still be cooking in it if the work it needed wasn't necessary to be safe and avoid future diaster (like a flooded kitchen and basement for example).

Even though designer kitchens are very nice, what I really want is a functional work space. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and I don't see the point of it being pretty but inconvenient to use. So I will be doing things like leaving small appliances on the counters and using old glass jars to organize things. Will I try to keep it clean and attractive looking? Sure. But I am with Rosemary--the food that comes out of it is much more important to me than the way that it looks. I can cook just as nice a meal in an old, outdated, or delapidated kitchen as a I could in a $50,000 kitchen. :-)

[domestic goddess]

While I like a nice-looking kitchen as much as anyone, the fact is that the kitchen is a workroom, and should be practically arranged to be worked in. Frequently used items should be easily accessible, storage should be available for items used infrequently, etc. My dd has a plain, but nice, kitchen, but one of her cabinets has storage space that is too deep, and too difficult to get thngs out of. I would like to change that with one or more lazy susan's, and some other storage accessories, as I am just getting too old to climb in there and look for things. It is possible for workshop areas to look attractive, and I think that is what a kitchen calls for.

[kally]

I am sure they can be combined. But without too much $$$ is the trick.

[IshbelRobertson]

I HATE clutter.
Absolutely HATE it!

So, whilst I am an enthusiastic cook (I have taken courses all over the UK and the European mainland - including an 8 week course at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris) - I like everything to have its place but not in plain sight. My kitchen IS a workroom - but is probably stark to most eyes.

I have redone our kitchen recently - taking out the high tech white, shiny units with granite surfaces, and have re-done in a French provincial style with a new (to me) double electric oven... I WISH I'd kept the older, gas ovens! Before that... I had a British country kitchen with an AGA.

[Mrs-M]

It's an individuality thing for sure, some like a polished and refined look, while others prefer a rustic and workable space with relaxed influences to go along with. It's all up to the individual homeowner.

I hate knickknacks and clutter, so refined and polished is more my style, although I do like country styled kitchens where it's not so much all about marble and granite and things. Clean, presentable, pleasantly comfortable.

[Zoebird]

my favorite kitchen is the kitchen at the wellington city YHA.

I will try to describe it as the way that I was going to redo the kitchen in this one cottage, had we gotten that cottage. The kitchen had a door from the lounge in one wall, and a door to the back garden in the opposite. The entry door was on the far left (if you were facing that wall) and the garden door was a double, french styled doors that was centered.

If you put your back to the french doors, the sink/water wall was on your left. In front of you, to the right of the entry door was a long countertop and the gas/electric on the far right. The wall on the right had pantry cabinets and the fridge. It was large enough for a table in the center; they'd put a large skylight in over 2/3 of the ceiling of the kitchen, the width of the garden doors. This left some roofline over the three walls.

On the right, I would have put a large laundry/industrial sink and a washer-dryer. I would have capped these with stainless steel countetop, and then three large shelves above (likely white, as I like white walls) where I would store laundry soap, dish soap, and various other "cleaning" supplies (admittedly, we only use laundry soap and castile soap for everything else). As the wall is long enough to have a little bit of counter to the right of the sink (if you were facig that wall, it would go dryer, washer, sink, bit of space, window above the sink and bit of space, then the doorway, so there's space to open the door (yes, there are old doors around the whole house closing off everywhere. :D).

This would just be stainless shelves -- industrial kitchen style.

Looking to the wall with the entry door, I would leave the door and likely cut out a large opening looking into the lounge. Since the lounge looks into the entry/sunroom and that onto the water, it would be nice. I would then just do a long metal open-shelf with stainless countertops that run across until you get to the cooking unit (stove/oven/vent hood). These shelves would store the pots, pans, dishes, and various other items. Since we have so little, it's quite easy to keep organized. To the far right of the stove is another narrow space, this is likely where we would keep our crock pot (used pretty much daily).

On the right hand wall, I would likely put in a wooden hutch to hold pantry items (we don't have many -- mostly spices since we eat "primally" -- and then the fridge as well. I might lime or white wash the hutch.

The kitchen would also need task lighting -- above the sink and above the long countertop. I would use simple pot lights with low watt bulbs on a dimmer switch -- I hate bright lighting at night and prefer to use candle light, or will use our 15 watt over-the-stove light to cook if it is dark.

I would then put in a table and chairs. I have these cool wire chairs from the 70s that I've collected for $10 a piece (i currently have two; would like 4). and then put it with a wooden farm table (something simple). Might lime or whitewash the table too.

I like this look because it is clean and simple. everything is out in the open -- so you have to keep it clean and organized.

[JaneV2.0]

I always thought the best kitchen would be like a laboratory with a view.

[Tammy]

now that our kids live on their own, we cook a lot less and have less stuff in general, but also in the kitchen. So now our pantry is where my husband stores all of his tools and garage type stuff (since we live in an apartment and have no garage), and half of the countertop is his desk area. It works for us at this point in life!