new kitchen.

I have spent much of the past week dreaming about returning to the kitchen and making pots of stews and soups and braised meats.  I am dying for any and all comfort food. The kind of thing that sticks to your ribs and makes you feel warm inside and keeps that warm feeling inside hours after the meal finishes.  Sadly, I am going to have to keep dreaming since I don't see a kitchen filled with spices and fully stocked pantry in my future (at least for a little while).  While the boy and I search for our new home, I have been browsing Pinterst with abandon.  It's an odd feeling to have only a few possessions and being able to make over your whole life and start fresh.  I've always been a girl who has been drawn to color (and lots of it) but as of recent I've found myself drawn to neutrals and pop's of color.  A more streamlined and mininimalistic look - something was a 70's feel and a little bit of glamour and shine.  I know it's going to take a long while to rebuild but the first thing that will be completed will be a bright and airy kitchen space.  Below is what is inspiring me.  

All images via Pinterest 

picture frame walls.

I have an infatuation with collages of all kind.  In college my dorm room walls were covered with torn magazine pages, found post cards, notes written on scraps of paper, and photos from experiments gone wrong in the dark room.  I found it cozy to be surrounded by relics of my youth and the things that made me happy.  As much as I loved pieces of ripped paper taped to a wall it didn't exude grown-upness which means I needed to find an alternative.   The search for something chicer led me to my obsession with picture frame walls since it gives the feeling of a collage but looks far more sophisticated.  The framed fauna above the farm sink in the below picture is an utterly perfect version of picture frame walls.  I am envisioning a similar idea but with pictures of fruits and vegetables because fruits and vegetables seem fitting for a kitchen.  

Image via Pinterest 

subway tile.

Maybe it's because I spend an inordinate amount of time underground waiting for trains to take me places, but I have a long held love affair with subway tile.  There is something about the simplicity of alternating tiles in order to create one of the most ubiquitous patterns out there.  It's fortunate that both the boy and I love it because I imagine it will make an appearance in our future kitchen.  Hopefully we will have a backsplash similar to the one below because I am lusting over the simplicity of something so white and clean.   (I also find myself lusting over the double wide sink, extra large stove, open shelves with all white dishes!, and butcher block island but that's not surprising.)  

Image via Pinterest 

butcher block and porcelain sinks.

Some days when I have terrible, horrible, no good, very busy non-stop emails/phone calls kind of days (which was today) I imagine quitting my job and spending my day standing over butcher block counter tops and double wide porcelain sinks.  Somehow these kitchen dreams keep me sane.  The kitchen below is my idea of perfection as it encompasses everything I love -open shelves, lots of wood, striped towels, and mismatched art on the wall.  A girl can dream (and then she can reward herself for surviving a terrible day with some chocolate).  

Image via Pinterest

dressed-up jars.

My wonderful friend Lesley and her equally wonderful Mom went to England and brought my back a present!  It is the most adorable labeling kit for jams and other jarred items.  About five minutes after getting it home, I proceeded to rip open the package and relabel all of my assorted jars (I had previously used masking tape for labels - how sad) and gave all the jars little hats!  Lets just say the fridge looks so much prettier (I never thought the inside of my fridge could look pretty but now it does!)

Even without a super wonderful label kit, you can easily dress up your own jars with some pretty paper and adhesive labels!

colorful kitchen cabinets.

While I like to think of myself as someone who loves clean minimal design and lots of white on white, I really have an undying love for color.  Lots and lots of color combined with mismatched dishes and rustic pots and pans.  These multi-color cabinets and assorted cast iron dishes are the epitome of what I love.    

Image via Pinterest 

chalkboard walls.

As a girl who loves writing notes and lists to herself (I find post-it notes in almost every pocket I have), the idea of chalkboard paint in the kitchen makes me very happy. 

Images via Pinterest 

white on white.

Currently lusting after kitchens with a contrast of white on white (the Counting Crows said it best).

Image via Remodelista

beautiful kitchens.

Sometimes I let myself get lost in thought thinking about the kitchen of my dreams.  It will be open and airy with mismatched furniture and lots of open shelves for plates and glasses.  It will have a center island that will be perfect for rolling out breads and pie crusts.  There will be a surround sound system so I can sing and dance while cooking dinner.  There will be a fancy chandelier and lots of color and art on the wall.  There will be bookshelves galore so I can organize all my cookbooks in a cohesive manner.  I am constantly pinning the looks I love so someday when I can make the kitchen of my dreams I'll have tons of inspiration to look at.  Below are a few of the images that currently make my heart skip a beat.  

1 - Mismatched came sometimes work perfectly.  Image via Desire to Inspire
2 - Soothing blues look amazing with white dishes and baked breads. Image via Big Chill.
3 - I love the look of non kitchen items in a kitchen.  Rugs and fine art belong in kitchens. Image via Velvet Moss
4 - There is nothing more classic then white subway tiles.  It allows you to have an amazing tile floor! Image via the Design Traveler