Give me some key words of how you would describe your dream kitchen

L

Lola

I am having a brain fart and cannot bring together any good ideas for redoing our kitchen.
I usually am good with putting colors together with woods, countertops, etc but i cannot think of any words to describe a "dream" kitchen.
What would make a simple kitchen be the place that everyone wants to be in a house?

If you say "warm"... what would make it warm?
if you say "airy" what would make it that way?

Anyone creative, please help get my creative juices flowing again. :(

Sorry if this doesnt make sense.

I guess just describe what your dream kitchen would be. :)
 

PeteRoy

Senior member
Jun 28, 2004
958
2
91
www.youtube.com
First of all, clean, there's nothing more disgusting eating in a dirty place.

Kitchen should be bright with a lot of natural light coming in, maybe even a window on the roof and large windows.

Vent
 

shopbruin

Diamond Member
Jul 12, 2000
5,817
0
0
airy/spacious - lots of natural light coming in (if possible). plenty of room to maneuver around.
clean - easy clean up - stainless steel sink, that's put in from below. nice solid pieces of granite for counters.
utilitarian - easy to use! cabinets are good sized, drawers come out as they should.

i like light colored cabinets with neat handles.

basically, i just described how my parents redid their kitchen.
 
L

Lola

well, we are not planning on staying at this house for a long time, so we don't want to put lots of expensive things like granite and the like there since we are not going to be here forever.
I am looking for some ideas about color, texture, etc.

thanks guys. I appericate your ideas... keep em coming!
 

Isla

Elite member
Sep 12, 2000
7,749
2
0
Well, it's not my dream kitchen but we did take our existing kitchen and make it the best it could be! It's a relatively large kitchen and is in the center of the house.... the family room is open to it, so it's like a giant room.

SileStone countertops, bar, and built in table: Diana Pearl

Refinished Oak Cabinets: White washed

Nice decorative pulls for the cabinets

Pier One chairs and wine table (wrought iron with slate/stone insets)

Wrought iron pot hanger thingy in the middle


The kitchen is light, fresh, and airy. I decorate it with cuttings from my herb garden... it's all very natural and welcoming. I get a lot of compliments on it. :)
 
L

Lola

Originally posted by: Isla
Well, it's not my dream kitchen but we did take our existing kitchen and make it the best it could be! It's a relatively large kitchen and is in the center of the house.... the family room is open to it, so it's like a giant room.

SileStone countertops, bar, and built in table: Diana Pearl

Refinished Oak Cabinets: White washed

Nice decorative pulls for the cabinets

Pier One chairs and wine table (wrought iron with slate/stone insets)

Wrought iron pot hanger thingy in the middle


The kitchen is light, fresh, and airy. I decorate it with cuttings from my herb garden... it's all very natural and welcoming. I get a lot of compliments on it. :)

could you take any pics of it?
we are refinishing our kitchen cabinets too and we don't know what color/wood to get. :(
i usually don't like white ones, but i like the way white wash looks.

we have a small galley type kitchen but it has a nice size window at the sink.

we got new in wall oven and countertop cooktop so we are just trying to make our UGLY kitchen a lot better.
 

Mo0o

Lifer
Jul 31, 2001
24,227
3
76
Dark granite/marble island. Brushed aluminum appliances. Black cabinets. haven't really given it any more thought, ive just seen these kinds of kitchens and thought thye looked cool
 

Isla

Elite member
Sep 12, 2000
7,749
2
0
I don't have any pictures right now, but I'll see what I can find later and PM you.

I would make the most of that window... maybe build in a shelf that you could put a little herb garden in? Or a stained glass accent?

If you have nice wood cabinets, it can be worth refinishing, but is a PITA. We had to sand them down first... but the results were worth it. You can always just paint the cabinets... and then add nice pulls. Nice pulls can really make a big difference!

Paint is also a cheap way to really wake a place up. We used a Ralph Lauren special satin finish.... it sort of looks like shell (it's an off white). Then the Mister stamped 2 different sized gold stars on it.... it's really cool, hard to explain, but unique and a little artsy.

If you want to keep the $$$, paint, window effects, and pulls are the way to go.:)
Have fun!
 

montanafan

Diamond Member
Nov 7, 1999
3,551
2
71
I like cabinets that are a very light wood, or for something different you could try the window pane style cabinet doors and then experiment with how you arrange the items inside for the look you want.

You can do lots with the window over the sink, pretty curtains, flowers or other items on the window ledge.

I like a rack for utensils either above or on a wall and then you can get matching items in a style you like to hang. It's efficient, decorative, and gives you more room in your cabinets and drawers.

Depending on how much room you have in your kitchen you could consider a nice pantry hutch or rack or a wine rack. Or even just add some shelves that could give you a lot of opportunities to add decorative items.

 
L

Lola

Originally posted by: montanafan
I like cabinets that are a very light wood, or for something different you could try the window pane style cabinet doors and then experiment with how you arrange the items inside for the look you want.

You can do lots with the window over the sink, pretty curtains, flowers or other items on the window ledge.

I like a rack for utensils either above or on a wall and then you can get matching items in a style you like to hang. It's efficient, decorative, and gives you more room in your cabinets and drawers.

Depending on how much room you have in your kitchen you could consider a nice pantry hutch or rack or a wine rack. Or even just add some shelves that could give you a lot of opportunities to add decorative items.

we have a lot of cabinets, i guess my whole issue is that it is really boring and outdated.
i am going to take the ideas here and do some research tomorrow! :)
 

Lonyo

Lifer
Aug 10, 2002
21,938
6
81
Marbled granite counter tops.
A breakfast bar.
Open plan/spacious.
Windows with thin light possibly floral curtains.
Stainless steel cookers (gas) with at least 5 tops.

Tiling is important, and probably wallpaper too. Maybe a light-ish orange/blues.
Deffo. a wine rack, and make things like the cooker/fridge/sink match as closely as possible (stainless steel/brushed finishes might look nice)
 

Quasmo

Diamond Member
Jul 7, 2004
9,630
1
76
"island, gas range, aluminum finish refridgerator, wood floors, marble counter tops"ish
 

everman

Lifer
Nov 5, 2002
11,288
1
0
Granite counters with granite back-splash (basically granite going up the wall between the counter and the overhanging cabinet).
Wood fired pizza oven. Standard gas ovens. Commercial gas stove. large center island with sink. Big windows looking out toward the Alps :)

Espresso Bar! :D
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
A true "working" kitchen.

complete with 8 burner gas top (and all the goodie interchangable stuff like grill/skillet), two stoves, stainless backspash, vent hood, built in deep fryer and counter top disposal.

I could care less how it looks, as long as you can "work" in it and it has good ergonomics.

-edit- if you want a gathering place make sure you have a large bar with chairs and can hold many, many serving plates. That's where everybody eventually goes to anyway.
 

badmouse

Platinum Member
Dec 3, 2003
2,862
2
0
Clean and tidy. People want to be in a kitchen because it's a good place to eat, and by extension, a good place to hang out. If you use the kitchen, people will want to be there. The biggest thing that stops you from using your own kitchen is if it's dirty and it has too much stuff in it. So, make it as easy/efficient as possible to keep it clean.

Get rid of as much stuff as you can. Don't leave anything on the counters - that way you can USE the counters. Don't overstuff the fridge, then nobody will bother looking in it if it's got too much junk in it. Make sure that when you open a cabinet door, you can see easily what's in it. Ditto with the silverware drawers and so on.

Empty, tidy, clean space is the most inviting thing you can do.

After that, nice cheery paint - light yellow or creamy beige or whatever looks good in your light. Some non-fussy window treatment, make sure it isn't something that will have to be cleaned a lot. Grungy window treatments are turn-offs. But, it's a good place for a funky chicken curtain topper or something that you get a smile when you look at every day.

Pictures. Fridge comix. Some decorative stuff that you love to look at on the walls.

And, always keep the sink shiny clean. If the sink isn't clean, everything else you do will fight the subtle but obvious yuck.

So, I'd say flat, easy to clean cabinet doors without fussy hardware, in a kind of mottled pattern (wood grain for example) that doesn't show dirt (no solid white!), those cute door pulls like vegetables or whatever your hobby is, like cats, are a good touch and don't need to be cleaned as often as flat shiny metal. Non-textured floor, because textures are harder to clean, but in a pattern that doesn't make a speck of dirt obvious. A limited amount of open shelving, that you can keep organized. Countertops that are easy to clean, and look good while clean - patterned rather than solid.

You can always repaint if the color isn't cheery, but if your countertops can't be easily cleaned, that's a much bigger deal to fix. And makes a really bad impression.

Places to put garbage, recycling, etc out of the way but easy to reach.

Have someone (friend, etc) come in and tell you what looks yucky or nonwelcoming in your kitchen. Your brain stops seeing things after a while, like that pile of moldy shoes on the kitchen table that you keep meaning to take to the shoe donation box.

Have fun, and good luck.
 

loic2003

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2003
3,844
0
0
Depends on the size of your kitchen. What you working with?

Islands are fashionable these days: fee-standing sections with storage/sink/fridge and maybe dishwasher. Also known as 'breakfast bars'.

Stainless brushed steel is also popular providing clean ''easy wipe" surfaces all round. Care must be taken to keep woods and a warm coloured work surface to avouid the kitchen looking more like an industrial/factory one.

Gas hobs with electric fan assisted oven is the best combination for actual cooking.

Soft-close draws and cupboards make things feel high-tech and smooth.

Get several quotes from designers, look through the brochures and see what appeals to you. Take time and form an educated choice over seeral weeks.


Post pics.

Especially if you go for the pole.
 

iamme

Lifer
Jul 21, 2001
21,058
3
0
Originally posted by: spidey07
A true "working" kitchen.

complete with 8 burner gas top (and all the goodie interchangable stuff like grill/skillet), two stoves, stainless backspash, vent hood, built in deep fryer and counter top disposal.

I could care less how it looks, as long as you can "work" in it and it has good ergonomics.

-edit- if you want a gathering place make sure you have a large bar with chairs and can hold many, many serving plates. That's where everybody eventually goes to anyway.

sounds perfect. i love cooking and would love all the stuff you mentioned above.
 
Dec 28, 2001
11,391
3
0
I thnk my keyword would be: "spacious" but that's not something you can help, especially if you're planning on staying only for a short while, innit? ;)
 

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,277
1,784
126
Mine would be big with lots of counterspace.

I don't care what color anything is or how it looks. I don't care if it's plastic, wood, or metal looking. I suppose stainless steel everything would be ideal for ease of cleaning.

I would have at least 2 friges in it, that way there's plenty of room for the beverages.
It would have a dishwasher, microwave, oven, foreman grill, and a foreman rotisseree cooker (my current kitchen is small, no room for dishwasher ... arrrghh)
The stove will be a Gas stove with a bigass flame (for when I try to make good kung pao)
There will be enough room for a table and 4 people to sit comfortably.
There will be at least 2 ethernet ports.
There will be plenty of power outlets.
It will have a nice Espresso Machine as well as a regular coffee machine and also a burr grinder.
There will be some form of light so that I can see. It will be in the ceiling and it will not hang down. I FRIGGIN HATE LIGHTS THAT HANG DOWN FROM THE CEILING BECAUSE THEY HURT MY HEAD.