The kitchen in our house has a story — it led me to collect kitchen inspiration photos and create this blog
It also challenged me to attend Parsons to get my interior design certificate, though well after it was finished. My original idea came from two sources: the film AI and a book excerpt on Swedish country house interiors. It’s an odd combination, I know. AI was Spielberg’s film about artificial intelligence and I adored the futuristic set design of the homes. But our house in the woods really wasn’t suited to the ultra-modern kitchen I desired. It had to be softer. Then I stumbled on Sweden. That style was new to me but I immediately connected with the pale, light-reflecting blues, yellows and grays and the painted furniture. It suited our house, which sits on the crest of a hill on an oval-shaped clearing surrounded by dense wood and towering trees that are hundreds of years old. Our property even looked like the exterior photos of Swedish homes.
Our kitchen faces east, so except for early morning, it is in shadow most of the day. We enlarged the window over the sink to let in more light and give us a better view. A Shaw’s 30” fireclay farm sink is a focal point. The sink cabinet was pulled forward by 4-inches for emphasis and fitted with bracket or “furniture” feet. The basin was then dropped into the base so it sits 3/8-inch above the stainless steel counter top– with the rim fully exposed. Because the sink is handmade, the bottom front edges are curved — so we also pulled it forward in the sink cabinet by 2-inches to let those show. The Dornbracht Profi faucet and sprayer are an unconventional choice but add that AI edginess I like. A pullout garbage bin flanks the sink (left) and a panel conceals a Miele dishwasher.
I also decided not to add upper cabinet clutter. Instead, I customized a plate rack and had it installed where the uppers were before. It’s directly over the dishwasher and easy to use. I wanted a kitchen with tiled walls — European -style from the counter to ceiling. Ann Sacks Sur La Mer glazed tiles gave me the look of Swedish tile stoves. I couldn’t decide on one color so we created an alternating pattern in white, blue, ochre and gray. Hood, electric cook top, and microwave are by Viking; the oven is Miele. While the basic floor plan was not changed, the peninsula was widened from 24″ to 36″ to create storage on both sides. Walls painted in Farrow & Ball’s House White are an excellent match to the cabinets..
Whitewashed shelves on the other side of the sink hold coffee equipment and preserve the open look.
For kitchen cabinets, I went with Plain & Fancy, in a cream color called “lemon chiffon.” I’d had a white kitchen during the 1980s and I wanted painted cabinets, a whiff of color and the simplicity of Shaker-style doors and knobs.
The Viking 36-inch refrigerator with bottom freezer sits flush with the pantry cabinets on each side. The fridge replaced a kitchen desk. Due to a measuring error, the pantries were too narrow to fill out the soffit space so shallow, adjustable custom shelving was designed and installed on each end to balance the wall. While they were a late addition to solve a design error, those floor-to-ceiling shelves have become indispensable.
The adjustable shelves on one side house platters, magazines, cups, salt & peppers shakers and other small items things that often get lost in drawers or cabinets. On the stove end there condiments, herbs, spices and provide a spot to hang wet towels and dry herbs just steps from the cooktop and sink. When the shelves were installed, the baseboard was changed from a toe kick style to a more refined furniture plinth.
This blue 19th century Swedish dresser was found at auction and fit well along the wall in the corner of the kitchen. The open plate-rack shelves are each designed to hold multiple porcelain dishes and serve ware. Drawers hold serving utensils, and the hand-carved doors on the base conceal platters and serving bowls.
