Monday, April 23, 2012

"It was a big kitchen. . ."


"It was a big kitchen, old-fashioned but well enough planned, and after the vicarage kitchen, a delight.  Instead of our vast black Eagle range there was a cream-coloured Aga, nestling under the old mantelpiece as if it had been built with the house. . .Opposite the fireplace was a tall dresser with rows of pretty plates in white and powder-blue, with cups to match hanging along the fronts of the shelves.  The new fashion for built-in kitchen units and 'worktops' had not reached so far into the wilds, it appeared.  The big table in the middle of the room gave all the working space necessary, and there was another long table under the window, cluttered now. . .
Thornyhold, Mary Stewart


I was so far inside the box when we planned our kitchen that I thought the standard $30,000 kitchens with built-in cupboards and granite counters were the only way to go.  My. 


When I have a kitchen to do again, I will think of my space in a more elemental way.  My style is not really hodge-podge old-fashioned, but I would like to see what a dresser, wall shelves, and a big wooden table would be like for a kitchen.


Pictures from a book I love:  The Family Home by Joanne Copestick

5 comments:

Lisa said...

I've always longed for an Aga. And a rustic wooden table.

Sew Blessed Maw [Judy] said...

What a beautiful kitchen..I love the old time kitchens.. So much time was spent in them. and so much love..
thanks for sharing the photos , I enjoyed them.

Sarah Barry said...

Looks like a cool book. I always tell my husband that I want an old fashioned kitchen with a table...sorta like Julia Child's kitchen.

Polly said...

I have this book too! I LOVE it! And I admire kitchens like this as well--farmhouse kitchens. Ours is so tiny (floor space literally about 4 feet by 7 feet or something) that I can't have every member of my family in the kitchen without feeling overwhelmed. But it's okay because it is part of the living/dining rooms. But that's not okay because you can see the kitchen when you walk into the front and back doors!!! THere's no escape!

I love a large kitchen with a big table and plenty of cabinet space and maybe a fireplace. A friend has one like that and it is so cosy.

Complete Kitchen Remodel said...

What a beautiful kitchen, thanks for sharing the photos.