Thursday, March 4, 2010

Kitchen first

With the exception of paint, a mail sorter, and a wall-mounted bathroom cabinet (also known as Item #2855 we have assembled since moving in), our walls are still bare. And there are still boxes, to be sure. But no matter. Because I now have cookbooks. And things to cook in. And a pantry. As the kitchen is the heart of a home, this progress tips my emotional balance away from focusing on the wreckage of the office and the wasteland of my closet. The rest will come. But this is now, and real, and good:

It's a city-sized kitchen, without question... but it's mine.


My sister-in-law totally noticed my color-coordination within minutes of coming over last night. That is why I love her. And I love this color-coordination! I need something to go on top to draw attention away from that gap. Picture frames looked too cluttered, none of my vases are quite enough of a statement, and I'm sick of candles everywhere. I'm thinking a tall vase (but not too precarious due to the crazy kittenz) for fresh flowers or an low oval planter of succulents.


Our solution for tight kitchen storage: this bookcase where ugly appliances are hidden underneath and pretty Le Creuset goes on top. Lest you think I have a flame Le Creuset problem, know that I own five more pieces that wouldn't even fit on the shelving. ADDICT! We're going to install glass doors on the top and I'll replace the plain knobs with funky "single Maggie" ones. But it's a start! I love you, Ikea Billy (you'll be seeing a lot of them - we have three more in white going into the office).


 
This island is intended to be extremely effective for me while cooking. I wavered between making it pretty and spare and having a nightmare of clutter in every cabinet, or just laying out everything I needed right where I'd need it. This approach won, and I think I'll be happier for it when I'm cooking. (Ignore the clutter of dining chairs in the back - there's a reason we're only looking at the kitchen today.)


PANTRY! This apartment was the only one we saw in DC with a pantry, so I do not take this little closet a quarter the size of my old pantry for granted, trust me. My stuff fits in there pretty well, although it's undoubtedly layered. But I can deal. Again: function over form in this kitchen.


 
Speaking of "layered," no more bulk products laid out to assess in an instant. But that's okay. As you'll notice, it's time for me to restock. Speaking of, does anyone know the best place in DC for bulk pantry items? The Whole Foods here left me wanting (not even any bulk spices? really?). Oh how I miss Central Market.


That's it for now! I would say, "Stay tuned for xxxxx tomorrow," but I can't promise anything. We're doing the best we can over here. And my parents come this weekend to be put to work - woo hoo!!

19 comments:

  1. Hmmm. What you call an addiction, I call a collection worthy of passing down to your children and grandchildren. Heirlooms, Maggie!
    I, of course, am GREEN with envy of such a beautiful, (and functional) enameled cast iron collection.

    Of course, that and cookbooks were my first inspections. I need to go clean the drool off my keyboard now.

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  2. You are too sweet! The funny thing about doing my cookbooks this way is that I clearly still have plenty of room for more - as long as they are blue or green! (Please tell me My New Orleans has a blue spine.)

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  3. Love, love, love! You chose such a fun Le Creuset color!

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  4. I love the red wall, it looks so gorgeous! Our kitchen is much the same way- everything is red. I love me some red kitchen supplies. :)

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  5. Ohhh everything is looking really good! I like the colors! It's funny, our homes are color opposites -- I have a lot of aqua blues and some Le Creuset Caribbean Blue pieces out :)

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  6. Oh, I totally faced the same dilemma with how to organize items on our kitchen counter and island. I tried at least three different arrangements. I, too, finally settled on functionality over sparsity. I'm happy with it so far! Hope to get my act together and post pics of our new kitchen soon!

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  7. Such a great way to store your cookbooks, I love that they are on display and color coordinated. I also love that you have your Le Creuset out and on display. They are too beautiful to pack away.

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  8. Looks very nice! You could also deal with the gap on the shelf by getting some of the kitchen cabinet legs at IKEA and boosting it up a few inches. Then it might perfectly match your counter height.

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  9. It looks beautiful! You previously (through Twitter) convinced me to start investing in more Le Creuset - and today, you super-duper convinced me!

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  10. Wow, that is so beautiful and organized. And WAY larger than anything I've ever had in NYC. I might have to borrow a few of our ideas for our next place. Thanks for sharing!

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  11. Love the way you have things organized and on display. The yellow crock you have utensils in is great. What is it/ where's it from?

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  12. The Family Chef! Per Samma's rec, its a wonderful cookbook (I almost like reading it better than cooking from it!)... and its GREEN!

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  13. First of all, I adore how your Le Creuset collection is reigning proudly over your culinary kindgom. Second and most importantly, I *knew* I there was a reason I like you so much.. I color-code my cookbooks too (http://bit.ly/7HijU3)! I originally decided to do it because I love to put things in rainbow order for no reason, but I was shocked at how well it tied the room together and it's one of my favorite decorative elements of our house. So glad you're finally starting to settle in!

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  14. your le creuset collection warms my heart (and casts my mind longingly of our registry, which has many of same items; august cannot come soon enough!). they look quite well in your lovely kitchen. can't wait for more house reveal!

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  15. Maggie, it is so beautiful! And I am sure you feel such a weight coming off your shoulders to have a part of your home settling in place. Love the organization for the cookbooks- very pretty. I bet a long, low vessel with succulants would fit in beautifully.

    Can I say how jealous I am of all those cabinets and an actual pantry!! It is all relative, right!?

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  16. you've got the cutest little cookbook storage system i've ever seen!

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  17. Color-coordinated organization!! I love it, I once saw an entire bookstore that was organized by color.

    Your kitchen is so adorable! Hooray for settling in to your new home. :)

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  18. Holy smokes, your kitchen looks amazing! Bravo!

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  19. I'm just now catching up and your kitchen is GORGEOUS!!! I love the cookbooks, the pantry, everything. It looks fantastic. I can't wait to see what creations come out of there!

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