Never Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen

Everyone who agrees with one or more of the following, raise your hands. 


"The kitchen is where all of my company ends up hanging out in."
"The kitchen is where the kids do their homework." 
"The kitchen is where I set up my laptop and pay the bills (or write my blog or catch up on emails or....)."
"The kitchen is the heart of the home." 
etc, etc........Feel free to add on here.


I grew up in a tiny little 4 room house. Kitchen, living room, 2 small bedrooms and a closet converted into a makeshift bathroom that remained in its semi-temporary state for about 30 years. In fact, I did a post awhile back  about this.


The kitchen was absolutely where it ALL happened. Meals, of course. Long telephone conversations. Lectures from Mom and/or Dad. School projects. Decorating Christmas cookies. Carving pumpkins for Halloween. Laying out the pattern for my first attempt at sewing. Board games. Manicures. Birthday parties. The list is endless.

not the kitchen I grew up in - but darn close

Now that I am all 'grown up' and have my own family, the kitchen is still where it all goes on for us. Friends and family come here to be... Be with us. Be relaxed. Be at home. Most importantly they do not come here to be entertained. I don't entertain - ever. That is such a bizarre phrase to me. Those who come to our home are those who know their way around our kitchen and feel free to help themselves to whatever is in the frig, the cookie jar and, yes, the liquor cabinet.


This is why I prefer a kitchen that doesn't look or function a like a typical kitchen. I love fabric, art, pieces of cool furniture, and lighting that most would probably be more inclined to use in their living rooms. I don't disregard practicality. That wouldn't be, um, practical. But I just don't like emphasizing that part of it. Consequently, I am always on a quest to find images of cool kitchens with a twist of the unexpected. Ya know what? They aren't that easy to find. 


However, here are some of what I did find. These amaze me. 

While I'm at it - is this sink not genius?

"Standing in a comfortable posture, cooking is done with little movement.

Bending at the waist to work to apply force when kneading dough or other tasks can be done in a low position. Cutting ingredients can be done at an optimum body position. You can adjust the height of the 3D sink by changing the three-layer ribbed structure to work in the most natural position. Put an end to working at inappropriate positions in the kitchen. Moreover, cooking and dishing up can be done on the sink. You can work efficiently even in a small kitchen. Make cooking easier than ever by working to your own plans."

Cool.

 Check it out and a whole lot more here Toyo.

And here are some more . These are more along the lines of being interesting and inspiring (to me, anyway) rather than amazing.

This is just plain hilarious ..had to sneak it in!

Somewhere in the midst of my unfiled tear out sheets, I have a picture of what my ideal kitchen would be like. I'll let you know when I find it.

Do you have any quirky things going on in your kitchen? Or are you more traditional?




image credits: as always, either hover your mouse over the image or right click to eyeball the properties..