B-E-A-utiful Kitchens

It's another gloomy, cold day in North Carolina.  It was nearly impossible to get out of bed this morning with little-to-no sunlight in our apartment, making the morning all the more dreadful.  Yesterday was equally as dreadful outside, so I spent my evening perusing the internet looking for recipes, pictures, cooking gadgets, and kitchens that piqued my interest (or at least made me smile).  

I have shared numerous recipes with y'all, but what I really enjoyed looking at last night were all the beautiful kitchens.  I'd LOVE to take a little from this one here, and add a bit from that one, a dash from another, and a hint of another to combine into my ultimate dream kitchen.  Like a great big island from one, windows from another, a breakfast nook from another, granite countertops from this one, cabinets from that one, a pot-filler faucet above the stove, a hood from that one, a SubZero fridge from here and a double sink plus bar sink from there.  A girl can dream, can't she?

And I found so many kitchens that I just loved, I can't help but want to share them too!  There are plenty more to come.

I love the bookshelves built into the end of the island; they are perfect for storing all of your cookbooks and family recipes.  The warm wood, floating cabinets above the island, and U-shaped design make for an almost perfect kitchen!

These funky cabinets add color without overwhelming the space and keep the stainless steel hood and stove in check, making it not too funky and not too modern.

The hard wood floor is painted with a decorative diamond pattern and provides a great alternative to tiles... and paired with the teal cabinets and a wall full of windows -- perfection!

  

I love this neutral kitchen - keeping the materials grounded in nature (the wood stools are awesome!) offset the harshness some kitchens can take on with too much stainless steel and hard surfaces

I've always liked the idea of chalkboard paint in a kitchen ever since a childhood friend had it in their house.  Here, it adds fun to an otherwise sterile black-and-white kitchen.

Normally I don't like dark kitchens because they can feel dark and overbearing to me, but this kitchen kept it light and airy, even with dark granite and dark wood cabinets, by incorporating light walls, floors, and great big windows.  The huge island is amazing (especially with the stainless steel hood as a focal point), but the movable butcher's block cart makes it flexible and great for entertaining.

The lighting in this kitchen is to DIE for - warm and inviting with the mix of wood stains and stainless steel appliances.  This kitchen also has great drawer pulls - sleek and not too dainty.

And the ultimate dream -- a pot filler faucet above the stove!  Plus, the stainless against the neutral granite and subway tile backsplash is beautiful.

  

Ahh... Someday....

(all kitchen photos are from myhomeideas.com)