In honor of kitchen and bath month, we combed the archives for some of our favorite kitchens from New England house tours. This selection represents what many of us love about New England design — that ineffable mix of past and present, city and country, land and sea.
From a vintage farmhouse to a chic pied-a-terre to an industrial loft, New England houses mirror the unique character and diversity of their inhabitants. They remind us how fortunate we are to live in an area with such a rich architectural history, while inviting us to creatively adapt our spaces for contemporary life.
Images: 1. Kyle Freeman, 2. Ronee Saroff, 3. Kyle Freeman, 4. Ronee Saroff, 5. Wes & Kayla Schwartz, 6. Jeanine Brennan, 7. Ronee Saroff, 8. Sarah Rainwater, 9. Kyle Freeman, 10. Sarah Rainwater
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Commercial Flour Sa...
How to Cook Rice on the Stove
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Oh, #4 is to die for! I'd put some more modern chairs at the table, but the overall space is great. #2 is great too.
I am filled with longing ....
If these pictures are from house tours, can we get links directly to them? I'd love to check out more pics from these homes.
Please disregard my last comment. I just saw the hyperlink below each picture..duh!
really love 5-10... ahh per chance to dream...
LOVE the color scheme in Chris & Heather's kitchen. Sooooo lovely and soothing.
Love #10 and I remember that lovely home tour, that stove is in a very contemporary kitchen.
love that gold tile in Chris & Heather's kitchen!
http://mylittleapartment.blogspot.com/
Paradiselost: Although my kitchen is the one featured (#1) in this piece, I agree with you whole heartedly. That is why when we moved in, all we did was paint and enlarge the window for light and yes we did get that backsplash and counter for some sparkle to get us through the long New England winters. Our idea of having a nice space is for sunlight and having a calming atmosphere. That's why we got a kitchen cart from Ikea rather than gut the kitchen and do the grand island sort of thing. Some of us are not about the kitchen redo as a status thing but so that we can live in a house that doesn't feel like a depressing cave! Function and psychological health is #1!
Paradiselost: Well, then, why are you here?
Some of us like to dream about the rooms we spend a large portion of our lives in being pleasing, functional, beautiful spaces. Mine currently are not, so please allow me my fantasy. Thank you.
Paradiselost--
Interesting comments from someone who once lived in a loft with twelve foot ceilings and stayed in the Beacon Hotel.
While the opening "the whole kitchen as object thing really bugs me" could seem overly judgmental of the people whose kitchens were pictured...I think talking about one's own philosophy/psychology of these things is perfect for a site like this.
It also makes sense to question cultural trends (so, not fingerpointing at individual remodelers) in light of the kitchen and bathroom as the sites of all the water usage and much of the energy usage of the home. In other words, could that second sink or last 6 linear feet of counter/cabinet space unwittingly contribute to practices opposed to what the homeowner is trying to accomplish by doing other environmentally-friendly things. etc. in his or her life.
Considering the (to me, justified) questioning about gadgets one could use to add another ten gallons to one's bathtub in another post, this seems a potentially similar discussion.
My kitchen consists of an electric kettle, a single induction burner, a microwave and ricecooker (in which I can steam, including cakes). The cabinets are the original Dade County pine from 1957, and the countertops and backsplash are the 4x4 ivory matte tiles with slightly darker grout that the previous homeowner, now deceased, installed before he couldn't do any more DIY, and showed off as his favorite part of his remodel when I first saw the house. Aesthetically, not loving them, but I see the man's hands and face, standing in the same spaces that I stand in and still want that. The fridge is a smallish Haier that is as energy-efficient as the sporty European super-efficient ones, but I eye it when I notice for days on end that it is hardly full, and believe when it goes, that I might consider a solar one, if any...
Since my idea of my dream bathroom remodel right now is a humanure set up (the low-tech composter :) which I completely understand is not practical for everyone or apt bldgs, but would work in my setup, it's possibly best to dismiss me as a nutcase :)