Inspiration: Kitchen and Dining RoomsMarie Claire Maison

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For awhile now we have been thinking about remodeling our kitchen. Galvanized steel countertops and poor quality veneer cabinets have to be replaced. Eventually we would also like to get new appliances. Unfortunately, kitchen remodels can be expensive, especially when looking for high quality items and materials. Using unconventional or recycled furniture in a kitchen or dining room can save you money and add character.

• 1 Venessa Zochetti is a journalist, who lives in an old toy factory with her family. We love the open layout of her kitchen. The oak cabinet with lots of drawers came from an old linen shop. The sliding-door cupboards were used as storage in the old factory.

• 2 This Parisian dining room features the original built-in cabinets. They were repainted for a modern look and are a great backdrop for the Knoll dining set. The parquet floors are also original.

• 3 We love this kitchen. Stainless steel seems in perfect harmony with the concrete walls.

• 4 A beautiful black and white kitchen. Industrial dining table offers extra countertop space and is a more flexible solution to a built-in kitchen island. The long bench creates additional seating.

• 5 This bright green kitchen has a Middle Eastern feel. It belongs to Izhar Patkin, a contemporary artist, who lives in an old school building that was restored. Professional stainless steel appliances replaced the traditional sink, stove, countertops, and cabinets. In combination with the unusual lighting and glossy hardwood floor, the space is intimate and functional at the same time.

Marie Claire Maison is a great source of ideas when looking for kitchen remodel inspirations.

Photos: Marie Claire Maison

The first picture is so bright and cozy, I love it. Especially with the pops of color!

posted by electric lime vintage on March 24th 2009 at 7:32pm
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The first two are lovely rooms. I'd actually want to cook and eat and hang out in those rooms. The last room makes me feel a little queasy. I would not want to spend a lot of time in there.

posted by slowdown on March 24th 2009 at 8:10pm
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Venessa Zochetti's kitchen is a marvel. I love the combination of blues and purples in the tiles, and the way they play with the warm colour of the wood. One almost never sees this combination, especially in a kitchen, but it's very personable and yet sophisticated.

posted by Blandwagon on March 24th 2009 at 9:09pm
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I just discovered Vanessa Zochetti's kitchen in a Jeu de Paume book in japanese. Love it! I am hunting craigslist daily for an eat in kitchen table for my kitchen, so parisian!

posted by kikiclark on March 24th 2009 at 11:42pm
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Love all of these kitchens, although not all of them would work for our requirements.

Marie Claire Maison is a really great magazine; glad to see it is getting more exposure on AT.

posted by mschatelaine on March 25th 2009 at 2:40am
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Love the toy factory kitchen! Those cabinets look like giant card catalogs - i love the wood! That giant window is amazing, and I too love the magenta, purples, and blue pops. So warm - not industrial/modern/overly streamlined like so many kitchen remodels.

posted by SydneyBristow on March 25th 2009 at 11:56am
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I love seeing real furniture used instead of built-in cabinets. If I were ever designing a kitchen from scratch, that's what I'd do.

Eames storage units aren't much more expensive than crappy cabinets when you factor in labor costs.

posted by Lisa (Montreal) on March 25th 2009 at 1:31pm
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