The day has finally come, I have a kitchen.  After a lot of planning, waiting, reorganising, ordering, chivvying and lots of hard work on the part of the installers (Stephen and his Dad) the kitchen is in.  We’ve gone for a Mid Century Modern brown tone for all of the cupboards as part of our modern/vintage aesthetic.  I really wasn’t sure if the colour would come out as we have imagined but now it is up I love it.  A lot.

The colour is even better than I imagined it, the lines are crisp and sharp, the storage….oh the storage….

As well as a bajillion cupboards (yes that is a lot) I have a large pantry cupboard with 5 slide out shelves to store all our lovely cooking supplies easily.  Next to it is the fridge freezer so I’m thinking of this as the food storage area.  Next to that is the wall oven, something I’ve wanted for as long as I’ve known about wall ovens.     It doesn’t hurt that Nigella has one.

Right now it is an empty space, but it will be filled with a shiny new wall oven which will not burn or undercook everything that goes in it.  It is also the perfect distance from the island for easy prep and cooking as well as the perfect eye line from the living room to keep an eye on things cooking.  Perfect, oh wait I said that already.

Next to oven is the appliance garage, that is a cupboard on the counter in which to store my blender and food processor so that I can get them out and use them without snapping my back in half.  Those puppies are heavy.

Yes this is indeed a kitchen designed just for me with the way I cook in mind, bliss, bliss, bliss.  Yet again Stephen’s design skills have come to the fore and I have a kitchen that I couldn’t love more.  It also doesn’t hurt that we have a genius carpenter in the family able to sort out any kinks in our grand scheme, making it truly custom and truly a family kitchen.

The bit that I love the most I’m actually not going to show yet.  Until it is fully finished I don’t want to post pics, I only want it seen in it’s fully glory.  But I will gush for a moment if I may.  I am talking, of course, about the island.  8ft by 4 ft it sits in the middle of the house with a picture window straight in front of it.  The induction cooktop sits in the middle with prep areas on either side and there is an overhang where the boys (or guests) can sit and eat, chat, enjoy tea and cakes, while I work away in the kitchen.  The island has 8 large drawers (2 of them could comfortably house the children) into which I will put all my pans, bakeware, cutlery, children…and anything else I can think of.  I really don’t think space is going to be an issue.

Please excuse my hideous bragfest, I know I must seem like Gloaty McGloatyson, but I really am that excited.  After 10 years of dreaming, moving, planning, more dreaming, selling, looking, not finding, nearly finding, crazy people and other moving dream madness; we are finally there.  This will be our 8th address in 7 years and, I hope, will be our address for many years/decades to come.  This last year and a bit has been one of dedicated hard work, real graft and has taken pretty much everything Stephen and I have.  We’ve been immensely lucky to have the help of family and friends along the way but even with that, we are done.

In that process, that focus on getting the work done, clearing the to do list that fills up just moments later, it has been easy to lose sight of what it is we are working for.  We’ve created something that I can hardly believe, a house that is beautiful, unique and ours.  So I won’t lie, when I stood in my kitchen, with the cupboards on the walls and the island in place, I cried.  Not a few sparkly ‘for camera’ tears, but really cried.  I just can’t believe I’m this lucky.

So while we will spend the rest of our natural lives paying our mortgage, will probably be able to ‘retire’ about 6 months after we are dead and will spend every moment working on the land that we have promised to be the loving custodians of, I really don’t think a day will go by when I won’t look at this house, this kitchen, our home and be totally dazzled.

Tea anyone?

PS Yes that is a bit of the island, but not all of it and not in the finished state.  Please focus on the cute child now.