our cottage kitchen

Hi everyone!

I thought I would share our little kitchen today. 

We really like the size of it. Plenty of cabinetry for a small kitchen. I even have one empty drawer which is crazy because our last house had a kitchen that was three times the size of this one. 

There is a small freezer-on-top fridge. We miss our old Sub Zero fridges but they would never fit in this kitchen. The opening allows only a 30" width. This one came with the house, it is a nice KitchenAid, we would prefer a freezer-on-bottom model, not found one yet that would suit the space and I am too practical to swap out an almost new fridge in perfect condition.

There is no natural gas in the mountains. Gas cooktops can only be installed after burying a propane tank in the yard to provide gas. This house does not have a tank, so there is an electric cooktop that we surprisingly love! It heats up quickly, boils water much faster than our Wolf gas cooktop at the old house did and allows pan handles to stay cool. The other thing that we were concerned about is the lack of a vent hood. The little circle on the ceiling is the vent. It is very quiet but extremely efficient. I have no idea how it does it, I was assuming the house would smell for days after we cooked something stinky. Not one bit and we broil fish often when the weather does not allow for grilling.

The kitchen was remodeled ten years ago and has the popular granite from that time. Fine for now. Nice to keep herbs from the garden in a vase ready for cooking. Thai basil and parsley have done well in the mountains for us this summer,  sweet basil not as much, needs more warmth. The walls of the kitchen are covered in an attractive vinyl grasscloth that wipes clean, a great product.

I would like a set of sconces on either side of the window. The sellers had a nice antique wood piece over the window that we forgot to request to purchase during the negotiations. This house relies on lots of can lights because it is rather dark, being in the canopy of the mountains. The ceilings of the cottage are low with the exception of the vaulted living room adjacent to the kitchen. 

We love the pantry doors with reclaimed wood that compliment the wood used over the mantle and fireplace. I found extra vinyl grasscloth in the basement, will have it applied inside the pantry. You can see the skylight over the dining area which provides nice light and has an attractive metal grill attached.

The canisters house the tea, cardamom, fennel and spices for the morning chai my husband makes. The framed orange tree is an English Ehrman Tapestry needlepoint I made years ago. I made Ina Garten's white bean soup with rosemary on Saturday when I took this pic, that is the open cookbook page. It is yummy. The striped pitcher is French art pottery. The enamel bowls in the cabinet are vintage Kaj Franck from Finland. I have loved them since I was a teenager and have four of them, I have bought them for our kids apartments too.

So that is all from the little cottage in the mountains today. The sun is shining and I need to get out and enjoy it with some exercise and gardening!

Thanks for visiting!

Cindy