topic Re: TWO KITCHENS in Home

TWO KITCHENS

Oznell — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:04:38 GMT

Both are rather unusual, you might even say "moody".

North Carolina kitchen, in a spacious vacation house in the Blue Ridge Mountains:

Warm natural woods have been making a comeback for quite a while now. Here they used maple and white oak for cabinets and island. I like the rustic-looking pendant lights which are from Visual Comfort.

Paint is "Farrow's White" by Farrow and Ball. I think the vanilla walls and especially the dramatic tile wall, do help mitigate the darkness of the woods, although I tend to almost always lean to "sunny, bright" in kitchens.

The stacked horizontal tile give a welcome modern feeling. I like the clean hood, which has been done in pale plaster.

The shades bring in more of the earthy feeling.

This particular kitchen also has an unseen hard-working butler's pantry tucked away, lucky.

Another non-"cookie cutter" kitchen, this one in a cozy 1917 cottage in Louisville, Kentucky:

The owners have an "old world" aesthetic, incorporating antiques and vintage touches. They painted the walls in Benjamin Moore's "Aganthus Green", and the cabinets in "Vintage Vogue"--

In this cottage-y space, I like the green cabinets, the rich stone countertop on the island, and the way the hood mimics a graceful, arched hearth.

The pendant lights are from Crate and Barrel, yet they work nicely with the vintage feeling of the kitchen.

Re: TWO KITCHENS

DREAMON — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:17:05 GMT

I do like both pretty kitchens but the first North Carolina Kitchen is by far my favorite.

The window, the flow, the beams, the space, the easy work access to all appliances, the colors used......all is very appealing to me.

Re: TWO KITCHENS

DSD2 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:09:53 GMT

They are both lovely @Oznell but the first is my favorite.

I love the hood, ceiling, lights, beautiful white vase of flowers and the pretty windows. I would prefer lighter cabinets and floor, it's a bit too dark for me but a minor quibble.

Thank you for another wonderful post. I so look forward to them!

Re: TWO KITCHENS

just bee — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:16:19 GMT

I'd wash dishes, sip tea, chop vegetables, drink wine and consume meals facing that window.

Not all at the same time, of course...

Re: TWO KITCHENS

faeriemoon — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:18:57 GMT

I "heard" the word "moody" and came out of the woodwork.

I have to say I'm not in love with either kitchen, but I do like the first one very much. I'm surprised I don't like the second one better because I'm usually I'm all over anything green, but there is something about it that doesn't float my boat. The pink peeking through the room behind may be a factor, and the counter stools may also be spoiling the look for me.

Re: TWO KITCHENS

Bonkers1 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:29:27 GMT

I like the first but would prefer lighter wood cabinets.

Re: TWO KITCHENS

BlueFinch — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 19:11:50 GMT

I'm a 'moody' lover. I'm so drawn to warm, dark woods. To my eye, the first photo is beautiful. I don't see a thing I'd want to change.

I've loved deep natural woods since I was a child. For me, it's just more restful than the trend to bring in the light, with so much white, and/or bright colors.

Glad to hear warm natural woods are making a comeback. Hadn't heard that. I've been in some kitchens so bright you needed to keep your sunglasses on. Nice, but too sterile for me,..LOL.

Re: TWO KITCHENS

beach-mom — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 19:25:27 GMT

@just bee wrote:

I'd wash dishes, sip tea, chop vegetables, drink wine and consume meals facing that window.

Not all at the same time, of course...

LOL @just bee !

Throughout our marriage I have told DH when looking at homes, I wanted a kitchen over the sink that looked outside and a large closet in the master bedroom.

I didn't get either, until now. I do now have a window over the sink, and it looks into the backyard and the woods, but it looks through the sunroom first. Still don't have that big closet though.

@Oznell - Thank you for posting these beautiful pictures. Personally I like a lighter kitchen, not white, just light, which is what I have now.

Re: TWO KITCHENS

CarolinaGirl88 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 20:02:12 GMT

I like both of these a lot. It's interesting to see something a little different. I don't mind any of the "moodiness" in these rooms because I think the color palattes are pretty and look classy.

Re: TWO KITCHENS

GingerHead — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 22:37:13 GMT

@Oznell

These are both beautiful.

In the first kitchen, I adore the dramatic tiling all the way up the wall.

I think that kitchen could look fantastic (to me) if the cabinets were maybe painted that same lovely grey blue shade of the window trim or a light dove grey, or even a black/navy blue. For some reason I'm not a fan of that dark brown color they are currently.

I'd also change out the slip covers on the bar stools, to my eye the block print competes with the tile pattern (silly thing I know).

But wowzers! What a beauty. That wood of the island is great, the beams and pendant lighting down to the floral arrangement...Love!

The Cottage Kitchen is also so lovely. I love their use of color. The greens with the white and the black bar stools all make for a very pretty and cozy setting.

Thanks for the lovelies!!!

Re: TWO KITCHENS

Oznell — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:36:49 GMT

I don't know, @just bee , I've always pegged you as a versatile multi-tasker-- I bet you could do it!

Re: TWO KITCHENS

shoptilyadropagain — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 19:00:33 GMT

I like the first one a lot. For the second one, the green, island chairs and the pendant light are a big NO for me so, overall, the kitchen is a hard pass.

Re: TWO KITCHENS

wagirl — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 18:01:13 GMT

OMG--way too dark for me--am not a fan of dark cabinets/flooring at all.

Re: TWO KITCHENS

CANDLEQUEEN — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 19:42:12 GMT

I like them both, but absolutely love the 1st one!!!

Re: TWO KITCHENS

SactoSue — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 17:55:56 GMT

I am very envious of the space in the North Caroina kitchen.

However, I realy wouldn't want that wall of windows when it is cold and dark outside. I also do not like having peope able to see inside my home so much.

My issues are petty: I really do not like when tile like that is stacked and not staggered.. The cabinetry seems too dark for me.

The second kitchen is cute and more cozy to my eye. The countertop the stove is in is not realy large, and the pillars of the enclosure of the vent and overhead really cut off access to it. That is kind of a pet peeve of mine, don't like having to reach around something while I'm at the stove or oven.

Re: TWO KITCHENS

QVCisFun — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 07:54:11 GMT

In the first kitchen, the light fixtures look like bottles chilling in buckets.

In the second kitchen what is catching to my attention is the room(s) seen beyond the kitchen openings. On the right side room, the walls look red, and the walls in the room on the left side look pink. So am wondering, is it one big room where the lighting causes the red to cast a pink look on the opposite part of the room, or is it a separate room that is (or appears to be) painted pink.

I am also distracted by the lack of symmetry of the two kitchen openings that lead to the next room(s) beyond that kitchen wall - there is an arch on the left side but not on the right side. And the right side has molding above the windows and doorway in the kitchen but doesn't appear to carry through to the next room on the same side. But the molding does appear in the next room on the left side.

Re: TWO KITCHENS

Oznell — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 17:26:42 GMT

I had the same reaction to the disparity in the architecture of the two doors, @QVCisFun . Then, I thought-- it's an old cottage. It's conceivable that it grew and changed over time, as different necessities arose.

I almost always prefer the classicism of symmetry when it comes to architecture. But, when it comes to a cottage, all bets are off, somehow! ( At least for me.) It sort of contributes to the slightly other-worldly, fairy tale feeling.

And boy, that cottage as I remember it, was quite quirky.

Also wondered about the pink, versus deeper magenta or red. I guessed that it was two different rooms, but not sure.

Always enjoy your detailed observations!

Re: TWO KITCHENS

faeriemoon — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 17:38:36 GMT

@QVCisFun @Oznell My impression is that both rooms are pink, but the opening on the right appears darker because of a drape or curtain on the window. I believe the curtain is either red or magenta.

I'm not on my ipad to enlarge the pic so I may be wrong.

Re: TWO KITCHENS

SactoSue — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 17:59:58 GMT

In the second kitchen -

Are the cabinets on the left and right side the same shade of green appearing different because of the shade or are they truly two different colors?

Re: TWO KITCHENS

Oznell — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 01:43:34 GMT

@SactoSue , in the case of the cabinets, they're all the same color, "Vintage Vogue", by Benjamin Moore. It must be the light that's making them look different shades, I expect.