A bottle of red, a bottle of white … it all depends upon your appetite …

Crystal reminded me recently that I haven’t done a blog post about my kitchen. You’ve seen some other rooms in my house: guest room, closet, hallways, and my master bedroom. So, here’s my kitchen:

The house was built to spec, so we got to pick out the tile, (which you see in the backsplash above), the maple cabinets, and the black countertops and appliances. The barstools (which you see a tip of in the foreground) match the dining room chairs.  The mudroom and the bathroom have red walls and can be seen in the background. One of my favorite pieces to the room is the pot hanger – that was a purchase I absoutely do not regret. If you want a tip – don’t hang it above a cooking surface. I’ve seen people hang them above their stovetop, and the “clean” pots and pans are constantly coated with grease. The signs above the cabinets (Latte, Espresso, Mocha, Cappucino) are meant to inspire thoughts of warmth and creativity, like a coffee shop or an Italian cafe … and they add a little splash of color to an otherwise neutral palatte.

Between the kitchen and the breakfast room is the bar:

All the wine glasses, wine and liquor are stored here, along with playing cards, beer bottle openers, pretty much anything you need to get your drink on …

The art above the bar is a menu from an Italian restaurant that Jeff (well, really, Jeff’s mom) got in Italy when he was 4 years old. I try not to read it on account of I will want Italian food every day if I do so …

There is a wine decantur on the first shelf underneath and liquor decanturs on the top. The liquor decanturs have silver labels on them (which need to be polished; not that you can tell on this blurry photo!) The big ass bottle of Belvedere was a gift from Eileen years ago, and we always said we’d wait for her to open it … she is living in California now so maybe we’ll have to work something out virtually! The cutting board is actually a former Grey Goose bottle that Chuck and Jenny had turned into a cutting board. Super cool! And the turtle peeking out from beside the liquor is my new friend from Hawaii, a gift from Chris when he traveled to see his family. On occasion I’ve busted the turtle drinking out of the rum … tsk, tsk.

Clean countertops are a must around here, if you can’t tell from looking above. The coffeepot and grinder get priority since they’re used daily. The mixer also stays on the counter because it’s super heavy to move out of the pantry. The cutting board is dishwasher safe and that makes it easy to use (an aside: I’m totally bothered by the fact that it’s crooked in the photo. About to go straighten it.)

The towel and oven mitts are a way to add a little color (can you tell I like red?) without making it overwhelming. Plus, they’re really easy to grab when it’s time to pull something out of the oven.

The mud room hosts the dogproof trashcan and the message center. That’s where keys, menus, coupons, and extra batteries are stored. Not a big “refrigerator art” person, but niece Mia colored a photo for Jeff so it had to go on display – it’s so cute!

Above is the view from the kitchen into the living room. Yes, I’m watching Grey’s Anatomy while I write this. …

The glassed-in cabinet is another great way to display a little color, and my mother-in-law gifted some great pasta dishes that work just right here. To the right of the kitchen is the foyer.

Only one thing left to show off – the pantry:

The key to any good pantry is organization. Top shelf is rarely-used appliances, like the waffle iron, espresso maker, meat slicer, etc. Next shelf is food: crackers, then cereal, then snacks. Below that is the bread box and containers holding all the grains, sugar, flour, etc. Then below that is the banana holder, vaccuum-sealed coffee container, protein powder, blender, toaster. Other food goes in the door and the floor area (unseen) holds any tupperware containers and drinks (diet coke, tonic water.)

So, that’s my kitchen. Who wants to come over for dinner, or better yet, some Belvedere?