The Family Kitchen
One of the things that we knew we wanted when designing our new house was a large kitchen. When most people say that, it’s probably because they plan on holding a lot of get-togethers or hosting a lot of parties, but for us it was different. With 4 kids and 2 inside dogs the kitchens in our past homes would inevitably get a little too crowded. We always want the kids to be involved with everything we do, whether it be helping cook a meal, assisting in cleaning up the kitchen afterwards, or just chatting about their day, we didn’t want to be tripping over each other when trying to go about our daily chores. Not only is a kitchen packed to the gills with kids and dogs a safety hazard, but it also makes the tasks that take place there more difficult, which tends to take the enjoyment out of them. We wanted to share the space of the kitchen and the experiences we had there with our children and to enjoy every minute of it.
A lot of my memories growing up are of my Grandma’s Kitchen with everyone always gathering around the small table off to the side while my Grandma cooked. There wasn’t a lot of room but everyone always ended up in the kitchen chatting and making memories. I wanted my kids to have the same experience but with a little more functionality. So, when designing our kitchen I knew I had to have a big island. I wanted a communal area where I could prepare our food and the kids to be a part of the process while they sit at the bar. They get to watch how I prepare the food without being in the way, even help sometimes and it allows me to work without having to have my back to everyone.
I honestly feel like our family kitchen is one of the most important rooms in our house. It was designed to be warm and inviting, and I feel like we were able to capture that and have created a space that will be the centerpiece of memories for our family for years to come.
