Sorry I do have a country kitchen but I truly love your thoughts on one. I'm doing a mix of a few of your idea's only different. My kitchen is small though. However, I will have a little of "aunt Jane" in there. Actually if aunt Jane could have a 2010 kitchen I think she would like mine but would tisk tisk the mirrored doors. Have fun on your kitchen journey and I can't wait to see your idea pictures.

What is Aunt Jane? That's funny, because I have an Aunt Jane :)

Except perhaps for the woodstove, not sure what's particularly "country" about your dream. Help us here--what's a country kitchen for you?

In my place on the globe, "country" often is interpreted as "at the lake cabin" and for the self-conscious decorator, that means knotty pine, bear and moose and canoe motifs on metal pieces, red-white-green plaids, mismatched furniture painted in glossy paint to match, and old metal lawn chairs or old director's chairs with new fabric ranged along a deck or porch. Doubt that's what you meant.

I like the concept of a real farm kitchen, no matter what the decor. I like the idea of plenty of space to spread out along countertops, a table that can be dragged where it's needed, light from windows, task lighting everywhere but also a center ceiling light for general use, spaces to plunk buckets and baskets and other food-gathering objects, a freezer nearby, a door to the garden, a place to keep garden shoes and hat and jacket right at hand, handtowels and dishtowels and broom and rag nearby, a durable floor, comfy washable rugs underfoot wherever you stand, lots of colanders, ingredients like flour and shortening and spices immediately at hand, compost bins, knives, repurposed and old items and also new items all used because they're useful, and kid-friendliness and aged-friendliness and suitability for multiple cooks. Storage has to include the dehydrator and the blancher and the Foley Food Mill and such. I can't get out of my mind Grandma's windowsill collections of plant cuttings in jelly jars with a slice of wax paper rubber-banded over the top--that's an enduring farm kitchen memory of mine.

"Farm" motifs I can live without: spotted cow items, John Deere collectibles, wheat and corn decorative items, you get the idea. Also am not particularly interested in calico or gingham decor. I don't mind furniture pieces with heavy legs painted in a distinctive color different from the rest of the piece, but don't seek them out. Having known a lot of repurposed beadboard/wainscoating smelly old pieces in my youth so the charm of new pieces of this sort is lost on me also. In many ways, my new kitchen is a farm-like one, I think. But it's not going to look "country" to others, I would guess. (My Aunt Jane was very happy to move off the farm, by the way. She had a very very clean, tiny Formica kitchen in the city.)

Lavender Lass, if you really had a woodstove kitchen, where would you store the wood? Would you cook on it? Where would the stovepipe go--straight out the wall or up to the ceiling? Would it be an antique one or a new one? Have you any experience with this kind of cooking or heating?

Lavender, the aunt Jane kitchen(to me) is on the small side, nothing was picked to match yet over the years it evolved into a "look" that meshed. Aunt Jane was not a clean freak yet things were tidy enough to make you extra cozy...you always felt like sitting there. Oh, and then there was the magic little table that somehow brought out the deepest secrets of even the most guarded people. Aunt Jane's kitchen could cast spells over teetotaler's and they would often leave with wobbly legs. In about the time it would take for most women in great big kitchen's to cross the room, aunt Jane would would already have food on the table.
The only thing bad about aunt Jane's kitchen is that it would sometimes smell of cabbage. The woman liked her cabbage!

I love my (I guess) country kitchen. White cabs circa 1950, antique white walls, off white appliances, brownish woodgrain formica that curves up and becomes the backsplash, off white lineoleum with embossed leaf prints in a taupe color, wood open shelving on one wall (complete with ironstone pitcher and dish collection), wooden lamp holder and bookcase on another wall, wooden top round table with wooden chairs... dinner dished up in a flash, come on down!! (and yes, it sometimes is scented with cabbage ;^)

Lavender Lass,

I recommend that you look at your local library for "The Kitchen Book. Crown Publishers, 1977" by Terence Conran. There are newer editions of this book, but I have not seen them and cannot comment on them. This book, originally published in England, has wonderful kitchens of all varieties and tons of very practical advice. Some of the kitchens look a bit dated now, but the elements of style and good kitchen design basically do not change. I used this book extensively to design our kitchen, which I think is going to be similar to what you term a "country kitchen". We have been calling it a "working kitchen" which we have designed for the ultimate in practicality and hanging out comfort. It will have good quality white plastic laminate cabinets, plain tile countertops, lots of big windows, plenty of space for a large table, a woodstove, a large restored antique range with two ovens and six burners, a big double sink with drainboard, plenty of space for our canning, baking, cooking, cleaning, etc. projects. When it is done, I envision a very practical and highly functional kitchen which looks like it has been in the house for decades. We are pretty serious cooks and have spent several years thinking about what we want in a kitchen. Check to see if you can find Mr. Conran's book. It really is very very helpful!

Joshct- Do you have a plan you could share? It sounds a little bigger than what I can fit into my space, but very practical and comfortable. I'd love to see the antique range :)

Jaybird- Your kitchen sounds very nice...do you have any pictures?

Jterrilynn- I know what you mean about talking around the table...my grandmother's kitchen was like that, so is my mother-in-law's kitchen. It always amazes me the amount of food that could come out of such a small work space. It always tasted so good, too.

Florantha- Your description of a farm kitchen is pretty much what I was thinking of, much more than the log cabin kitchen.

If I had to describe it, I would say warm white cabinets, antique brass hardward (pulls on the drawers) medium to dark wood floor, cobalt blue and white tiles (kind of Scandinavian) behind the stove (I'd love an Aga, but don't know how practical that is with our hot summers) a work table in the center, rather than an island. Would also love a corner banquette in the corner windows, with lots of comfy cushions, the round pedestal table that was my husband's grandmother's table, with a couple of chairs for extra seating...and a little cobalt blue woodstove (to match the tile) in the corner, with the glass inset in the doors. I'd like it to have the space on top for a tea kettle or to cook...we do have the power go off sometimes.

I actually live on a farm, so I think a farm kitchen is probably a better description. A large pantry and a mudroom would be ideal, too. If there's room, I think I'd add on a screened porch along the back...perfect for enjoying summer evenings :)

lavender lass, your dream kitchen sounds wonderful! I remember one of the first houses we looked at as a young couple many many years ago had a "country" kitchen with a woodstove in the corner and an arched brick surround enclosed hood/backsplash over the range and a big wood table in the center of the kitchen. We loved it, and it is one of the things my DH still talks about these days (i.e., "remember that country kitchen? I want it to be like that..." or "we should've bought that country-kitchen house...").

Don't forget the walk-in pantry! The pantry is one of my most cherished memories of my grandmother's kitchen. I remember hiding in there as a little kid, looking at all the shelves (painted post-war green of course) with rows and rows of her home-canned veggies and candy etc. When the adults would gather and start talking boring adult-stuff, I would retreat to the pantry to daydream!

I don't have a country kitchen, but as you know, I'm leaning toward something similar in my next one. (I think we have very similar tastes, you and I.) I never said so, but I also love the idea you had for roses growing over the windows in my new kitchen. So don't forget the roses, herbs and windows, either!

Jenswrens- I think you're right, we do have similar tastes :)

Roses and herbs are such a great combination. I just put in some damasks, gallicas, rugosas and some hybrid musks this year, so I'm hoping they'll do well over the winter. Most are right up against the house, so they should get a little more protection. We're in zone 4, so climbing roses are a little tricky, but I haven't given up yet. Maybe some Canadian hardy roses.

I love the idea of a walk-in pantry. So much wonderful storage! Your grandmother's kitchen must have been a great place to spend time, as a child.

How are the kitchen plans coming along? Whatever you decide on, don't let anyone talk you out of a HUGE mudroom. That's one thing I would love to have...and I really could use it :)

Thanks for clarifying about the farm and something about the wood stove. You might want to take the Sweeby Test (see the Buehl thread on p. 1 about being a newbie) and let us know what you come up with.

I neglected to mention in my tome above that the mags and books these days often use the adjective "country" to indicate what was once referred to as "early American" or "colonial" and has a strong very antique flavor. Your mental image of my "up at the lake" as being "log cabin" shows how different our backgrounds and images are. The lake home in the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes is a culture unto itself and the log homes can be very modest but sometimes are extremely high-end, with lots of glass and pricy stuff! I suspect that mentioning log buildings in other parts of the country might bring up all kinds of other images.

I know what you mean. If I had to try and describe my style, I'd say that it's American Farmhouse meets English country cottage...then they decided to go on a trip to the south of France and parts of Italy...and came back with some really great accent pieces :)

Here are some pictures of Thanksgiving at our aunt's house on the farm. It's very family centered and very country.

She even has a fireplace in the corner of her kitchen.

Ncamy- What a wonderful kitchen! I love the fireplace. You can tell how much fun everyone is having...and the plaid settee is charming. What a great space to decorate for the holidays :)