I’ve written about my love for hanging pot racks here before, and I had totally forgotten about it until today.  I just however stumbled upon potracksource.com and now my life is complete.  Well, it will be when I own one.

Isn’t it lovely:

Especially over a butcher block island:

And beadboard cabinets painted butter yellow, a farm house sink, subway tile, nautical pendant lamps……  Ok, back to reality.

For now, here are some pictures of the Father of the Bride that has inspired my love for pot racks:

Nancy Meyers love affair post coming soon1  Stay tuned…

GROLAND by IKEA:

Lenox Kitchen Island from WS Home… a wee bit out of my price range, but very lovely:

Salvaged Wood Kitchen Island from RH- again, way out of my price range (and way too big for my kitchen), but lovely:

Harvest Table from Target… really target?  $829???

As always, it looks like IKEA is gonna win…

He found a kitchen that he loved at This Old House.  It is a beautiful kitchen- very open and airy:

The tin ceilings are from M-Boss.  Talk about adding character to a room!  You can also find tin ceilings at The American Tin Ceiling Co. or The Tin Ceiling Depot as well as a gazillion other places.  They are just about the coolest things ever, huh?  I once saw the tin panels painted a cream color and used as the backsplash in a kitchen- it was to die for.  Absolutely goregous.

The inspiration kitchen has some awesome open shelving which I am a huge fan of.  I think people generally cram way to much stuff into their cabinets and rarely use the majority of it.  Open shelving gives you the opportunity to display your lovely tableware and keeps you in check so that you don’t hang on to way more stuff than you need.

The February 2009 Issue of Country Living Magazine has a lovely example of open shelving done right- here is a picture of the kichen of Interior Designer Nancy Taylor:

If you’ll scroll up you’ll see the awesome antique oven in the inspiration kitchen.

Elmira Stove Works sells some great reproduction ranges:

And for the real thing, visit Antique Appliances.

Buyers expect the granite and stainless and if you have them both it will be the reason a buyer will choose your home or your neighbor who has tile counters and white appliances.

That being said, granite and stainless have become so popular that I’m sure people will be looking back on pictures of kitchens from today and immediately noticing the G&S and saying something along the lines of “that kitchen is SO 2000s!” like the way we say nowadays “that kitchen is stuck in the 80s.”

I’m sure the G&S phenomenon will not last more than a decade, well maybe the stainless but not the granite for sure.  People are always flip-flopping back and forth about what is new and hot; the latest countertop material that man can create or what is the most Green and natural.

Again, that being said, I feel that people are starting to introduce color back into their kitchens.  Retro is making a HUGE comeback.  I think with all the craziness that is going on in the world people are longing for simpler times and the comfort of 50s and 60s suburbia.

Big Chill makes some AWESOME Retro fridges, stoves and dishwashers.

If you do a google search for “retro kitchen” you will find a plethora of resources for kitchen appliances and decor.

Here are a few that caught my eye:

Retro Planet- some fun fun kitchen decor!

Jack and Friends- is a particular favorite only because of the name {Will & Grace anyone?}

Bars and Booths- has, well bars and booths and stuff of that ilk if you want to totally deck out your kitchen from the floor to the ceiling.

The two-story living room:

Here is a link to some more info on the color blue and it’s affects on the appetite.

If I had my fan decks on me I would point out some lovely colors for your kitchen, but you will have to wait.

NO!

Actually now that I look at this picture it looks more green than blue…but you get the idea right?

Hanging above an island like this one, also from Sur La Table:

Now that I think of it, I’m pretty sure there is an island and hanging pot rack in the movie Father of the Bride, which is my all time favorite movie, and their house is my all time favorite house.  I love everything about it- the style of the house, the décor, the warm feeling it has, the layout, the design.

Father of the Bride House:

If you are ever in the LA area, drive by and take a picture of the house for me.  The address is 843 S. El Molino Ave, Pasadena, CA.  Next time I am out that way I for sure am going to go!  (It is a private residence, though, so pictures only!)

It is in the same ilk as Restoration Hardware but a little bit… I want to say funky but that is not the word, their stuff just has a little bit more character and personality.

My dream kitchen:

Countertops: it is a toss up between white marble or black soapstone.  But who says you can’t have both?  So I am thinking black soapstone counters with a HUGE white marble island.

Soapstone:

Here is a company that sells soapstone: http://www.soapstones.com/

Hardware: I like these pulls from Restoration Hardware:

I want black metal hardware.  I think it will look great against pure white cabinets.

More to come on my dream kitchen/ house… stay tuned!