Surfaces, part three: The Kitchen
a place for work and play
“Serious art comes from serious play” says Julia Cameron. I’d argue on a similar note that happy homes come from happy kitchens. It is a place where form meets function more than anywhere else in the house, where conversations overlap with cooking, where not only the work of daily life occurs but the play of it as well.
So what makes a happy kitchen? Someone recently told me that a messy kitchen is a happy kitchen – oftentimes I’d love to believe it.
But whether you are meticulous about your countertops or not, I think there are some very perfect and also very sad kitchens these days: sterile spaces devoid of life, lighting that would be adequate for performing surgery, and surfaces so pristine that you just know they are not using enough butter.
My dream kitchen would feel less like the typical kitchen and more like another room for living: very little permanent cabinetry, open shelving, cozy seating, marble that embraces its markings as memories, and a large table with plenty of space for others to join in the prep and later sit to enjoy the meal.
Whether you already occupy the most wonderful Devol-esque kitchen in all the land or you are persevering your way through laminate countertops and early 2000s tile, the atmosphere here deserves the same consideration you’d give any other room in your home… possibly even more because of the many hours we spend there. Below are four quick tips for adding a little more play into your hardworking kitchen. I have finally updated my ShopMy page with some kitchen favorites and also posted a few of the happiest recipes my family loves here.
