It's In The Small Things (Kitchen Edition)

A basket of fresh vegetables on the countertop is likely to get you cooking!

Provencal inspired

Cafe art

Cafe chairs and table.

Iconic cookie jar

Parisian espresso cup

What inspires me for our kitchen is an Italian\Provencal\Parisian vision. I see breadsticks, fresh butter, wicker baskets full of fresh vegetables and fruits and onions and shallots, wine, oils and vinegars, espresso cups and teacups, cookie jars and jars of nuts and sweets. I imagine fresh flowers in a clear vase and Andreas Bocelli singing to me from the speakers. I see a cutting board on the table with wines and cheeses and grapes, little China saucers that are delicate and ornate and bubbling pots of sauces and foods. Glass jars filled with rices and pastas and beans line the walls and you know it's the little things....just the little things.

From Blah to Wow

Charming and tiny kitchen--if this can work, anything can.

Storage and painting fix everything

Kitchens in urban Toronto apartments are uninspiring at best. Tiny, narrow and drab you wonder how you can whip up a spicy penne sausage dish in such a hideous, tiny and ugly kitchen. I fear the bathroom and kitchen will be the hardest to work with. I cannot picture a beautiful kitchen when dealing with ugly, outdated appliances, counters and floor space. But there is always hope!

The average Toronto kitchen

What I would do with this drab kitchen is put down a colorful mat with chocolates and yellows, maybe some red in there. I would paint the boring walls a deep gray and add some post-Impressionist art on the wall adjacent to the sink and paint those forlorn cabinets ivory or something. I would add red curtains to the tiny window and add a wall pantry shelf adjacent to the sink with spices, olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars and some wine. Voila!

Small but functional, well decorated kitchen