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lavender_lass

Fairy tale kitchen :)

lavender_lass
13 years ago

I just love this kitchen! The window and range hood look like something out of a fairy tale. Of course, I would change the colors...and those lights :)

{{!gwi}}

Does anyone else like this style?

Comments (36)

  • User
    13 years ago

    I like it. What's not to like about this white/stainless kitchen~~~~ !!!!

    I also like the gray crown molding and the gray trim around the window. And the sort of gray/tan countertops probably granite? I think the gray--or is it a kind of greige/green--gives a necessary soft emphasis to details of the room. How about that tiled border over the stovetop? Without my glasses, I cannot see what it is, but if it is nice birds and leafed twigs, then I'm all in favor of it.

    However, as far as a kitchen to live with for the rest of your life, I think it has too much specific stuff that I'd like to change after a while. That's just the way I am. I like to keep it simple, because I know myself. Give me the big window, the stainless, the crown molding, a generic type of countertop and plain backsplash, and I'd be happy forever. I'm sure the painted range hood would end up all greasy and smoky, and a mess to clean. I'm more in favor of a good seamless stainless range hood easy to keep clean.

    Lavender, you are a true romantic, and I admire the way you have such enthusiasm to look at new things. Until you insert yourself into the room, in any way you can, even at a showroom or in your dreams, you won't know....and you are willing to look into all the WHAT IFS. Thanks for bringing this latest kitchen to our attention. Some element of it just might be the inspirational touchstone for one of us.
    :)

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    ML- I don't like the finish on the range hood (it does look hard to clean) but just the overall shape. The window is beautiful, but probably WAY out of my budget! LOL

    The backsplash does look like vines and birds...that's probably why I like it. Very Snow White :)

  • sherwoodva
    13 years ago

    Lavender, I love the way it looks, but would not want to have to clean it. The hood, the tile, and the window are gorgeous.

  • Shades_of_idaho
    13 years ago

    LL I think the space is gorgeous. Stove wonderful. Back splash to stove dreamy. Maybe hard to clean with the relief. Still gorgeous.Some times beauty over function wins. LOL

  • User
    13 years ago

    Lavender, once upon a time, I spent some time as the "chef" on a huge yacht with a gorgeous galley kitchen, mostly commercial sized appliances and a shopping budget to die for. It had a hood shaped like that one in it, only it was copper. Oye, let me tell you I was always cleaning the grease off there. The range below had a gas grill and six burners, and it was quite large. Some of my love for a gas stove originates with my experience using this one, but I want SMALL not large. When you have to get out a ladder to clean the stove hood, that is going too far. I want one that does not go all the way to the ceiling, but stops where it disappears into a cabinet or a soffit, to keep the cleaning down to floor level. And make sure that the sucking power is up to the job too.

    And like Shades says, sometimes beauty wins over function. When you know what you like, you know what the beautiful things are that you will be willing to sacrifice your energy and time to keep looking fantastic.

  • young-gardener
    13 years ago

    I love the curve of the hood and the arched window. It's a very romantic space.

  • patty_cakes
    13 years ago

    If romance were a kitchen, this is what it would look like. ;o)

  • ae2ga
    13 years ago

    I love the curves on the windows, hood, upper cabinets, and niches; the backsplash over the stove is divine. The crown moulding and window trim are dreamy. The granite and stainless -not so much, but that's just me. Neither take away from the beauty of the kitchen.

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I don't like granite and stainless steel, either, but I love the curves on the hood and the arched window!

    Here's another fairy tale kitchen. Pretty fireplace and blue island...and I really like the chandelier :)

    {{!gwi}}

  • Shades_of_idaho
    13 years ago

    That is pretty too. I really like the glass doors on the upper cabinets.

  • enigmaquandry
    13 years ago

    mmm, it's beautiful. I wish there was a hair more of a masculine touch to knock down the feminine lines a little bit. It's really lovely though.

  • User
    13 years ago

    Enigma, I've wondered about the look of a cottage which has beadboard, white molding, old bathroom fixtures like a clawfoot tub and pedestal sink, and small panes of glass in cabinet doors.

    Would that be considered masculine or feminine or both?
    What is your perspective on it?

  • flgargoyle
    13 years ago

    Good question- I'm a big fan of the cottage look, and I'm a guy. I consider myself fairly masculine, but I'm not crazy about overtly masculine design (unless it's in a man cave LOL!). I think so-called feminine design notes are more comfortable. It's easy to 'man up' a cottage look a little- add some black elements, like trim or tile, add a little chrome, and I think it heads in that direction without losing the coziness of cottage style. The more exposed plumbing from the old days also adds an industrial/masculine note. To cut a long story short- I think it's a fairly neutral style that can be taken in either direction- or both!

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I think fairy tale is a feminine type of cottage style. Lots of curves and pastels, usually. It would be easy to make colors more neutral, add more wood and knock down a few curves, to make it more gender/neutral.

    ML- I love your description of a cottage style bathroom. That's the kind of bathroom I want, with a claw foot tub and a dresser made into a vanity (with a pedestal sink in the half bath). Again, if you add a walk in shower and some basic tile, maybe a wood floor (even if it's vinyl) that would make it a little more masculine, too.

    Adding pink (which I rarely do) puts the 'frou frou' in a room, so sticking to greens, yellows and blues (with maybe a few lavender or even pink accents, like flowers) keeps a room cottage-y, without going overboard. And, I'd ease up on the lace, compared to some of the pictures I've seen, too :)

    Sarah Richardson's farmhouse bathroom is a nice combination of cottage, but still friendly to both genders, IMHO.

    {{!gwi}}

    {{!gwi}}

    {{!gwi}}

    Very pretty, but I'd rather have something a little more 'fairy tale' for my vanity :)

    {{!gwi}}

    And here's a link to Sarah's farmhouse main/family bath, which is blues with wood (and a little plaid) so more masculine, in my opinion.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Blue main/family bath

  • Shades_of_idaho
    13 years ago

    Sorry I just can NOT keep my mouth shut on this one.Giggle.

    Just add a recliner to any room=Masculine. Hehehehehehe

    LL Again you have come up with some wonderful inspiration pictures.

    Once when visiting with a lady on decorating and I do not remember if it was GW or where. I asked her what French Country was. I was very new to putting names to styles.Still am.

    Her comment to me was."It is what makes my husband choke and puke." I laughed so hard. She then went on to explain the French Country look. And I am not making fun of your French Country I love it. Just this comment from her falls into this discussion.

    I feel our house is pretty girlie. Not much pink but lots of lace. Guess my poor dear husband nicely deals with it as long as he has his recliner in viewing distance to the TV, meaning out in the shop will not work, and a good hot meal.

    Great discussion.

    Chris

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Chris- LOL!!! The recliner comment is so true...and I love your description of French Country!

    I was grocery shopping with my mom today (we carpool into town a lot) and stopped to have tea and look through a few magazines. Anyway, I was showing her the 'fairy tale' type of pictures...and we decided there's definitely a 'castle fairy tale' and 'cottage fairy tale'. The first kitchen picture would be 'cottage' and the blue island would be 'castle'!

    Anyway, I like cottage the best. It's a pretty style, soft and a little feminine, but functional and not too fancy :)

  • enigmaquandry
    13 years ago

    Haha, men and their recliners :) The hubby's is still in Alabama for which I am grateful! I LOVE the cottage style, it's predominate in our house, a vintage-farmhouse-cottage style.

    Moccasin, I think cottage style in general leans toward being feminine, just by virtue of antiques and their lyrical lines. But things like beadboard and paneling I think go either way. Our house was getting a little too feminine for our (collective) taste so I have been working in some slightly more "rustic" elements like rough-weave curtains, lanterns, trunks, and accessories like vintage maps etc. I don't think you need overtly masculine touches (like a gun over the fireplace :) necessarily, but things like a strong stripe to balance out smaller prints, or adding some black bits to a room that's very light. I love the bathroom you've described :) Maybe one day it will happen!

    I agree with Jay about industrial touches, works in almost any space.

    Lavender, I think the vanity/dresser you have posted is STUNNING

  • enigmaquandry
    13 years ago

    Haha, men and their recliners :) The hubby's is still in Alabama for which I am grateful! I LOVE the cottage style, it's predominate in our house, a vintage-farmhouse-cottage style.

    Moccasin, I think cottage style in general leans toward being feminine, just by virtue of antiques and their lyrical lines. But things like beadboard and paneling I think go either way. Our house was getting a little too feminine for our (collective) taste so I have been working in some slightly more "rustic" elements like rough-weave curtains, lanterns, trunks, and accessories like vintage maps etc. I don't think you need overtly masculine touches (like a gun over the fireplace :) necessarily, but things like a strong stripe to balance out smaller prints, or adding some black bits to a room that's very light. I love the bathroom you've described :) Maybe one day it will happen!

    I agree with Jay about industrial touches, works in almost any space.

    Lavender, I think the vanity/dresser you have posted is STUNNING

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Enigma- Isn't that pretty? I found it on one of the forums, but I hope I can find something similar, when I'm ready to start remodeling the bathroom.

    I agree about the rustic...I like a french country that has some black wrought iron, some plaids and nice, comfy furniture. I don't dislike recliners, but we're planning a sectional for the living room. My husand would rather stretch out on a long sofa, than a recliner (though he does have a few in his current office/man cave).

    Vintage maps! I love those...great idea. I like the old globes, too, and lots of leather bound books. Perfect for a library/study....or just a corner of the living/family room. They'll look great with our brick fireplace! This isn't ours, but it's very similar and I want to put a bookcase on one side and a window seat on the other. We don't have the beams, but I'd love to include some in the kitchen...to kind of tone down the white and tie in the wood (vinyl) floors. So cottage! :)

    {{!gwi}}

  • TxMarti
    13 years ago

    I like that white buffet, but I don't think I could bring myself to paint a nice antique or vintage piece. That definition of French Country is so true. Almost made me spit out my tea.

    I've probably told this before, but dh hates pink, flowers, and ruffles. When we were younger and had a fight, I'd stomp out of the house and go straight to the store and buy sheets that were pink floral with ruffles.

  • User
    13 years ago

    You can have the best of both worlds, feminine and masculine as well. Traditional stuff fits nicely with cottage. Like the wingback chair in the latest keeping room above. I would do it in a nice leather instead of velvet though. And that massive mantle and the grapevine wreath above the mantle, and a few duck decoys too. As long as the decorative items COULD be part of a funnctional house, I think they can be masculine. And a chair with a good sized ottoman would be fine instead of a recliner. I said years ago I would never never allow a recliner in my house, and so far I'm not required to change my point of view. For one thing, in a small place, those recliners are space hogs. I also think that the tole metal lampshades can be masculine, and durable too. Note in the photo above the Chinese ginger jar based lamp is massive in size, and I think that makes it a little less svelte and feminine too. And having no window treatments at all? Well, I think of that as very basic and thus masculine. I personally would enjoy any type of adjustable shutters on a window, either natural wood or painted satin white. I'm a big fan of shutters.

    I know men in general do not like pink, but you have to be careful with some color paint, like beige, because it can quickly pick up pinkish tones. The same with gray, which can lean toward lavender quickly.

    When I was testing paint samples for the garden shed, I slopped paint in several places and then let DH make his choice. I was pleasantly surprised when he chose ORANGE CONFECTION, a Behr color. In full sunlight, it is white. In the shade, it can be a faint orange, which might look pink at times. And so that is the color on the master bath walls, but not the ceiling, which is semigloss pure white.
    I'll try very hard to get an accurate shot of it once he lays the tiles and reinstalls the toilet and tub. His poor knees. But he loves the way the color of the bath is drying and changing over time. I think it takes a few days to reveal its true nature.

  • flgargoyle
    13 years ago

    I guess I don't fit the mold. I hate recliners! They are comfortable, but I dislike the way they look. Pink and purple don't bother me one way or the other. I don't react much to color because I am color blind LOL! Actually, I see colors just fine, but I flunk the eye tests for color blindness. I'm terrible at picking out colors, but I know what I like when I see it. I rag painted our small den, and it is decidedly- pink!

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Here's a pretty picture! I think the colors and patterns have enough balance, between masculine and feminine, that both would enjoy this room. The cardinal perched on the window frame, and the curves of the chairs backs and vase, give it a definite fairy tale style, IMHO :)

    {{!gwi}}

  • Shades_of_idaho
    13 years ago

    Oh That is a pretty picture. I would feel really comfortable there.

  • User
    13 years ago

    You know, I think we can generalize too much about what is masculine and feminine. And then paint ourselves into a very uncomfortable corner. I think that what a woman likes is by definition feminine, what a man likes is by definition masculine, because we are all an unequal mix of individual passions.

    And, somewhere I read that "a man lives happily in his wife's house." Not to say it is not HIS HOUSE TOO, but that the home is traditionally the area most influenced by the female. How would a man feel if he had to worry about making his garage or tool room or woodworking shop suit his wife's tastes? I know in the old days when couples were partners, they each had their strong suits, and they were truly partners. I'm thinking about how my grandparents lived their lives on a farm. And that to me defines what is quintessentially the "American way." They worked together to wrest a living from the soil, and looked out for each other.

    Yin yang; hot cold, male female, opposites complement and complete.

  • enigmaquandry
    13 years ago

    moccasin, I think your last post here is extremely beautiful, I really love everything you said.

    "I know in the old days when couples were partners, they each had their strong suits, and they were truly partners. I'm thinking about how my grandparents lived their lives on a farm. And that to me defines what is quintessentially the "American way." They worked together to wrest a living from the soil, and looked out for each other."

    I wish more couples (especially in my generation) could benefit from that syle of living, at least for a while in their lifetimes. If I had my choice though I would be hunting eggs in my own coop, milking my own goats and growing all our own food!

  • writersblock (9b/10a)
    13 years ago

    I find this whole masculine/feminine decor thing very odd, personally. It's also very recent. I was recently reading a couple of English novels that brought it home to me. One was published during the early 30s, and the protagonist has a young son whom she acknowledges will probably have to become a police officer, being stolid, ordinary, and very thorough. She thinks about replacing linens and thinks of "How Pat would love a pink towel." Nothing girly about it then, evidently.

    In the other book, written during WWII, a soldier just can't wait to show his cottage to his girlfriend, including how the cushions and runners reverse from red to blue for the change in seasons and his velvet/chintz curtains likewise.

    I think it's very sad that we've polarized everything by sex these days, really.

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    There are definitely some styles that are more masculine and some that are more feminine...but I don't think only men or women can enjoy each style.

    For me, I like a lighter and brighter kitchen and bath, but a darker and more grounded living room and bedroom. Even then, I like to bring in more reds and golds in the fall and winter, and more pinks and lavenders in spring and summer. Neutrals are a nice way to allow changes with the season (and I often think of green as a neutral).

    However, for all my love of fairy tale style, I do not care much for some shabby chic (no offense to those who do). It's too pale and light, with everything painted...and too much peeling paint, in some photos. I like brick, stone and some wood and don't want to paint everything cream and white...except maybe the kitchen cabinets and beadboard! :)

  • ivyelle4
    13 years ago

    OHHH lavender, thank you for posting this picture! i love it! definitely one to save on my computer, and hopefully do something like it in the near future :)

  • 3ilovepie
    9 years ago

    Where did all the pictures of fairy tale white kitchens go?

  • User
    9 years ago

    Yeah, Lavender, where did your pictures go? To Pinterest? If so, do you use the same screenname there?

    Nice to have this thread come to the top again.

  • bragu_DSM 5
    9 years ago

    as in fairy tales, there is a time expiration date, and then everything reverts to real life, and anything but fairy tale.

  • rosefolly
    9 years ago

    Late to the party, Too late, I know. I would have enjoyed seeing the pictures, too.

  • 3ilovepie
    9 years ago

    Nobody has inspirational fairy tale kitchen pictures? I'll go see what I can muster up online.

  • mama goose_gw zn6OH
    9 years ago

    This one was posted in the Kitchens forum. It's for sale in NJ. Kinda reminds me of a woodsman's cottage, albeit a very well-appointed and expensive cottage. Maybe killing wolves who've run amuck, and rescuing lost children pays well in NJ:

    {{gwi:2137475}}

    {{gwi:2137476}}

    {{gwi:2137477}}

    moccasinlanding, they have some of your blue bottles. :)

    Here is a link that might be useful: craigslist ad

    This post was edited by mama_goose on Tue, Dec 30, 14 at 11:32

  • User
    9 years ago

    Mama G, I noticed the blue bottles first thing. Also the plate rack cabinet which is different from most I've seen. I want one row for 11 inch plates vertical, one row for small plates, and then what is left over, maybe have that flat storage shelf at the bottom. I want to put my white stuff in those, and the colorful dishes in the glass door cabs in the dining room. Where there are open shelves, you need to use things frequently to keep dust to a minimum, or wash those items regularly anyway. Behind glass doors, displayed pretty dishes stay cleaner. I have my DH's family china he saved from his mama's house, something like American Limoge, creamy white with a gold band. I have a set of Sakura jungle animals and parrots that I'd like to keep visible but safe too. The cups and dessert plates have a gorgeous design.

    Has anyone heard from Springfield recently?

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