I Can't Stop Thinking About These Beautiful Kitchens
We all deserve the kitchen of our dreams!
Being in New York City for 8 years means I’ve had my fair share of kitchens. The modern gray one with LED lights and no window. The outdated but huuuge one. The upgraded one with lots of cabinets and a dishwasher. And my current kitchen: the one with 3 big windows, a brick wall, and a dishwasher…but extremely awkwardly-shaped.
Sometimes it feels like you can’t win with NYC kitchens (unless you can do a total renovation), but I still firmly believe you can make the best with what you have. Those quirks in your kitchens are just challenges, and whether you own or rent, you deserve to have the kitchen of your dreams. Or at least as close to that as possible.
I shared this Note with scans from my favorite books on Mexican homes and there are SO MANY THINGS we can observe and learn from each of these kitchens. Let’s get into them.
Lean into the beauty of “mismatched” tiles and colors
I wish I could redo the entire tile in my kitchen, I really do. Especially after seeing all the tilework in this kitchen. I love that there are lots of patterns and they all work together. If you’re considering replacing the landlord's marble special in your kitchen, consider some sticky tile paper. There are a bunch of stunning options on Etsy like this one. I’m still in the process of hunting for the right pattern, and while I can’t have a tile-covered stovetop, there are parts of my kitchen where I can add some fun. Even if it’s just a small section, it’ll still be an improvement from where it started! And if you can add some real tiles to your kitchen, this set of tiles is beautiful.
Other things I love about this kitchen: bright yellow chair, plates on the wall, ceramics on display, and decorative paper hanging from the ceiling.
Hang a big, colorful piece of art near your stove
I’m 100% doing this. I have a narrow cooking area and there’s an empty brick wall next to my stove that’s in desperate need of something fun. I was originally going to hang some kitchen utensils but part of me just wants to paint a really big canvas and hang it on the wall. Will it get greasy? I don’t know, maybe? But I think it’ll look nice and make me happy to look at every day. And that’s all that matters!
Other things I love about this kitchen: the imperfect yellow paint job. I love it when you can still see the paint streaks.
Get a big wooden hutch
I found a cupboard on the street last year similar to this one and it’s made all the difference in my kitchen. It’s also very functional. The fact that it’s part-open shelves and part-closed cabinets makes it easy to display the objects you love and hide the not-so-pretty stuff, like my blender and parchment paper.
Other things I love about this kitchen: long wooden table, wooden chair on the side, ceramics hanging on the ceiling, pitcher with yellow handle, and the BUNDLE of mini ceramics on the left side.
Commit to a color (or two)
All the kitchens I’ve shown have a wide color palette, but this one stands out to me because of its commitment to two colors: blue and white. And it uses the same star tile throughout the entire kitchen, too! Despite using the same color palette, there’s some variety with the tiles, stripes, and handwritten elements on the walls above. This is probably the kitchen I find myself coming back to the most. Is there a color you can see yourself leaning into for your kitchen? Go for it. I used to have a pink kitchen and I find myself missing it all the time. It may be time to finally paint my kitchen…
Other things I love about this kitchen: reddish floor, wooden spatula holder on the wall, mini blue shelf on the left holding a ceramic cup, and all the jars. And here’s another view of this kitchen because I’ll never get over it (and never stop talking about it).
For your leisure
It’s my second summer wearing my Camper sandals and after a 20k+ steps day a few days ago, I can attest they’re still my #1 sandal.
I’m currently in the Catskills and went to Sullivan Sundries for the first time. Fantastic gourmet food store with great snacks and cheese. My Catskills guide is still in the works, by the way, so that’s coming.
I finally went to Bar Americano after wanting to try it for a while, and loved it. The mandarin spritz and tortilla de patatas were scrumptious.
I wore my pink slip skirt with a red top the other day and I felt like a Valentine’s Day card. The skirt feels fun and it’s currently on sale if you want to match with me.
This pen and ink cotton poplin top from Toast is my new obsession. I wore it 2 days in a row.
Here are some must-see films playing in NYC this week.
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I love all these ideas! Our home's previous owner had "upgraded" the kitchen to be all grey and sterile. One of the first things my roommate did was paint the kitchen pink and add textured tiles to all the cabinet doors, and now it's our favorite room to be in.
These kitchens are so beautiful!! I love a big wooden hutch -- I'm on the hunt for one to put in my next place!