Kitchen Cabinets and Island Decor

Do you like to cook and entertain? Do you have enough storage space? These are two important questions to answer when looking at your kitchen space. Welcome to the Blog today, Friends. The above picture is what the builder dubbed “the Butler’s Pantry”. It is actually just a linear extension of the kitchen but does provide a lot more storage space. My kitchen is a “working” kitchen meaning I prepare meals here most days. I cook dinners and prepare breakfasts and lunches in this space. I have to admit it has been a bit cluttered lately so I decided to streamline the space a bit.

The counter is seven feet long which is a pretty good amount of space. At one end sits my Hubby’s Italian coffee machine (he makes me cappuccino every morning). At the other end is my tea making center which consists of an electric kettle, a French Press which I use for tea, and a strainer as I use tea leaves to brew the tea. In the center of the space is a collection of cut crystal Biscuit Jars that hold, loose tea, dog treats, brown sugar cubes, sweetener and an empty one I just found a few days ago. I love the look of the cut crystal against the dark background. Handling beautiful containers every day makes the preparation seem special.

Here’s a closer look at the three sections. It’s nice to have everything polished and reflecting light although it makes staying out of the pictures a bit challenging.

There are four glass-fronted cabinets above the counter but I’m going to concentrate on two of them today. I have a pretty large collection of china…you probably didn’t need me to tell you that. LOL Displaying china in a way that makes it easy to select a particular pattern is always an advantage. I chose to display blue and white china in this cabinet. Blue and white is a great color combination and I love using it in tablescapes. I recently changed out my everyday china, Mikasa’s English Countryside, for a Noritake pattern called, “Ivy Lane”. that freed up some extra space in this cabinet and allowed me to display the blue and white china.

The middle shelf holds a collection of teapots that I use on a regular basis. The top shelf displays another blue and white pattern and some cut crystal pitchers that I use for tea service. It’s nice to have a front facing plate to identify the china from a distance and add some interest to the cabinet.

The other side of the same cabinet holds additional china patterns in blue and white, more tea things, and, on the top shelf more china and crystal pitchers. When the cabinet doors are closed you can see the china and crystal displayed through the glass.

It makes for a pretty display. Sorry about all the reflections, it’s a very bright day.

Opposite the Butler’s Pantry is the part of the island that we use for eating. It’s fun to create a little tray vignette to display on this portion of the counter. A pretty round tray in a mosaic pattern holds all the items and makes moving them so convenient and easy.

The tray has just a few elements that live in the kitchen all the time. A cut glass candlestick holds a pillar candle that pairs nicely with the oranges held in an antique wooden bowl from Germany. Some newly thrifted napkins from Williams-Sonoma add some pretty color to the vignette. A small cut glass pitcher holds some French Tarragon from the herb garden. I love to keep fresh herbs on hand for use in cooking.

Another staple of the island consists of a wooden box bordered in metal identifying places for knives, forks and spoons. I have found this to be really handy when I’m putting together a meal. The flatware is virtually at your fingertips to use for tasting or testing in a recipe and can, of course, be used to set the table. I also keep the napkins and napkin holder on this wooden tray depicting bees and honeycombs. It’s a fun way to keep the elements contained.

Looking down the island you can see the flatware box in the background on the left of the picture. I am so lucky to have such a lot of counter space available in the kitchen. I often work here with another cook either my daughter or my husband or a friend. We each get to have our own workspace and that really simplifies the preparation process.

When a space is functional and attractive you use it more. I love this kitchen space and it’s fun to redo parts of it from time to time.

Thanks so much for joining me here today. I appreciate you choosing to spend your time with me on the Blog.