One of the first (maybe the very first) pages I ever tore out as a kitchen inspiration, probably 10 years ago, was from a Pierre Deux catalog. It had classic white cabinets and a more rustic backsplash, maybe tumbled marble; I can't remember the counters, I think some beige-ish stone. The rest of the kitchen was as mamadadapaige described: wrought iron accents, red stools with cushions of the classic Avignonet print, potted herbs, Quimper-type faience ... but the bones were simple and classic and flexible. I have since lost the tear sheet, but I still want white cabinets, even though they are apparently popular now. (That said, I live in Colorado, and almost no one I know is putting in white ... everything is very brown, rustic, as if we live in Beaver Creek rather than Denver. It's true that I've seen a couple of gorgeous white kitchens on the board from CO residents, but I think it really isn't terribly common here. But I digress...)

Sigh.....with me, first thing to go in any country kitchen would be a plate rack. I've really coveted those, and plan to rip out a wall cabinet next to our sink and have hubby build me one JUST LIKE I TELL HIM TO DO. (right) Then, I see white cabinets, of course. I see a garden window, which is same level as the sink with the countertop tile extending outward into the window. NO backsplash behind the sink, just this fine window with potted herbs and hanging baskets of sunloving plants. I love the beadboard backs in the cabinets, especially the ones with glass doors. But maybe no beadboard for the walls, since they would be hard to clean in the main kitchen. A stainless steel counter top could look much like the old tin counter tops, so I have nothing against them there. A country kitchen should be highly utilitarian. But given that, a variety of counter surfaces based on what is appropriate for each space would be great. If someone bakes a lot, then the low height of a marble surfaced counter--but I don't do that much baking. I am a fan of Silestone counter tops, and some of the textures and colors could be quite nice in a country kitchen. I personally am fond of Italian porcelain tile floors, but if someone has stainless countertops, then white cabinets, a gray slate on the floor would look great, along with some brushed nickel drawer and door hardware. If there is no room for a kitchen table, then a taller cabinet with beadboard on the outside and a nice bar top with some good sturdy stools using tractor seats might look pretty good. A porch post at either side of the widened doorway from the dining room would look good. (We do plan to widen and relocate a passageway and put a 2 stool bar off to one side which will be high enough to hide the cooking side of our galley style kitchen. A single sink with an apron can be in stainless, but the real winner is probably the soapstone farm sink. If there is room for a pantry, make it like someone said, with room for the nitty gritty kitchen functions like canning, mass production of fresh foods, the freezer, a deep big sink, the recycle area, maybe even the laundry in there if that is where the mudroom entry connects. This would be more important in areas with severe winters, of course. I know there is more than this, but I was not prepared for someone to ask what the ideal country kitchen should look like. Above all, a place to talk on the phone, have a cup of tea or coffee, fix a quick school lunch, call the volunteers for the PTA or church social. Maybe a laptop tucked into a corner with a small TV above it. In my grandma's day, she had her radio tuned to Stella Dallas every day.

hi--have been away for a bit--first, for peace and rubyfig--the handles are from Restoration Hardware. And yes, I was very pleased with myself for thinking of that detail! The only problem is that I wish I had installed them on the lower doors, as the towels are always getting caught when I open the doors (as I do often b/c trash and recycling is there). I actually figured this out going to sleep one night and went down the next morning to tell my GC, but he was so gung-ho that he had already installed them on the pullouts, as I had told him the day before...oh well. Scrappy--I love the Crown Point cabs! And hopefully you see that mixing inset and frameless is totally doable. The only thing is that I did not get my replacement doors from CP--we replaced some drawer fronts on the bases but these were supplied by the local guy who did some other built-ins for us. I think I could have gotten CP to do them but as replacement doors aren't really their thing the other way worked better, I think. However, If I were replacing all of them I'd try to do all CP. They are lovely to work with although they did gently try to get me to consider replacing the bases too--but I said no and they weren't at all pushy. Yes, the pantry is CP also. The crown molding is not CP--I think that probably would be $$$$. It's from a great local lumberyard (Anderson-McQuaid if you are in eastern MA). Our ceilings are 9' and the uppers are about 50'', then the crown on top. THis is including the light rail underneath--I don't remember what the ordering dimensions were. If you look at the pix, you will see there are several inches between the top of the door and the bottom of the crown. My GC actually had to attach a board on top of the cabs and then the crown--it all worked out fine, but I don't know if this was a mistake on CP's part or not. I was worried about the single doors being too big so it probably is just as well. Also, this is an old house and the ceiling wasn't level, which doesn't show with the extra valance board on top. (It's all painted so the seams aren't visible.) I don't think you'll have any trouble at all getting a crown in with the 8'. Crown molding is available in all different sizes and CP will build the cabs to your measurements. You might not have room for stacked cabs if that's what you want, but a friend of mine has stacked and I know her ceilings are lower than mine, so maybe you could. (I sort of wish I had done the stacked, but it was a lot more money.) HTH!

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will def. look into these colors. My last house had many 'traditional colors' mustards, yellows, reds, tan and I am looking to try something different this time around. I am inspired by Candice Olsen who meshes modern with traditional. She once did a white kitchen where on one wall she put a dark brown and silver metallic damask wallpaper. I am hoping to bring out the inner Candice in me and try something new like this. Anyone out there try something like this? :) Here is a link that might be useful: Candice Olsen kitchen inspiration