I completely agree and understand. I've been experimenting with new recipes and more baking because the kitchen just functions so well. I have more counter space and everything has a place and is so easy to find in my DRAWERS. The prep sink makes it so easy to separate the clean up area from the prepping area.

The only thing I would have done differently, and I have the space to do it but it's too late, is that I would have bought a 36" range instead of a 30" one. All that experimenting that I'm now doing would have been a blast on a bigger range. But, the kitchen is soooo much better than it was that I'm ok with what I have.

so glad your done and happy! That's awesome, enjoy every bit of it! Looks great! michelle

i understand and appreciate your joy!! although my kitchen is not as large as yours, mine is laid out so much better that it truly is a joy to cook now.
everything has a place and my appliances are just awesome.
no more "digging" for things or moving half the stuff out of a deep cabinet to get a baking dish!!

can't wait for the weather to cool off and then i can get back to baking and do some serious cooking. it has been so hot and humid here, it does not inspire to cook many hot meals :(

so glad u r happy - and your oven nightmare is over!

ahhh - the joy of cooking in a well laid out kitchen :)

Yea, how fun for you! Looking forward to when I can post this experience, too!

Yay:) Sounds like a wonderful experience and I'm now adding one more tally for the double oven debate!

i totally understand and have been feeling the same way! my kitchen is a total joy to cook in, i just love it. have fun and now time to post KIA photos!

Congrats, Poohpup! A well-functioning kitchen means you did a good job. All your effort paid off!

I do know exactly what you mean. Now when I move in my new kitchen, I feel like I'm dancing, almost, because everything seems to flow.

I certainly know what you mean ... funny thing, it actually so changes the way it feels to be working in a kitchen, it's like I'm not even working in a kitchen any longer. And I'm not 100% sure I love the new feeling. I'm not quite so immersed in the whirlwind as formerly. This could be a change of life-style having to do with st/age of kids; I'm not really sure. But it feels just totally different now, my relationship to food and my kitchen. And not in an unadulterated good way ... it's good, I'd certainly do it all over again. I love my new kitchen. But there's something of the all-around-you-ness of the old kitchen that a sneaky bit of me misses.

I'd never say this out loud of course!

so...

what did I miss?

Where are the pics!

I wanna see the joy! :)

YEAH!

:) I don't remember if we've had pix of a warming drawer full of dinner-in-waiting.

My new kitchen's no longer new, and more basic than yours, but I so understand how you're feeling, and the feeling won't go away. Just this morning as I opened a smooth-glide drawer and slipped the digital scale DH left out back in its dedicated slot near the front, I remembered with pleasure when using it meant searching an overcrowded drawer under and behind all the implements used more often. And my wonderful, wonderful counter space! A well functioning work room is an ever-giving gift to oneself.

Funnily enough, it even makes cooking in my tiny, tiny mobile home kitchen down in Florida more enjoyable. I go down there and am pleased at how "possible" cooking is on a counter narrower than my shoulders, as if I'm acing a survival test or something. Even crawling around on my knees getting a pan out of the back of the cabinet doesn't bother me--because it's not something I have to do all the time. My "real" kitchen awaits.

Ahhh . . . . . feels so good to have others who understand. :)

aliris19, I'm curious. You mentioned the stage you're at with your kids. I wonder if what is missing from your new kitchen is those memories you made in your old kitchen. I can sure understand missing that. I bet as time goes by and you make new memories in your new kitchen, it's going to feel more and more comfy. And I can totally understand not wanting to admit your feelings out loud. Glad you have a safe place here where you can do that. There are a couple of things in my new kitchen that I wish I'd done differently, but no way would I say it either!! My hubby would kill me! lol

Christine, I will definitely be posting photos as soon as it is done, done. I'm getting the last paint bid tomorrow and the painting should be done (hopefully!) in the next couple of weeks. Until the painting is done, the lights in the ceiling can't be installed. Can't wait to show off the BS. I love how it turned out!

Rosie, I'm inspired to post pictures of my warming drawer in action! I use it a lot!

Thanks again for listening and understanding. :)

poohpup. sniff. I think you're right.... buwaahhh.

It's practically corporate in here. I made dinner, I swear, in 10 minutes last night and cleaned up in 10 as well. It's so efficient it's scary. And I guess I, seemingly, like messy. Those who've seen pictures of my kitchen will confirm this.

And I'll never have little kids for making memories in the kitchen with again.... S'ok, but I guess: since a kitchen is such an important part of me - that is, food is and making it, etc, I guess having this be less central in terms of time really is existentially unnerving. So yes, new memories will come, but they'll be different in nature by the age and interests of parties nowadays, but in the other direction, too, from the "pressures" exerted - or not - by the kitchen. An awful lot less creatively making do goes on around here now.

I'm not complaining, just startled and "processing".

Actually, it's a little analagous to something I've posted about stove-size. That is, there's an "ecology" of needs and space in a kitchen; appliances and sizes and spacing thereof depend on everything else going on too. So I found I always wanted a 36" stove; everything that was wrong about life in my kitchen would be fixed by it, etc... only, that's not true. Everything that was wrong about what was in my kitchen was tied to everything else that was wrong. And in fixing other things, seemingly even unrelated ones, you free up different pressures: there is an ecology of space-use. Thus, buying a super-powerful food processor (VitaMix) has actually been another incremental pressure-diminisher on my stove, believe it or not. By now I have so many highly functional labor-saving devices and layout bonuses I think I could get away quite happily with a 30" stove (shhh -- if anyone mentions I said this to dh I'll deny it).

So there's a gestalt to the whole thing. And when you change one little bit everything else changes.

I think *that's* what's going on, really. Just the whole overall differentness. Before we shoehorned our way into what's here. Now it's designed around us, and the fit isn't as snuggly. It goes along for the ride and doesn't impose, so it's not really noticeable. This is a deep change.

Honestly, I cooked more and far more elaborately on my 45+ year old electric cooktop, in the old kitchen. Aliris19, my kids are getting older too and the demands on my time are far different than before. Often, DD is away all day. Fortunately, DS is still demanding enough at 13 to insist on his Saturday and Sunday morning crepes. I grumble (but smile).

As my dear, dear ex MIL says, you will never believe how much time you have to yourself after the kids finish high school. Plenty of time for entertaining and great meals (and messes). And, before you know it, little grand babies helping you make messes again.

Poohpup- congrats! We are slowly getting to the point where I am planning for meals and cooking more...but the punch list is still long:).

blfenton: can i ask you more about your 30 vs 36 range choice?
what made you rule out the 36" initially? does it make a huge difference?

I really appreciate what you all shared in this thread. It helps me tolerate my not so perfect kitchen now.

Best to everyone!! Bon appetit!