-I now live amazingly, beautifully close to the contra dance. Not that I'm going to go all the time, but wow!
-Tonight I cooked potatoes in a casual way for the first time. This means I did not have to peel 10-15 pounds of them, and I was not making kugel or latkes. I actually cooked a meal from one of my recipes. And ate it. And it was good. The recipe needs some tweaking - something to make it bright. I think it needs some sitting/cooling/marinating time as well. I will tweak it, and when I get it right, I will post it.
-Off to Amherst to call the Pleasures of the Town dance this weekend. I love going up there to call. It's a nice dance and a great community. And I get to go in June too!
-My annual summer cocktail party will sort of maybe be house warming like. If you were a good weekend for a party in August or early September, what date would you be. Saturdays are best. June could happen, but I think it's just to soon for me.
-I need your opinions about two house things: open shelving in the kitchen (dust vs. ease of finding things) and hanging pictures beneath cabinets and over counters as in the picture below. I'm considering both of these things at the moment...
So, what do you think?
6 comments:
I figure if you're using stuff often enough not to want doors on the cupboard so it's easy to find, dust won't be a huge problem.
I wouldn't hang pictures, but that's just because when I cook or bake I apparently turn into a small war zone, and there's chocolate everywhere. If that's not a problem for you I say go for it.
How's Sat 8/16 for your cocktail party?
Problem with open shelving is not only dust, but also water, grease, etc (chocolate if you're Eleanor!) Glass doors would eliminate the problem, but you'd still have to keep everything on the shelves very tidy as they are always on display. I don't think eternal tidiness is in my nature, but perhaps that would work for you!
I'd say yes to either the open shelving or the pictures, but not both at once (or at least on the same wall). The pictures add visual business, and the plainplainplain white cabinets in that design smooth everything down. Contrasting, the shelves look cheerful and bright, and that particular person is organized enough that their cabinets don't look like crap, but it's like the dishes become the decoration. Personally, I could do open-cabinets with the dishes and glasses, and I love hanging the most-used pans, but I totally have to have closed-off space for things like the specialty pans, the stupid little dishy things I don't eat off of, the baking crap, etc. In some sense, open shelves have to be a little less densely packed than closed cabinets, or it'll feel like the walls full of stuff are closing in. Maybe. Like I'm an decorating expert.
We've got a hanging wine rack inside a cart with a door that turns into a shelf (yes, it kind of makes sense - door is like drawbridge, not like house door) and when we were using the shelf for something, the wineglasses got kind of grimed up, but that was on the outside, so it's kind of okay. I'd want to store my glasses upside-down if they were out in the open... but I guess when I've had hanging mugs, they've been on the right-side-up diagonal. Gah. Do whatever works. :)
My opinion:
Open shelving is for people who don't cook. Even things far from the stove will get a greasy coating from grease that gets into the air during the cooking process in a home where cooking happens regularly. Ditto for the pictures under the cabinets. If you want art there, it has to be scrub-able art: like artsy ceramic tiles set into the backsplash. Or use artsy plates or something for the art, and put them in the dishwasher every so often.
But, this is just my opinion, and you should do what you want with your house!
We have closed shelves for baking pans and small chaotic things but open shelves for dishes, glasses and canned goods. You can visit and check out the dust situation - I promise the shelves have not been dusted for at least 2 years, maybe never. We don't fry anything so grease is not a problem.
Pictures under the shelves - even without chocolate, it's not a good idea. Hang washable items there that you want to have handy.
Glass doors when they are clean. They collect finger prints and are high maintenance.
- Rachel
I vote with everyone else: don't do open cabinets. Partially a visual, partially practical. Open cabinets will definitely create visual clutter, and your kitchen isn't big enough to get away with it. :-) They do make, however, frosted or patterned glass cabinets doors, which might be a good compromise. It would be a very modern look, though...not sure if that's to your taste....
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