Published Thursday, April 17, 2008 2:36 PM
Updated Thursday, April 17, 2008 2:37 PM

 

Inklings 04/17/08

Cotswolds kitchen


Yes, thanks for asking, our five-month kitchen project is done. Well, almost. Construction is done. The family room side remains to be painted and a couple of decorative touches are still inbound, but the kitchen is up and running and yours truly is in culinary heaven. Thanks to my hero trio – husband, son and son-in-law – this new room, thrice the size of the gallery style that reigned for 30 years, is currently my favorite place to be.

I like to think of it as my Cotswolds Kitchen. We lived in England for four years and the Cotswolds, a hilly area in Britain’s center, is one of the most picturesque places in the country. There is abundant Tudor architecture and much use of natural rock and stone. It always looks like the sun is shinning in the Cotswolds because so many of their buildings, especially the pretty thatched cottages with mullioned windows, are built of a golden toned limestone, which literally gives the place a consistent friendly radiance. Hopefully my kitchen reflects that glow.

The kitchen is east of the family room and south of the dining room and opens into each. Our dining room suite is carved old English oak with leaded-glass cabinet doors and the family room has English touches as well. The new kitchen features terra cotta walls, wood toned floors and two different cabinet stains, a golden distressed honey and a cognac hue. Granite counter tiles are in shades of brick, charcoal and cream; appliances are white; and decorative accents are divided between stainless, copper and a bit of black.

Jim and I chose most of the elements together, but I wanted to surprise him with what interior designers call “punch” in the form of area rugs to bring the spaces in sync. At last I found an ideal blending motif, a muted Jacobean floral pattern on a black background – perfect for a kitchen, right? With an open-stock style I could pick up the rugs a pay day at a time. Going to get the last and larger center floor covering, I was dismayed to discover that that design was discontinued and this piece had to be specially ordered. (I waited months for the kitchen, I told myself: I could last a couple of more weeks for one rug!) Once it came, I could catch Jim unawares.

Good luck! Have you even tried to surprise a retired husband? With no set schedule, he’s liable to turn up any time. Because pads had to be cut and fitted so we senior citizens won’t slip, and my new knees do everything well except kneel, I needed my sister’s help. We set three different dates. Three different times Jim called unexpectedly saying the meeting was cancelled, the fish weren’t biting or he just found out the Bass Pro Shop in Savannah was closed and he was on his way home. Three different times we rapidly rolled up rugs. The fourth time he finally succeeded and so did we. Fish bit. Rugs went down. He was surprised and pleased.

And I am content. Well, almost. As I said, there are still one or two little decorative touches . . .