I’m just going to be quiet right now. Without further ado — our new kitchen:

We still have to install the (oh so beautiful) range hood. And hang pendant lights, paint the pantry door, buy bar stools. But this … this is what we’ve worked so hard to make real.

Don’t be fooled. The kitchen is my pristine, perfect baby — but the rest of the house is still largely in chaos. See over there, past the peninsula? Eh. Whatever. LOOK AT THOSE DRAWERS. Just look at them.

I dreamed of open shelves. There were naysayers, doubters. There was much consternation and an awakening to the difficulty of engineering anything into a corner. (Originally, these, below, were going to be L-shaped. Thanks, mom, for this better idea.)

This is my favorite slice of the kitchen right now. Our daily plates, glassware, neatly stacked and at the ready. To me it says, “We live here. We use this place, and we care for it. This kitchen is for gathering together, making food, being a family.” This corner also brings together our whole palette: white, wood, steel, and ceramic — the clean lines plus warmth that equal the “organic modern” balance we were striving for. I think it worked.

One more photo. The stove. And that gorgeous tile, our one splurge. And the stove. Did I mention the awesomeness that is my new stove? (Dual fuel is the way to go, absolutely.)

And for the full effect — before and after. Click to view larger and prettier:

Questions? Comments? Champagne recommendations?

Who’s coming over for dinner?

-xoxo

Edited to add:

For a full recap, see the following:

• The Kitchen Recap, Part I: Where it All Began
• The Kitchen Recap, Part II: No Guts, No Glory
• Kitchen Follow-up: The Pantry

If you’re new here and looking for the more detailed blow-by-blow on our kitchen and other projects, here’s a gathering of my ranch house renovation posts.

If you’re curious about the gorgeous, copper-colored cooking pot sitting on our Frigidaire gas range, you can read more about micaceous clay vessels — and find them for purchase — at our family collective, Pine Cone Alley Studio. They’re made from a hand-harvested, rare clay and are perfectly magical. You can also learn more at the artist’s blog. (She just happens to be my mom!)