Oh Holy Kitchen

Going To The Chapel And I’m Going To…Cook Dinner!

Mr. LBD has wanted to convert a church into our home on several occasions.  He has even seriously looked at two I can remember that were vast caverns of space complete with enough Sunday school rooms to be a hotel.  Except for picturing the baptismal tank as the most wonderful home spa, I just couldn’t warm up to the idea.  (pun intended)  In addition, I have memories of serving a hundred hungry men “prayer pancake breakfast” far to often in a dark church kitchen to imagine a kitchen like that as our own.

The Deconstructed Kitchen

But then as the omnipotent one often does, he said not so fast girlie.  You are the designer who repeatedly talks about creating kitchens in unexpected places.  Of designing a kitchen for yourself that is outside the norm of rows of upper built in cabinets, shiny counter tops and too matchy-matchy appliances.  Perhaps a deconstructed kitchen like the one above, in a church.  Urgh…Mr. LBD is always way ahead of me!

A Designer With A Vision

Can you image sitting in one of these pews and saying to yourself, “Yep, I’d place the range on this wall and the refrigerator over there….”  Maybe not.

Yet when designer Jenn Hannotte saved this 1877 church she knew exactly where she wanted her kitchen.

A Bright, Welcoming Kitchen With A Blessed History

To conventional standards, if we looked at a list of it’s components on paper, many of our clients would doubt the outcome.  Where are the wall cabinets?  Is that a wire management conduit exposed for the electrical needs?  Why is there a drop in sink and not the undermount all granite companies tell us we must have? No storage in the island? A microwave on the counter and not tucked into it’s own tidy shelf?

Instead let’s really look at this inviting, bright kitchen that has so much history and is a space that outshines all the conventional kitchen plans.  We can linger at the island for hours catching up with the chef about our days and our weeks.  All of the essentials for preparing delicious meals are in this kitchen in such interesting ways.  Storage is managed well and the decor is just perfect in a wabi-sabi way.  Everything about this kitchen is right.

Read The Article Here

Design by Jenn Hannotte    Photos by Lauren Kolyn

Where’s The Fire…..Kitchen?

What the man really wants to live in is an old firehouse.  He dreams of living above a garage full of vintage autos and becoming a mini me Jay Leno.  Since I missed our chance of the church abodes, the next time he finds the spot for my beloved deconstructed kitchen I think I’ll listen.

Coming On Friday Favorites

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