Hidden Storage

There's plenty of storage in the kitchen although some of it is not in plain sight. The cabinet to the left of the stove has swinging shelves to take advantage of the corner space--I store the wok, pots and some big glass measuring cups in here. The skinny cupboard next to the stove is very deep and perfect for baking sheets, the pancake griddle, the pizza stone and has a shelf for ceramic baking dishes. Then there are the baskets under the butcher block top which I use for kids plates & cups, all of my mixing bowls and it's where I hide the toaster from sight. I also use two big furniture pieces for storage -- a china cabinet for all of our plates and everyday glasses, wine glasses, champagne glasses as well as a buffet where I store cookbooks, the blender, my dutch oven and platters. The most valuable storage comes from the pantry that holds all my glass jars of flour and sugar, spices, cereals, and most of our dry goods. I also have a wooden shelf in the basement for extra cereal, crackers, and paper goods.

It's a cook's kitchen with soapstone counters and a big fat AGA stove which is seriously the greatest stove ever...I love that you can cook a beef stew in the oven while simultaneously using the five-burner stove top (the center burner is 5 inches across) and bake biscuits in the side convection oven. The setup of the bar overlooking the inset butcher block piece allows the cook to chat with guests drinking their wine at the bar.