Kitchens . . . where to start?

Oddly enough it's the mud room that really has me excited. But I'm also a firm believer that a kitchen is the heart of a home. The mudroom may work as hard or harder to keep a house clean and organized, but a kitchen keeps the family happy and healthy. I'm the primary 'kitchen-user'. I bake, I preserve, I cook, I shop and prepare and put away. I veer away from processed foods as much as possible and try to make everything I can from scratch. Of course I'm not 100% processed free (love mini pretzels and tortilla chips!), but I do get more than average use out of a kitchen. I honestly haven't dived into 'dream' kitchens, as I've been too enamored with mudrooms! So I need to begin at the beginning. Surfing around, I found a few kitchens I like. The one above I like the open shelving and big windows. I have a farm sink in my basement right now awaiting resurrection!

The kitchen at the left appeals, I believe, because of the big window and the simplicity of it. A U-shaped kitchen is so efficient, although the 'dead end' aspect is not so appealing. I hate being caught at the far end waiting to get by someone.


Believe it or not, I even like the kitchen below.  The multipurpose aspect of it appeals to me.  Laundry and kitchens just go together - I spend a lot of time with each!   And that wall of windows!

So, obviously, daylight is a big factor. I'm not so hung up on spaciousness, I just want it light and clutter free. To me, that means limited upper cabinetry which, in turn, translates into a walk-in pantry! Can you say ya-hoo! Who wouldn't want one? Shelves full of canning, dry goods, bulk foods - makes me feel smug and secure and prepared. I'm also thinking this is where I would stash small appliances and rarely used large pots, bowls and trays. I hate dragging those things out of the back corner of a dusty old cupboard.

So that's my start!  Nothing fussy or fancy, lots of light and easy to use.  I don't want it to be big because that translates into lots of walking, however I would like enough room to fix up large batches of seasonal canning and monthly freezer cooking.  Not much, but it's a start.