I Dream of a Chic Country Kitchen

Nate and I haven't done much with the kitchen since we moved in. We dealt with the kitchen breakfast nook redo and then got stumped. There's a whole other side to this space here that remains completely untouched, largely because we can't agree on what to do with it. I want a pretty chic country kitchen. Nate wants manly stone.

So in the meantime…it's orange with standard builder cabinets, white appliances, dark tiled counters and a funny little table that's not quite big enough to be an island and not placed quite right to be a bar.

Our (Someday) Chic Country Kitchen: Meeting in the Middle

If I had my way, the kitchen would look like this. Beautiful, bright. White cabinets and big drop lights.

If Nate had his druthers, I'm pretty sure it would be more like this. Manly. Rugged.

There are a couple of things we can agree on: we both want stainless steel appliances and a big island with lots of open space. So I'm thinking we'll meet in the middle with something like this. A chic country kitchen, with room for a growing family. I love the sleek accents and casual style. I can tolerate the unpainted cabinets since that's one area Nate will NOT give on, and he can tolerate the oversized window since that's something I'm adamant about. We'll both enjoy beautiful appliances that complement each other. These are the things we both lust over. Investing wisely in high-quality appliances is an area we can always agree on.

Much of our home design has been a back-and-forth of interests. Nate wanted an “Old West” style for the living room. I wanted California contemporary. And so we landed here, on a functional and beautiful space that feels like home. It feels like us. Casual, thoughtful, eclectic. Much like the unique blend of personalities in our family.

What do you think about a chic country kitchen? Are there a lot of spaces in your home that have come about as part of a compromise?