subject: Turning Boredom To Ecstasy Incorporating Colorful Designer Kitchens [print this page] The home is that secure, comfortable and safe place the family retreats to at the end of each day of hectic and exciting living, no matter what lifestyle we choose. While it is a central place of solace for us to regenerate and reconnect as a family and as individuals, it has its own demands. Since we spend so much time here, and food is such central part of family gatherings, to kick up the excitement, why not create your own takeoff of the colorful designer kitchens we see splashed all over television and in living magazines?
Certainly there is any number of things that could create a similar thrill. One could remodel the bedroom or the bath, upgrading the standard plumbing or closet work with something special. Still, it is the kitchen that truly serves as the center of most households, and in most cases, whoever rules that domain would like to see some changes from the edition that came with the home.
Most builders and designers live in a world where form and function are necessary only as long as they meet the minimum requirements for a home, and while keeping the costs to the specified range. Rarely is the person who designs or outfits the kitchen someone who has spent a lot of time in one or who has a passion for creating foods as art, or simply has to make the space work for them day after day.
Ask any person who does the majority of the family meal preparation and they will tell you a list of things they wish were different about their workspace. Usually they have given it enough thought to have the list prioritized, knowing immediately which things they wish could be changed first. They also likely have a preference for what to do if only one thing could be changed.
We start to notice that the windows feel somehow misplaced. The walls are not quite perfectly square and the kitchen appliances are not exactly the kind we like best. Suddenly we realize that the paint and stain scheme just does not work. These are telltale signs that we have grown used to the place, it is not new anymore and frankly there are things that would make it much better.
This is where disappointment may start to creep in, but instead of letting it become a source of displeasure and even depression, we should seize upon these feelings and make something happen. We can ask ourselves what it is about the center spread article in the living well magazine that makes that kitchen something to drool over, and how we can bring it to the kitchen nearest to us. We can regain the original pleasure we gained from looking at the then empty space we now find so overly familiar.
This issue, the repetitive nature of preparing meals, is the primary reason restaurants stay in business, they are certainly more expensive than cooking at home and it usually takes more time to eat out than in. The draw is that someone else is doing the work, and it gives the chef a new feel, a new perspective on meals. For the same reason, a cooking space makeover is rejuvenating.
When it becomes early spring and the desire to head outside takes us full on, we look to the tools we have for the outdoor cooking season. Invariably it crosses our mind that perhaps this is the year to get a new grill. Perhaps it is time to get something more permanent than the stored mosquito repelling lamps and we have noticed the patio furniture is looking a little worn. This is when we realize our kitchen suffers from this same sensation of needing renewal.
When you find yourself or see your spouse moving about the space that is your kitchen with a sense of indifference, it is time to act. When the approach to meal preparation takes on the same feel as the drive home from work then boredom is settling in and the good news is it can be relieved without having to buy a new home. Those colorful designer kitchens you see in magazines can be yours with a little effort. Besides, the energy the two of you spend in the recreating just may liven up more than the kitchen space.
