The kitchen is a room which has tremendously evolved over the past years. Once hidden, separated from the living room, now it is totally integrated to the living space (living room, dining room). As for us, by the way, we weren’t the exception to the rule: the kitchen of our new apartment was too small for our liking. There wasn’t enough storage space, the kitchen counter didn’t let enough place to cook, cut or prepare. The decision was unanimous: removing the partition for a maxi living room!

Modern kitchens, a real asset

At the center of the familial space, a well-designed kitchen gives style and dynamizes your interior decoration. It becomes THE center piece and reflects the inhabitants’ lifestyle.

Our kitchen is exactly how I imagined it. Spacious, refined, practical with lightnings and a suspended and industrial-like cooker hood. The kitchen integrated to the living room allows us to cook the meal and not being isolated anymore when we are hosting, or when we are all reunited when it’s time to eat. Therefore, we can continue to communicate with our children when they are playing or with our guests slumping on the sofa, waiting to discover what we cooked up for them. A great advantage of choosing an open kitchen: when you are not a timing king (like us) and you are the type to be late ... you can continue to cook with ease!

Prime on conviviality with the kitchen island

Kitchen islands are becoming more and more common in kitchens. The designs of kitchen fitters are almost all presented with an island, whether it be central or following on from the kitchen counter.

We wanted the countertop to be a bar, a workspace and the eating area. In our home, it is a privileged place to talk but also to realize pastry recipes on Wednesday afternoon. When friends come to have an aperitif, 9 times out of 10, I noticed that even though we have a dinner table, we stay around the kitchen island. The dining table makes the scowl, but what do you want, it is a little less friendly it seems!

Think about the important details

 The standard height of the worktop is logically adapted to our height without exceeding 1,10m. It is then indispensable to choose seats adapted to the height of the bar (for 1,10m we advise an 80-cm height, whereas for a 0,9-m bar we preconize 60 to 65 cm-high seats) but also the accessibility of the bar itself (with armrest, with a back or not). To keep it simple, remember to leave 25-30 cm of overhang between the bar and the seat.

I can tell you that finding the right seat is no easy task. The stools’ heights are often too high and adapted to bars rather than kitchen countertops. I did extensive research, quite tedious and I even tried various designs – various heights. None were suitable, or it was largely over budget, which was not conceivable.

I ended up having my own high stools made by a Moroccan artisan. You know Zouhair? This dear Marrakchi who has nimble fingers and who handles the axe with dexterity and precision. (I wrote an article about my meeting with Zouhair, you can find it here).

The advantage of the crafts is that we can personalize everything: the size and the height, create a stool with or without backrest, the seat material: leather, palm leaves or fabric scraps. The craftsman listens and really realizes the furniture as we like it. Finally, it seems like he is unstoppable and that the expression “the customer is always right” takes on its full meaning.

The high handmade Moroccan stools that I propose to you on my online shop give a bohemian and chic atmosphere to the kitchen. They will easily match with seaside atmosphere, country house, but also atmospheres that mix raw materials and refined lines. Leather designs take up the spirit of the vintage furniture of the 70s. Matching styles has become a real trend.

However, if you want your kitchen to be more convivial, that doesn’t mean that you have to renovate everything. You can give it a rejuvenation with a little makeover. Céline, the decorator of Inspirations en pulpe, gives you advice for a transformation with a pittance.

You now have all the keys to rethink your kitchen and transform it into a place that looks like you and most importantly: in which you feel happy.