Design Spotlight: Messy Kitchens by Cheryl Kees Clendenon

Cheryl Kees Clendenon
In Detail Interiors, Owner

I love having everything in its place. There’s nothing worse for a busy professional who enjoys cooking than to come home to whip up a mini feast and not be able to find the right baking dish, a measuring cup, or your favorite jar of spices. But, as a designer, I need to have it look good too, and sometimes a plain Jane cabinet just won’t cut it for me or for my clients. Here are a few of our recent “hidden in plain sight” functional storage solutions that are unique yet beautiful.

When you want your wine, and the cook is busy preparing dinner, it’s good to have wine storage out of the way. This wine bar is functional, and the grass cloth and contrasting-color shelves make it a gorgeous addition to this kitchen.

For lazy days when you don’t want to haul the coffee pot to the sink, add a pot filler in the coffee center to make it easy to fill the pot right there, and include a convenient pull-out shelf.

Sometimes having kitchen items in plain sight is best. My philosophy is that I will cook a lot more when the spices and oils I use daily are at my fingertips.

Now for those cooks who want everything  in one place- how about two large flanking dish pantry cabinets with antique mirror and iron inserts that hold it all?

No guessing where your spouse put the favorite soufflé pan- because you open the large doors and there it all is.

When you are a colorful gal, you want your colorful serving pieces handy- yet off the counter. This option would work for snacks being hidden away too- yet close enough to remember they are there.

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• More messy kitchen design by Schumacher Homes