Rangecraft ceiling mounted hood

I want to create atmosphere where people don’t necessarily notice all of the details I (we) thought about, but just feel like they could stay in my kitchen for a long time, like when you find a great little restaurant and everyone loses track of the time. Nothing should be too dramatic or theme oriented. I would like a mixture of rustic, elegant, timeless, and traditional, but maybe a little sparkle or whimsy too. Many times I have walked into a high-end kitchen and it feels cold, severe, or just not special for all of the money that went into it. The details are there, but the feeling is not. We hope to achieve that sense of contentment for ourselves and our guests that comes about when a home feels balanced and has multiple layers of interest.

This photo shows kitchen features we will use, but within the context of our other design goals. What I love about this kitchen is

the hand scraped wide plank flooring,
the sage green painted island, as well as the barley twist legs
the alternating cream/putty painted and darker wood tone cabinetry
many other functional details that are not immediately visible
the fabric, which in person, is like printed burlap with leaves and birds

Things we would add in our kitchen...

Rustic cedar beams
Our breakfast turret
focus on visibility of the exterior backyard

Views /Doors and Window

We would like our kitchen to accentuate and integrate with exterior views of our house, the mature trees, the pool house/pool, and the planned landscaping (stone walls, patios, shrubs, grasses, container plantings), as well as a planned special play area.
We would like to be able to view the play area and pool from working areas in the kitchen.
Design of doors, windows, and cabinets at the back of the house should not distract the eye from looking outward. I love the window and door photo I gave you that showed the outside of the breakfast area turret.
Relationships of the kitchen to family room and other areas of the house should make sense. If there is a view from the foyer, it should catch a pretty display view of the kitchen, not a view of a potentially messy area. For instance, in our current kitchen, the view from the foyer hallway is a shot of the door to the garage….not good.
Right now, the window and door set up is such a mix of mismatched moldings, mullions, and window grills, that is does not draw the eye past all of the clutter to the view. The furniture arrangement is limited because we don’t want to add to the blocking of the view.

Examples of other kitchens I love....

This photo is of a designer's kitchen in Bethesda. I love the old beams and the thick stucco wall arch. I love the counter stools too. She created a great spot for her laptop, overlooking her garden and next to the coffee station,...also complete with modern day custom plug-on pockets for all the family phones and devices. She uses sconces heavily throughout the home and I think it adds such a serene feeling in the kitchen.

This kitchen is appealing because of the multiple finishes, the stove mantle and the checkerboard butcherblock. I always think the checkerboard adds a touch of whimsy and "youth" to a space without going to far overboard.

This is a Barry Dixon kitchen. I love the...

beams
the very architectural and old world stove mantle
the niche next to it with shelving and pottery
the drawer and cabinet door styles, as well as the finishes and hardware
the plate rack
the overall charm of the space

This kitchen is from a home in McLean. We loved the entire house but would prefer it on our lot. :) Pierre Deux staged the house for sale. Thinks we notice about his space...

Rustic beams
Windows, especially the sink window flanked by sconces,
Colors-- reds, greens, blues deep earth tones,but the yellow is a little too strong for us
Copper hood
Stone work
Iron chandelier
Mixture of traditional and rustic trim work throughout the house.