No More Kitschy Kitchens

As I search for inspiration for my mama's kitchen renovation, I am seeing so many smart spaces designed to be both functional and fabulous.  Gone are the days of "pretty" kitchens for show and display.  The spaces I'm seeing are efficient, ergonomic and so stylish. 

My first set of pictures comes from My French Kitchen .  This "cuisine" makes me think that if we ever decide to gut our kitchen, I will spend my money on the nicest commercial appliances and use whatever I have left to piece together shelves and storage.  Cabinets are so overrated.

I'm not sure where this picture came from, but I love the clutter.  This kitchen would probably send my roommate (fiance) into cardiac arrest, but I think it's wonderfully chaotic.

The next picture comes from Dorie Greenspan, my food and life idol.  I recently snatched her cookbook from my mom and I've been using it non stop and loving everything I've made.  Her kitchen is narrow and cluttered and just plain chic.  Only a French kitchen could have this much stuff and still look so perfectly assembled.

The next kitchen is from DesignSponge and it teeters perfectly between pretty and practical.  The natural light, the farmhouse sink, all that counterspace, that hood and those shelves.  This is my new dream kitchen.