Colorful Eclectic Kitchens

via Head Over Heels

So I love personality in a kitchen, and I love kitchens that don't look like everybody else's kitchen.   I love eclectic kitchens - kitchens that "mix it up a bit" with multiple styles and finishes and colors.  And I love kitchens that tell a story (as Paul Anater over at Kitchen and Residential Design put it this week in his posts about kitchen story boards).  I love the use of unique furniture pieces, or art work, or dramatic color... anything that makes it different.

It's funny... my tastes in general tend to be more simple and modern, but there is something warm and comfortable about an eclectic kitchen with a little color and maybe even a bit of country to it.  It makes me want to meet the owner and listen to the story of their kitchen, directly from them.

from Country Living

source unknown

from Hill Country House

from Desire to Inspire

On a more formal note, this kitchen by Mick DeGuilio for SieMatic gets my vote for Kitchen of the Year.  It's simpler and more modern than anything I've posted above.  It's more elegant... yet still cozy.  It's timeless, and far from sterile (which is a problem with many modern kitchens).  I would feel completely comfortable sitting in one of those chairs, or even chopping veggies on that countertop.  This kitchen has a wonderful yet subtle mix of style and color.  And it has tons of personality.  I'll have to do an individual post on this kitchen another time because every detail is beautiful, but I wanted to include it in this group because it's just as different as any of the louder kitchens shown above, just in a quieter (and less country) way.