Farmhouse kitchens seem to be all the rage as women everywhere are living vicariously through Joanna Gains on HGTV’s hit show, Fixer Upper. But what is it about farmhouse kitchens that is so appealing? After all, this isn’t a new idea. So why has this style of kitchen come full circle? Perhaps it has more to do with the ideal of quality family time than it does with open white cabinets and a functional design.
Growing up on a small farm in central Texas, the kitchen was our gathering place. Eggs and bacon were prepared most mornings, and there was always a home cooked meal waiting for us once we finished our chores and fed the animals. The animals always ate first around Twin M Farms. My dad took us hunting or fishing nearly every weekend so we always had fresh meat to go with mom’s garden vegetables. You might say we ate an all-natural diet before it was the fad. Our family kitchen hosted regular Sunday lunches, large family celebrations and meals for a tired crew after we worked baby pigs and de-horned kid goats.
My childhood home had the typical modern farm house kitchen. Traditional wood floors with the hollow sound that made it difficult to sneak out at night. A large butcher-block island served as a buffet table for guests, and a meat processing table where we made hundreds of pounds of sausage and ground venison each winter. That butcher-block carries the knife scars and stains from years of use. It was around this island that we joined the hands of love and gave thanks before every meal.
Our kitchen wasn’t always the cleanest, but my mom would say “we lived there.” Our dishes may not have matched, but the food served on them would make The Pioneer Woman proud. My parents raised three successful children and blessed countless friends with a home cooked meal in that kitchen. A real farmhouse kitchen wears a patina that only years of love and heavy use can create. I believe this is what so many people are looking for in a modern farmhouse kitchen. I pray they find it.
Here are some great Farmhouse Kitchen design ideas from the Keller Williams Blog: http://blog.kw.com/farmhouse-kitchens-coming-to-a-listing-near-you
