Kitchen Clarity Adventures in Kitchen and Bath Design

How about a virtual trip to France to start the week? You’ve probably gathered by by now that I have quite a soft spot for that trusty British range, the A.., which I’m really not going to mention today.  But it does seem a little unfair, that after all the many wars (for instance, the Hundred Years War, the Seven Years War, the Wars of the Austrian and Italian Successions, the Napoleonic Wars, and even the American Revolutionary War, just for a start)  in which the British and the French fought on opposite sides, the spoils were somehow divided up in such a way that the French ended up with all the pretty, elegant ranges, while we Brits ended up with our dependable, solid workhorse.

Of course, you’ll recognize the La Cornue, probably the apex of luxury, (for those who can afford it) which you can see in Williams of Sonoma stores everywhere (via Cote de Texas):

The other French range with a dedicated following here in the US is the lovely LaCanche. Apart from its sheer beauty, one of my favorite things about a LaCanche range is the amount of functionality it packs into a relatively small space.  First here’s a sweet LaCanche, in the French home of designer Beverley Ellesly (via decorati)

This one, in a kitchen by designer Suzanne Kasler, is definitely handsome enough to compete with the art on the wall: (via Architectural Digest)

I’m fairly sure there is another LaCanche tucked away in this beautiful kitchen from Kvanum -  (and I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong):

and here’s one that has apparently traveled all the way to New Zealand (via hollywoodfurniture):

Here’s a closeup of some of the details that make the LaCanche  so gorgeous: (I put one of these cuties in a client’s mountain cabin a few years ago – claret with white marble counters, yum)

Like fine wine, I think some of the most astonishing French ranges tend not to cross the Atlantic – I could certainly fall in love with this beauty, from Wanders:

or how designing your kitchen around this Corradi?

It pains me, really, to admit that these really do make our nameless (for today)  British favorite look positively pedestrian.  Although, when you think that one nation invented delicate croissants for breakfast, while the other stuck manfully to porridge…  what on earth were we fighting for?

Related Posts:

• Discovering Zephyr – Next Generation Europa Range Hoods
• Kitchen luxury – if you can afford it
• Outdoor dishwasher from Kalamazoo
• Country style kitchens – fresh and natural
• Sunny kitchen – and kitchen table reflections