A good reason for never saying never – this Oxfordshire kitchen. The two windows frame the hood nicely,  the ventilation is placed squarely over the Aga gas module where it is needed, leaving a window behind the warming module to bring views from outside and  natural light to the cooking area.

Oxfordshire Kitchen by Simon Brown via Desire to Inspire

And did you see this glorious kitchen by Miller Hull featured at the Contemporist?

Kitchen with Views forever - by Miller Hull via The Contemporist

A closer look at the range reveals (dah dah daah)  it has a window for a backsplash. And with these views why on earth not?

A backsplash with a view to die for - Miller Hull via The Contemporist

To be precise, it looks as if there is a clear glass backsplash fixed over the window – no danger of untimely breezes, and easy to keep clean. Of course the glass would have to be sufficiently heat safe. The biggest danger for me would be becoming so mesmerized by the scene I’d forget all about the cooking!

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Belzberg Architechts - Kona Residence

So beautiful – while I wouldn’t say no to it in Hawaii, over there you can just look (or even better, step) outside and enjoy gorgeous tropical vegetation. Wouldn’t it even nicer to have this in your work-a-day bathroom at home? Or would getting into vacation mood every morning prove so relaxing that you’d never show up for work at all?

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UPDATE: Credit where credit is due – I did a little detective work to find that this award winning kitchen is the work of Jeanne Rehkamp Larson of Rehkamp Larson Architects in Minneapolis:

Photo Susan Gilmore via Desire to Inspire

The kitchen does a brilliant job of mixing contemporary and traditional elements to create a space that is completely current.  A great balance of warm and cool, old and new, practicality and whimsy – I’m loving the rainbow stools and the scalloped trim at hood and island.  True timelessness is difficult to achieve, but this must be pretty close to it, in a totally post-modern way.

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