One of the things I love about this series is the kitchens come from all over the world. We can see real kitchens and know that although we are different, we are all basically the same. Today's kitchen is Marian's in the Netherlands.
"I send you pictures of both my kitchens. In my home in Amsterdam my 20 years old kitchen is most of the time tidy without things on the sink. That's because I learned my family to clean up after using the kitchen. In that way I function the best I can with a fulltime job as a teacher and three grown up children (17, 19 and 21 years old) We have a dishwasher but we have to wash a lot by hand too.
The picture of the other kitchen is from my allotment. It's 15 minutes on our bike from our city appartment to reach it. We have a nice garden and a wooden house 26m2 that's made by hand by my husband and his father about 30 years ago. There's no electricity in the cottage but we use a small solarsystem for the lights. In spring and summertime we live in our cottage and enjoy the outdoorlife still close by Amsterdam.
I have two weblogs, both in Dutch, http://www.vuurvlindertje.web-
Please don't forget to comment. A comment is like payment for the time taken to post, and in this case in sending in the photos. Many of us were enthusiastic about this series, so make sure all the photos get a good number of comments. I don't want any of the people sending in photos to regret joining in. Thank you friends.
I love dutch kitchens! They're always so efficient. Small as they usually are, they're still the best place to gather. We can fit at least 5 people in my 2nd cousin's kitchen in Deventer. Good times.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing both your kitchens. I like the allotment kitchen too. :>)
Very nice kitchens. Amsterdam is a lovely city. I really love the allotment kitchen, and that solar power is used for lighting, etc.
ReplyDeleteFlowerLady
What nice and tidy kitchens! I can't wait til mine are old enough to help out more. My two year old can use the dust buster and put his clothes in the hamper but that about it. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love the mirrored splashback in your kitchen would never had thought to do that. The little alotment kitchen is cute too.
ReplyDeleteI am so jealous of your kitchens, both of them. They are so neat and tidy. Can you teach my family to clean up after itself? Please :)
ReplyDeleteI love all these kitchen pictures. I have a very small kitchen, and my husband feels badly about it -- like he is not providing enough for me. But so many of us have tidy kitchens, and they work quite well. We aren't missing any meals! Thanks for sharing. ~Liz
ReplyDeleteI recently saw a show on Amsterdam and how the way of life is one of the best in the world. Kudos to those who would take an already-wonderful way of living (more simple, less materialistic) and make is even simpler and more wonderful!
ReplyDeleteWhen I read about your allotment I got all excited! I have an old magazine, I believe Country Living and it showed these lovely little houses with the most incredible gardens. I love your kitchens and the mirror backsplash. So nice and fresh looking too!
ReplyDeleteMarian the kitchen in your apartment is lovely but the one at your allotment really made me smile. What fun it would be to ride a bike with you out to the allotment, then garden and drink tea. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWish I could read Dutch! I would love to follow your blogs, the spring and summer spent in the cottage sounds particularly wonderful! I love reading about people living in nonconventional ways.
ReplyDeleteI agree w/ you Rhonda that it's great to see kitchens around the world ~ it makes us realize our similarities more than our differences.
ReplyDeleteI also learned something new today from this post :) I had to look up "allotment" in the Netherlands, because I didn't know exactly what that meant.
Here's what I found at wikipedia:
"The first allotment gardens in the Netherlands were founded in 1838. In the 19th century, cities started allotment gardens for working class families. Around the first world war, the users of the gardens started demanding that the gardens would be governed by the members. In 1928 the allotment garden societies founded the national level "het Algemeen Verbond van Volkstuindersverenigingen in Nederland (AVVN)." Until the 1950's, the gardens were primarily used for vegetable production, since then there has been a shift to recreational use. Depending on the city and society, small sheds, greenhouses or small garden houses are allowed. In some cases, permanent habitation is allowed during summertime. The Netherlands has 240.000 allotments."
THANKS for another great post! :) and THANKS to Marian for sharing not just one great kitchen, but two! :)
Mariannem your kitchen is almost identical to the one my aunt has. She lives in Amsterdam South. It's almost as if you are in the same building. She's on 2nd story high and has beighbours above, below and either side. Not my kind of living. If I can see correctly you have a doorway there and does it lead to a balcony that looks into the back square of garden surrounded by 3 sides of buildings? I think your kitchen would be a gally type and it looks bright fresh and airy. I find these galle kitchens very user friendly where everything is reachable within one or two steps.
ReplyDeleteBoth are beautiful kitchens! I love white in a kitchen because everything looks so bright and crisp!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your kitchen with us.
Lovely kitchens! So neat and tidy!
ReplyDeleteLove the mirrored backsplash!
Your kitchens look so comfortable and simple. Thanks for sharing! I wish that I could read your blogs.
ReplyDeleteThe mirroere splashbackes make the room look so much bigger, I love that idea.
ReplyDeleteA close friend moved to the Netherlands and she told me how clean everyones kitchen is. She was afraid to cook in it incase it got dirty!!
Thanks for a sneak peek into yet another culture.
You taught your family to clean up the kitchen ... you must be a really great teacher! Both your kitchens look great. When I grew up, we had an allotment,too, and we all loved it. Every day spent there was like a holiday.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and photos
ReplyDeleteI also believe that when it comes to selling your property, the kitchen is probably the most important room of all. Modern families spend much of their time in this area: cooking, eating, working and playing. Whether you update the existing space or undertake more major work - knocking down walls to create an open-plan space, for example - transforming your kitchen will pay off
Hi Marian,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sending in your pictures! I am also Dutch, and really enjoyed reading and looking at your weblog. It's a great source of inspiration. I also (!) have an allotment, and am very creative, and feel that there is still a lot for me to learn!
I look forward to meeting you at the forum!
Anna
I just found your blog and I adore it!! I love the kitchens and that you can your own food too! I am just starting to can, but my mother taught me. She made everything at home. I think what you are doing is lovely. I am Dutch and I speak very little, but I remember my granparents talking back and forth when I was a very young girl!! I love those memories! I loved the pepper potatoes my grandpa made too, and the crocks of sauerkraut on the back porch! Thank you so much your blog has flooded me with memories!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a pity her new blog is in dutch. Her photos of the allotment are very interesting. I'd love to be able to understand what she writes.
ReplyDeleteI'll be looking forward to following your blog again after Easter.
Ana
How beautiful! Efficiency and beauty all in one! I love the allotment. I was fascinated by them when I traveled to Germany for work years ago. I have often thought of them. I will visit the blogs as I am very excited to learn more about them.
ReplyDeleteLove both kitchens. What a good idea having mirrored backsplash - reflecting light and making the room look bigger! I am not sure if you live in a flat or a house. If we move house again, I think a flat and an allotment would be getting the best from both worlds. Now we are getting older, shovelling huge drifts of snow gets less attractive for each year. Here in Sweden the people who have allotments get together to celebrate Midsummer - and have a great time.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing.
Ramona K
Sweden
Lovely pictures of the dutch kitchens. I was excited to read about them and check out the blogs too. My parents were both born in the Netherlands and came to Canada in the 1950's. From them and my grandparents I was able to learn some dutch. I can understand some in conversation, can read some and can speak a little. I think it is enough for me to be able to understand your blogs and enjoy the creativity.
ReplyDeletehttp://albertafamily.blogspot.com/
Both kitchens are lovely. How wonderful to have a place to escape to away from the everyday hustle and bustle. Your cottage kitchen is quite quaint. I love it! :) Melissa
ReplyDeleteIs that a mirror on your backsplash? Love it!
ReplyDeleteI have to fight to get my son to do clean up in teh kitchen. Too spoiled. My own fault for that. I should have started him when he was young and wanting to help.
ReplyDeleteMy hubby does help and we kinda' take turns doing clean up after supper.
----Krystal(nova scotia)
Your kitchens are very organized. I am amazed that you can have a little "cottage" shed at your allotment which has so much fitted in it. Out of curiosity, I've just checked out what a Dutch allotment looks like - they are brilliant.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting - 2 kitchens - & both lovely. I especially like your cottage kitchen w/the little hot plate to cook on & the gasket lidded cannisters. I use several of those, myself.
ReplyDeleteNot quite sure what an allotment is, though.
Blessings from Ohio/USA...Kim<><