5 Dream Kitchen Must Haves - Iowa Girl Eats (2024)

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It’s true what they say – kitchens sell homes, as evidenced by the fact that the second we enteredthe kitchen of our current home while touring it in 2013, I turned to Ben and said, “I MUST HAVE THIS.” I was also 8 months pregnant with Lincoln at the time and we’d already sold our house, so we literally needed to have this,but coming from a once-orange kitchen with bathroom tiles for countertops, thetall cabinets, sleek appliances, and stone countertops of the new place gave me immediate goo-goo eyes.

While I do love ourcurrent kitchen, the thought of designing my dream kitchen from the ground up sends me into an emotional tailspin. Oh, the possibilities! Truly I couldn’t care less about having the biggest house with the fanciest finishes– but a tricked out kitchen?Yes, please!

When I think about my dream kitchen, I think design and convenience. Beautiful cabinetry, a big island, wide-plank wood floors, white stone, and fabulous hardware – plus functional features likethe 5 must-haves I’m sharing below. This “Just 5 Things” post idea came from a reader and it was a blastto curate. I’ve already pitched 10 kitchen upgrade ideas to Ben as a result of my “research”, which will all undoubtedly be knocked into the atmosphere (?,) but ah, a girl can dream. ?

Tell me – have you ever had the chance to design your dream kitchen? What did you include? If not (hi! ??) what would you include in yours?

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1. Appliance Garage

Clutter inanyarea of thehouse drives me nuts, but clutter in the kitchen makesme insane. Probably because I spend so much time in there formy job – and who doesn’t like a zen, organized work space?

That said, I would adore cupboards at counter height set up as an appliance garage to hide any of thecoughFIVEappliances currently residing on our counter: toaster, KitchenAid Mixer, Keurig, Nespresso, plustheair fryer Ben got me for our anniversary earlier this week (can’t wait to trythat bad boy out.)

Isn’t this solution just so sleek?

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Here’s another fun option with a top slidingdoor.Must have for my dream kitchen – totally obsessed.

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2. Walk-In/Butler’s Pantry

Forget walk-in closets, I’m ALLabout the walk-in/butler’s pantry. CAN YOU EVEN with this space?!

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My dream kitchen would have a separate, walk-inpantry loaded with shelves, pull out shelves, and counter space for ALL THE STORAGE. I’ve seen some really coolpantries a couple stairs away from the main kitchen space, but have always liked the idea of tucking it behind akitchen wall like the photo below.

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The only pantry we have in our kitchen is a skinny pull out shelfnext to thefridge, so I use the cupboards in the laundry room for overflow and it’s really inconvenient. Our current kitchen layout would lend itself well to installing the kind of pantry in the photo above and below, sowho knows, maybe someday my dream pantry could become a reality!

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3. Sliding Pull Out Drawers and Shelves

One thing I love about our current kitchen is that it’s loaded with pull out shelves making it reallyconvenient to store and retrieve items in deep cabinets. Our garbage/recycling is even on a track and I don’t think I could ever go back.

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Anotherfeature I’ve always wanted to include in my dream kitchen is drawers under the sink. How many bottles of cleaner, plastic bags, and dishwasher detergent boxes have you lost in the dark recesses of your under-sink cabinet?! Hate that space!

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4. Command Center

A command center is something we lack in our current kitchen and I’m desperate for a space like this. Probably because I have to use up a big corner of the kitchen to organize bills, etc, and it’s really unsightly (again, hate clutter!) We could use theoffice/guest room upstairs for that stuff but for me, if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. I have the memory of a goldfish.

I love the space in this dream kitchen below. From the traditional desk design that matchesthe rest of the kitchen cabinetry, to the cork board backsplash and shelving above (which I’d cover with doors in my dream kitchen,) it’s the perfect size and design.

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This command center is dreamy too. The chalk board backsplash +under cabinet lighting is a fun touch.

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5. Built-In Wine Refrigerator

No explanation needed for why I’d want to include a built-in wine refrigerator in my dream kitchen! That said, I love the location of this wine fridge – tucked into the endof the island vstaking up cabinet space in the main kitchen area.

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Just like the microwave, I am also obsessed with the idea of stashing the wine fridgein a walk in pantry. I don’t care if people SEEmy wine,I just don’t want to have to go down to my spider-infested basem*nt – where we currently keep our wine fridge – every time I want a glass.

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5 More Features I’d Love!

1. Cabinet lighting. We currently have under and over cabinet lighting and the ambience it creates at night is totally dreamy.
2. Farmhouse sink. Timeless and functional – got to have it in my dream kitchen!
3. Hands free faucet. A must!
4. Pot filler. Would love to hear from people who have one – love it or hate it? I would love the convenience but what if there’s an issue with the pipes? Do you have to bust open the wall?
5. Waterfall edge. Adore this look.

What are your must-haves for your dream kitchen?

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