A kitchen window is a must for my house, in order for me to call it home. Maybe my love of kitchen windows came from growing up looking out kitchen windows over sinks doing dishes at home in Minnesota, at grandmother’s in Kentucky, and grandma’s in Colorado. Maybe it’s the south facing kitchen window in my home of twenty years that bathes me in sunlight year-round.
Kitchen window time is productive (washing dishes) and inspiring – seeing the hummingbirds at the garden feeder; watching plants grow day-over-day; and relishing snow-frosted pine boughs.
Kitchen window sills also allow for something I’ve written about before – sinkscaping© and sillscaping©. The sill of a kitchen window provides a happy, daily visible place to display photos, trip-collected objects, and objects gifted by friends. My kitchen window sill currently displays: a mug from my daughter that says “Mother, a title just above queen” and two mugs from friends. One says: “Best Friends Forever” and the other says “Why Yes, I am overqualified.” (Don’t you feel like this sometimes?)
The Twin Brook Creamery small glass milk jug reminds me of time with Bonnie in Seattle visiting the neighborhood bakery amidst a giant snowstorm last winter. The hummingbird colorful glass display came from mom after she knew I’d taken a hummingbird class last year. The other colorful pottery bowls and small dishes remind me to be cheerful. Everyday delight comes from being at the kitchen sink and looking out this sillscaped window.
Some kitchen windows double as a greenhouse mini-bay window for plants and décor. Kitchen window treatments include blinds, curtains, and no window-coverings. Kitchen window tinting helps shield heat from baking those in the kitchen. And kitchen windows that open can be a happy flow of outside coming in to brighten the household air.
Our kitchen window opening has served as a walk-up lunch-ordering station for those working in the garden and as a lemonade service station. For the years of her youth, we even installed a small shelf outside at the bottom of the kitchen window to accommodate these imaginative (with real food) restaurant games. What fun we’ve had at and around the kitchen window!
What does your kitchen window do for you? What can it be doing?
Nesting is about the objects and experiences that create a sense of home. Without home, it is difficult to maintain health, find joy, or to be productive. Enjoy the Nesting series of blogs on your search for and creation of a deep sense of home. –Jana
Jana Kemp
