The Beach House kitchen {live}

Morning...yep still smiling every time I think I'm back!

OK...

Since I'm feeling settled at long last, I thought I'd start showing you round out little beach house.

It's totally different from out big old country house in England.
Although we chose a house in the UK countryside with many of the qualities we have here -lots of natural light and high ceilings, floor boards through out and a gorgeous big garden- all qualities we wanted out children to continue to grow up with- the two houses couldn't be more different in terms of *how we live*.

Weather dictates so much doesn't it!?
I have many a blog friend in the UK, Europe and America who will be nodding along with me on this, looking around their very loved houses, taking in all the ways they deal with the seasons.

In Australia, especially along it's coastline, we pretty much live outdoors for most of the year.
I never thought about this till we had our four years abroad in England where the weather dictated every aspect of how we lived- particularly as a family with three *out-door-beach-obsessed-kids*!

I now feel blessed every day that I throw open the bi-fold doors along the back of our house and look out at my vege garden! I take nothing for granted about life in our garden!

Here are a few images of the heart of our home...it's very Australian in it's open plan layout, but it has for me, a very farm house feel to it in the elements we have introduced from our travels abroad.

It's the small things that make me *want* to cook in here, the small things that *make* me want to look after my family the way I did in England where I truly fell in love with all things culinary.
Again, I think the weather in the Northern Hemisphere dictates how your days, weeks and pass times roll...for me to create in our rambling big kitchen there, as the seasons changed, made me fall in love with cooking in a way I never thought I would!

Now a vintage potato basket full of Autumn vegetables makes me think of the next meal.
Previously it was just a beautiful image around our home that my husband *dealt with*.

The beach house is very much about bringing the outdoors in...and the indoors out.
We spend the entire summer with all windows and doors open and the house doubles in size because of this.
Our kitchen leads through large bi-fold doors to an enormous balcony where we cook and eat for months on end...all things I no longer take for granted after living abroad.

Our kitchen is also a practical space, where I run the daily to-ings and fro-ings of the family.
The black board is my god send...reminding us all of the *Weekly Top 10* to do and giving the kids a chance to leave a anyone else a comment ;)

There's a few changes afoot at some stage. I'd love our dining table to be in the kitchen and some more industrial lighting, which means we're planning and thinking about making it twice as large.

To sit at our table, the kids doing homework and preparing a meal would be so lovely.

Now I'm back here- when we do this, I'll be sharing it every step of the way...and will be needing some wise words and thoughts- be ready!

How does your kitchen work?

Does it have a huge table that you, your family and friends gather round? 

My Pinterest boards of inspiration are here.

I'm  pretty much obsessed with finding the perfect grey pendant lights!

I ADORE Pinterest as much as the next *man-I-so-need-that-room-late-night-trawling-everyones-boards-mama*.

If you have a great kitchen board- please let me know!

Am I still smiling to myself - tea cup in hand- looking at my laptop-YES M'AM!

Thanks for coming Down and hanging out....

Melissa x