Kitchens...More than just a place to prepare meals.

What is it about the modern kitchen in today’s time?  It’s become “The Heart of the Home”…At parties it’s always the place everyone ends up gathering to share stories and recipes.

Perhaps it’s the aromas, the fresh brewed coffee first thing in the morning or the smell of dinner in the oven after a long day. I remember countless times having my kids do homework at the island to keep me company as I fiddled around in the kitchen. If you’re a foodie, it’s the place where you create. Most importantly it is the place your family gathers every evening to give thanks, or perhaps play the “High – Low” game.

Through the years the kitchen has evolved. Today it’s the epicenter of the home, open to the entire home and welcoming to everyone in it. Remember the old galley kitchens? The kitchen was sort of hidden from all open parts of the home. It was off to the side of the dining room and behind the family room, as if the cook was supposed to not be seen. And what’s even more, if there WAS a view it was from a tiny window that looked out onto the side of the house, and if you were lucky you had a little place in back of the sink to put a few potted plants.

Well not anymore, now it’s all about the BIG open concept, with large islands that pour into the breakfast room and from there continues to the family room, dining room and right on into the game room. Making it all that much easier to entertain family and friends.

The kitchen has become that place where kids join moms and dads to learn all about nutrition, where kids learn manners, and where everyone learns what it means to be blessed by good food and the hands that make it.

With the added sleek stainless steal appliances, beautiful granite countertops and skillfully designed cabinetry, it’s become a warm comfortable space in which you just want to hang out.

From baking cakes together, to watching clay school projects harden in the oven, kitchens hold memories. As times change, the kids grow older the functionality of an open kitchen has become more important than ever. From hosting dinner parties to making extravagant family meals when we are all reunited, the open flow and inviting décor of the kitchen moves to incorporate the whole house.

Here's a look at a few of our favorite kitchens.