The kitchen has always been one of my favourite rooms in the home – and it’s full of memories from my childhood. As a child, my mother and I would bake together; when I was off school unwell I would curl up on the sofa while mum made me lunch; on Bonfire Night the family would gather together around the table for a warming Chilli con Carne dish; flicking candlelight and Carols from Kings were the backdrop to Christmas lunch around the long wooden dining table. Holding so many fond memories of this room from my childhood is probably why I place so much importance on my own kitchen now that I’m an adult.
That’s why I was delighted when the folks over at Magnet invited me to talk about how you can use their Showcase Feature Drawer to create a personalised vignette in the kitchen. The project led me to think how life has evolved from those family times in the kitchen years ago. As the world becomes ever more digital, and use of social media increases, it feels as though we have become accustomed to leaving an individual digital footprint.
Our digital trails are a snapshot of how we like to live our lives – the things, people and places we love. I think that this shift is beginning to be mirrored in how we live our lives at home – not just online. Personally, there’s nothing more inspiring in an interior, for me, than when someone has used the blank canvas of his or her home to curate a personalised space.
That’s the great benefit of this showcase feature drawer – it offers homeowners the chance to tell their own stories in the kitchen, thanks to a beautiful glass cover over the top that allows for objects to be displayed. You can take a peek at the video to see the drawer in action! 
I think the showcase drawer gives you the chance to create a visual picture of how you use your kitchen, as well as your culinary tastes and skills. You could take this as an opportunity to display your most-thumbed cookbook, a sleek and stylish chef’s knife and an olive wood chopping board bought from a market while travelling. These elements are all pieces you will use regularly but still maintain a visual beauty that makes them suitable for displaying rather than storing behind closed doors. It’s a trio of elements like this that will combine to tell your personal story in the kitchen: the cookbook will be nod towards your taste in cuisines and cooking prowess; the chef’s knife will reflect the modernity of the surrounding kitchen and your lifestyle; while the olive wood chopping board will invite some tactile texture and warmth into the display, as well as memories of your travels. How do you display personal pieces in your kitchen?
// Posted in partnership with Magnet; all views my own.
13 Comments
Great advice! You are very natural on camera, Will.
@Susan – Thank you so much! It was a fun project to work on. 🙂
The hubby and I are planning a kitchen redo for spring and I am totally sending this to him for a subtle hint! 😉 I need this drawer now!!
@Julie – Ha! Great idea! Can’t wait to hear/see more of your kitchen renovation – time to start planning the vignettes and styling!
Kitchens are definitely the heart of the home. It’s definitely the place I head to when I need to decompress or work through anything.
@TKG – Decompress is such a suitable word. I find it relaxing to head into the kitchen to cook etc. when I am feeling stressed from work. Happy New Year!
What a great idea! Would my husband turn it into a ‘man draw’ though and before I know it all I can see are batteries and wires, nooooooo!!
Always love the your blog 🙂 x
@LisaB – Thank you! Well, that’s why you get in there quick and style it up with all your favourite pieces first! 😉
Just when I thought nothing else new could be added to kitchen design! I love this. I would put fresh flowers in little low vases in that drawer. (It’s absolutely freezing here in Chicago and I have flowers-on-the-brain). Oh and I love that set design too! You should have your own TV show Will and can it be shown in USA too? How fun would that be.
@Mary Beth – Happy New Year! That would be a great idea! Thanks for the kind words. Oh, and your place is looking great! 🙂
p.s. Will, if you go to my blog today at http://www.mbzinteriors.com you can see a peek of my kitchen. I’m talking about corner cabinet optimizer 🙂
This post escaped me during my blog break. I have a glass cabinet to display items in my kitchen but that drawer is definitely something I would love to have. Love the idea!
@Lunch & Latte – Thanks for stopping by!