Times have changed and bar stools are the new dining room chair.

Let’s face it, times have changed and that includes where we sit to eat our meals. Formal dining rooms are out and bar stools or counter stools are in. Many people are choosing to live in more urban and denser settings, where space is at a premium and the formal dining is just not practical. That’s not to mention that dining has become more relaxed — with the focus on the food more than the formality.

If you have a smaller home, you may just have a counter end that’s a natural fit for some bar stools. Or you may have a space for a table, in which case consider a high table at which you can place bar stools. It’s a much more informal way to not only eat your morning oatmeal but also to entertain. In addition, bar stools can be a handy space saving device. Some styles can stack, but most at least are easy enough to tuck under to create more space.

And the bar stools of today are not like the bar stools of days past–like from a 1985 wood-paneled basement. Nowadays, style choices run the gamut from mid-century modern to Scandinavian modern and everything in between. Of course, if you find yourself nostalgic for those mid-1980s bar stools, we are sure that you can find them at a flea market!

9 Stools to Deck Out Your Space

1. Langley Street Wright Modern Stool via AllModern

Show off your modern style with a row of these steel and wood swivel bar stools.

2. Vintage French Schoolhouse Stool via Chairish

Add these vintage French schoolhouse stools to your craft space, dining table, or bar for some retro style. Bonus points because they are stackable!

3. Wood Pallet Stool via Palletso

This stool is made from recycled wood from pallets. It’s eco-friendly, rustic, handmade, and sturdier than mass-produced options.

4. Recycled Wood Stool via At West End

Here’s another eco-friendly option. The rich honey-colored stain softens the industrial design of this rustic stool.  It’s made from recycled wood and features an adjustable seat for added functionality!

5. Cliff Counter Stool via Loll Designs

These stools are made from 100% recycled plastics and can work for both inside and outside! They are also available in eleven different colorways.

6. Reclaimed Industrial Stool via barnxo

These modern stools feature black metal frames and reclaimed barn wood for the seats.The wood top is reclaimed, old Growth Douglas Fir that was salvaged from a building that was more than  170-years-old, giving the wood beautiful character.

7. Pipe Industrial Stool via Hisbrand

Another industrial option, these stools are made from steel pipes and feature a thick durable wood top has been finished without harmful chemicals.

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I spend a whole lot of time in my kitchen. Making breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a family of three takes a good portion of the day. Whether I’m whipping up kale and eggs for breakfast, chopping sweet potatoes for dinner, or just heating up leftovers from the night before, the vibe in my favorite space matters. If you’re like me and you spend much of your day chopping, whipping, or sautéing, why not make the most utilized room in your home a sanctuary?

Why a Peaceful Kitchen Matters

According to author of “Organically Raised,” Anni Daulter, “When you start cooking with a sense of the sacred in mind, you begin to see how your love for everything wells up in your heart. When you cook like this, every stew is special and every grain of rice is a miracle.”

Additionally, in yogic philosophy, it’s clear that prana or life force is present in all living things, including food. This means that you energetically impact the foods you prepare. Therefore, a cooking space should be similar to where you meditate, a peaceful place where you feel calm and focused. Not to mention that if you don’t cook often enough, an inviting kitchen may remind you why cooking is so fulfilling.

Remain Mindful While You Cook

Take some time before entering your kitchen to center. Breathe deeply for a few minutes or close your eyes for a short meditation. Visualize producing tasty, healthy, fresh fare for you or your family. While you’re cooking, try and remain mindful of the meal you’re preparing. Make meal preparation a meditation and every time your mind wanders, allow it to return back to the activity you’re doing. Don’t do anything else besides meal preparation. For example, jumping to other tasks like laundry, cleaning dishes, or straightening up the house.

How to Make Your Kitchen a Sanctuary

Transforming your kitchen into a place of refuge is easier than you think. These steps can help you make your kitchen a place where you’re excited to create tasty, fresh meals.

1. Cut the clutter

First of all, get all the junk out of your kitchen so you have room to maneuver. Less clutter is calming and peaceful. You don’t have to declutter all at once. Take your time and move drawer to drawer, pulling out what you no longer need. Got two versions of the same tool? Time to say goodbye to one of them (preferably the cheaper one). Never used that garlic crusher? Why not give it to someone who might? Every item in your kitchen should have meaning. Don’t let a stack of papers build up on the kitchen counter, either. Every so often go through and trash what you no longer need.

2. Give it a scrub down

Now that you’ve cleared the clutter, it’s time to give it a scrub down. Throw together a simple, chemical-free cleaner made with half water and half white vinegar with about ten drops of lemon essential oil. Take everything off the counters and wipe them down. Wipe down all of the appliances, inside and out. Wipe up any food remnants from the floor.

3. Make it foot-friendly

If you’re standing on your feet chopping, slicing, baking, or just reading recipes, it can get tiring. Treat yourself to some foot support. Consider the casa pura Anti Fatigue Mat ($33) or the NewLife by GelPro Professional Grade Anti-Fatigue Mat ($72). Both mats provide the support you need so that your back and your feet don’t take a beating in the kitchen.

4. Add in some tunes

Nothing feels quite as nice as cooking to some good tunes. Of course, it depends on what you’re in the mood for, but keep the tunes as calming as possible. Instead of watching television or listening to the news, choose some music that keeps you mindful.

5. Make a kitchen shrine

Make a kitchen shrine filled with sacred items. Add some shelving to the wall in your kitchen to present your favorite items. Choose soothing candles, images of special people, vases of flowers, incense, or whatever moves you.

6. Add an herb garden

You can’t get much fresher than growing food right in your kitchen. And what better way to amp up your cuisine than with the help of fresh herbs? A small kitchen garden also adds life to your kitchen (literally!) and prana to the food you’re preparing. It doesn’t have to be difficult. Just choose a sunny spot and plant a few herbs that you use often.

7. Organize your pantry

Take some time to organize your pantry so you can get to everything you use regularly. Go to a craft store and purchase some mason jars to store your essentials like flour, sugar, nuts, seeds, etc. Make sure all your favorite staples are properly marked and sealed so they last a long time.

8. Clean out your fridge

Cleaning out your fridge isn’t the most fun, but it’s essential to a peaceful space. Remove all the items from your fridge and wipe down everything with warm soap and water. Check all the expiration dates on condiments before placing them back on the shelf.

9. Dump super old leftovers

In yogic philosophy, foods that aren’t fresh and alive don’t contain prana, or life force. After a day or two, leftovers also lose their life force. The bottom line is to make sure that all the foods you serve are as fresh as possible. Processed, junk foods are also worth avoiding for the same reasons.

Any tips for how to make your kitchen a sanctuary? Do you spend a lot of time in the kitchen? How do you make it your own? Are you a mindful chef? We want to know! Drop us a line via Twitter @EcoSalon.

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Who doesn’t love copper accents in the kitchen? There is something about copper that makes it an even more inviting decor choice in the kitchen.

We all know copper has its advantages for cooking in the kitchen, like superior heat conductivity for one, but copper accents are also a popular decor choice. It can help to make your kitchen a more warm and inviting space, which is what we want after all, amiright? We spend so much time in the kitchen cooking, entertaining, and cleaning up that is should be a place that no one should mind hanging out in.

From traditional to more modern copper accents, we have some wonderful copper finds to add color and warmth to your kitchen space.

Creative Copper Accents for Your Kitchen

Copper Flatware – We love this festive and modern copper-topped painted flatware set. Flatware is the perfect way to incorporate an accent without being too in your face. It’s also lovely enough for entertaining and practical enough for everyday use since it is dishwasher-safe.

Copper Kitchen-Aid Mixer – While technically not made from copper, this Kitchen-Aid mixer in “Copper Satin” is a fun and ingenious way to add some copper color to your kitchen. We love it!

Copper Canisters – For a more traditional take, try this hammered copper canister set for storing flour, sugar, coffee, and other ingredients you want to have at hand. These will brighten up any kitchen counter-top.

Copper Cups and Pitcher Set – Copper cups are a must-have when serving Moscow Mules, but they are really wonderful for serving any beverages that you want to serve super cold. And that’s not to mention how gorgeous a copper set would look on your table or wet bar!

Copper Coffee Maker – Why settle for a boring black coffee maker when you can have a copper one instead?

Copper Tile Accent – Get creative with your copper accents by adding some glitz and glam with this stunning copper tile. We honestly cannot get enough of this look!

Copper “Diamond” Pendant Lamp – Think outside the box with this modern take on the copper pendant lamp. It’s super fun and quirky!

Copper Plated Chairs – Place these around your kitchen table for a refreshingly modern way to add copper accents to your kitchen. They are sure to be a real showstopper!

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Image: Copper Pots via Shutterstock

The post Quirky Copper Accents to Add to Your Kitchen Space appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnWhat is the modern kitchen all about? Anything but cooking.

Take a look at any set of television ads, an interior design magazine or a home appliance store these days and you’ll notice one thing: everything that’s sold for the modern kitchen is made to make time spent in the kitchen more efficient. And if it’s not something that’s sold for the modern kitchen, it’s how to make your kitchen even better than it already is.

But you know what? Everything that’s sold is sold because we treat cooking food like the dullest of chores. Everything is sold to take the artistry out of making food. I have heard one too many times, “I don’t have a [insert fancy kitchen appliance here] so I can’t make a [insert basic food item here].” Sure, a bread machine reduces the amount of time that you have to spend making bread, but just because you don’t have one doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to make bread. Don’t have an electric mixer? You can still make meringues and whipped cream and all that good stuff. Kitchen appliances and gadgets give us something to blame for our own lack of food skills. And food skills are what keep us healthy. But now computerized kitchens are coming our way, so watch out.

Kitchen gadgets incorrectly believe us to believe that we can have everything and we can have it in a short period of time. A triple layer cake? Yeah, that’s going to take some planning to make. A fresh loaf of bread made with sourdough starter? No, you cannot have that in one hour.

Did you know that the average cost of reported kitchen remodels in the United States is almost $20,000? And people say they don’t have enough money to eat well. I know people who can cook a gourmet meal on a camp stove. You don’t need a fancy kitchen to make good food. Not to mention the fact that when we’re spending time in the kitchen, we’re spending it making completely useless food like rainbow colored unicorn cookies filled with sprinkles.

Let’s get one thing straight: this is about priorities. Good food takes time, anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something. It doesn’t take all the time in the world, but it does take time. But you have to ask yourself: what will you be doing with all the time you have gained from your ten new kitchen gadgets? Will you read a book? Will you work on that startup business plan? Will you spend time with your family? I am going to guess, no. You’re going to spend it on a screen. Checking your bank account to make sure that loan for your kitchen remodel went through.

We are so consumed with being “busy,” and having things look good, that we don’t even have time for the essentials anymore: put a roof over our heads, put food on the table, find water to drink and love each other. It really isn’t more complicated than that.

So what if we spent 30 less minutes everyday being online and put that time into making food instead? We’d be better off for it.

Because when we focus on looks before function, efficiency over time well spent, we lose something in the process. In fact, we lose a lot. We lose nutrition; choose microwave dinners over handmade ones. We lose tradition; we think birthday cakes come from the store. We lose knowledge; when resources were few, all food had to be put to use instead of wasted, nowadays few of us know how to use up vegetable scraps to make a broth. We lose quality time spent together: a family meal at the fast food joint isn’t the same as standing together in the kitchen preparing a meal.

Even if you enjoy cooking, it is in fact a chore. There is no way of getting around that. We have to eat three times a day. That means that you need to come up with something to stuff in your mouth three times a day. That might mean buying something at a restaurant, it might mean reheating last night’s leftovers, and it might mean cooking a meal from scratch.

But while cooking is a chore, we don’t always have to treat it like that, because it’s in treating it like a boring chore that we take all the fun out of it. And the fun is what gets people into the kitchen in the first place.

Gadgets won’t make us healthier. Cooking will. Learn how to do things from scratch, not because it’s the hip thing to do, but because it’s the healthy thing to do. Once you know the basics, you can cut corners. You can speed things up. You can whip together a pesto without a PestoMatic 5000. You can thinly slice vegetables into strips without a Spiralizer.

The beauty of finding pleasure in cooking is that it’s an activity that not only gives us pleasure, but also nourishes us all at the same time. It’s like going to a therapy session, except that therapy comes with dinner.

Don’t let any gadget or new kitchen take that away from you.

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How Much Power Do We Have to Change the Food World? Foodie Underground

This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’ weekly column at EcoSalon: Foodie Underground, an exploration of what’s new and different in the underground movement, and how we make the topic of good food more accessible to everyone. More musings on the topic can be found at www.foodieunderground.com.

Image: Steve Larkin

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