<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" style="border:0 none;" src="http://www.marieclairemaison.com/data/images/photos/F0/7d9cf10249uisine.jpg" alt="mcm aristocrat kitchen" width="400" height="400" /></p>

A bit of restrained opulence for the kitchen envy this week my dears. Restrained Opulence? Isn't that an oxymoron? Sum's up my day I suppose.

This kitchen, again from <a href="http://www.marieclairemaison.com/,mini-cuisines,200043,210.asp">Marie Claire Maison </a>caught me off guard. It was too reflective and shiny to be a kitchen I thought. Reflective it is, what with a wall of mirrors but not without reason. At only 35sq m the apartment is small and the kitchen? A hotplate and a sink! But it is not devoid of style and that's why I love it.

Painted portraits adorn the far wall and become a part of the kitchen space on account of the mirror back splash - the Louis XIV bust adds to the old school aristocratic feel that dominates this space. I respect the character this kitchen has..and the historical feel makes it special, important.

Antlers have been done to death in recent years, but because of the aesthetic of this room its an appropriate choice of a light fixture. All in all a rather simple kitchen. The steel countertops and frosted cabinet fronts are not distracting at all even though are elements of a kitchen more modern than the accessories in the space suggest. But I love it, I envy it and thus it makes the cut.

<em>image by <a href="http://www.marieclairemaison.com/,mini-cuisines,200043,210.asp">marie claire maison</a></em>