The Conversation for Wednesday, October 26

Do you remember a past kitchen?

IF everything goes well today, my brother and I are closing on the sale of my mother’s condo. I lived there the past four years taking care of Maxine. After she died in January, we decided to sell it.

My mother and I did not have the same taste in decor. She was old-school and comfortable, while I like more-contemporary furniture and lots of artwork. But I absolutely adored her kitchen.

It was roomy enough for a large kitchen table, and she could easily have added an island, although she never did. The kitchen cabinets were a friendly wood, the appliances black (she did not join the stainless steel trend).

The best feature of all was the black and white checkerboard floor. My mother fell in love with the floors in English country homes and decided to install her own.