Why do I feel like EVERY kitchen in New Jersey had this specific aesthetic in the early-mid 2000s?

I'm talking about that Tuscan villa/farmhouse aesthetic that we once considered the peak of culinary luxury, opulence, and class. This was the fanciest, most-desired kitchen you could have, and it was very much giving *Olive Garden*.

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The warm brown tones, terracotta floors, the endless crown molding, the cream-colored tiles, marble counter-tops, stone accents, the wooden cabinetry, the elaborate lighting accented with vine-fashioned iron, the dangling faux vines. More was more!

Credit: Various Catalog Images
Credit: Various Catalog Images
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And the ROOSTERS. There were roosters everywhere! Why were we trying so HARD to convince everyone that we were winemakers living on a Tuscan vineyard? In New Jersey?

I ask because we had this EXACT kitchen aesthetic at my family's house in South Jersey during that time. We even had a white pillar painted with gold accents to look like marble. As if we were living in a Roman temple.

Guaranteed there was good food in that kitchen. If you spent a week in a house with a kitchen that looked like this, you would have gained 5 pounds before you left.  I can visualize Tony Soprano wandering into the fridge to grab slices of gabagool.

Credit: Various Catalog Images
Credit: Various Catalog Images
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And YET.... and yet. It wasn't all cringey! Oddly enough, I do find this aesthetic homey and comforting. The sort of comfort that comes with waves of nostalgia. It was certainly a far cry from the airy, gray and white minimalistic kitchens that we mostly favor today.

Photo by Sidekix Media on Unsplash
Photo by Sidekix Media on Unsplash
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P.S., if your kitchen still has that Tuscan look. No offense. Because no doubt your house is the holiday destination, and when you're in this kitchen, you're family.

Let's take a walk down memory Tuscany!

Did Everyone in NJ Have THIS Tuscan-Style Kitchen in the Early 2000s?

It's very much giving "The Sopranos"or "Housewives of New Jersey."
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So did your kitchen look like this? If it still does, I'm coming over for dinner.


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