10 Kitchen Essentials
I love to cook and like many of us, spend a lot of downtime either in or near the kitchen. Our kitchen is quite small but efficient, and flanks one end of an open floor plan that includes a large dining area and living room. With this in mind, I wanted the kitchen to mesh with these other rooms in color and materials. Linen white cabinetry, Carrara marble counters and backsplash, and brushed stainless steel create a soft, timeless envelope, and like the adjacent rooms can be punched up with accents of color.
My 10 Kitchen Essentials:
1. White China Forever versatile and easily accessorized.
2. Global Knives Their carbon blades stay sharp for a long time and their signature, non-slip handles feel great in the hand.
3. Kitchen Candles Like the Votivo pictured here, these make great hostess gifts. Amazing what
a few candles can do to warm up the kitchen in the evening. While I’m cooking, I prefer lighting white, unscented or beeswax votives because they don’t compete with what’s simmering on the stove.
4. A Wall Clock Most kitchens have room for a few focal points, and we’ve had this large aluminum framed clock in all of our kitchens for the last fifteen years. The sound of the secondhand is comforting when all else is quiet.
5. Well-made tools I love the design of this double measuring spoon from Muji.
6. A refillable soap container and lavendar-scented soap I have a number of these simple white soap containers from Muji around the house. Method is now packaging their liquid soap in large, durable pouches, which uses a lot less plastic than buying an equal amount in their bottles.
7. Lutron Claro Wallplates Combined with several different series of Lutron electrical outlets and switches, these wallplates are a streamlined alternative to basic white and almond. Available in a number of colors, with the right match they can almost disappear on a backsplash or wall.
8. My dining table and chairs My favorite piece of furniture in the house, our long Arco dining table has a thin, white Corian top that’s framed by light oak stretchers and legs. Incredibly durable and versatile, the smooth, matte top feels great and is so easy to maintain. Our lightweight and comfortable Catifa chairs are covered in a soft, white synthetic “leather”, so spills aren’t a problem.
9. An efficient work area Although our kitchen isn’t large enough for an island, I have enough room for a portable prep station that I can set up alongside the cooktop or sink. This cart from Boos has a really durable, two-sided Maple cutting surface and two stainless steel shelves for storage; it rolls easily up against the wall when I want it out of the way.
10. Fresh produce Having something green on the counter adds life to the kitchen.
A local farmer harvests these garlic scapes in late Spring before they have a chance to flower. Sliced into rounds,
the stems impart a subtle garlic flavor to salads and sauteed vegetables.