The Kitchen Connection

Smitten with these 10 Kitchens: Casual Sophistication. Photo by Shawn O’Connor.

Thankfully, social distancing can accommodate a shared meal if you have an outdoor space or a long indoor table, or if you use creative placement. Connection feels more important than ever, as does sharing good food with great friends. We recently had a celebration at our house, and beyond my immediate family we had my dear friend Anne, who is in her 70s. Anne sat at the end of one long Costco folding table, and my husband sat at the other. He had decorated the house with photos everywhere and homemade place cards and flowers.

Portrait by Scott Mowbray

One way my husband, Scott, shows his love is through cooking, and he outdid himself that night with a menu that began with champagne and proceeded to gazpacho (from our garden veggies), crab salad and mini pulled-pork sandwiches with three different sauce options. The evening ended with Anne’s tarte tatin. Anne was enchanted by the evening (as were all of us)—the first night out she’s had since March. We worried about keeping her safe, but with preparation and thought-out logistics, it wasn’t difficult. Her smile and excitement was such a treat. As human beings, we need to continue to nourish each other, and food is a wonderful way to do so. I urge you to get creative and find novel ways to enjoy the people you love.

And with that, we offer you an entire issue crafted around the kitchen, from kitchen products to a kitchen created and executed while a young family was home during quarantine, as well as 14 other kitchens we felt best offered well-executed ideas in a wide range of styles—from funky Mid-mod to sleek modern to full-on elegance.

Our kitchens, like our homes, should reflect who we are. Some people feel best in a clean-lined, spotless workspace, while others like everything out and within reach or shelves that show the beauty of carefully curated plates, bowls and glasses. Have fun with this space, and create a kind of beauty that works for you.

Be safe. Cook on. Share your bounty.

What I’m Loving

EXTRA SEATING

Stackable, beautiful and sustainable merge in Magis’s new Bell Chair, designed by Konstantin Grcic. The chair is made from industrial waste generated by Magis’s own furniture production and from that of a local car industry. It’s lightweight (less than 6 pounds), works indoors and out, comes in three colors (Sunrise, High Noon and Midnight), and costs $77 per chair. bell-chair.com

KITCHEN INSPIRATION

Waterworks co-founder Barbara Sallick is a groundbreaking business person with impeccable design sense. Her first book, The Perfect Bath, was published in 2016, and this year she produced The Perfect Kitchen (Rizzoli, $55). As usual, Sallick delivers. This wide-ranging roundup includes sections on Style, Substance, Ancillary Spaces and Details, as well as lots of insight from Sallick about what she calls “the most complex room” in the house. One of my favorites comes early on when Sallick instructs people working on a kitchen to “think about all the kitchens in which you’ve had memorable experiences and examine those memories closely.”