Why This Works - Ina's Kitchen

I was helping a friend collect ideas for her kitchen remodel, so I've had kitchens on the brain.  Well, here's an old favorite.  Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) designed House Beautiful's Kitchen of the year in 2009.  It was of course inspired by her own East Hampton kitchen.  This is classically gorgeous.



(images from House Beautiful)



WHY THIS WORKS:

• I always love the contrast with light and dark.  You see it work beautifully here with the white cabinets and dark countertops.  White dishware and dark stools and dark floors. 
• Open shelving.  It is a very popular trend right now to incorporate open shelving in the kitchen.  It's practical and gives a casual, restaurant feel to a kitchen. 
• Storage in the island.  Genius!  Try to get as much as you can out of your island by incorporating cabinets, a wine rack, drawers or bookshelves.  We even managed to conceal our garbage and recycling bins in the island using a sliding drawer.   

INSPIRATION:

• If you're looking for an instant way to update your dishware, go for white!  You can get it anywhere and you can hardly make a wrong choice in white.
• Containers.  Take another look at the containers on your counter.  Are they pretty to look at?  A couple of my all time favorites are these 2 jars: 

 

Target and the Container Store have a great selection of containers like these. 

• Color.  Notice how much Ina has in the space, but it doesn't seem jarring.  It's because she has kept her color palette very simple.  If you like displaying things, balance that out by keeping the paint, patterns and furnishings very neutral. 

Later this week on IKEA Friday.  I'll highlight some pieces that will help you get this classic, East Hampton look in your kitchen.