50 Kitchen Ideas from the Barefoot Contessa

1. Put table lamps on the island to make your kitchen feel like a room, not a laboratory. Visual Comfort's Column lamp in Sheffield silver.
2. Ina likes gutsy countertops, super-thick and dark. Ultra-durable CaesarStone in Raven adds a nice contrast to KraftMaid's Brookfield Maple cabinets in Dove White.
3. Keep the fridge close by. Here, the work space is bookended with Viking's Quiet Cool all-refrigerator and all-freezer (No. 10).

4. Ina likes to chop vegetables on an extra-large and thick Maple R-Board by John Boos.
5. Put a shelf over the range for things used all the time — kosher salt, utensils.
6. Double your storage with cabinets on the stool side of the island for special-occasion items like Thanksgiving platters.
7. Long handles are easier to grab than small knobs.
8. Have enough stools so a whole group can sit at the counter. Buell stools by Robert Stilin.
9. Flour and sugar are always within reach in Crate and Barrel's two-gallon glass jars, next to the Cuisinart.

10. Add more warmth with custom wood panels.
11. Control the lighting with dimmers. Ina can also direct it just where she wants it with Thomas P. Richmond's flexible lighting system.
12. Large-scale objects have more impact. Hurricanes from Bloom.

Ina Garten with designer Robert Stilin.

13. Ina prefers a wide, deep sink with no partitions, like Kohler's 8 Degree sink.
14. Clever use of space, and sponges dry out of sight.

15. Consider sink inserts like Kohler's drying rack and cutting board.
16. Even the tallest pasta pot can fit under Kohler's HiRise faucet.

17. Invest in two dishwashers, so you can wash a party's worth of dishes in one load. 24-inch Viking dishwasher with custom front.

18. Organize wood and stainless-steel utensils into separate crocks.

19. Timers times three, because Ina is always cooking several dishes at once.

20. Always have lemons and limes — just the thing to perk up a recipe.