David Lebovitz: I have a lot of counter space‚ with an island that’s at least ten feet long and six across. That’s so precious in France‚ where kitchens tend to be small. I use it for cooking‚ my desk‚ entertaining‚ and everything else. I need it for work—it’s not a luxury—but it’s a challenge getting people to understand‚ because Parisians are very into compartmentalizing things. The kitchen is supposed to have a door. It’s a new trend to have a cuisine américaine, or American kitchen‚ which is open.

The only thing I kept from the original apartment‚ which someone had slightly renovated before me‚ was a small stainless steel counter‚ which made me realize how much I love that material. You can put a hot pan on it‚ you can chop on it‚ and you won’t destroy it. I keep reading kitchen articles that say you shouldn’t use stainless steel because it will scratch. But that’s what’s supposed to happen. Don’t worry about it. It’s like marble‚ which is for cooking on‚ not just looking at. If I were to redo my kitchen again‚ I would do it all in either stainless steel or marble.

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Big Sink: A huge plain white porcelain sink for containing piles of dirty dishes was a top requirement for David‚ who spent months searching for one online before finding a secondhand model from Porcher that was large enough.

Storage Buckets: Preferring to keep his tools visible‚ David stores whisks‚ spatulas‚ and spoons in a hodgepodge of buckets‚ with little concern for whether or not they match. The guiding curatorial principle‚ he says‚ is that “it’s designed to be useful.”

Open Shelves: David stacks pots‚ pans‚ and other supplies on open stainless steel shelves from Nisbets. “I hate rifling through cabinets‚” he says. “But for me‚ it’s also a decorative element‚” and a way to display collected cookware.

Floor Mat: After struggling to find the right anti-fatigue mat‚ Lebovitz bought inexpensive‚ machine-washable carpet runners on Amazon. “They’re cushioned enough‚” he says‚ “and cheap enough that when you spill on them it’s no problem.”

More Kitchens We Love:

Best-Selling Cookbook Author and Netflix Host Samin Nosrat

Newly Minted James Beard Award Winner Nina Compton

Trois Mec Chef Ludo Lefebvre