Ina Garten is my Spirit Animal

7 years ago

So I have to have her kitchen in our new build. How wide do you think her island is? I can't find it anywhere on the 'net. I believe I read somewhere that it's 18' long. On another note, with a sink in the island, how wide should it be to avoid splashing people who are sitting there? I really, REALLY want to avoid doing a split-level island.

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girouxgh

7 years ago

The island sound super crazy, but in essence it creates an open concept galley kitchen. In addition to the sink, she has a baking station and an extra cooktop on the island. The extra cooktop on the island has to be for filming purposes only I would think due to the optimal camera angles. Not that I've thought about this a lot or anything... Lol. Probably not the most practical for everyone's homes, but I think it works quite well in the divine Ms. Garten's home/tv set.

@pippabean Ina is a cookbook author and has a few cooking shows, most notably The Barefoot Contessa on Food Network. She's a bit like Martha Stewart, but way more down to earth and personable. Or so it looks like on tv. Heck if I know!

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Comments (11)

girouxgh
7 years ago
I love the title of your post almost as much as I love Ina and her kitchen. Here's an article with some dimensions and images which may be helpful for those who aren't familiar with her kitchen. You're right that the island is 18' long, and I'm guessing that it may only be about 4' in depth.

http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2009/07/house-beautifuls-kitchen-of-the-year-ina-garten-nyc-rockefeller-center-manhattan-barefoot-contessa.html
mcothic thanked girouxgh
ILoveRed
7 years ago
There was a poster on the Building A Home forum a couple of years ago (Atlanta) that used this kitchen as her inspiration. I can't remember her moniker.
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greenwoodframed
7 years ago
We have a pretty big island going into our kitchen, but I think 18x14 seems a bit much. We were worried about having too much dead space in the middle (ours will be 5x8) and being 18' long seems like kind of a waste. Great for filming, but not great for actual guests- they won't be able face each other!
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Anglophilia
7 years ago
I can't imagine having an island that long! I guess one does it instead of an 18' wall so it can be "open concept".
User
7 years ago
Who the heck is Ina Garten?
jellytoast
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Ina Garten is The Barefoot Contessa ... Food Channel chef and cookbook author. Even though I am not fond of cooking, I am fond of watching cooking shows. Go figure. But I love Ina and she makes it look so easy that I have actually been motivated to try some of her recipes ... successfully, even!
just_janni
7 years ago
Love that island - mine will be about 19' and I can't wait.

Did anyone notice the table lamp next to the cooktop on that 2009 Show house kitchen? WTH???? Staging fail...
User
7 years ago
jellytoast and girouxgh - thanks for enlightening me. I can see now that the lack of cable leaves me sadly uneducated as to celebrities...
mcothic
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I saw somewhere on here that having a cooktop in the island would be crazy because whatever you were cooking would splash on people. But here's my 2 cents: I spend a lot of time at the stove—a lot more than at the sink. And in my current house, my guests literally sit on the kitchen floor if they want to talk to me while I cook. Of they pull chairs in from the dining room. So the cooktop-in-island is my solution to that problem, and I'll just be careful to not sling soup around!

I'll also have a gas range on the back wall like Ina does, but only because I'm inheriting a '52 Chambers (in Freedom Red!!!) and I can't bear to part with it.
scoutfinch72
7 years ago
"CLEAR CLUTTER FROM YOUR COUNTERTOPS AND TRY TO MAKE A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING"

This cracks me up given how much clutter and crap they put on the island in the replica!

Ina Garten is my Spirit Animal

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