What should you pack in your picnic basket? Yes, a few leftovers, a quick tossed salad, a baguette and some cheese will make anyone happy, but with just slightly more planning you can develop a flexible picnic menu that'll work for you every time. Mark Bittman has a system for this which he divides into four categories: dips, poached food, raw or pickled food and beverages. More

Some acquaintances are about to buy a new (to them) home, one that has been in the hands of one owner since the 50s. They invited me over to give some opinions on the kitchen, and as soon as I saw it, it felt familiar. Why? I realized it felt just like Betty Draper's kitchen on Mad Men. What would you do with this kitchen to update it, especially if you were on a budget? More

We, along with everyone else on the internet and in the publishing world, just can't stop talking about Julia Child! This past Wednesday would have been her 100th birthday, and in honor of that, Architectural Digest reprinted an essay Julia wrote for their July/August 1976 issue. It's mostly about the design of her kitchen, which makes it a particularly lovely read. Jump below for an excerpt: More

Let's say you wanted to make over the look of your kitchen (which you detest) but feel, rightly, that it would be unwise to spend a huge amount of money on a full renovation. What approach would you take? What would you do? Well, we should all take inspiration from Amanda Hesser's recent kitchen makeover, which turned what was rapidly becoming a dated space into something more sophisticated and modern, better tuned now for the video and photographic work done every week in this kitchen. Want to see the after? More

If your design style leans towards simple, sleek lines, smooth finishes, and neutral colors, then you'll probably love these minimalist kitchens from Danish design company Kvik. More

It is essential to be organized in the kitchen. Cooking can be stressful enough as it is. Who needs the extra frustration of shuffling through cabinets searching for the next ingredient? My wife and I solved our own storage dilemma once and for all by converting all of our lower kitchen cabinets — originally outfitted as cabinets with regular doors — into cupboards made of drawers. Now finding things couldn't be easier. More

I am building a new kitchen in the house that my husband and I are renovating, and there is a rather overwhelming array of choices to be made. Tile has been one of those. We're choosing a lot of tile (for baths as well as the kitchen). Subway tile is obviously a terrific and classic choice, and since it can be less than $3/square foot, very economical too. But can inexpensive tile go beyond subway tile? What are some other options for those of us on a strict budget? I took my questions to Kirsty Froelich, the corporate designer of The Tile Shop, a nationwide tile retail chain. Here's some of her advice on choosing tile when you're on a budget. More

Project: Lido Island Residence by Emily LaMarque Studio
Location: Newport Beach, CA

Every once in a while we like to take a look at kitchen renovations done by professional design studios. They're usually more aspirational than achievable for many of us, but they still provide great visual inspiration and ideas. The kitchen you see above once belonged to a couple who, after finding themselves empty-nesters, decided to sell their high-maintenance beachfront home. The Emily LaMarque Design Studio, based in West Hollywood, stripped the kitchen to its studs, knocked down a few walls, and turned the dated design into a glamorous kitchen befitting its covetable waterfront location. More

So, you have a tiny kitchen with nary an extra foot for a standard dining table. Take a cue from this Swedish kitchen and build in a pull-out table extension. Add legs (more on that below) and you've got yourself a sweet table for two! More

While browsing Pinterest for interesting kitchen design ideas, we came across this photo: a kitchen stove set into what looks like a chimney opening. How unusual!
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