Inside design: Curtis Stone

Have you ever wished, while shuffling through the aisles of the supermarket, that Curtis Stone would pop out of the produce section and offer to cook dinner? The Aussie host of TLC's hit show Take Home Chef may not be able to make a cameo in all of our kitchens, but with a sizzling new cookbook, Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone: Recipes To Put You in My Favorite Mood ($38, Clarkson Potter, 2009), and a line of kitchen aids at The Bay, the handsome gourmand is on a mission to make "ease" the most important ingredient in every dish.

Style at Home: Over the course of filming Take Home Chef, you cooked in more than 140 domestic kitchens. What makes for a great kitchen?
Curtis Stone: Bigger isn't necessarily better -- what's more important is that the space available is used to its full potential, and that it’s a space you want to spend time in. If you really like to watch television, buy a big wide-screen television for your kitchen -- whatever it takes to make your kitchen sexy! For me, sexy means an open layout. Even in professional restaurants, the trend has shifted from hiding kitchens away to putting them out in the open and on display. At home, a lot of my entertaining takes place in the kitchen, and the open plan makes it a natural place to come and hang out. That, and the disco ball I have hanging from the ceiling!

S@H: What's your kitchen organizing style? Are your utensils stashed away or put out on display?
CS: I think the kitchen should always look full, like it's ready to be put to work. My kitchen is stocked with every gadget known to mankind, and some of the things I use every day -- my juicer, blender and spice rack -- aren't light. Those
are the things I leave on the countertop so they're ready to go when I need them. If things are hidden away and have to be dug out of a drawer, you won't bother using them. Having said that, functional counter space is important -- it's all about choosing the right equipment to live on the counter.