“I crave light,” says Gillian. Sun teems through the large, unadorned windows and reflects off the granite, stainless steel and other hard surfaces. The windows and French doors look out to the backyard, where mature trees provide privacy.
The raison d’être
Family rules. “My kids started baking when they were two and three,” Gillian says. That’s why she tailored parts of her kitchen for her two pint-size foodies. Aubrey, 5, and Maxine, 6, are the beneficiaries of low dish and cutlery drawers, hidden stepstool storage – even a counter-level shelf for Cooking Rocks! Rachael Ray’s 30-Minute Meals for Kids and other choice cookbooks.
The secret ingredient
Gillian swears by her trusty stainless-steel coffee maker for turning her kitchen into a bistro in minutes. For underage patrons, it also whips up great steamed milk with honey.
The constant
There’s something magical about the black-and-white framed waterfall print Gillian picked up at IKEA eight years ago. “Wherever I move, I somehow always put it in my kitchen. It’s soothing and brings the outside in,” she says.
The must-have
The 12- by five-foot oak island comfortably seats eight and has an L-shape granite overhang that’s ideal for playing games, which for this family includes everything from Candy Land to euchre.
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