Tuesday, March 26, 2013

What Does A Little Paris Kitchen Look Like To You

So many of us have a fantasy of living in Paris. Perhaps we envision a small pied-a-terre that we could visit a few times a year, and pretend to be Parisian. We would go to the markets and buy the most beautiful food, and prepare perfect little French meals in our tiny city kitchen.


I have had so many small kitchens in many rented apartments. Yet I always enjoyed cooking, and often turned out large meals for dinner parties, and brunches. A small kitchen was never daunting. It was just a way of life.







A few months ago, I stumbled on a gem of a cooking show called "The Little Paris Kitchen".  It was charm at first sight. A young woman from the UK was showing classic simple French food prepared in her teeny-tiny kitchen. There were scenes of her shopping in those very markets of my dreams.

Rachel Khoo shopping for food in Paris


Rachel Khoo in her little Paris kitchen

A Spanish style tile back splash will give you the look

The tiles could be from Mexico

The tiles could be from Morocco or Portugal


I did some research on the girl, who is Rachel Khoo. The TV show was an off-shoot of cook book she was writing called "The Little Paris Kitchen". So she tested recipes, for diners who paid to have dinner in "the smallest restaurant in Paris", which was her apartment. The BBC filmed a half donzen shows of that experience.

The Little Paris Kitchen

Rachel's oven looks like a toy

I love this cook book, The Little Paris Kitchen now available in the USA


Rachel calls herself a "food creative", which entails cooking, writing, TV, event planning, styling, branding - anything creative to do with food. Her cook book just came out in the USA this past month, and I got it, and I love it, and yes, I have made a few things from it. The lavender chicken rocks.

Not only am I charmed by her food, I am charmed by the idea of a small picturesque yet functional kitchen.










This month at Houzz, I did my Guest Picks based on Rachel Khoo's little Paris kitchen. I tell you where to find decorative things that you could use to create her look, and functional cooking equipment that every French cook has.

Go to Houzz to see my Guest Picks


So what does your fantasy of a little Paris kitchen look like?



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13 comments:

  1. I loved my little kitchen too, it was cozy, we had a lot of great meals, and some really great conversations. Now that I'm older, I don't really want to walk so far, so the small kitchen is o.k. with me too. I just need a lot of stuff.

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  2. i am a HUGE rachel khoo fan. i have her book. i am all for moving to paris and cooking my heart out and that's it.

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  3. Oh, what a delightful post! My small kitchen just smiled from stove to sink.....
    I am a new Rachel Khoo fan!

    Xoxo to you!

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  4. I love little kitchens! One of my friends in the neighborhood has the tiniest of kitchens but the finishes are very high end and I think it's wonderful. She thinks it's just small and doesn't get how nice it is. She did not renovate it...the last homeowner did and they did a fabulous job. All she can see is that it is small. That looks like a delightful tv show and book.

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  5. via FB

    I have stayed in apartments in Paris with teenier kitchens!

    John B.

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  6. via FB

    my kitchen is mini size x

    Charlie S.

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  7. Terrific post Valorie. I've caught Rachel on the tv here and she's quite charming. There is something romantic about a small kitchen if it's done right, just like the perfect photos your chose. I look forward to finishing ours with high hopes it'll be as bijou and slightly classy! I purchased a hunter green range with brass details 2 wks ago and if it'd stop snowing it'll get delivered. It's definitley fun to plan. I must admit, I'm a huge fan of your kitchen! xox

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  8. I love all these images! I love the imperfection and lived in feel that European kitchens tend to have. These American kitchens have gone a little over the top (in my humble opinion!) These images you posted are similar to the look I want for my creole cottage Bywater house once we renovate the kitchen. Thanks for posting! -Boo

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  9. i love everyone of these kitchens. not grand & overdone, just beautiful, timeless, romantic and functional. your taste, as always, is perfection. thanks for digging up and sharing these inspiring images!

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  10. I love the images. My European relatives prepare some of the most incredible meals in tiny kitchens. I honestly don't know how they do it. Only one suggestion for Rachel. Please replace your enamel mixing bowl. Chipped enamel is not healthy to prepare foods in. Love how she uses the countertop oven.

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  11. That's what I'm talking about. Real France. It kills me when I see photos of "French" decorating American style, and it looks nothing like the real thing.

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  12. Love this post Valorie and will check out your Houzz list... I love the humble, small kitchens I have seen all over France... and yet the food that comes from them is incredible! I have to find her book, this looks great!

    xoxo

    Kit

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