Inside Julia Child’s *Actual* Home Kitchen
Oh, what a relief it is to see clutter. If there's one lesson we can learn about interior design from Julia Child, it's that a kitchen should be lived in, not sterile and polished like a showroom. A new book, In Julia's Kitchen: Practical and Convivial Kitchen Design Inspired by Julia Child, includes some never-before-seen photos from inside the legendary chef's home court in Cambridge, MA, where she lived from 1961-2001. Let's take a look.
Images from In Julia's Kitchen: Practical and Convivial Kitchen Design Inspired by Julia Child by Pamela Heyne and Jim Scherer published by ForeEdge, an imprint of University Press of New England.
Jim Scherer1/10Eat-In Kitchen
Unlike the set of her show, there was no island but a full dinner table in Child's kitchen, sporting a cheery yellow oilcloth.
Jim Scherer2/10The Massive Pegboard
Behind each carefully shined copper pot hanging on the pegboard was an outline of the pot or tool that should be there, as well as a small Polaroid, to keep things organized.
Jim Scherer3/10The Garland Stove
A huge restaurant stove that Child's assistant Stephanie Hersh said "was one of her favorite pieces of equipment." But architects today would never recommend it because they create so much heat and require serious ventilation.
Jim Scherer4/10So Many Fridges
Child's husband Paul painted the fridge black because she said "It's more chic, don't you think?" She may have been ahead of her time on that one. There was also an additional freezer and an icemaker under the counter, plus a bonus fridge in the basement, just in case.
Jim Scherer5/10Not One, But Three Pantries
One pantry held large pots and bigger tools, one was dedicated to pastry (pictured here), the other for dish and glassware storage (...which was also a bar).
Jim Scherer6/10Tools, Gadgets, and Knives for Days
Child loved all the tools and toys of the kitchen, especially her Cuisinart food processor and microwave. Drawers and cupboards were filled with every tool under the sun—bottle openers, oyster shuckers, scoopers, cutters, temperature gauges. She had 'em all.
Jim Scherer7/10Pastry Tools
The pastry pantry had a marble counter for rolling out dough, all the molds, cutters, sifters, rolling pins, and scales you could ever need, plus an extra freezer and microwave. That butter isn't going to melt itself.
Jim Scherer8/10Storage, Storage Everywhere
Child's kitchen "was designed as a workroom, not as an adjunct to the living room or the family room," wrote architect and author Pamela Heyne.
Jim Scherer9/10To the Smithsonian
Most of Child's kitchen was transported to the Smithsonian museum, where you can see it (free of clutter, though!) today. One thing that didn't make the trip was Child's flooring, a resistant linoleum that was more comfortable to stand on—but that was adhered with asbestos-containing glue. Instead, its pattern was photographed and applied to a paper floor at the museum.
10/10In Julia's Kitchen: Practical and Convivial Kitchen Design Inspired by Julia Child by Pamela Heyne and Jim Scherer published by ForeEdge, an imprint of University Press of New England.
