There is something honest about what we are talking about here. Kitchens are messy. There are crumbs in the toaster, a stuck drawer, and lighting just out of target parameters. Not so in movies. There, a kitchen is never just a room; it’s a refuge, a struggle, or a dream.
We all remember the point in a film where we are not watching the storyline at all but are instead gazing at the copper pans hung up in the corner. Movie kitchens are one thing that real-life kitchens never accomplish, and that’s because they always capture the ambiance that the chef in the kitchen exudes.
These are the movie sets that are benchmarks for kitchen envy.
Julie & Julia: The Warmth of Chaos
To experience what it’s really like in the kitchen, take a look at Julia Child’s apartment in Paris. Designers did not create a sleek environment. Instead, they designed it to be cluttered.
That’s the pegboard wall that Nigella’s copper pans are traced against in black marker,” wife and foodie blog author Kathy explains. “That’s more than just storage; it’s a topography of a passionate brain. It feels doable. It tastes like butter through the screen. This line of products has taught a whole generation that you don’t have to go minimalist in order for the kitchen to be pretty. You just have to use it.
Ratatouille: The Professional Dance
Ironic, in this case, is that the most truthful representation of what a professional French kitchen looks like is in cartoon rat form. Pixar took weeks in Paris to take note of every detail in their restaurants.
While the homey atmosphere of Julie & Julia prevails in the former kitchen, this one is industrial-scale and hierarchical and simply terrifying. The warmth of the burnished copper, the cast-iron stoves, and the checkerboard floor creates a rhythmic effect. It is an embodiment of what is called the “brigade system” whereas the kitchen is no longer a place for leisure but is actually a precision machine.
It’s Complicated: The Nancy Meyers Fantasy
It would not be proper to mention movie kitchens without also mentioning Nancy Meyers. Because of her, now everybody in America needs to have two dishwashers and an island that is a small car.
The baker’s shop and the kitchen in the house in It’s Complicated are the epitome of the “calm capability” that we all seek. The kitchens are shockingly spotless, with bowls of lemons that never get used and a golden glow unlike anything in real kitchens that spill over with warmth and love. The kitchens are the ultimate ideal of a life where cooking never gets stressful, only happy.
The Set Design Secret: The Kitchen as a Character
But why do we remember these kitchens? In moviemaking, the kitchen is always crafted as an extension of character personality. Julia’s kitchen is cluttered and cozy because she is. A Ratatouille kitchen is stiff and serious because the character is.
So, you shouldn’t be discouraged if your kitchen is no movie set. Unless you happen to be lighting a corner full of lighting guys, it will never be. But a little bit of borrowings, like a pegboard and a bowl of lemons, won’t hurt, right?
read more: Why Wine Bottles Are 750ml? The History Behind the Standard
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