Martha Stewart's 'ideal kitchen' is a hub of smart storage and strategic decorations – it's surprisingly easy to recreate in the smallest of spaces

Martha's TV set kitchen features a butler sink with hidden storage, boundless drawers, and decorative shelves for easy access

Martha Stewart
(Image credit: Lexie Moreland/WWD via Getty Images)

Not everyone can boast a Martha Stewart-worthy kitchen – even Martha Stewart herself. The TV show host's most impressive kitchens are sets built for the screen, but that doesn't mean we can't take some inspiration from these 'ideal' kitchens.

Over on the Martha Moments Instagram page, we are doing just that thanks to an old clip posted, which features Martha touring around one of her set kitchens. From the state-of-the-art stove to the two different sinks, it's any home cook's dream.

What really drew us in, though, were Martha's favorite features, which are characteristically useful, refined, yet accessible. The one thing they have in common? Maximizing kitchen storage.

Shop the ideal kitchen edit

First and foremost, the sink: 'This island has a wonderful, deep butler sink, and I love the spaciousness of it,' Martha says. 'It's great for flower arranging and washing pots and pans. Another feature about the sink is it can be covered with a piece of something. We've chosen to use this plastic, which can be cut to order to fit any sink. This will really maximize your space here.'

The smart storage options don't stop there; while there are countless drawers in this kitchen, Martha shows that organization is key to keeping these spaces accessible and tidy.

'I wanted to think of drawers for every kind of use, each one has a specific use,' she explains. 'Here, look how great this looks: the kinds of tools that you would use right here by the sink, the melon ballers, the graters, the peelers, and even some igniters for the stove. In the third drawer down, our baking racks.' The proximity to the oven and sink makes these locations super strategic.

'Other drawers: the knife drawer,' Martha shows us. 'Probably one of the most important drawers in the house, because you're making such an investment when you're buying knives like this. To keep them all thrown in a drawer where they could get chipped, they can get dull, it's much better to organize them like this. These wooden holders are provided by the Wusthof company. You can organize your knives according to size. The smaller paring knives here on the upper level make for a very orderly, very safe, and very useful arrangement.'

Finally, there is of course a decorative element with open, horizontal shelves hanging above the second sink, showing off her ornate dishware.

'Little shelves can be used for decorative purposes, which we have here, or it would be a great spot for herbs,' she suggests. This may be an archival video, but her lessons are just as replicable today as they were when the footage first aired. In true Martha style, they're utterly timeless.


Hannah Ziegler
News Editor

Hannah is Homes & Gardens’ News Editor, with a focus on celebrity style and entertainment content. She got her start in media as a digital editorial assistant at ELLE Canada, and has since written about lifestyle and culture for publications such as Nylon and i-D.

Her love of film is rivaled only by one with a great soundtrack, and she hopes to someday decorate a Nancy Meyers-worthy kitchen.

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