When A Kitchen Happens

So it's 7:30 p.m., the guests are starting to arrive, you haven't shucked the corn, made the salad or placed the berries on the piece de resistance, and you're thinking: "I could use a valium right about now." Know the feeling? I do! It's right about then that you get to find out who your friends really are. The good ones have had their eyes on you, empathically feeling your pain as beads of sweat do the meringue on your forehead just as the first signs of panic set in. As if on cue, they come to the rescue; they shuck, they dice and spin, they get the dishwasher filled for the party wash and you get to breathe again while you place each of the berries - no doubt the ones you got from your favorite farm stand (or better yet, ones you've picked yourself) with as much intention as Monet might have painted a water lily. Dinner is served.

Here's the catch: Either the kitchen became a claustrophobic sweat lodge with a feast left on the counters fit for a late night furry visitor or the final preparations went smoothly - friends and family by your side, cocktails in hand and dinner presented with the levity of a Park Avenue hostess.

If food is love, the kitchen is the heartbeat of your home. It has replaced our living rooms as the central gathering station - the room that feeds us, fulfills us, warms and comforts us. Since the dawn of time, the urge has been a primal one - gather where there is warmth. Of course, there is the physical warmth provided by a kitchen's cook-hearth that mixes with the emotional warmth generated by the communing around it of family and friends. Today, thanks to the brilliance of innovation and savvy marketers, it has been elevated to a technical temple of unimagined luxuries and conveniences. To be sure, there is glamour and status to be derived by the quality and sophistication of the elements contained within today's kitchen; however, as you set out to plan the kitchen of your dreams, bear in mind these ideas. One is that this special room exists as a space for you to indulge your culinary passions and creativity, that your kitchen is the best room to reward your love of great style, function and design, and it's from your kitchen that you will best express your desire to share, satisfy and care for the special people in your life.

Of course, there are many aspects to consider and countless choices for you to make. And, like a life-size puzzle of infinite pieces, all elements of your kitchen affect one another. Hence, in piecing them together successfully, forethought is essential, patience even more so - and flexibility is a must as you make decisions and order your priorities. Sometimes, the harsh realities of space and function will momentarily threaten to burst the bubble of your dream kitchen (watch for the disapproving scowl on your designer's face) and force you into an either/or decision. These moments can cause undue angst, but only if you let them. Reconciling the kitchen-in-your-head - or the kitchen in the picture you hold in your hand - with the realities of your space and layout is vital. If you can do that - and plan to go away during the installation! - you'll love the final result.

Nowhere else in our homes are functional choices and spatial issues more paramount. And, nowhere else does professional guidance and expertise come more into play. So, don't go it alone- unless you're a kitchen designer. Because the myriad elements of your kitchen should converge like a seemingly effortless symphony composed to conjure a warm, welcoming aura where friends and family come to gather and savor the wonders of food, fun and one another. After all, your kitchen is the hearth of the home.

For more information contact Hampton Design, located at 26 Montauk Highway, East Hampton. Call (631) 329-8644; www.hamptondesign.com

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