by Andrea Mast

The history and design of today’s kitchens have come a long way.

Starting in the Middle Ages, kitchens featured raw wood, stone, and metal and focused around a fire, where according to John Desmond, “the food was often placed in metal cauldrons that were hanging above the fire. These cooking areas naturally encouraged gathering as they were the primary source of heat, light, safety and, of course, food.” 

It wasn’t until the 1920s when, Austrian architect Margarete Shutte-Lihotzy designed a kitchen with a trifecta of amenities – the cooker, fridge, and sink that the kitchen as we know it today was revolutionized. In the 1950s, Julia Child’s popular cooking show cemented the kitchen as a central room in the house that deserved design attention. It was Frank Lloyd Wright who introduced the open kitchen concept, which wouldn’t take off for a few years, but further elevated the kitchen as a social room worthy of interior design. 

In thinking about the modern kitchen as a room to be decorated with beautiful things, consider these fabulous but functional kitchen items to add to your kitchen decor, recommended by Interior Collab members!

1. Geo Tea Cup & Saucer: Julia Blanchard recommends the Geo Tea Cup & Saucer, designed and handcrafted by artists for the MoMa Design Store. This unique ultra-modern cup and saucer are inspired by forms from the Bauhaus artist Oskar Schlemmer’s geometric “Triadic Ballet.” Display on the kitchen counter when not sipping steaming tea on a cool fall morning! 

2. Airscape Ceramic Canisters: Another modern kitchen item comes from Clara Song Design. These sleek ceramic canisters work to keep food, coffee, or tea fresh for longer as the airtight lid flushes excess air out of the containers. The Airscape Ceramic Canisters are super functional, but will also add clean color blocking to your counter. 

3. Kafi 3 Cheese Board in Oiled Walnut: PROJECT AZ suggests an upscale kitchen item that can support other kitchen items when it's not overflowing with gourmet cheeses, olives, and cured meats. The Kafi Cheese Board sources its name from the Icelandic word for “submerged” due to the three perfect rivets to hold fruit, olives, or other charcuterie delights. The designer handcrafts each piece, which means you can expect to have a one-of-a-kind cheese board decorating your counter or hanging from a hook on your kitchen wall. 

4. Le Creuset Dutch Oven:  Arditi Design recommends the popular dutch oven from Le Creuset, mentioning the ovens “are always a classic and add such a timeless design element to any kitchen.” Besides providing heat retention that will produce amazing food, the dutch oven is also dishwasher safe and metal utensil approved! Choose your cast iron from a host of colors, including the vibrant flame or the trendy cool mint colors that you will feel proud to show off in your kitchen. 

5. etúHOME Cutting Boards: designbyRUCHI endorses the many options etúHOME offers with their cutting and serving board line. The boards are crafted from sustainably harvested wood and are purposefully made to not only be great countertop protection, but also as functional art. Get one or many with decorative carving, wood or metal handles, or a variety of trendy shapes. 

6. Crate & Barrel Ceramic One Dozen Egg Carton: Gala Magriñá adores this Crate & Barrel porcelain egg holder, which can replace a styrofoam eyesore when baking, or even just store eggs in the fridge. The sturdy glazed stoneware holder is a beautiful piece if you’re hosting brunch and want an eyecatching way to display the eggs. 

7. La Marzocco Linea Mini Espresso Machine: Francisca Trujillo recommends the Linea Mini, a very modern yet retro espresso machine to sit atop your counter. Brew coffee like a professional barista with brew paddle activation and programmed pre-infusion. Style your kitchen with a stainless, red, white, or black coffee apparatus that will also serve as a conversation starter.