Kitchen design is kinda like television production; it takes a group of skilled professionals, 5-hour logistics meetings, meticulous scheduling and a ridiculous amount of money to produce a hit. Since I simply use my own kitchen for toasting Pop Tarts and adding ice to water, I’m not overly enthusiastic about these so-called hearts of the house. In fact, I consider kitchens the purgatory of design since they often leave homeowners in I-don’t-wanna-spend-that-kind-of-money limbo.

For the past seven years, I’ve been freelance producing and casting home makeover programs while moonlighting nights and weekends as a decorator. Kitchens are TV producer hell. From electrical to plumbing, cabinet installation to appliance delivery, there’s enough margin for error to spend a network’s budget all on one episode. Ever gut and rebuild a 40-year-old kitchen in three days with a camera in your face in the middle of a hurricane with the power being knocked out by a tree falling three feet from the house? I have.

I could go on about the trials and tribulations of kitchen design but instead shall take you to many a culinary happy place. These fresh, outside-the-box kitchens are inspiring, unique, practical, and in some cases, cost-effective. You know what else is cost-effective? Pop Tarts, there’s only ONE left and guess whose gonna eat it? Me.