In Conversation with Liz Dutton

Liz Dutton is the ultimate muse. She is the designer behind Gene’s restaurant, and in partnership with her husband, they are the masterminds behind some of the most beautiful interiors (kitchens) I’ve ever seen. Liz, a dyed-in-the-wool foodie takes us into her dreamy kitchens, talks about her design process, and shows us what she’s cooking.

What is top of mind when designing a kitchen?

“Eating is so important to me. I am always charting a course to my next meal. Food is a way for me to show my family I care about them and I try to show off for them a bit. The way I design my own kitchen is the way I attempt to design anyone’s. It will be the center of activity – You’re at a party and everyone ends up in a kitchen, even though you spend so much time putting your living room together. And cooking for people is such an act of love. But it’s also the most complicated, most utilitarian space in the home: a lot of things have to happen simultaneously. You move through different processes like prep, execution, cleaning — so you need things to be highly functional. Sometimes we get so caught up in the mechanics of the design and become obsessed with things like storage, for example, that we don’t leave enough space for the divine — the details that influence how the space makes us feel.

But meanwhile, cooking has a very creative component to it, and to do anything out of a work space, you need to feel inspired to work. If you’re an artist, can you paint in a windowless basement? You can, you absolutely can, but do you want to? No. You want a place with high ceilings and natural light, and I don’t think a kitchen is any different in terms of what’s ideal. It’s this really cool intersection of technical and artistic. So when it comes to design, you have to do the unsexy, boring work in the beginning of pinning down all of your needs and understanding what those are. Then it’s about editing some of that back and meeting all of the needs without making everything floor-to-ceiling cabinetry. We need moments to create beauty too, and we can’t do it in materials alone. Success is in how it’s all brought together and how the room makes you feel when you walk into it. That’s where you get out of the technical needs and into the emotional needs – what someone needs from the space energetically.”

“I love desserts because they are the epitome of emotional food. It’s chemistry and sensual.”

A piece of Liz’s background is working in professional bakeries. It was her introduction to professional kitchen life and it’s what she defaults to when she’s feeling creative in the kitchen. “I’m usually going to make some sort of savory or sweet bread. One of the places I worked was a dessert bakery – cakes, pies, mousses, cheesecakes – if you could think of a dessert we probably made it. I love desserts because they are the epitome of emotional food. It’s chemistry and sensual.” It was time spent in those bakeries that she deemed foundational, that helped her think about how to use a kitchen.

What does cooking at home look like for you?

“It has evolved over time and having kids has changed it all. There was a time before children when I got home from work and cooking was my canvas. I could go to town, try out new things, find speciality ingredients, and get into multilayered recipes because it was just me and Greg, and it was a way for me to scratch the artistic itch and express myself. Then, you know, having kids is a bit sobering. You don’t have as much time for anything but you’re compelled to make stuff that is nutritious and delicious all the same. It’s easy for me to do sheet pan meals, slow cook, or make everything on Sunday to reheat.”

“One of the things on our menu during the week is Sushi takeout. The kids love sushi and edamame, and it makes life so easy at the start of the week. But in general I’m cooking a lot of tomatoes, onions, olives, thyme, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes with olive oil and garlic. It can be with chicken, beef, lamb, or fish. I usually have stuff around to make pesto and in the thriving seasons I like to keep fresh basil around for it.”

“Food is so immediate and evokes a lot of passion, a lot of response, and is closely linked to how we move through the world. Good day or bad day, It makes such a difference. It affects our systems and at the end of the day, we are animals with senses, living in a natural world. Our bodies want to be delighted in the riches of the earth, and the sun, and the wind, and the water, and that’s what we’re made for. Food is the epitome of that – taking it and turning it into art – and we become it, and it becomes us. Food is a source of inspiration; it is a hidden river of expression and creativity. I think this relationship I have with it influences my design process.”