No Room For Clutter

Geoff Tracy, owner of Chef Geoff's, Chef Geoff's Downtown and Lia's

Countertop:"Granite is great because it never gets damaged." But he chose limestone because it is "more European, and the patina shows up a little more as it gets older. Getting older is not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to countertops."

Remodeling advice: Layout and space management are critical. Get help from a kitchen designer if you can. You can tell the designer what you want, and he can tell you what's reasonable. (Tracy's designer turned a plain, blank wall into a four-cabinet pantry.)

What he likes: Commercial-size hood. It's loud, but it gets rid of odors from fish, grease, etc. Viking appliances. "I felt like they were the most solid, durable and long- lasting." Recessed lighting. "The more the merrier." All are on dimmers.

What he would do differently: Install radiant heating under the floors and add a second dishwasher.

The past few years have been pretty busy for Geoff Tracy.

He opened his third restaurant in six years (Lia's in Chevy Chase). He and wife Norah O'Donnell, a correspondent for MSNBC, bought, gutted and renovated their Wesley Heights home. And they started a family: Twins Henry and Grace are 8 months old.

But in redesigning their home kitchen, Tracy, 35, says they definitely did not look to his restaurants for inspiration. "I don't like a lot of clutter," he said, "and in a professional kitchen it's naturally cluttered because everything is easily accessible and visible."

Their choice: lots of cabinets. Just about everything -- including the microwave, dishwasher and stereo system -- is tucked behind walls of pristine white cabinetry.

For streamlined efficiency they divided the room into three distinct sections: a prep area, a plate area (with dish storage, sink and dishwasher) and a beverage area (glasses above, wine storage below). A small sitting room is off to the side. They put in two sinks (one near the stove for prepping, the other near the dishwasher for cleanup) and installed strips of electrical outlets concealed under the upper cabinets. They chose professional-grade stainless-steel appliances, limestone countertops, a mirrored backsplash (it's low-maintenance and makes the room look bigger) and white oak flooring. ("The wood is pretty hard on your feet," Tracy says, "so I have a woven matt by the stove for extra softness.")

Despite all the top-grade finishes and furnishings, Tracy's favorite detail is fairly simple: a stainless-steel sleeve built into the countertop next to the stove to store his knives (an idea he said he stole from celebrity chef Mario Batali).

Long hours at the restaurants limit Tracy's home cooking to the weekends, when he makes quick pasta dishes and, at least once a week, blueberry pancakes. ("My wife insists.") When entertaining, he prefers meals that are "fun and easy," like the Thanksgiving they hosted for 24 people where he whipped up homemade dough and the kids lined up along the center island and made pizzas.

And he reserves an hour every Saturday for making a week's supply of food for the twins: pureed fruits and vegetables frozen in ice cube trays. For this, Tracy uses his current must-have appliance: a Vita-Prep, which he describes as "a blender on steroids."

Another must-have in the kitchen for Tracy: music.

"Doesn't everyone enjoy that?" he asks. "Can you cook without country music?"