Celebrity Homes

Chef Ludo Lefebvre’s Los Angeles Kitchen Makeover

The star chef teamed up with Fisher & Paykel to create a cook space worthy of the Lefebvre name

June 24, 2016

Between staging events and preparing standout dishes at their restaurants, celebrity chefs are notorious for spending far less time in their own home kitchens than one might expect. That is decidedly not the case for Ludo Lefebvre. “I love to cook with my kids—my son Luca particularly enjoys it,” says the groundbreaking chef and television star, who lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Kristine, and their five-year-old twins. The only problem: the family’s kitchen was poorly laid out and, in Lefebvre’s words, “tiny, tiny, tiny. Either there would be eight to ten people standing on top of each other and I could barely cook, or I would be alone in the kitchen while everyone was somewhere else.” So he partnered with designer Ginny Capo and appliance giant Fisher & Paykel to reinvent the space, knocking down the walls in three and a half rooms and gutting the interiors to create a multifunctional kitchen that puts his family first. Here, Lefebvre gives AD a tour of the reconfigured space and offers tips on how to design a kitchen worth sharing.

Photo: Courtesy of Fisher & Paykel
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“I wanted to bring everyone together in the same space,” says chef Ludo Lefebvre of his new home kitchen, designed with Ginny Capo and the appliance brand Fisher & Paykel. Capo installed a 12-foot island that houses two ovens and two cooktops (one gas, one induction), as well as a pantry wall with a state-of-the-art refrigerator and spacious copper sink.
Photo: Courtesy of Fisher & Paykel
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“It was really about finding a transitional balance between the modern appliances I wanted and the old-world French comfort that makes me so happy,” says Lefebvre. He opted for a subdued blend of neutral textures, including a limestone backsplash, Caesarstone countertops, wood floors, and a copper sink.

Photo: Courtesy of Fisher & Paykel
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Lefebvre installed burner knobs on the surface of the island’s countertop rather than along the ledge, as most stoves dictate. “I want to have direct access to my burners—I can control my fire that way,” he says.
Photo: Courtesy of Fisher & Paykel
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Lefebvre opted to put an oven directly below his stove for easy access. “I like to start with an open flame and then go directly to the oven,” he says. “This placement also feels safer with the kids around—I don’t need to run to the other side of the kitchen with a hot pan.”

Photo: Courtesy of Fisher & Paykel
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Cookbooks fill the shelves surrounding the refrigerator. “I don’t cook from cookbooks, but I own probably close to a thousand,” he says. “I read them like textbooks and always go back to them as references.”
Photo: Courtesy of Fisher & Paykel
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Perhaps the most impressive new feature of Lefebvre’s kitchen: the Fisher & Paykel CoolDrawer next to the refrigerator. “It’s just great,” he says. “With the touch of a button, you go from a refrigerator to a freezer depending on your needs.”

Photo: Courtesy of Fisher & Paykel
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“I’m used to working in a small, high-pressure kitchen,” says Lefebvre. “My home kitchen needs to be about space to work in and to enjoy my family cooking. My new kitchen meets those needs. It’s professional with a family orientation.”