Star Kitchen: Judy Joo

Chef and restaurateur Judy Joo — a former Iron Chef UK and longtime judge on Iron Chef America — knows what it takes to win a culinary battle, and she designed her London home kitchen with exactly that in mind: She wanted a stove with enough space, and power, to practice competitive cooking. The answer was a 13-foot Molteni, a commercial stove that weighs about 2,200 pounds. It was so heavy and large that it had to be lifted by a crane and brought in through one of her apartment windows. The range was just the beginning of a massive two-year renovation that turned the former master bedroom into an over-the-top kitchen suite. Judy added two refrigerators, restaurant-grade safety features like built-in extinguishers, and a ridiculously powerful oven hood. “I can have everything on, including the grill, and you won’t smell anything!” Judy says.

Industrial Materials: Judy installed a stainless- steel backsplash similar to those in her restaurants. It’s virtually indestructible, and it looks sleek, too.

Wok Station: A built-in wok station is on par with one in a commercial kitchen — it’s even hooked up to a water line for easy cleaning.

Curves All Over: The rounded edges on the counters and island “give the room movement and flow,” Judy says. They also mimic the space’s curved windows, one of her favorite features.

Calming Colors: Judy kept everything in tones of white, silver and gray. “The colors feel very zen,” she says. “But the space is still cozy thanks to wooden elements like the floor.”

Spice Corner: Judy keeps go-to ingredients on these open shelves, including five kinds of salt: Maldon, red clay Hawaiian, fleur de sel, Korean mineral and pink Himalayan.

Photograph by James Merrell