Star Kitchen: Marc Murphy

Chef Marc Murphy spends many nights tucked away in the kitchens of his four New York City restaurants, so he had one goal while he and his wife, Pamela, were designing their oceanfront summer home in the Hamptons: a house without a kitchen. That is, he didn't want a totally separate cooking space. "People always hang out in the kitchen and not the living room," the frequent Chopped judge says. "So here, I wanted the kitchen to be in the living room." The result is one big room (all white, at his wife's insistence), with only a long island separating the chef from a great room that looks out over the Atlantic Ocean, 50 yards away.

Marc entertains a lot, so he put in a super-deep sink to make it easier to wash his oversize restaurant cookware. The countertop extends over the sink to reduce spillage.

Originally, Marc wanted a stainless steel restaurant-style top on the island, but Pamela overruled him and they opted for white Corian to match the light, summery feel of the kitchen.

Marc's SieMatic drawers close almost silently. He keeps industrial-grade cooking utensils inside.

The chef created a cocktail area where guests can hang out, away from the middle of the kitchen. There's a liquor cabinet here, and a wine fridge and ice machine under the island. Plus, he has two 600-bottle wine cellars downstairs.