16 Must-Haves To Transform Your Kitchen Into A Nancy Meyers Kitchen
Image from The Intern | RatPac-Dune Entertainment
by The Candidly Team
There are a million articles out there that will try to convince you that a kitchen in a Nancy Meyers movie is there to spark pure, unadulterated joy. This, quite frankly, is a lie.
Because what these warm, inviting, perfect spaces actually ignite in us is deep, ugly envy.
Ugh, I mean just look at this one from It’s Complicated… gutting.
Image from It’s Complicated | Universal Pictures
Or this one from Something’s Gotta Give. A high-end, Hampton knife to the heart.
Image from Something’s Gotta Give | Warner Bros.
And for those who dream of the countryside, there’s this absolute nightmare from The Holiday.
Image from The Holiday | Columbia Pictures
And finally, there’s the one from Father of the Bride, a kitchen that drips in so much nostalgia, you’d need 4 of its finest dish towels to mop up our envious tears.
Image from Father of the Bride | Touchstone Pictures
In short, anyone who tells you, they “love” watching a Nancy Meyers movie for the kitchen alone is a masochist. Unless they happen to have 18 set designers on hand or a quirky, beloved leading lady to fashion their real-life kitchen into a brimming, culinary utopia, it can only be torture.
But then again, what really separates a Nancy Meyers kitchen from just another organized room we lust after on Pinterest is not necessarily the big, sweeping (aka expensive) things. Not the mile-long island or the sea of shelving. The real magic of it is actually the details - the smaller (dare we say “attainable”) things that make it the happy place we send our minds when attempting to meditate for the 400th time.
All of this is to say, we may be a whole lot closer to the dreamy Diane or Meryl or Kate kitchen than we imagine.
How?
Through these 16 glorious kitchen items. No, we mean it.
Each holds the charm, elegance, form, and function that any Nancy Meyers heroine would insist on. Arm your kitchen with a handful of these items and you’ll be breezily whipping up a $250-a-head wedding menu, a gorgeous batch of midnight pancakes, or 300 jars of homemade baby food. If you’re still with us, you are definitely going to want to see this list.
1. The Perched Cutting Board Just Dying to Display Some Triple Crème Brie
Burnt Mango Wood 3 Piece Cutting Board Set with Stand
One thing every chefy character understands is the pleasure and convenience of a readily available cutting board, especially, and we can’t emphasize this enough, one with a handle. Keep one (or three) upright on your counter for easy grabbing anytime you want to slice a perfect autumn apple or throw together a charcuterie board (as one does). This rustic set of three takes up zero space, yet it instantly makes you look like the ever-ready hostess you were born to be.
Price: $40
Clearly, Kate Hudson (the daughter of Private Benjamin herself) took this Nancy Meyers tip very much to heart.
2. The Eye-Catching Brass Kettle
Chantal 2.5 Quart Classic Copper Kettle
There’s nothing as romantic as a twinkly copper pan set hanging gracefully above a stovetop. But in truth, they’re not practical, have wonky heat distribution, and can be a pain to clean. We know in our hearts that these are the real pans Diane or Meryl would own, but they would, of course, have a classic statement kettle on hand to flash its lovely copper and serve as a visual centerpiece to the entire kitchen. This is that kettle.
Price: $175
3. The Loveliest Of Aprons
You know there’s not an iconic character who didn’t have her own signature apron to keep her creamy cashmere clothes stain-free. Plus, this pretty pattern from Harrods doubles as a decor item when hanging quietly from a corner hook.
Price: $29
4. The Cake Stand That Permanently Lives On Your Counter (With Or Without A Cake Inside)
Mosser Colored Glass Cake Stand
Maybe you bake or maybe you buy your sweets at some gorgeous French patisserie down the street (where, naturally, they know you by your first name). Either way, having either a full or empty cake stand ever on display is a foolproof way to make your kitchen 17x more wholesome and chic. Especially when it’s any one of these cake stands.
Price: $44–$220
5. The Pretty Pot That Lives Permanently on Your Cooktop
This lovely non-stick, stovetop-to-oven pot is that crown jewel kitchen item that we all long for. Yes, it’s gorgeous, and this one is more gorgeous than any other, especially in the color “steam” (naturally). But it’s also light, because Nancy wouldn’t want us tearing our rotator cuff picking up our cookware. You can use to bake, roast, and fry in, and the coating is made without nasty things like PFAS, lead and cadmium, so you can feel extra good about cooking practically everything in it.
Price: $165
6. The Elegant Crate From Which To Pluck The Eggs For Your 3AM Scramble
Flexzion Ceramic 6 Cups Egg Tray
There’s something so lovely and effortless about having your eggs ready and at attention in this little tray whenever you need them. It may seem silly, but $10 is buying you a big dose of convenience along with a very small dose of continual joy every single time you open your fridge.
Price: $10
7. The Cookbook Stand That Proves You Really Have Your Life Together
Target Wood Cookbook Holder with Metal Ledge - Hearth & Hand™ with Magnolia
Can you imagine Meryl Streep frustratedly unlocking her steamed up iPad screen over and over to read a recipe? Or spilling flour and sauce all over her cell phone like us savages? No, because, of course, she has a cookbook stand. And not just any cookbook stand, a truly attractive one like this that makes her kitchen almost achingly charming.
Price: $20
8. The Most Beautiful Olive Oil Cruet Possibly in Existence
Ichendorf Milano Cilindro Colored Glass Cruet
Fun fact: No one in a Nancy Meyers movie has ever experienced an oil stain. Ok, we have no idea if that’s true, but they most definitely own a gorgeous, delicate cruet from which to evenly drizzle a gourmet olive oil like this one. These are the prettiest ones around. We like it in pink, but every color is equally chic.
Price: $60
9. The Big, Beautiful Bowl To House an unhinged Number of Lemons
Threshold™ 188oz Wood Signature Serving Bowl
No self-respecting kitchen should be without a spacious wooden bowl that holds a dozen of the ripest fruits or an enormous salad to serve our extended oddball family. Again, a little piece of art we leave out to make our countertop even more alluring.
Price: $35
10. The Effortlessly Chic Napkin Set
Quince European Linen Stripe Napkins (Set of 12)
The perfect table-setting begins and ends with the napkin set. This napkin set to be exact.
Price: $70
11. The Glass Set That Makes Serving Water Into An Art Form
Setting a table carries the same sort of satisfaction as assembling the perfect “going-out” outfit. Use these truly beautiful glasses to make the task effortless. Keep them gloriously on display on an elevated shelf. Or simply enjoy how they make drinking a glass of water suddenly seem like the most elegant thing you did all day.
Price: $65
12. The Perfect Set Of Display Jars
JoyJolt Set of 6 Multisize Glass Jars with Airtight Bamboo Lids
Are you even in a Nancy Meyers kitchen if you don’t have a set of minimalist jars ever on display, housing your linguini noodles and hand-stirred cinnamon sugar? We think not.
Price: $38
13. The Salt Cellar That Somehow Holds All The Charm Of An English Cottage
Quite possibly the most precious item we have on this list. We can’t explain the textural joy of being able to whimsically sprinkle the finest salt on all our dishes at the pinch of two fingers. But, it is just that. Joyful. And this little French crock adds a massive dose of charm to our kitchen.
Price: $38
14. The Solid Wood Butcher Block
Quince Walnut End Grain Butcher
Whatever percentage of your life you spend cooking will be made better by owning this butcher block, which is designed to tolerate the years of wear and tear you’re sure to put it through. It’s 100% premium grade walnut wood and an incredible price for the size!
Price: $115
15. The Speckled Spoon Rest
Sawyer Ceramics Handmade Pottery Ceramic Spoon Rest
A precious piece of ceramic that creates order in the oft chaotic, multitasking world of cooking. Never again will you misplace your dumb mixing spoon or splatter sauce all over your cluttered counter. A spoon rest is one of those impossibly simple things that make a world of difference. A teeny tiny tool that implies we have it all together.
Price: $28
16. The Only Acceptable Dish Towel
Hawkins New York Essential Waffle Dish Towels (Set Of 2)
We know, there are a whole lot of showy kitchen towels with lovely prints and entire cityscapes. But let’s be real. Any woman in a Nancy Meyers movie knows you need a real kitchen towel. A waffle textured, deeply absorbent, durable thing that wipes up any mess that dares impose itself on the sparkly, zen oasis that is your kitchen.
Price: $28
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
We have to eat.
