I’m super excited today to finally share my new kitchen with you! I’m so sorry it took us forever to complete making the kitchen tour video. It was hard to find time to edit and film additional footage for the video on top of our regular recipe production, but we finally managed to finish it!
For those of you who requested my kitchen tour video, thank you so much for your interest! Many of you asked me to open all the cabinets, so I really did! 🙂
If you’re fairly new to my blog, I had my kitchen and its surrounding area of the house renovated this past summer when we were in Japan for two months. When we came back, it was supposed to be finished or close to finish, but due to the complications with the structural support for the house, the renovation extended another 2 months.
Before I give you a tour of my kitchen, I will share a little bit about the story behind my kitchen renovation.
Previous Just One Cookbook Kitchen
Here’s the fun part. Most of you probably didn’t know what our old kitchen looked like because all of our videos only focused on my hands and the cutting board area. So let me show you…
Outdated kitchen with old cabinets
Our house was built in 1976 and the cabinets were close to 40 years old. We did update the counter top and some of the appliances several years ago, but that was pretty much the only change we made for the kitchen since we moved in 8 years ago.
Kitchen with no window
As you could see in the photos, the kitchen has absolutely no window. The closest window (the one you see above) is the sliding door in our breakfast nook. Because the kitchen itself has no window, it was always dark and the lights were always turned on even during daytime.
Not enough storage and counter space
There was a pantry on the left side that is not shown in above picture, but what you see is pretty much all the space I had in the kitchen. Because of the lack of storage space, I used to have shelves in our living room and family room where I keep extra plates, pots, and props for photo shoots.
Since we started making videos, we also realized we didn’t have enough space for me to cook and for Mr. JOC to place his camera equipment and lights for filming.
Solution to the problems
To make better videos, we needed a kitchen island with range top facing toward the camera, and a large space around the kitchen island for prepping.
To create the space, we decided to knock down the fireplace that was in the family room. This fireplace had divided the family room from the kitchen and laundry area.
Here’s what it looked like after the wall was removed.
Where did the fireplace go? We actually used it to vent our range hood. We still don’t have any windows to get natural light in the kitchen, so we decided to go with the white color theme kitchen to bring out the brightness. In addition, we used the glass cabinets to make it more airy.
We combined the space of the old laundry room, kitchen, and breakfast nook to create a long kitchen. By removing the fireplace wall, we can place the kitchen island facing toward the family room. This way Mr. JOC can set up his camera equipment in the family room area.
If you are interested in some construction photos, check my Instagram #JOCremodel.
The Kitchen Tour!
Ready to look around in my kitchen? If you have any specific question, please leave a comment on my YouTube video and check out the description box below the video for additional information. Now come on in!
Nami san, Wow, what a beautiful kitchen….. you will really enjoy cooking in it for JOC! Thanks for the video and showing us your kitchen!
Hi Randy! Thank you very much for your kind words! I hope you enjoyed the tour of my kitchen. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Thanks for sharing your kitchen with us. WOW! It is truly brilliant and I’m sure the painful memories of the long fitting are far distant now as you have fun in your new domain ????
Thanks again
Simon
Thank you so much, Simon! We have a lot more flexibility in shooting a video in the new kitchen. Hopefully we can make better quality videos. 🙂 Thank you for writing!
Oh Namiko-san, you have left me totally breathless at this late evening hour .. . . it was worth it to wait for this kitchen methinks . . . and you must be the most organized person I know. Out of all these cupboards and drawers tho’ I do not think you will be surprised when I tell you that my favourites are all those with the Japanese bowls, cups and other dishes . . . and I used to collect chopstick rests also . . . thank you for the tour – now I’ll go to bed and dream that even if on a smaller scale I shall redo my kitchen also learning from you . . . enjoy 🙂 !
Oh Eha, you’re always too kind! Thank you for your sweet words. Thank you for watching the video. I love organizing things (Even my son’s lego collection was organized by colors by me! I think I’m crazy). You must have a wonderful collection of chopstick rests!
Nami, your kitchen looks terrific, andd now you have a lot of space!!
Thank you for checking out my kitchen, Nydia! xoxo
I’ve just seen your kitchen tour video:
The kitchen is extremely impressive. I like the layout of the hubs, the cabin and shelf space and how you have arranged your utensils around the kitchen according to their usage to you. I particular like the movable shelfs in the cabins so there’s more space for your things.
I’m keeping the link to your video as a reference. It is very informative and gives interesting considerations a person can take for their kitchen – who knows when this may be useful to me! 😉
Thank you for this kitchen tour video!
Hi Leo! Thank you for your kind words! Yes, the pull out drawers can maximize the space vertically and horizontally (if you know what I mean…). I didn’t want to waste any space inside the cabinets, so glad we got them. Thank you so much for watching the video! 🙂
WOW!! What a lovely kitchen and it must be so nice to have a dedicated space for every type of kitchen equipment! You have given me some great ideas for my next kitchen (although here in Singapore, the kitchens are really tiny in the apartments… would be so impossible to have an island). Looking forward to more good stuff from your sparkling kitchen. And oh, pls let Mr JOC know he did a fantastic job with the video tour!
Hi Shirley! Thank you! I really wanted to hide everything inside the cabinets. I know, Japan is the same. My mom’s kitchen is very small too, but it’s just a regular size kitchen. American kitchen is bigger, but the size of tools and gadgets are huge too! I passed your message to Mr. JOC and he said thank you and hello to you. 🙂
Hi Nami, with great pleasure I followed your video about the new kitchen. If I say what I should say you might think that this a compliment or exaggeration.
In addition to your tasty recipes your kitchen is : fully equipped , organized, neat, clean, organized , and every corner says that you added to the equipment your artistic touch . Your recipes are mouthwatering , and your kitchen is inviting and must be part of the education for many schools.
I am pleased to share your video on your Board on my Pinteresst, Facebook and Twitter.
good day and happy cooking
zouhair
Hi Zouhair! Thank you for your kind words and I’m glad to hear you liked the video. Thanks for sharing it on your social platforms! xo
What a dream kitchen! You certainly deserve it. Some say that the people with the fanciest kitchens cook the least. It’s wonderful to see someone with a fancy kitchen cooking such beautiful things and sharing them with the world!
Hi Saskia! Haha yeah I’ve heard of it too. Unfortunately I have to work and my workplace happened to be in the kitchen. 😀 Thank you for your sweet words about my kitchen and my work. xoxo
The jarring car video has a bit off-putting but after I got rid of it by leaving and then returning to the blog I did get to see a bit of your new kitchen. Very nice.
Thank you for checking it out! 🙂
All I can say is WOW!!!!! Your kitchen is GORGEOUS, Nami! I really loved all the drawers and cabinets… ahhh… I wish I had that much storage. I know you must love your kitchen to bits!! I certainly would! 🙂 I love the cabinet with all the Japanese crockery… they are all so small and delicate. I would open that cabinet and just stare at it at least once a day. 🙂
Enjoy your new kitchen and keep making those fabulous videos!! You and your husband make a fantastic team! 🙂
Thanks so much for your sweet words, Ramona! The old kitchen was small for what we wanted, so we had to combine rooms. 🙂 The kitchen cabinet company even confirmed if we really wanted this much space. I said YES! 😀 You and I have same issue with all the kitchen stuff AND props… I have too many single and mismatch plates and bowls to store. 😉 Thanks for checking out my kitchen!
Hi Nami,
Your kitchen looks wonderful!
How do you clean the bamboo steamer?
Hi Lu! Thank you so much! I rinse it with brush and air dry on the counter space before storing inside the cabinets. Here it’s very dry (in California), so I don’t have too much problem with mold etc. Hope my answer helped… 🙂
Your new kitchen looks fantastic! I hope you will enjoy it a lot and cook more great food to share on your blog! I wish I had it so structured in my kitchen, too, though I´m trying to keep all the stuff at right place…
I love your tiny little green tamagoyaki pan!
Hi Genus! I love that T-fal tamagoyaki pan! 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind words about my kitchen. Yes, I hope to share recipe videos in the future! Organizing is my favorite thing to do, but I struggled to store everything in my old kitchen. 😀
Your new kitchen is amazing! I’m so happy to finally see the before and after photos and thank you so much for going into detail and showing us how and where you store everything. The self-closing roll-out shelves are the best, aren’t they? It also looks like you got a new toaster oven from when you took the shots and the video. I have my Asian dishes and food organized separately in my pantry and cabinets too. 🙂 I wish I could have as large a collection as you. I’m sorry there was such a long construction delay; it’s very frustrating but now you’ve got a great kitchen! Thank you for sharing it with us!
Hi Mai! Thank you so much! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the video! Yes, the pull-out drawers are nice (and cheaper than regular drawers)! You noticed the toaster oven! That is for video only toaster oven (shining right? :D). I usually use the old one for my regular cooking since I’m too lazy to make it spotless. My kitchen pantry can improve better… it looks like I just stuffed everything in there… (which is true). I’m glad we can finally make more videos. I felt so bad to be away from YouTube for more than 1 month! Thanks again, Mai!
Wow! The well- organized kitchen is very impressive. Thanks for sharing the video of your kitchen tour.
Hi Denise! Thanks so much for watching my video and for your kind words!
Congratulations, Nami, on your new kitchen! The tour gave me a few ideas for my own kitchen. I just bought a condo and the kitchen really needs work and I want to do a few of the things you did, in my place.
Hi Phil! Thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear that you like some of my kitchen ideas! Congratulations on your condo! It’s fun to make a new place “your home”. Good luck! 🙂
Magnificent kitchen… Certainly worth the wait…
Thank you for the tour…:O)
Hi Ross! Aww thanks so much for waiting! Thank you for watching. 🙂 xo
After I did find your webside You allways bring something new to my life.
I love Your recepies and now also your kitchen …. We just did move to our apartment and the kitchen is everithing but not handy :_D … but I will have to wait to make it look more usefull 🙂
I cant wait the time my kitchen is going to look at last half as beautiful as yours 🙂
Hi Andrea! I’m glad to hear you enjoy my blog and thanks so much for watching this video! It’s good to start collecting all the ideas you have or wish to have for your future update. If we didn’t start our youtube channel, we probably didn’t remodel our kitchen, at least not this extent. LOL. 😀 Thank you again!
Thank you for inviting us to your gorgeous kitchen!! It is absolutely beautiful, and I hope you are enjoying all of the counter space. 🙂 I’m in love with the pull-out drawers behind the cabinet doors—such a smart way to eliminate digging around for those items that hide in the back of the cabinet.
Hi Kimmi! Yes, I’m enjoying all the counter space! When we’re filming, all the stuff is on the counter space BUT I still have a cooking space! It saves us so much time by not cleaning up until we’re done with shooting. And yeah, pull out drawers really maximize the cabinet space! Thank you Kimmi!
Thank you so much for sharing your new kitchen, Nami! What a huge project it must have been but it turned out so beautifully! I don’t think I would ever leave the space. I love the white color scheme, making it so bright and cheerful. I adore that cooking island with all that storage – so, so much wonderful storage! It would be awesome to be so organized with everything at your fingertips. Enjoy the kitchen…I’m sure it is just perfect for holiday cooking/baking!
Thank you Monica! I realized that having extra counter space really motivates me to test more recipes (including more baking recipes). Mr. JOC wasn’t sure about white kitchen (as we use it often), but without any window in the kitchen space, white color scheme seemed like the only choice. 🙂 I’ll browse your blog for dessert recipes this holiday season!
Congratulations for your new kitchen Nami! It looks absolutely stunning! I love the bright and clean color of your new kitchen. The lighting in the kitchen is always a problem, but I’m so glad to hear you found a good solution. Hope you have a wonderful week 🙂
Thanks so much Maggie! I wish I can get natural light in our kitchen, but it wasn’t possible (I even thought of converting our high ceiling living room to be the kitchen LOL). With the lights, we can still work in this window-less kitchen (like studio). 🙂 Hope you had a wonderful first Thanksgiving in the US! xo
OMG. That’s all I can think of to say because my jaw has fallen to the floor! This looks amazing!!! No wonder the construction took so long! Congratulations! You deserve this! Did you hire someone to help you organize the kitchen or did you do it yourself? Like deciding what goes where? And where did you get the drawer dividers? I’m in awe that your drawers and cabinets are so neat – I’m ashamed to show anyone my cabinets. And I’m happy to see that you have divided your cooking utensils into several drawers. I think that’s what I need to do. Just beautiful!
You’re too kind, Laura! Thank you for your sweet words about my kitchen. The foundation took a long time as we removed the wall and until they opened up the crawling space, they didn’t know some stuff…. I was so tired of eating out. 🙂
I did organize the kitchen myself, and organizing is my favorite thing to do! I can be carried away when I start organizing… I already moved things around a few times to see where to store things. And the drawer dividers – that’s from Costco and Bed Bath Beyond (Costco is of course better deal). I am not sure if Costco still carries it now (with holiday stuff in stock). Dividers help us maintain the location of utensils… 🙂 I didn’t have enough drawers before, so I had trouble closing my drawers because it was packed with utensils. LOL. Thank you for watching my video! Hope all is well with you and your family! xo
I never liked white kitchen but I’m now and I’ll have a white kitchen when I can. I love roomy kitchen and built in pantry……It’s so good to have it.
I’m so happy for you!
I’ll show you my mother in law apartment soon as I can.
We already hang the top cabinet and almost finish the bamboo floor too.
Hi Junghee! I was very worried about the white kitchen too… but so far so good. Plus, my kids are not that small anymore, so damages are less. 🙂 Good luck with your MIL’s apartment! Looking forward to seeing it!
Dear Nami!!
THANKS FOR SUCH A WONDERFUL KITCHEN TOUR!! ❤️❤️ I love your kitchen and enjoy your video to bits!!! Your kitchen has now become my dream kitchen!! Appreciates you opening every drawer and cabinets to show us what’s inside, and how to best maximize storage space! I’m looking forward to designing my own kitchen now 🙂 haha THANK YOU FOR A JOB WELL DONE!! Looking forward to more of your videos and recipes!!
Hi Christina! Aww thank you so much for your kind words! Haha yes, I was very worried that this video will be super long but I promised to open all cabinets so I just had to! 😀 Hope I didn’t bore everyone. Looking forward to sharing more recipes! 🙂
You’re so cute Nami! So glad to see your kitchen (eventually haha). I’ll always support you and look forward your recipes.
Oh BTW, I’ll be traveling to Japan soon, is there a good mocha powder you’d recommend me to bring from Japan.
Thanks & always love you!
Hi Sofie! Ahh I wish I didn’t have to be in the video and speak, but I think it’s too late. xD Thank you for your support for my blog!
About matcha, I don’t buy from Japan, but this is my favorite tea store.
http://shop.ippodo-tea.co.jp/kyoto/shopf/index.html
I hope you have a wonderful trip to Japan! And thank you, and love back to you! xoxo
Wow! What a beautiful kitchen! Thank you so much for giving us a tour. Now I know what my dream kitchen would look like.
Thank you so much Julie! Glad to hear you enjoyed the tour. Thanks for watching my video! 🙂
Your new kitchen looks gorgeous! I’m sure being in this kitchen will inspire you to cook even more 🙂 And you are so organized!
Hi Melanie! Thank you so much! Actually yes, having extra counter space really inspired me to cook more. I love organizing things.. a bit too much. 🙂
Very nice & well organized- thanks for sharing ????
Love your Japanese tableware collection
Thank you so much for your kind words, Hanna! 🙂
It’s stunning, Nami. Thank you for the tour. I love how organised it is and how you have a place for everything. What a great idea to remove the fireplace to open up the room. And even without a window it’s so light and bright – and without a window you have more room for cupboards! xx
Thank you Charlie! I enjoy organizing and wish I have more time… I could spend days thinking about how I can organize things. How’s your project coming along? I can’t wait to see when it’s done! 🙂
wow, it’s an amazing kitchen Nami..i’ve been waiting for your kitchen tour, thanks for sharing it.
Hi Safitri! I’m so sorry it took us forever. We always thought about finishing it up, but recipe videos have priority and this video didn’t make it…. Glad we finished it finally! Thank you for waiting for this video! Hope you enjoyed it!
it’s a great kitchen and great video, Nami..thank you ^^
Love your new kitchen! Great video — love the tour. I know this took a lot longer than you expected, but it’s totally worth it — your kitchen is gorgeous! And SO functional.
Thank you so much for watching my video, John! Yeah we can all forget about it when it’s over… so glad to have my kitchen back! 🙂 Thank you for your kind words!
Nami,
What a lovely and well arranged kitchen.
I dream to have one too and we are doing a interior decoration of our new house too. The kitchen cabinets have not been finished and we still have lots of stuff to improve. You really inspire me so much!
Hi Elaine! Thank you so much! I’d love to get interior design help for my house! I lack on design element and I really don’t know how to decorate the house. Enjoy decorating your new home! 🙂
Wow this is hardcore renovation to accomodate those things, you are truly a professional Nami
Thanks Raymund! The kitchen is pretty straight forward and not super fancy, but foundation of the house cost us way more for this remodel… 🙁
What a pretty kitchen! I love the layout:)
I’m remodeling my kitchen right now, so thank you for showing us what’s in your cabinets and drawers. It reminded me of so many little things that either forgot or didn’t think of yet. Is the spice rack for the drawer custom? Thanks again!
Thank you so much Candy! How fun! I hope your project is going well smoothly.
The spice rack is custom, but basic measurement. Though we had to cut the drawer short in the back for gas line for the stove, so we lost one row of spice rack.
Nami you should be so proud, it looks beautiful and when you opened that pottery cupboard WOW, so much beautiful china.
Happy cooking and creating.
Hi Linda! Aww thank you so much! I hope to add more Japanese pottery. 🙂 Every year I go to Japan with empty suitcase and come back with pottery and kitchen stuff. 😀
Hi Nami,
I like your kitchen so much. Maybe one day. I will keep on waiting. My kitchen looks like your old one. Where is your suribachi stored? I didn’t see it but I’m sure you have one. I have a small size one. I should have bought a lage one. I must put it on my wish list. I’m sure I will be able to order it on line. Also, where did you get those little whisks I love them. I would like to get some of those. Where can I get them?
Your kitchen looks so nice and so much storage space. Kitchens need so much more space and outlets. Using your old fire space for your hood is so smart. I can imagine how much more your fan can pull air out of the house.
Thank you!!!!!
Hi Suz! Thanks so much for your kind words! Suribachi is under the stone mortar (video at 1:47). 🙂
The flat whisk: http://amzn.to/1NRX3r9
Yeah we were lucky that we could use the chimney for the ventilation! 😀
Thank you!
Congratulations on your new kitchen! It looks beautiful. I agree that it looks much bigger and brighter once you knock down the fire place. Now you have a beautiful island to work on your wonders in the kitchen! I love the cabinetry, too! Great job!
Hello Holly! Thank you so much! It’s interesting how we can open up the space by removing a wall. It made the kitchen island possible! 🙂 Thank you for your kind words! I hope you’re doing well!!
Hi Nami!
I really love your new kitchen! It’s practical, functional & so pretty. You’re so organize! I hope I have the same kitchen as yours. I always enjoy your recipes and videos, most of them are linked to my Facebook timeline, so my friends can also enjoy them.
Thank you for sharing your kitchen to us. May I request, if it’s not too much to ask, if you can also share your pantry and what’s inside the refrigerator? Thanks again and take care!
Hi Bess! I love organizing, so thanks so much for the compliment! 🙂 And thanks for sharing my facebook posts! It means a lot to me!
I’ll go over my pantry and refrigerator maybe next year. I still haven’t stock up condiments that I threw away for remodeling (as I didn’t have fridge during the construction). I’ll definitely do it one day! Thank you for your request!
love love love it! 🙂
Thank you Sasha!
This is the post I’ve been waiting for! YAY! What a gorgeous kitchen and look at all of your “stuff”. I’m forwarding the video to Bobby because he says I have too many props and all of my drawers and shelves in the kitchen are too full, and stacked too high. 🙂 Aren’t drawers for pots and pans storage great? Very clever to use the chimney flue for the stove top vent. Great conversion! I could go on and on and list all of the things I love, so I’m just going to say that I love it all! Thanks for the tour!
Hi MJ! Hahaha thank you so much for waiting! Ohh a great cook like you will never have enough props and cooking tools. 😀 I can totally imagine you have so many great props stacking high! Yes, drawers for pots and pans are great – no more searching pans in the back of cabinets! Thanks so much for checking my video, MJ! Wish I could really invite you over to our kitchen!
Hi Nami, your kitchen looks so nice! I love the light and bright cabinets, and the floor color is so pretty. It must be nice to have everything finished and be enjoying cooking again :).
Thanks so much Laura! Yes, and I enjoy the big (regular size) oven too (my previous ovens are both smaller and the 1/2 sheet pan didn’t go in sideways). I need to get back on baking your recipes!
Hi Nami
I am inspired by your kitchen video! I am having a new kitchen fitted in the spring so it is really helpful to see how you have stored everything.
Thank you
Sue
Thank you so much Sue! Good luck with a new kitchen project! 🙂
Wow! Congratulations, Nami! I’m completely blown away. You have the kitchen of our dreams and I’m sure I speak for every single of your readers! I cannot even imagine how pleasant cooking must be in such a fabulous place… I think I’d sleep there 😉 Thank you so much for making us dream.
Haha thank you so much for your kind words! Sissi, if you’d visit us, it would be a nice dream come true for me and of course you won’t be sleeping in the kitchen! We’ll also hang out all night eating food. 🙂
Your kitchen is BEAUTIFUL!!! I love how neat and organised everything is too, will definitely be copying some of your ideas 🙂
Hi Alice! Thank you so much for your kind words! Organizing is my favorite things but I’m not so good at decorating the house. 🙂
Dear Nami, what a great renovation!
Your kitchen became so bright, spacious, funny and warm. love touches of colour and wood. Not mentioning your amazing organization! Thank you a lot for sharing your kitchen and your recipes. Thank you for your blog 🙂
Hmm… And I was thinking I had a lot of kitchen stuff 😉
All the best for you and JOC 🙂
Hi Wiola! Thank you so much for your kind words! Haha yeah I have collected a quite bit of kitchen stuff over the years… ????
I wish I had even half the counter space you had before the remodel. I cook all the time and I work with 2 feet of counter space and a stove with no hood 🙁
It’s like an apartment-sized kitchen that i have in my home…
Hi Amanda! I am used to a small size kitchen in Japan too. For this kitchen, we used 3 rooms… I don’t know if anyone wants to buy this unproportional house that has a big kitchen… Haha…
Your kitchen and storage space is wonderful. My question is: do you love your marble countertops ? I am considering marble and have read all the negatives but I’m still inclined to go with it. What are your thoughts after working on it and living with it? Thank you
Hi Diane! Thank you so much for your kind words! Yes, I do love marble countertops. I was scared too, because everyone (including contractors) said “soy sauce will stain you”… etc etc. But I asked if it absorbs right away, and they said it’s not right away… And I clean the countertop or wherever I cook very well everyday. So if you’re someone who cleans the kitchen (like after you cook), this shouldn’t scare you. Also I avoid putting sauces and metals on the counter. Just ceramics or woods. So far no issues and no stains. And I like how it looks. So it’s really up to the owner how often and well you clean the kitchen. 🙂
Hi Nami, Thank you so much for sharing this video. I LOVE your kitchen!! I saw you have many cutting board, wondering if you could recommend a cutting board brand/model. I live in NYC. Thanks!
Hi Jenny! Thank you so much for watching the video. 🙂 I use John Boos cutting boards, and I put a good size on my Shop:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/shop/
You can order on Amazon. 🙂
It is an absolute beautiful kitchen!
Hi Michelle! Thank you so much. 🙂
Hello Nami, love your white kitchen! May I ask what is the color and type of your kitchen flooring? ALso the color of your kitchen cabinets and the color of your island cabinets? Thanks so much!
Wendy
Our flooring is Alpine Sierra Maple from Lumber Liquidators.
The kitchen cabinet are standard white. For the island cabinet it’s a shade of grey but we don’t have the color code. We saw a finished island at the vendor and asked for the same exact color. Perhaps you can show your vendor images of our kitchen on your phone and ask them to match similar grey color?
Cheers
i wish I am as good as you organizing my kitchen pantry. I’m embarrassed to say that my dishwasher has become my kitchen pantry storage..LOL!!
Hi Jos! I love organizing (when I have time… it used to be my favorite things to do!). Your dishwasher pantry story was so funny and cute. Thanks for making me smile. 🙂
Great remodel! Brilliant to use the old chimney to vent.
Hi Cece! Thank you so much for your kind words! Yeah, it worked out great. 🙂