Like the Barefoot Contessa I’m a rather relaxed hostess and love to focus on my guest rather than the details. I also like to make it look easy but I confess that I can obsess over every detail of the food, tabletop and space beforehand so that I don’t have to think too much about each element once my friends arrive.

I would bet Ina thought about every detail and maybe even obsessed a bit but boy does she make it look easy! This is definitely a kitchen I could linger in for hours. Here are a few of my favorite details from Ina’s kitchen.

All images were captured by the sensational color maven April Clark who joined me at the event as the our official photographer. Thanks April!

Ina was there and was absolutely gracious as she chatted with the many guest and yes she is just as delightful in person as she is on television. 

Of course no party is complete without fabulous guest and here are some of the many people that joined me at the House Beautiful debut of the Kitchen of the Year. I bet you’ll recognize many of these familiar faces.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pink has been seen this year in both ready-to-wear and couture collections. I especially like how Valentino graced the Fall 2007 runway with pink as an elegant counterpoint to the palette chosen for the season: black, brown, ivory, sage, plum, and the designer’s signature red.

Pantone showed a soft pink called Strawberry Ice as one of the top fashion colors for Spring and featured it on the cover of their fashion forecast.

In February, I was interviewed by CBS Sunday Morning about…you guessed it…PINK!

The interview was taped in one of my favorite retail stores, Thomas Pink, where shirts in this hue are a favorite of both men and women. UK retailer Moss reported that pink now surpasses blue as the number one fashion color shirt for men.

Pink has also found its way into the home, and it’s not just women that are going pink.

This month, in an article titled “Colors That Men Love,” House Beautiful included two hues of pink: Colonial Rose from Fine Paints of Europe and Coral Gables 2010-40 from Benjamin Moore.

ICI paint (makers of Ralph Lauren, Glidden, Fuller O’brien, Devoe Paints, and Dulux) named pink their color of the year for 2007.

The Pantone 2007 Interior Color Forecast developed by my colleague and friend, Leatrice Eiseman, included pink in six of the eight color palettes for Interiors 2007.

Home diva Martha Stewart showed her passion for pink when she bathed her Maine country home from floor to ceiling in pink.

The pink color-mania, which began to hit its stride at about the same time Motorola released their Pink RAZR cell phone early last year, came on even stronger this year with everything from couture fashion to home decor to motorbikes sporting this once-but-no-longer strictly feminine color.

While there are many factors influencing this trend, one that can’t be overlooked is the rise in the popularity of pink as a show of support for breast cancer awareness and support groups.

Pink products continue to explode into the retail scene as retailers and manufactures come together for this cause. KitchenAid has a line of limited edition pink counter-top appliances that were developed to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation through a campaign called Cook For The Cure®.

Campbell’s soup and M&M’s are two of the many, many food and beverage products promoting pink.

Even Ford Motors is offering the 2008 Mustang with a “pink package” in support of breast cancer awareness.

Interest in pink continues and we’ll be seeing pink through the holidays and into 2008.

With so much attention, is it any wonder that this hue continues to blush so beautifully?

In keeping with the preference for earthy hues that I noted yesterday, kitchen consumers are choosing natural materials and textured finishes. Stone, granite, bamboo, tiles, wood, glass, and hammered metal are all popular choices.

Cabinets often have finishes that show a strong grain pattern and are fashioned after fine furniture. Wood tones are darkening, and combining colors and finishes adds interest. Stainless steel has become a classic and, again this year, major appliances are being offered in new colors.

There is no limit to the combinations that can be created from so many color, finish, and pattern choices. Whether selecting a kitchen for a new home or remodeling an outdated one, an individual has all of the options necessary to fully express their unique style.

Upper left: Cucine Lube Cabinets
Middle right: Miele Premier Kitchen Appliances
Lower left: Greentea Design Cabinets

When push comes to shove, however, consumers exhibit clear preferences in the items they purchase, according to the findings of a nationwide survey of kitchen and bath dealers conducted as an exclusive joint venture between Kitchen & Bath Design News and Decorá Cabinetry, the Jasper, IN-based manufacturer of semi-custom kitchen and bath cabinetry.

Conducted early last month via e-mail and fax, the survey – subtitled “The Real Deal” – polled nearly 500 kitchen and bath dealers. The poll found that while kitchen consumers continue to exhibit a wide range of style and color preferences, earthy tones remain the most popular color palette.

When asked to rank the popularity of various color palettes – with 1 being the highest and 6 being the lowest – surveyed dealers gave the highest ranking to earthy tones, scoring it an average of 1.5 out of 6. Tied for next in popularity was the traditional color palette (Chinese red, brown, butter, hunter green, etc.) and white on white (or white with one color contrast, such as black), both of which received a ranking from designers of 2.9.

Pastels were rated a 3.9 out of 6, industrial tones (metallics, grays, blacks…accented with other colors) were scored 4.4 out of 6, and very bright tones (including primary colors, neons, retro oranges, and greens) received the lowest ranking of 5.4 out of 6.

Photo Insert: Earth tones were cited by dealers as the most popular color palette, as seen here in this Old World kitchen, designed by Mark Buelow, CGR, of Distinctive Remodeling Solutions.

Excerpted from Kitchen & Bath Design News