The Baking Center in "It's Complicated"

Hope your day is going great!  It's been gorgeous here...in the 70's, so I've been spending some time out of the porch enjoying the fall colors.

I know the cold is coming so I'm trying to fully enjoy these last warm days of fall.

A while back I posted a tour of the house in the movie, It's Complicated, starring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin.  (That movie house tour is available, HERE.)

When It's Complicated first came out, the kitchen was one of the most talked about rooms in the Mediterranean-style home featured in the movie.  Even though it isn't overly grand, it had that special something that drew you in.  Nancy Meyers, the writer and director, knows how to create kitchens that truly feel like the heart of the home.  She did the same in the cottage featured in the movie, The Holiday. (That house tour is available, HERE.)

In It's Complicated, Jane, is working with architect, Adam (played by Steve Martin) to re-design a whole new kitchen for her home.  Jane is a serious cook--even owns her own bakery!  While watching the movie, something really caught my eye in this scene.  Do you know what it was?

I hinted in yesterday's post about making a little change in my kitchen recently, a change inspired by a scene in the kitchen.  Foley, guessed what it was in her comment on yesterday's giveaway post!   I loved the "baking" center Jane has over in the corner of her kitchen. We just get a glimpse of it behind her here in this scene.

I have no idea why, but I haven't been able to get it out of my head.  I think it's just all that potential goodness waiting to be explored.  The flour, the sugar--it's all saying come play with me.  Make something delicious and wonderful.  Fill the house with amazing scents of homemade goodness.  Yep, I got all that out this one scene. lol  You know a serious baker lives here when you see all those big glass jars.

My kitchen is definitely nothing like the one in It's Complicated.

Mine is rather small and counter space is definitely at a premium.  There's really no place for a bountiful cart filled with big, beautiful containers of baking staples.

But after all these years, I am so ready to retire these tired old Tupperware canisters.  Is there anyone out there still using these or am I the only one?   The largest one of the set is in the laundry room and keeps Max's dry kitty food nice and fresh.  Two contain flour and sugar and are always stored underneath the kitchen counter in the cabinets below.  And the smallest of the set contains tea and also lives in the cabinets below.  It's always a pain to fish them out when I'm in a baking mood.

Sunday, while shopping in Target, I came across some tall jar canisters that transported me back to the baking center in It's Complicated.  So I bought two and created my own little mini-baking center over in one corner of the kitchen.

I really like how the "stainless" lids look next to the stainless bowl of my mixer.  They hold a lot: the large canister holds two 5 lb. bags of flour while the smaller one will hold two 5 lb. bags of sugar.  The lids also seem to seal well.

I like having them in one corner, not taking up too much counter space.  I also like that I no longer have to dig around in the cabinets for the flour and sugar.  I don't plan to label them.  I loved how they were not labeled in It's Complicated, yet you just knew what-was-what.

In case you're interested, they come in three sizes.  I didn't get the smaller one since I was going for the It's Complicated look of the larger jars.  Due to limited space, I just purchased two.  I definitely would have bought more if I had the room to create a larger "baking center."

Another reason I really liked this style with the stainless/metal lid is because a few weeks ago I was searching online for glass canisters and I read a review by someone who had bought some with glass lids.  She noticed one day she had chipped a lid when she found glass in the flour.  Yikes! You can buy them with glass lids at both Walmart and Target.  Just be careful that you don't chip the lid when you're replacing it.  Here's how the inside of the lid looks on these.  So far, they seem to seal nice and tight.

These canisters make me almost feel like a real baker, even though I'm totally fakin' it--á la It's Complicated, style ;)


Update:   Made a change in my baking center a few days later.  You can see the change in THIS post.

Do you have a "baking center" in your kitchen?  Where do you keep your flour, sugar, etc...  I may just have to go back and buy another jar or two.  I'm totally hooked on this baking center idea.   See what movies do to me!