2 Install a strong exhaust hood. Little ones just don't suck up enough of the odors and the smoke that cooking produces. Helm's is a DesignerLine by Modern-Aire. 

3 Consider concrete countertops as a durable, inexpensive alternative to wood or granite. They can be sealed and stained any color, though Helm hasn't done either. One caveat: always use a cutting board or you'll end up ruining your knives. 

4 Lay down a rubber restaurant-kitchen mat to soften the strain that a hard floor (Helm's is concrete) can put on your back. 

5 A bar refrigerator can save kitchen space. Helm's skinny Frigidaire Euro-Flair has two refrigerator sections and no freezer--there's a big GE with a freezer in a room off the kitchen. 

6 Recycling can pay off aesthetically and financially. When windows were put in the large teak doors that grace the entrance of Robert Sinskey Vineyards, Helm and Sinskey used the left-over pieces of wood for their kitchen cabinet doors. 

7 Put an island on wheels. The kitchen had a stationary island with a cooktop, but it was always getting in the way. Sinskey and Helm replaced it with a movable English baker's rack, which offers storage as well as a work surface and can easily be moved out of the room. 

8 Adapt restaurant equipment. Helm installed a restaurant-quality power sprayer to speed clean-up: it's strong enough for pots, gentle enough for crystal.