David Beckham's chef-style kitchen will be the ultimate luxury trend for kitchens in 2024, say experts

David Beckham is a man of many talents – even his pancake-flipping skills are on target. But while it might not be what the part-owner of Inter Miami CF is best known for, his modern chef's kitchen has certainly become a talking point.

The world's tastiest new kitchens are wonderful workshops for culinary craftsmen, and David Beckham's modern kitchen is no exception.

Chef's kitchens are the ultimate in luxury for any budding cook or food enthusiast. Technological advances in kitchen design mean that creating a professional or gourmet kitchen – once reserved for the best restaurants – at home is even easier to achieve than before. 

Here's how to achieve a gourmet kitchen with design advice from the best kitchen designers and chefs.

1. Choose stain and scratch-resistant surfaces

‘When choosing a kitchen countertop for a gourmet kitchen, avoid materials that can scratch or stain easily,’ says Allison Lynch, senior design consultant at Roundhouse, which has made domestic kitchens for several chefs including Yotam Ottolenghi and Peter Gordon. 

Cooking with the confidence of a professional requires robust materials that you won’t need to give a second thought while whipping up multiple dishes. Stainless steel is the surface of choice in commercial kitchens. 

‘It is non-porous, heat resistant and you can also weld sinks and upstands into the worktop to avoid dirt taps and create speedy to scrub-down surfaces,’ enthuses Sam Hart, senior designer, Roundhouse, who used stainless steel on the cooking elevation of this kitchen. 

‘Steel can appear too industrial in a domestic space, so we used natural walnut and Shaker doors elsewhere, as well as beautiful natural quartzite, to counterbalance the harder-looking stainless steel cooking zone,’ explains Sam.

2. Invest in professional appliances

Cooking for crowds requires at least two high-capacity ovens. Eye-level designs are the easiest to monitor progress, but many chefs prefer the volume and robustness of a range cooker. 

‘Cook tops must be flexible and accommodate multiple pans. A combination of gas burners, steel plates and induction hobs will cover all bases, while features such as a teppanyaki and built-in grills are ideal for a dash of pro-chef-style culinary theatre,’ says Camille Syren, chef de projects, La Cornue. 

When designing chef's kitchens, Eggersmann Design’s creative director Gary Singer often includes high-tech appliances like built-in steam ovens and vacuum sealers for sous-vide cooking.

3. Organize your storage 

An organized kitchen is an essential component in a professional kitchen, such as David Beckham's.

Keeping a well-stocked food store is vital in busy restaurant kitchens and a generous larder cupboard or walk-in pantry is the perfect domestic equivalent. 

‘A good chef will organize contents rigidly, making sure everything is easy to see, at a glance, so that ingredients can be gathered quickly,’ says chef and author Peter Sidwell, brand ambassador for Symphony Kitchens. 

‘For the keen chef, having pots and pans close to the cooker aids optimal efficiency,’ says Richard Moore, design director, Martin Moore. Kitchen shelving can provide quick access when positioned above your cooker and is a great option for pots, pans, and utensils that are in regular use, as they are in plain sight and within reaching distance.

Simple LED strips or miniature spotlights can be used to illuminate shelf displays, enhancing their impact and adding subtle evening glamour, especially useful when you want to create a softer mood for dining.