Cooking with the stars

AMONG MOST PROUD HOMEOWNERS, the road to great home design is usually via ideas plucked from glossy decor magazines or the stylus of a tech-savvy interior specialist. Rare is the homeowner who sees images of a bullet- riddled kitchen filled with battered but still functioning Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances and says, ''Oh, I want that''.

Chalk it up to the charisma of movie stars like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to influence the Thai celebrity couple Aimee Morakot and James Jirayuth Sangtaweep's decision on the kind of kitchen they wanted for their luxury home in an exclusive residential street in Bangkok. We're talking about the infamous scene in the action caper Mr & Mrs Smith where the odd couple engages in a gunfight in a snazzy kitchen filled with the luxury appliances. It was an unlikely, but nonetheless accurate, depiction of just how tough Sub-Zero's refrigerators (the doors have not been tested against bullets, by the way) and Wolf's ovens and cooking ranges are.

Sitting within their sumptuous home that looks like a villa in French wine country is a large but tasteful, almost minimalist kitchen that a professional chef would feel right at home at but in this case forms the core of Aimee and James' food-centric lifestyle.

The professional layout is the design of no less than Thai celebrity chef Ian Kittichai - a culinary ambassador of Sub-Zero and Wolf whose own home is fitted out with the same appliances. ''Chef Ian is a very close friend of ours, so we asked him to put together a kitchen that a professional chef would love,'' says Aimee, an actress and entrepreneur who also has her own juice line.

''We wanted a clean, functional and elegant kitchen,'' she adds. ''We spend most of our time in the kitchen as it is the heart of our home. We cook, we work, we spend quality time with our son there. We do our romantic date nights and regular routines all in our kitchen.''

Both have their favourite uses for the kitchen.

''James loves to make cocktails, and he loves the Sub-Zero refrigerator with drawers for its easy access that complements his cocktail-making. As for me, it's a crucial factor in my juice brand. It extends the shelf life of the fruit and vegetables that I use, and the consistent freshness and temperature are best for my products.''

And of course, the kitchen is great for showing off their culinary skills. Says Aimee: ''When we're cooking for ourselves, we love to make pasta and James would put a steak on the Wolf grill for the absolute best steak in town! But when we're entertaining guests, we love to arrange intimate gatherings of eight to 10 people and invite celebrity chefs such as Ian to come and cook and enjoy the evening with us.''

And sometimes, the best dishes are the simplest, made even better with the right equipment and temperature. That would explain James' signature dish: ''James makes the best grilled ham and cheese sandwiches!'' enthuses Aimee.

Indeed, their collection of appliances would make the home chef drool. ''Our full option kitchen consists of a side-by-side refrigerator and freezer; wine storage; the dual fuel range with full-size oven; ventilation system; two sets of the under counter refrigerator; and an outdoor BBQ grill. The products speak for themselves when we talk about the quality and craftsmanship which are second to none. We think their componentry is the best in class.''

And of course, Brad Pitt and Angelina's vote of confidence helps too. And if no bullets are involved, Aimee and James' kitchen should last them a lifetime.

The House of Sub-Zero and Wolf is located at 31 McNair Road, Townerville, Singapore 328529. Tel: 6386 9335. Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10am to 5.30pm. Saturdays by appointment only.