Nerdy Nummies Star Rosanna Pansino Shows Off Her Amazing New Kitchen
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Heart of the Home? That's an Understatement
When your kitchen doubles as the set of a hit YouTube series, decorating hits a whole new level of complicated. That's why Nerdy Nummies star Rosanna Pansino called on designer Christiane Lemieux to overhaul the entire room, creating an oasis where treats like Super Mario Bob-omb truffles and Captain America ice cream sandwiches don't have to compete for attention with their surroundings.
Pansino Won't Gloss Over This Detail
Pansino's old kitchen had shiny granite countertops, which made filming a hassle. "We had to shoot food and instructional scenes really close-up, because the counters were so reflective—they showed everything," she says. Lemieux replaced them with a cork surface and made sure all of the paint finishes were matte, so there would be zero glare on camera.
One Sweet Decorating Idea
Though Pansino wanted a clean, neutral backdrop for filming, she and Lemieux made sure to include a few colorful touches that could be swapped out and rearranged to keep the kitchen looking interesting, like vintage teacups, candy jars—and even the, um, piggyback-riding plastic dinosaurs from her old set. Pansino's color inspiration for all of the accessories? Rainbow sprinkles.
A Message to the Haters
While Pansino has big, statement-making abstract art in other rooms of her house, her kitchen is all about having pun. There's a framed print next to her coffee machine that reads "I like big cups and I cannot lie," though our personal favorite is the one next to her Kitchenaid mixer: "They see me rollin', they hatin'."
The Lifesaver Every Baker Should Have on Hand
Pansino started out with just a cake plate, hand mixer, bowl and a spatula, and while she says you can do a lot with just those four items, there's one baking essential she had to have in her updated kitchen: An aloe plant. "One of the only dangers of my job is getting burned, and maybe cut, so I like to keep the plant nearby and some Band-aids under the sink," she explains.
Lights Out
"If I'm filming until midnight, nobody knows," Pansino says, thanks to the addition of blackout curtains from The Shade Store. (You can find similar throw pillows—like the "Awesome" one in the center, and the geometric-patterned ones—on Wayfair.)
Let's Get Whimsical
Everything in the kitchen has to pass the on-camera test—Does this look distracting?—even down to the flowers on the table. When choosing the wall color, Pansino painted samples then filmed herself, her team, and her food in front of each one. The old walls were a beige-y yellow, which made people's skin look sallow and the food look less appetizing, Lemieux explains. Gray with a warm undertone made everyone's skin glow.
Gather 'Round
Pansino's round Saarinen table reminds her of the one in her dining room growing up—"It was the heart and soul of our house"—and doubles as a second location for the blindfolded food challenges she films with her sister, Molly. "My girlfriends from Seattle fly in and we do slumber parties and have breakfast here, too. And I design cookies here."
A Lightbulb Moment
Lemieux kept the lighting simple, since Pansino's team brings in full stage lights to shoot Nerdy Nummies.
Put a Label on It
Pansino uses a labeler to organize everything in her kitchen, down to her jars upon jars of sprinkles. "I keep the stuff I use daily on the lower shelves, so they're easier to reach, and work my way up from there. The high shelves are for the things I rarely use, because I'm very short," says Pansino, who's 4'10".
For a video tour of the rest of Pansino's house, check out her YouTube channel or Overhaul on Kin Community.
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