Ask devoted bakers about Flo Braker and they’ll probably tell you she’s the author ofThe Simple Art of Perfect Baking and Sweet Miniatures,a founding member of The Baker’s Dozen, and a co-author ofThe Baker’s Dozen Cookbook.They might also mention that Flo has mentored countless professional and home bakers. (I once heard a pastry chef admiringly dub her “the patron saint of all pastry makers in this country.”)

Flo’s kitchen in her house in Palo Alto, California, is an extension of herself and her work—practical, hard-working, and beautifully executed. Granite countertops for rolling buttery pastry are just the start of what makes “my laboratory,” as Flo calls her kitchen, such an inviting, efficient, and fun place to work. And as the sun streams in, you can’t help but notice that this highly functional kitchen feels pretty heavenly, too.