Jacques Pepin’s new kitchen at his Madison, Conn., home would make even the most reluctant cook willing to try.

From the artistically arranged, hanging rows of stainless steel, cast-iron, and copper pans to the maple-seated bar stools that invite visitors to “sit down and stay a while,” the superstar chef’s spacious new work space, situated in a guesthouse next to the main house, feels like the perfect blend of utility and hospitality.

“It should be a little of both,” said the personable master chef, food columnist, cooking teacher, and author, best known for his award-winning cooking shows. “It is my workshop, and it is a place to enjoy,” he added, scanning the 22 by 30-foot room, which blends contemporary amenities and antiques. Most striking about the space is the nod it gives to Mr. Pepin’s other passion – art. The walls are lined with his original oil paintings, all signed simply “Jacques,” with the “J” serving as a handle of an umbrella.

“Pepin means umbrella in French, you know,” he said.

Copies of his simple, almost fanciful drawings of food and other culinary images were made into decorative tiles that are interspersed with the white ceramic tiles on the soffit above the sink and one of several work areas.

“Coming to America,” the title of one tile, marks his relocation to this country from Bourg-en-Bresse, near Lyon, France, where he was born to a family that owned a restaurant. Under what appears to be a blue-tinged ocean wave is a caricature of a clove of garlic, drawn to resemble an octopus.

Sparkling stainless-steel, commercial-grade KitchenAid appliances are the nuts and bolts of the cooking space. A five-burner, 36-inch gas cook top sits center-stage on a 9-foot-long island topped with rose-colored quartz. The stove is positioned to make it easy for camera crews to tape his work, Mr. Pepin explained, while also allowing him to talk with guests who might plunk down on the ergonomically correct, “memory return” bar stools on the other side of the island.

A commercial-size, glass-front refrigerator and freezer drawers, as well as food-warming drawers and two dishwashers, are strategically placed to make cooking and cleanup organized and convenient.

“When you plan a new kitchen, you should first have a chef look at it,” he said. “After the chef tells you how it should be done, then have your decorator come in and finish it.”

A dual-zone wine cooler (to provide just the right temperature for the reds and the whites), a microwave, two ovens, and a toaster oven help round out the oversize kitchen, which Mr. Pepin jokes saved his 39-year marriage.

“My wife, Gloria, was tired of the intrusions of interviews and filmings in the house and told me I had to move the kitchen,” he said. “We had this guesthouse, where we also kept the ping pong table, so I decided to build a new kitchen here. Now everyone is happy.”

Salvaged hickory wood provides the backdrop for an intriguing display of hanging pots and pans that include his own brand by Bourgeat, as well as others, including T-Fal and Cuisinart.

“I wanted it to look like art,” Mr. Pepin said.

Several crocks along another counter hold a similarly eclectic collection of spoons, whisks, and other cooking paraphernalia. Among the tidy array is an autographed wooden spoon that says “Bon Appetit to Jacques” and is signed “Julia Child, 3/1/98.”

Twin antique tiger-maple sideboards flank a huge, free-form, white walnut dining table, made from scrap boards that Mr. Pepin discovered. The kitchen also includes a rolling work table that can hold a dozen baking sheets or trays of hors d’oeuvres.

Open any of the customized cabinets or cupboards, or the decorative pantry door, which Mr. Pepin also painted, and the first thing you notice is order.

After a guest commented that it doesn’t look as if Mr. Pepin does any cooking in the new space, the chef was quick to explain why.

“I can’t stand to work where it is dirty or messy,” he said, recounting the time and elbow grease that goes into making everything spotless and back in its place when the cooking is done. “I stay away from clutter.”

Mr. Pepin quickly shook his head “no” when asked if he had a trash compactor, however.

“I have this,” he said, wheeling out an unassuming, oversize gray plastic commercial garbage can that fits into a custom-made space in the work island. “I took it with me when I left Howard Johnson’s,” he said with a grin, referring to his 10-year stint as director of research and new development for Howard Johnson Co. A nearby sitting area includes custom-made bookcases filled with personal memorabilia and cookbooks. Emphatic that music is also a component when cooking, Mr. Pepin included a sound system, which he had tuned to soft jazz and vintage rock on a recent visit.

Cooking is not a task but an art that should be celebrated, he said, and the kitchen should say something about the person who prepares the food.

“And this space,” Mr. Pepin said, “is me.”