Dwell's Coolest Kitchens
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Riffing on the Los Angeles phenomenon of people "murdering out" their cars—that is, removing all the trim and blacking everything out—architect Barbara Bestor and craftsman Eric Lamers covered most surfaces in this Los Angeles kitchen with matte black laminate, including the fridge and the overhead cabinets. -
The resident wanted to be able to use the space as a fun gathering place for parties, so Bestor set a DJ booth at the edge of the kitchen. Custom plywood shelving holds vinyl records. -
In a 15.5 by 20-foot studio apartment, space is at a premium, to put it lightly. The resident, a designer, sized his kitchen shelves to accommodate specific kitchen gear: narrowest at the bottom for spice jars and juice glasses and widest at the top for plates and cookware. The most frequently used objects are all within arm's reach. The small fridge and Tappan stove are perfectly adequate as long as you "get a little smarter with your yogurt layout," says the resident. See the full slideshow here. -
For a tiny Brooklyn kitchen, Workstead mitigated a dire lack of counter space by wrapping the cabinetry into the living area, creating one larger, fully integrated workspace. The custom cabinets were made out of ray-dyed Tabu birch veneer. Sliding panels with punched finger pulls act as a decorative screen. -
This New York kitchen is a miracle of efficiency. Every inch is used maximally, from the built-in double-decker Miele oven to the Sub-Zero fridge and freezer under the counter, distributed between four unobtrusive drawers.The Arclinea kitchen system includes an integrated lighting and power strip, which brightens the worktop and negates the need for jutting wall outlets. Read the full story here. -
San Francisco architect Christi Azevedo built her kitchen very affordably, thanks to a sanded acrylic sheet used as a countertop, flooring made of cheap HardiPanel exterior siding (just $1 per square foot), Ikea pendant lights, and a reconditioned vintage stove snagged on Craigslist for $15. Azevedo put her metalworking skills to good use creating the open shelving out of hot-rolled steel. A rolling ladder ensures access to the highest shelves. Tour the entire house here. -
This family home in Sebastopol, in the northern California wine country, had to be completely accessible, since one of the children, Ian, was in a wheelchair. The solution was to create an open-plan space with smooth concrete floors, and a massive slab of cypress perched atop sawhorses that provides storage for pots and pans. -
Nearby, a concrete island contains various appliances. With the extra surface area, there’s plenty of room to roll out dough, and a wide berth for Ian’s power chair. -
For this San Francisco kitchen remodel, designer Larissa Sand installed custom-built textured glass panels that roll on blackened steel tracks. The translucent finish and back lighting abstract the stored items, creating a clean composition (even when it's a mess). -
Interior designer Kathryn Tyler's Falmouth, England, kitchen, featured in our recent June 2012 issue, is a clever compromise between tight budget and calculated splurges. Furniture maker David Restorick wrapped Ikea cabinets with oak for a custom look. For Tyler, open shelving provided a chance to show off her collection of colorful vintage cookware. -
Restorick also built this quirky oak staircase with open shelving along one side. "I use accessories as the color in spaces," says Tyler, "so these items are an integral part of the overall design."
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Collector's Choice
In southwest England, interior designer and avid furniture collector Kathryn Tyler built her home around the vintage pieces she’d amassed over a decade.
Open Kitchen Shelving Ideas That Work
When done right, open kitchen shelving is a storage approach that's both visually attractive and highly functional—favorite pieces and tools are elevated to display status, and everything is within…
Living in a Mini House
When San Francisco–based architect Christi Azevedo and her partner bought an investment property in Oakland, what was billed in real estate listings as a 'detached garage' turned out to be a…
Bay Wash
With a presence in three centuries, Christi Azevedo’s Victorian survived the quake of 1906 and served as a laundry before its rebirth as a well-lit hybrid of old and new.
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