In this sleek kitchen renovation in San Francisco, the kitchen backsplash is an easy-to-clean glass backsplash that mimics the glossy finish of the surrounding white cabinets. Painters accomplished the high-gloss finish on the cabinets of a kitchen in San Francisco by applying a coat of paint, polishing it with very high-grit sandpaper, repeating the process for each layer, then topping it with three coats of clear varnish. "It’s like an auto body," says builder Jeff King. "It’s incredibly beautiful." The island provides shelving space and storage as well as a second sink, an is topped with pietra grigio marble.
A view of the kitchen.
By foregoing a fixed dining table in favor of a large American walnut wood countertop by Cuisine Elysee, the couple is able to enjoy a open space with a clear view of the back of the house and the garden terrace outside.
Untethered from the walls, the kitchen appears to float anchorless in the center of the room. The stainless steel appliances don’t have handles to keep the look uncluttered. The island made of poured concrete offers pop-up power outlets as charging stations for electronics. LED lights help reduce energy needs.
King installed dimmable fluorescent strips by Bartco in the alcoves above the cabinets for ambient lighting.
The bathroom was creatively composed using inexpensive Quarella Calacatta floor tiles, a Villery & Boch wall-mounted sink, and a Reece Sabine bath. Brass electroplated fixtures and FLOS Mini Glo Ball wall lights add a touch of sass to an otherwise understated space.
The bathroom’s width and reinforced handrails accommodate Wansbrough’s needs.
The renovation of a 2,000-square-foot property updates a century-old design for a family of four. "We placed the kitchen at the center of the house to link with the dining room and the outdoor space," Moreau says. In the kitchen, a Wolf oven brings out the silver details in Coit’s Bianco Cararra backsplash and island. Hee bar stools by Hay are lined under the island.
To inform the color palette for this interior renovation in Stockholm, NOTE Design Studio began with three inspirational images. “We let our gut feelings lead us,” says architect Susanna Wåhlin. They chose a picture of a woman in a cashmere coat (for its softness and style), a plaza in Rome (for its timelessness), and a pair of sand-colored sneakers (for its laid-back connotation). The palette is apparent in the kitchen, where a STRIPE rug from Kinnasand accents the family’s dining table, framed by chairs and a hanging lamp by Gubi.
For the bathroom inside a renovated Hollywood bungalow, architect Noah Walker used a simple palette of gray and white tile, black countertops, and stainless steel fixtures.
Renovating the old mill was a family effort, and Blee called on his sister Kate, a textile designer based in London, to lend a helping hand with the tile work. Kate's repertoire also extends to building installations, including a ceramic wall in the City and Islington Center for Lifelong Learning in North London. "She had several boxes left over," Blee recalls, "which meant another opportunity to use something that was lying around." The tiles, with finishes ranging from heavy glazes to matte coats, offered textural variety, which brother and sister used to "play around with the idea of reflection from the roof light."