Peter Lock

Inspired by industrial midcentury style and industrial Pop art, architect Janet Bloomberg very bravely set candy-colored cabinets against particleboard walls to create a wonderfully dramatic kitchen.

Stacey and Doug prepare food before the kitchen's massive wall of soothing tile from Heath Ceramics.

Another customization of the Basis Linoleum in olive with handles,edges and counter tops done in natural oak.

In the new kitchen, oak timber veneer joinery unites concrete floors and counters.

While the house’s original pine is richly colored and textured, a number of structural posts rendered the kitchen difficult to furnish with modern fixtures. A newly-added black beam, which extends outward into the dining room, allowed for the posts’ removal.

Guess used inexpensive graded pine plywood so that he would get heavy grain patterns on the surfaces. One of the main goals in the kitchen was simplicity. To that end, he opted for a poured-in-place concrete island. "We didn’t know if we could afford to do that, but we found a great subcontractor [Nate Francis of Countertop Creations] here who had never really built anything like that," Guess says. "Because he was interested in giving it a shot and adding it to his portfolio, he didn’t charge an exorbitant amount of money because it was sort of an experiment for him as well." The kitchen features a GE Profile refrigerator and KitchenAid range, microwave, and dishwasher. The sink and faucet are from Kohler. The project's builder was Joe Doherty with Custom Homecrafters of Austin.

If the idea of a plain white backsplash doesn't appeal to you, but you still want a neutral backsplash, consider handmade tiles or a material that comes in a range of colors and tones. Here, a cream-colored backsplash made of traditional Moroccan tiles and available through Emory & Cie line the backsplash of the kitchen.

The kitchen includes ceiling lights whose fittings are recessed and offset; their glow is both diffuse and elusive.

From the bedroom, glass and iron doors reveal the open kitchen space. Although unconventional for privacy, the glass doors enhance the feeling of an open plan.

A closer look at the kitchen.

Before: SHED redesigned the kitchen as a series of interconnected functional zones, which are linked by a continuous kitchen counter. This approach allowed the architects to increase usable space without modifying the house’s exterior. It also helped to visually connect the kitchen with the living area, while still maintaining separation via the walnut plywood cabinets and solid walnut eating counter, which serve as partitions.

A kitchen view and its connection to the rear terrace and landscape beyond

A trifecta of pendants spruce up the casual dining space. Kim’s daughter Molly, who was also instrumental to the design vision, is a West Coast–based chef. She weighed in on the layout, from roasting pans to compost bins, essentially upgrading it to commercial standards.

A linear modern light fixture by AlexAllen Studio hangs above the center island. Black Windsor counter stools from Target complete the center island’s breakfast bar. The shiny brass faucet and shelf brackets are both from Rejuvenation. The beautiful glazed Moroccan zellige tiles are from Cle, and the countertops are Ceasarstone.

Wooden carved out a cozy sitting area by the back window. The walls are painted with Farrow + Ball's Great White. The chime on the wall is from The Tienda at Hotel San Cristobal in Baja California. The backsplash features glazed Moroccan zellige tiles from Cle.

The staircase’s open treads and slim, cable railing avoid blocking sight lines outside. A modest material palette, including a concrete floor, wood cabinetry, and charcoal laminate counters, cedes to the views.

When it came time to select appliances that would seamlessly blend into their kitchen, Joel and Meelena relied heavily on Dacor for their elegant, high-tech product line. “What I love about the camera in the fridge is that it’s highly functional and not just a gimmick,” notes Joel. “How many times have you gone to the store and purchased things because you forgot you had it? In my mind, this is a beautiful, simple feature that allows you to use less and waste less—while also wasting less time.”

PLANT Architect Inc. reworked the kitchen in the Berkely Live/Work Residence; it's now an airy, open social area.

Grain Super Black countertops from Stone Italiana sit atop sleek black cabinetry, which hosts the integrated appliances, including a cooktop, oven, and warming drawer from V-Zug.

Birch veneer wraps the interior of the minimalist home, lending a sense of warmth.

The owners of this updated Tudor-style abode in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Eagle Rock, Amanda and William Hunter, are the design duo behind the William Hunter Collective, which rehabs homes. Handmade tile, soapstone counters, walnut wood, and steel make up the artfully styled kitchen.

Vibrant blue cabinets brighten up this kitchen and serve as a bold contrast to the exposed brick. The stainless-steel countertop wraps slightly up the wall, and creates a trough for storing items.

Concreteworks countertops, a Wolf range, Kallista sink, and Boffi faucet also fill the space.

"Around the time we were thinking of moving back [to San Francisco], I took a trip to Marfa, Texas, and fell in love with the agelessness of Donald Judd’s work," says Amy. "I liked the idea of having a classic American reference to the space, since we are influenced as much from America as we are by Asian culture."

No whiteware here. In this moody apartment in Berlin, multi-toned charcoal gray subway tiles make up the backsplash, which contrasts with the pop of rosy color on the kitchen cabinets.

The new structural support at the island is a slim intervention that enabled the firm to open up the kitchen to the rest of the home.

The home’s HenryBuilt kitchen is a focal point. The yellow hues of its cabinetry are softened by white oak finishes on the floors and the kitchen island.

Dining takes place at the large custom-fabricated table underneath pendant lighting. Seating is a mix of Eames Shell Chairs and Real Good chairs from Blu Dot.

The kitchen's central island is particularly luminous when sunlight pours down through the skylight.

The kitchen backsplash features Yohen Border mosaic tile from Inax. Note the curved shape of the island. The stools are from Normann Copenhagen.

In the kitchen, olive green cabinets pair with Calacatta marble, stylish fixtures, and a circular, wood-clad island.

See Arch removed a wall to create a more spacious kitchen with a stronger visual connection to the dining area. The updated kitchen is outfitted with quartz countertops and Viking, Fisher Paykel, and Asko appliances.

From the central kitchen island, there is a continuous line of sight to the garden. “Milli loves her indoor plants,” says builder Hamish White. “The tree views from most windows, and all the indoor plants makes you feel as if nature is never far away.”

The design for MATCH uses unorthodox elements like Muller Van Severen’s signature material, a durable and wax-like polyethylene traditionally used in cutting boards.

The owners of this home selected a geometric-patterned glass tile backsplash by Island Stone. The glass tile keeps the space bright, and the pattern adds interest.