Kitchen

5) Open-plan layout Today's kitchen is a central part of the home. When combined with a dining room or living room, the kitchen becomes a key area for cooking and socializing that is fully immersed in the day-to-day activities of a house. The modern kitchen is enjoyed throughout the day—not just at mealtimes.

In addition to new appliance trends, homeowners and kitchen designers are also looking for design-savvy materials elsewhere in the kitchen. While marble remains a popular choice, concrete is being used more widely as a kitchen accent. This kitchen in El Salvador features a hefty concrete island.

To accommodate busy lifestyles, Bosch prioritizes functionality. Intuitive controls, flush installation, and slam-proof doors ease stress in the hardest working room in the house.

The kitchen table.

A new kitchen at the front of the house completes the trifecta of reworked rooms on the main level. It fits nicely into the notion of balancing new and old elements throughout the house, with oak detailing married to exposed brick, offset by strip lamps. The Hee bar stools are by HAY, the Caravaggio P3 pendants are by Light Years, and the range oven is from Britannia.

In the kitchen, the architects reigned in the house’s high ceilings for a more intimate feel; its lower height also tastefully hides unsightly ducting necessary for ventilation. Beneath the bar sit two Kaysa Black Bar Stools by Baxton Studio. A Gessi faucet complements a Blanco Modex sink.