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Airy Kitchen Additions

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These home additions focus on adding space for the hardest working room in the house.

Modern home with Kitchen, Pendant Lighting, Subway Tile Backsplashe, Medium Hardwood Floor, Marble Counter, and Wood Cabinet. The architects used blackbutt wood for the flooring and Whisper White paint by Dulux throughout the interior. An A110 Hand Grenade Pendant Lamp, by Alvar Aalto for Artek, hangs above the white Carrara marble-topped island. Photo of Airy Kitchen Additions

A modest kitchen addition to a couple’s cottage outside of Brisbane proves that one 376-square-foot room can revive an entire home.

Modern home with Kitchen, White Cabinet, Undermount Sink, Wood Cabinet, Medium Hardwood Floor, and Recessed Lighting. Dan Pacek, left, and John Roynon prepare cocktails at their 12-foot “display island” in the renovated kitchen of their home in New Jersey. The couple bought handles matching those on their Thermador refrigerator and used them on a set of pantry doors, one of which conceals the steps to the basement. Photo of Airy Kitchen Additions

In northern New Jersey, a cramped kitchen was reborn as a welcoming space for cooking and entertaining. The 18-month-long project proved transformative in more than one way. A design business, called Dan and John Life, emerged from the renovation and has since become a full-time venture for the residing couple.

Modern home with Kitchen, Concrete Floor, Concrete Counter, Drop In Sink, Pendant Lighting, Range Hood, Range, and Open Cabinet. A sturdy concrete countertop curves around the entire length of the kitchen, finished in a texture Webster describes as “bug splattered.” Despite the unappetizing name, it works well for rolling out dough. Its circular motif reappears in the custom cabinets’ finger pulls, which also help ventilate the cupboards. The fixtures are from Kubus and the appliances are from Miele. Photo of Airy Kitchen Additions

If you’ve ever wondered what chefs want out of their own kitchens, Fraher Architects’ latest project offers one answer: simplicity. Through an extension to an existing London flat, they gave their client, who runs several fast-paced restaurants, a no-fuss cooking space where she could relax and socialize in the off hours with friends.

Modern home with Kitchen, Range, Range Hood, White Cabinet, Undermount Sink, and Dark Hardwood Floor. To maximize light, Dana opted for white surfaces, from the custom cabinetry to the Silestone countertops. “You can’t put a lemon or a Popsicle down on marble, so we got quartz, which is virtually indestructible,” she says. Photo of Airy Kitchen Additions

An airy addition on the back of a historic house in Boise is a model of sensitive renovation, seamlessly melding new and old. To help define the new kitchen, the architects designed a wall of storage with cubbies on one side and a pantry with appliances on the other.

Modern home with Living Room, Sofa, Pendant Lighting, Light Hardwood Floor, Chair, Ottomans, and Bench. Brammy and Kyprianou hung Koura pendant lights by New Zealand designer David Trubridge above the dining area. Their organic forms and diamond-shaped shadows create intimacy in the vast space. Among Bilardo’s contributions were the black tulipwood cabinetry and ceiling and the cantilevered concrete countertop that appears to go through the glass wall. Photo of Airy Kitchen Additions

Looking at the traditional Victorian facade of Kylie Brammy and George Kyprianou’s home, you would never imagine it hid such a voluptuous and modern derrière. A modern rear addition to include a new kitchen transforms this 1880 bungalow in Adelaide, Australia, into a spacious abode.

Modern home with Kitchen, White Cabinet, and Light Hardwood Floor. White was used extensively throughout the addition, a choice that the architects say enhances the spacious feel of the rooms and draws attention to the views. Photo of Airy Kitchen Additions

Thellend Fortin Architectes tackled an addition to this single-story, 1960s-era house in the Outremont neighborhood of Montreal. The addition was conceived as a "ribbon" that both hugs and runs lateral to the contours of the existing building, offering multiple vantage points from which to admire the surrounding landscape.

Modern home with Kitchen, Pendant Lighting, Range Hood, Refrigerator, and Medium Hardwood Floor. The kitchen sports blue-gray cabinets and Azulej tiles by Patricia Urquiola for Mutina. The Currys keep an eye on the backyard through a large Pella window, situated above a sink with a Sensate faucet from Kohler. The range is by BlueStar. Photo of Airy Kitchen Additions

The residents of this 1,350-square-foot farmhouse in Illinois enlisted John Issa of Perimeter Architects to add on a two-story, 650-square-foot extension to include a new kitchen and master suite.

Modern home with Kitchen, Pendant Lighting, Marble Counter, Wood Cabinet, White Cabinet, Range Hood, Refrigerator, Concrete Floor, Open Cabinet, Undermount Sink, Recessed Lighting, Range, Subway Tile Backsplashe, Microwave, and Wood Counter. Architect Kevin Alter integrated wood from the original bungalow into the kitchen and covered the island in Carrara marble, with an interior clad in wood. A long table extends from the side of the island, and wine storage is integrated into one end of the island. New appliances include a Wolf range, a Broan hood, and a Miele oven and refrigerator. The Fucsia pendant lights are by Achille Castiglioni for Flos. Photo of Airy Kitchen Additions

When Sam Shah and Anne Suttles began construction on an addition to an investment property in Austin, Texas, they had no intention of leaving their previous home. But the resulting bungalow--a blend of old and new--was too terrific to let go, and they moved in.