BC Ranch Kitchen

The home is built into its grassy-dune landscape (icluding a day-lit lower level) yet still appears to float over its terrain.

A second-story addition to this midcentury home in Los Angeles is linked to the original structure by a 30-foot skylight. The spacious kitchen—the heart of the home—was designed for entertaining, with white oak cabinetry, quartz countertops, and dual islands for overflow seating.

The round window brings in a bit of daylight into the breakfast nook—all the better to illuminate the rich tones of the wallpaper from Little Greene. “The wallpaper was an opportunity for us to nod to the earthy elements of the palette,” says designer Greer Shively.

When two actors purchased their West Village abode, it came with a 180-degree view of the Hudson River—and a frenetic series of odd angles and partitioned-off spaces. Designer Suchi Reddy renovated the interiors, keeping the bank of windows unobstructed while folding in a fleet of modern furnishings and built-ins. “My directive was to create something very comfortable, calm, textural, and modern,” explains Reddy, who used a palette of reclaimed oak, bleached wood floors, blonde millwork, and white plaster. “It’s a space where you want to linger,” she says. An ExoFly pendant by Laurent Massaloux hangs above a custom WRK dining table surrounded by Morph side chairs by Zeitraum and a banquette covered in Glant’s Liquid Leather.

The custom millwork banquette with elongated back panel was designed to provide privacy between the living room and breakfast area while still maintaining the open concept of the space.

The kitchen is filled with natural light and features modern elements such as the open shelving alongside a retro-looking built-in banquette. A mint green SMEG refrigeration adds to the home's vintage vibe.

Banquette seating at the Specialty Family Foundation - a historic preservation project done by Hamilton Architects

Wood burning fireplace and kitchen banquette

A new banquette seating area tucked off the kitchen links to the breakfast terrace and has great views. "That's a nice perch to sit in and enjoy the kitchen and the landscape," says Woofter. Carolyn Woofter designed the custom copper hood to sync with the La Cornue stove beneath it.

Adair and Kopp built the booth right into the kitchen island to help make the kitchen the center of the house. “It’s purposeful programming,” says Adair. “We want to have more conversations with our kids. So even if we’re cooking, we’re still right there.” The cabinets here store snacks and art supplies.

After: The soaring new living and dining space benefits from an abundance of natural light from every side, and they spent a lot of time trying to find the best lighting for the kitchen. The final choice: long, narrow copper pendants from Denmark suspended by ultra thin wires to not disrupt the visual flow of the room.

Local cabinetmaker Peter Pomerantz made the custom, white oak cabinetry and Flywheel Industrial Arts fabricated the steel hood. “It’s about lines and shadows; no hardware,” Herrmann says.

The counter and backsplash are made up of a marble slab leftover from a bigger job.

A little coffee station was built right in.

Framed by the kitchen window, a lineup of surfboards in the home’s breezeway becomes an artistic focal point.

Rift sawn white oak cabinets in the kitchen.

The fridge is concealed behind grain-matched walnut doors (and a very cute dog).