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After: At the master bathroom's bathtub, the architect turned an existing water feature into a planter.

The kitchen island of OCM House was custom-built on-site by Studio Jackson Scott using Australian Blackbutt.

A brand new line of black appliances from Fisher & Paykel provides even more style choices.

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.

Whereas others might look at a board-formed cement wall in a basement and see, well, a concrete wall, Jess and Jonathan Taylor, the design duo behind the L.A.-based firm Taylor + Taylor, were inspired. The couple had purchased a virtually untouched 1952 house in east L.A. and that concrete wall became the backdrop for a new guest kitchen in the basement. "It was really the starting point of the whole design," says Jess Taylor. "As designers, our goal is to always try to incorporate the existing surroundings whenever possible, utilize them in practical ways, and be inspired by them."

The kitchen features slightly industrial finishes—including concrete, glass and ceramic subway tiles—that are easy to clean and reflect natural light into the space.

For this kitchen, the architects paired slate-gray HPL (high-pressure laminate) cabinets by Henrybuilt, cool Basaltina countertops, with custom shelving and a white Corian backsplash.

Just because your kitchen is on the smaller side doesn’t mean you can’t make it as efficient and effective as possible.

Mike and Lauren in the kitchen, which is outfitted with GE Profile and Ariston appliances.

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.

In the kitchen, Barker offset painted and natural plantation wood with green Inax Biyusai and white Waringa tiles. The pendant is by Gubi.

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

"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."