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In their query letter, Ben and Sarah were clear that they wanted a home that could accommodate all of life’s messes. “We don't want a white display kitchen that only looks good when it's clean and not in use. We want our kitchen to be able to work hard. We love to cook and when we do, there are usually lots of things on the go and a mess being made.”

In the kitchen, designers Christina Valencia and Kele Dobrinski of Colossus Mfg. created a 14-foot island with a waterfall edge made of platinum-gray quartzite.

Stephanie tapped frequent collaborator Olson Brothers Construction to fabricate new cabinets from Fir, with reclaimed tongue-and-groove on select fronts. The couple saved money by having Sam complete the cabinets with an oil-rubbed finish, which took "a couple weeks and a couple coats,

A look at the principal bathroom. “A lot of new houses don’t feel like they already love their inhabitants. Being able to live in a house that my dad designed is such an amazing, warm feeling,” Lizz says.

Matthew previously fabricated custom furniture for a decade, so built all of the kitchen cabinets, banquette and table, and island. The latter is made of a 120-year-old beam from the house that had to be replaced. Matthew counted the rings and surmises it was from a tree that started growing before the American Revolution. The perimeter counters are cherry and Butcher designed the upper cabinet to float over the window, which casts sunlight through the glassware and rainbows over the room.

"Cork floors warm the space, with earth tones introduced to complement the woodwork and cabinetry,

English-Tudor style living room. In order to create an inviting, lived-in look, we mixed soft and rough textures within a tight color scheme of blues and caramels. We did not stick to precisely one style aesthetic but curated pieces that felt like they could be "friends".

Hess combined a John Boos butcher-block table with a piece carved by local wood sculptor Vince Skelly to create a sculptural kitchen island. "As soon as [Skelly] brought that in there, [Charlie and Todd's] little daughter hopped up on it and owned it. So, that's where she hangs out in the kitchen," says Hess.

Taking cues from nautical casework, Osmose Design crafted an undulating, white oak kitchen in an irresistibly quirky Tudor home in Portland, Oregon.

Marlatt built the cabinets in place from Russian Birch plywood, and the counters are a thin application of Neolith stone. The backsplash is glass, making for easy clean-up, and a few of the cabinet fronts are painted Masonite, for fun pops of color. The ceramics on the shelves are by Burgevin.

Pam and Frank recently tasked Light and Air Architecture with remodeling this loft in New York City to get better natural light. “That’s exactly what we were looking for, is light and air,” says Frank.

A curving skylight illuminates the minimalist kitchen of a dwelling in Bondi Beach, Australia, that was renovated by Andrew Burges Architects.

"I often choose finishes that allow the natural texture to show through, and finishes that emphasize the cathedrals and burls of the graining,