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“We designed the landscape and house in tandem to ensure continuity between the exterior and interior,” diNiord says. An outdoor sling chair by Croft House sits in front of the outdoor shower under the covered patio in front of the primary bedroom.

The Fenix cabinets are constructed out of black Traceless laminate with a plywood substrate and feature cut-out pulls. Caesarstone counters run up the wall to form a backsplash.

With the help of local design practice Modscape, a family in Melbourne gained a new energy-efficient addition that not only transformed their home life for the better, but also allowed them to live "disruption-free" during the construction process. As the heart of the home, the centrally placed kitchen offers an abundance of storage with the addition of a butler’s pantry.

Named the Quarry House, this striking, bluestone-clad dwelling has been designed by creative architecture studio Finnis Architects in collaboration with interior designer Carmel Iudica. The kitchen of Quarry House is tucked under the living spaces above and wrapped in a warm wood finish.

The island bar in the kitchen features white Arcilla Field tiles by Ann Sacks that match the turquoise tiles used in the guest bathroom. The lights above the bench are classic VL45 Radiohus pendants, which were originally designed in the 1940s by Danish architect Vilhelm Lauritzen for Louis Poulsen for the construction of the Radiohuset building in Copenhagen.

Before: Original features, like the front door, were kept to maintain a balance between new and old.

By dropping the window sills to the same height as the kitchen counters, Rafael created a cleaner look and brought in more light.

In the kitchen, a pair of Swell LED pendants by Pablo Pardo from Design Within Reach hang above an island lined with Industry West stools. The appliances are from KitchenAid.

The Lai family—Mayuko, baby Shota on her lap, David, Maya, and Yumi sitting on a cushion on the deck—relaxes in their indoor-outdoor living space, made by opening the glass sliding doors to connect the living room and engawa deck.

Floating wood shelves accent the fireplace wall and link to the nearby kitchen.

The white subway tile on the tub surround and cream penny rounds on the floor (both from Nemo Tile) create textural contrast in the same color palette. The stool is from Serena & Lily.

With a client wish list including ample natural light, high ceilings, outdoor connection, and peak energy efficiency, Mowery Marsh Architects check off all the boxes and more. In the kitchen, oak floors, inset walnut cabinets, Fireclay subway tile, and Caesarstone countertops read more classic vibes, while the furnishings are modern counterpoints. The refrigerator and freezer columns are Thermador, and the wall sconces are by Cedar & Moss.

Inspired by the Scandinavian barn vernacular, this Upcountry Maui cottage provides a peaceful retreat for family gatherings.

See Arch removed a wall to create a more spacious kitchen with a stronger visual connection to the dining area. The updated kitchen is outfitted with quartz countertops and Viking, Fisher Paykel, and Asko appliances.

The dark kitchen cabinetry is set off by a marble tile backsplash in a herringbone pattern in this Australian kitchen.

“I’ve always been crazy about tile,” says Jessy, which is why she was heartbroken when she found the 1961 powder blue tile in the master bathroom had been scribbled on with permanent marker. “Turn right for cold water. Turn left for hot,” the wall read. The new tile is by Ann Sacks. “We tried to source products that looked appropriate for the period,” Jessy explains.

While it's not your traditional backsplash material, when properly prepared and treated, wood can make for an effective, functional, and beautiful backsplash. Here, the wood backsplash matches the wood of the nearby kitchen island in an otherwise white kitchen with white cabinetry.

In this urban townhouse, a Zodiaq® London Sky countertop wraps the wall behind it to become the backsplash, providing a polished backdrop for design details and vignettes. Its muted color complements dark wood cabinets and rich, metallic accents.