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In a centuries-old building in Montreal, Belgian architect and designer Gaeten Havart undertook a DIY kitchen renovation that makes the most of inexpensive materials. These simple cabinets and modern cabinet pulls are from Ikea and painted with a matte black finish.

Vintage kettles and a wide-ranging assortment of pots and pans sit above kitchen cabinets from IKEA.

Frosted Tip Church wanted open shelving above the kitchen counters, but DeSalvo convinced her to go with Ikea cabinets with frosted-glass doors to ensure a uniform look. He installed inexpensive strip LED lights by Zilotek on the top inside edge of the cabinets to provide ambient illumination and silhouette the contents inside.

Light-toned ceramic tile stacked vertically and white quartz counters are a neutral counterpoint to the pops of chartreuse in the cabinetry. Lin interspersed the closed cabinetry with sections of String shelving, from a Scandinavian modular system originally designed by Nisse and Kajsa Strinning in 1949.

Lin specified the String shelving across the walnut panel wall and had it surround a restored Paul McCobb credenza that the couple found at a garage sale twenty years ago. “Almost everything in our apartment has a story,” says Kitty.

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.

On a sought after an idyllic island in the center of Amsterdam an old warehouse, formerly in use as a pillow factory and a garage has been converted to a warm and eclectic family home. The kitchen features a mixture of green tiles, green painted mullions, and exposed wood beams for a warm, soft feeling that contrast sharply with the more industrial stainless steel island. The kitchen island incorporates a stove top and storage, and benefits from natural light from the skylight overhead.

“They really wanted to have tile in the kitchen and at the front door, but everyone disliked that hard edge line,” says Gregga. “Doing the organic edge of the tile helped make the entry space and kitchen feel like one, and then it disintegrates into the living and dining room.”

In one of the bathrooms, a pale-pink sink pops against the floor-to-ceiling tile-work.

Light wood floors, new drywall, and a fresh coat of white paint now gives the house a luminous quality. The front entry is to the right of the fireplace, and there are now better sight lines into the kitchen and dining area to the left.

The realistic grain pattern of TimberTech provides a contrasting warmth to the concrete and stone elements of the pool deck. “We chose it because it looks like something you’d see at a resort,” says Peter.

A sensitivity to color and texture drove many design decisions. In the family room, a plywood climbing wall adds a playful touch.

Private deck for primary bedroom.

Chef's kitchen with large island.

After: The home is a duplex, with a walk-out basement, and the doors are stacked on top of each other.

"It's a nice luxury to have this really deep soaking tub, and the tiles are a calming seafoam green,