Kitchen

There, a kitchen and dining area bleed into indoor and outdoor living spaces that have unobstructed views of the city skyline.

Artist Cori Creed stands in the kitchen of the vacation home in rural British Columbia that she and her husband, Craig Cameron, built with their friend and architect, Kevin Vallely. Cori made the ceramic dinnerware and pendants, while Craig built the kitchen island and installed the plywood ceiling with the help of his stepfather.

Trois Mec Chef Ludo Lefebvre in his kitchen.

Concrete floors provide a visual contrast to the pine surfaces that wrap the lower-level spaces. The kitchen counter is made from pine and steel.

An exercise in simplicity, the Sonoma weeHouse consists of two steel-framed volumes with ipe interiors, oiled oak cabinetry, and massive sliding glass walls that overlook valley views.

Breccia Capraia marble continues from the countertop to form the backsplash and open shelving.

The kitchen in 1220 E. 12th Street House features floor-to-ceiling windows that look out on a serene grove of oak trees. The project was designed by Studio 804, a graduate student architecture and design program led by Dan Rockhill at the University of Kansas.

“We removed all the walls and defined the kitchen in the open space with black finishes,” says designer Anthony W Designs. Details's all-black kitchen features a 16-foot-long marble counter and cabinetry by Lignum Cabinets.

The staircase’s open treads and slim, cable railing avoid blocking sight lines outside. A modest material palette, including a concrete floor, wood cabinetry, and charcoal laminate counters, cedes to the views.

An Arteriors Wahlburg Chandelier hangs over the kitchen countertop.

The kitchen is the heart of the home and features a nearly 20-foot-long Tasmanian Oak workbench.

The kitchen of this Brooklyn brownstone was updated with a white Carrara backsplash that frames the Bertazzoni range and Dunsmuir cabinetry, providing a white background that makes the Matte-black quartzite kitchen island pop.

In this sleek kitchen renovation in San Francisco, the kitchen backsplash is an easy-to-clean glass backsplash that mimics the glossy finish of the surrounding white cabinets. Painters accomplished the high-gloss finish on the cabinets of a kitchen in San Francisco by applying a coat of paint, polishing it with very high-grit sandpaper, repeating the process for each layer, then topping it with three coats of clear varnish. "It’s like an auto body," says builder Jeff King. "It’s incredibly beautiful." The island provides shelving space and storage as well as a second sink, an is topped with pietra grigio marble.

Choosing a kitchen or bathroom countertop can be nerve-wracking, and we understand why—they can be one of the most expensive aspects of a renovation, with the added responsibility of impacting the aesthetics of a space. Read on as we work our way through the pros and cons of seven of the most common countertop materials.

Marble countertops of black and white with kitchen cabinets finished in sparkling white are offset by a unique glass backsplash, which offers a hint of the surrounding rainforest.

In the kitchen, a large picture window frames views of the surrounding forested land.

Blackbutt veneer cabinetry inject warmth into the kitchen and match the blackbutt ceiling planks seen throughout. Granite and concrete countertops create visual breaks in the timber surfaces.

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

This artfully minimalist Australian kitchen combines concrete, oak, steel, and prefabricated panels with a substantial marble countertop and backsplash.