Kitchen

If you frequently entertain guests in your home, or love holding long leisurely dinner parties on the weekends, it’s a good idea to keep these points in mind when designing or remodeling your kitchen. Here are some tips on how to turn this functional area into a space that's fit and fun for gatherings.

Subtly textured and tonal, a metal backsplash can be a great idea in a range of spaces, from industrial to moody and sombre. In this particular kitchen, the backsplash and drawer pulls were fabricated by 12th Avenue Iron. The cooktop is by Miele.

We'd never knock the classic white backsplash. They come in a range of styles and finishes, from very simple and consistent to handmade and slightly irregular, and work with dark kitchen cabinets just as well as light or white cabinets. In this kitchen, the white countertop matches the white glossy tile backsplash from Porcelain and More.

No whiteware here. In this moody apartment in Berlin, multi-toned charcoal gray subway tiles make up the backsplash, which contrasts with the pop of rosy color on the kitchen cabinets.

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.

This remodeled kitchen features Silestone countertops and backsplashes paired wood cabinetry with laminates.

A dark concrete countertop is paired with blue laminate cabinets in architect Janet Bloomberg’s kitchen.

The design of this Australian houseboat features a soft, modern color palette. Here, light sage laminate kitchen cabinets are paired with leather recessed pulls.

The custom Bulthaup kitchen is outfitted with Gaggenau appliances and Caesarstone countertops.

For cross ventilation, the residents can open and close the large sliding doors around the porch, which the architect describes as “the heart of the home.” Likewise, windows are positioned to provide breezes when necessary.

A special finish brings out the grain in the kitchen's walnut cabinetry.

The pantry lines the wall to the right.