Kitchen Deck House

The goal: create a living space that would be connected to the garden, with great functionality. “They wanted a house they could raise children in, to the point where their children could be teenagers and adult children,” says Dovey. “They were really thinking forward into the future.”

Oak cabinetry and reclaimed Corian counters provide rich textures in the sunlight-filled kitchen.

A custom vanity and medicine cabinets lines the wall, and a pocket door leads to the walk-in closet.

Pierre Frey wallpaper surrounds the built-in bar.

Valspar ‘Black Evergreen’ covers the beams, doors, and trim. The perimeter counters are concrete, by Cement Elegance.

Bright Designlab designed the custom walnut island, fabricated by Maple Key. A Workstead light hangs overhead.

Custom cabinets maximize storage in the kitchen, which has three tones of cabinetry and coordinating hardware.

In the New York loft that he shares with two friends, industrial designer Joshua Skirtich covered one wall of his 8-by-11 bedroom/ design studio with a pegboard for organizing his tools. A plywood desk runs the length of the room, accommodating Joshua’s 3D-printing equipment at one end and clothing drawers at the other.

The clients have a large collection of indoor plants, and 4 S Architecture designed a scheme with plenty of spots to display plants, from the deep windowsills to the semi-recessed extractor above the island that features an integrated shelf. “We had originally specified a fully flush extractor system, but they are very expensive,” says architect, Julia Hamson. “We went for one that is semi-recessed, so was cost effective but still has less visual impact than a dropped extractor.”

The backsplash is made from the same green kit kat tiles that clad the island. The worktops are Silestone, a solid surface by Cosentino, and cost $X,XXXX. To save on overhead and profit costs—which are usually calculated by the contractor at 10% to 15%—the clients purchased tapware, kitchen appliances, and lighting themselves. The pendants in the kitchen are Muuto Rime Pendants, which retail for $XXXX for the small and $XXXX for the medium.

Caroline found the backsplash tile at Los Azulejos in Tecate, MX, while she was on a scouting trip for work. She texted Joel a photo: “He was like, ‘I don’t know, it looks a little terrazzo-y,’” says Caroline with a laugh. “But it turned out to be subtle enough.” The team actually had to install the backsplash twice because the first time, the red grout stained the tile surface. Joel and Caroline drove back to Mexico to purchase a second batch, with which they used white grout.

Engelsman gave the kitchen an L-shaped layout with a large island workspace at the center, and pushed the tall storage into the garage, to create a wide circulation space to access the dining room and backyard.

The bright and airy kitchen is flooded with light from all directions. The inviting space enjoys visual connections to both the side patio and rear yard.

In addition to the dining table just off-camera, it's easy to pull up a barstool to the overhanging counterop.

The redesign lifted the roof plane to increase the height of what had been merely seven-foot-high ceilings.

Architect Nahoko Ueda and the homeowners chose a Space Theory kitchen with a combination of white laminate and walnut cabinetry.

More than 6,000 pounds of green Moroccan tiles from Design Fliesen were used in their primary bathroom, which has two Falper faucets. There's a second full bathroom and two powder rooms.

Their carpenter Proedl built a lot of the storage and furniture in the apartment, including these concealed cubbies beneath the stairs—with room for a dry bar, of course.

The kitchen is anchored by a 12-foot island, which also doubles as a breakfast bar.