Kitchen

A New York City apartment with walnut upper kitchen cabinets has a stainless-steel backsplash that ties into the finish of the fridge and the lower cabinets. The walnut dining room table does quadruple duty as a work station and storage unit, and an eating and entertaining area.

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.

Pros: Laminate is at the low end of the price range for countertops, is scratch- and stain-resistant, and comes in a tremendous range of colors. It’s also easy to install, making it a viable DIY option for the handy crowd. Cons: Because laminate countertops are created by layering pieces of plywood and plastic, edges can chip off easily, and the surface can even melt if too much heat is applied directly.

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.

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.

O'Neill Rose Architects designed each unit of this modern Queens compound based on the personality of the family member occupying it. The kitchen in the brother’s unit is bright and fun with a backsplash made of painted glass. The light fixtures, like many other materials found in the project, were left over from the client’s contracting work; O’Neill Rose bent the found pipes into an array of angles and attached light bulbs.

Pros: Marble is elegant, heat resistant, and comes in a range of colors. Cons: Its high price, especially for more unusual types like Calacatta marble (known for its purer white and bolder veining compared to more common marble like Carrara), means that it isn’t an option for everyone. It is also quite high maintenance, requiring regular resealing.

A Boston loft in a former textile factory receives a minimal, efficient kitchen at the hands of Bunker Workshop. The client wanted to be able to prepare meals efficiently, so a red steel pegboard backsplash lets him easily access cooking utensils. The cabinets are IKEA.

In the kitchen, copper-colored stainless steel tiles from TileBar create a glowing backsplash that is offset by the neutral white cabinets. The cabinetry is by IKEA, the countertop is Caesarstone, and the induction cooktop is by Bosch.

Give your IKEA furniture a quick facelift with these DIY tips—guaranteed to transform your basic pieces into custom, eye-catching furniture in less than an hour, tops.

Stadt Architecture’s Christopher Kitterman transformed a generic studio in Chelsea into a bright one-bedroom apartment for Vancouver couple Dale Steele and Dan Nguyen. The living room features a Hans Wegner GE290 lounge chair upholstered in leather by Spinneybeck, a round rug and Cobble Hill Adams sofa from ABC Carpet & Home, a Pedrera coffee table by Gubi, and a Bob side table by Poltrona Frau. An automated lift raises a TV from inside the custom millwork under the window. Acid-etched tempered glass doors lead to the bedroom.

The open-plan kitchen and living room in the de Gaspé House in Montreal's Villeray neighborhood borrows natural light from a double-height space over the seating area.

Tropical wood Tzalam add warm to the space.

If their everyday mantra sounds something like "reduce, reuse, recycle," these eco-conscious gifts won’t weigh on their conscience.

The kitchen includes custom ash cabinets made by JMV Woodworks paired with stainless-steel countertops.

Danish architect Sigurd Larsen needed a new kitchen for his 969-square-foot apartment in the hip Kreuzberg district of Berlin—so he designed his own in collaboration with Reform. Larsen opted for a kitchen in anthracite—as the darker color added contrast to his oak floors and countertops.

Another customization of the Basis Linoleum in olive with handles,edges and counter tops done in natural oak.

Consider an open layout. When there’s a crowd in your kitchen, it’s important to ensure that people are comfortable and can move around and mingle with ease.