Kitchens

This kitchen manages to look playful and edgy with chalkboard paint: the matte black is crisp, but the scribbles add whimsy. Reprinted from The First Apartment Book by Kyle Schuneman. Copyright © 2012. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc.

Using common materials in uncommon ways, an entreprenurial pair of Belgian brothers construct a functional and modern home for themselves in Austin, Texas. Photo by: Denise Prince Martin

This home's open kitchen, living, and dining area includes a small pantry and an office, but the cedar cladding is the showstopper.

The freestanding staircase was built three times before Gregory deemed it structurally sound—a tribute to the architect’s tenacity. The high-tech end result was achieved using small custom-made plastic reinforcing fibers. The galley-style kitchen with its bold use of color was Caryn’s choice. She fell in love with the name of a paint swatch called Canary Yellow and then left it to Gregory to fine-tune the exact hue.

This wooden staircase doubles as kitchen shelving in the English designer's home. Tyler hired David Restorick, a furniture maker and friend, to build a staircase that doubles as display space for Tyler's vast collection of colorful cookware.