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Collection by Diana Budds
Editor’s Pick

The Dwell Guide to Kitchen Design

Is your kitchen too drab? Feeling the pinch of cramped cooking quarters? Appliances dating from the stone age? We've got you covered. To coincide with our Rooms We Love special issue now on newsstands, we polled a handful of our favorite interior designers for expert tips and advice on how to solve common kitchen dilemmas and whip your space into tip-top shape. (Perfecting that Chicken au Poivre recipe, well that's up to you.)

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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.
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.
Vintage kettles and a wide-ranging assortment of pots and pans sit above kitchen cabinets from IKEA.
Vintage kettles and a wide-ranging assortment of pots and pans sit above kitchen cabinets from IKEA.
By balancing the light from a variety of sources and ensuring that every corner was illuminated, Terry Ohm increased the feeling of expansiveness in the 12-and-a-half-by-14-foot kitchen.
By balancing the light from a variety of sources and ensuring that every corner was illuminated, Terry Ohm increased the feeling of expansiveness in the 12-and-a-half-by-14-foot kitchen.
Before relocating to the second-floor, 950-square-foot unit in a traditional Boston brownstone, Chris (picture here with his and Danielle's now 14-month-old daughter, Chloe) worked at Pb Elemental Design in Seattle. The move offered him the perfect chance to launch his own firm, Bunker Workshop. Renovating his new kitchen was one of his first projects--and challenges. Photo by Kate McElwee.
Before relocating to the second-floor, 950-square-foot unit in a traditional Boston brownstone, Chris (picture here with his and Danielle's now 14-month-old daughter, Chloe) worked at Pb Elemental Design in Seattle. The move offered him the perfect chance to launch his own firm, Bunker Workshop. Renovating his new kitchen was one of his first projects--and challenges. Photo by Kate McElwee.
Jean-Christophe Aumas’ multihued Paris apartment houses both the highly sought artistic director and the stunning assemblage of furniture he’s brought back from his travels. Aumas designed the kitchen island, which is covered in marble tiles from Carrelages du Marais—the geometric floor tiles are from the same place—and strung the matrix of lights up above it. The barstools by Charlotte Perriand were discovered in a vintage store in Antwerp, Belgium. The green wall is covered in paint from Emery & Cie.
Jean-Christophe Aumas’ multihued Paris apartment houses both the highly sought artistic director and the stunning assemblage of furniture he’s brought back from his travels. Aumas designed the kitchen island, which is covered in marble tiles from Carrelages du Marais—the geometric floor tiles are from the same place—and strung the matrix of lights up above it. The barstools by Charlotte Perriand were discovered in a vintage store in Antwerp, Belgium. The green wall is covered in paint from Emery & Cie.
Typography guru Erik Spiekermann and his wife, designer Susanna Dulkinys, hate clutter. That’s why they love the super-sleek Berlin domicile they constructed to have just the right lines—and a host of energy-saving features behind the scenes. The stainless-steel Bulthaup kitchen "cost as much as a small house," said Spiekermann, though he did get a discount: Bulthaup is one of his clients.
Typography guru Erik Spiekermann and his wife, designer Susanna Dulkinys, hate clutter. That’s why they love the super-sleek Berlin domicile they constructed to have just the right lines—and a host of energy-saving features behind the scenes. The stainless-steel Bulthaup kitchen "cost as much as a small house," said Spiekermann, though he did get a discount: Bulthaup is one of his clients.
Kitchen & Dining Room “This room really became the heart of the space,” Dawn Casale says. “If people are sitting at the dining table or in the living area, you’re able to have a really free-flowing conversation and there’s a nice dynamic happening on the entire floor.”
Kitchen & Dining Room “This room really became the heart of the space,” Dawn Casale says. “If people are sitting at the dining table or in the living area, you’re able to have a really free-flowing conversation and there’s a nice dynamic happening on the entire floor.”