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Kitchen Metal Counters Light Hardwood Floors Design Photos and Ideas

The kitchen is composed of stainless steel, from the cabinetry fabricated by Barcelona company Timblau, to the counters and backsplash, the latter given a mirror polish for contrast to the former’s patina on the surfaces. The boxes were brought in on a crane and then the group put them together in place. “The kitchen shouldn't be a closed dirty area of the house,” says Jon. “But [rather] the heart.” Fitting, as social life in the Basque culture revolves around eating together.
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.
Until Hindman and Carr moved in, the space had never been a home. Carr cooks every day, so the compact kitchen was a natural starting point for the renovation. It features an industrial curving steel counter, which also functions as a breakfast bar. The Scrap stools are by contemporary Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek.
The kitchen is a central gathering place for the Baker family. The custom cabinetry was painted a light white color to make it feel a part of the wall.
A mirrored backsplash reflects the garden. Spotted Gum cabinetry meets floors of the same material for uninterrupted flow. The counters are stainless steel.
Integrated appliances avoid clutter in the petite galley layout.
Marble covers the backsplash, and new upper cabinets inset with fluted glass were added.
The stainless-steel elements, including the counter and cabinets, were also kept in place for their industrial character. The island was reworked and topped with marble.
The architects reused much of the existing walnut cabinetry, giving it an ebonized finish for contrast.
An elongated kitchen window ties the interior to the outdoor deck and bar area and the landscape beyond.
Black appliances and fixtures blend seamlessly into the cabinetry. The lack of a large fridge helps give the kitchen its streamlined and minimal appearance. The couple carefully integrated appliances to make the small space fully functional for entertaining. Two CoolDrawers are tucked under the counter to chill wine and store enough food for the weekend. Two ovens allow home cooks to bake bread and roast meat simultaneously. “It just works really well for us,” says Daniel. “Our counter space is at a premium, and we just didn’t need a giant refrigerator. This way, we can have the L-shaped counter. That was a very strategic decision—it doesn’t need to be more than what it is.”
The blush-colored Rojo Alicante marble table in the center of the kitchen doubles as a dining table and kitchen island. A Craiglist score for $200, the table is another kitchen hack conceived by the architects. “It was really a diamond in the rough. Originally, it was a rectangle shape, in a weird ’90s, Italian kind of style, covered in a thick, resin-like finish that made it look almost orange,” says Daniel. The table was honed down to soften its color, and its top was reshaped with rounded corners.
The kitchen features hacked IKEA cabinets—Brit and Daniel built custom fronts and side panels out of Valchromat, a recycled engineered wood. The cabinets are topped with black steel, which extends up the wall as backsplash. “We wanted to find an inexpensive way of doing a really terrific kitchen,” says Daniel. “The metal, which is a cold-rolled sheet of blackened steel, is a unique material that will develop a patina over time, but will also be super durable—and again, very cost effective.”
The kitchen showcases stainless-steel countertops, poplar core plywood cabinetry, and birch plywood flooring.
The pale tone of the plywood interior contrasts with the tiny home's black steel exterior.
An abstracted take on the kitchen island design gives the impression of a table when viewed from the living area, integrating both rooms around a central gathering point.
The updated, contemporary kitchen maintains a warm midcentury presence thanks to the use of wood.
Daylight filters in from the front wall of windows and a central skylight.
“Since the kitchen is open to the space, we tried to make it look as clean as possible with slab-faced cabinets flush to the walls, simple tile, and clean appliances,” Shively says. The island is inspired by Alvar Alto's designs.
In the kitchen, bar stools by Living Divani pull up to an island with Bretonstone countertops; the faucet is by Blanco.
In Auckland, New Zealand, architect Michael O’Sullivan and his partner Melissa Schollum braved a miniscule budget, withering looks from friends, and nasty nail-gun injuries to design and build their perfectly proportioned family home. The reflectivity of the brass kitchen island makes it seem to dematerialize.
Mark Fekete and Viviana de Loera, co-founders of interdisciplinary design firm MARK + VIVI, happily took on the challenge of building their dream home in a transitioning Montreal neighborhood. The couple's kitchen is an exercise in both sustainability and creativity. The island is wrapped with reclaimed scrap wood uncovered from the house during demolition. Chalkboard walls provide a whimsical canvas for graphic images and notes. Stainless steel was selected for the kitchen countertops, and the pair relied on a local industrial sheet metal fabricator to help them prepare the material for residential application. The mix of warm and cool adds depth and dimension to the space.
In the Pacana Suite, modern European influences are replicated in the clean lines and exquisite detailing.
Finding the right fixtures to match the style Axboe was looking for was a challenge, but eventually, she was able to achieve a contemporary, yet warm and inviting look.
A look at the Miele double-oven, Dacor exhaust fans, fridge and cabinetry with Abet Laminati finish in the kitchen.
Kitchen + Stair Detail
Kitchen w/ Custom Steel Bar Top
Kitchen Elevation
The use of timber adds warmth to the design, and the cheery Canary yellow of the metal stair rails and gate echoes the seasonal colors of the hills—and the autumnal tones of the turning trees.
The gabled outline of the eight doors and windows give the impression of eight little houses cut out from the sides of the big house.
The kitchen is outfitted with a built-in refrigerator by Norcool and an AEG cooktop and oven.
A kitchen is equipped with everything needed to prepare a decent meal.
New Zealand architect Gerald Parsonson and his wife, Kate, designed their vacation beach home in Paraparaumu with an open-plan kitchen with open shelves, bar light bulbs, and bright orange MDF cabinets.
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.
Grade A Maple “For us, the dinner table is huge,” says Katie. The pair met furniture designer Seth Eshelman—whose Rochester-based company Staach produces what she called “environmentally conscientious furniture”—at a teatasting event, and they felt he shared their “vision and values.” Eshelman’s Cain dining set is made from maple. Now Yukimi “The meditation room is where we get our Japanese ya-yas out,” says Scott. “I wanted yukimi, which means ‘snow-viewing,’ shoji screens because they open from the bottom as well as side to side. Glen Collins, a guy in Oakland, California, is the one American I could find whose company makes them.”
Beneath the white oak cabinets, ash limestone tiles from Artistic Tile’s Vestige collection form a chevron pattern.