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Kitchen Recessed Lighting Metal Counters Design Photos and Ideas

Pink marble is unexpected, but adds the touch of warmth every kitchen needs.
In the kitchen, the couple kept the original cabinets and "beautiful, custom-rolled stainless-steel counters,” says Christine. They updated the island counter, flooring, and backsplash, adding Foro marble, Concrete Collaborative tiles, and Cle tile, respectively.
Don’t underestimate the power of lighting. “I find the most overlooked feature in kitchen design to be efficient, well-designed lighting,” states Risa Boyer of Risa Boyer Architecture.
"Also consider performance when purchasing an older house, as these properties use a ton of energy,” says Schaer. “Many midcentury homes are minimally insulated and can be costly and challenging to remedy. For example, if you want to add insulation to a roof, you have to add it above the roof because there is no cavity for insulation."
Top 9 Kitchens of 2020: The nominees for this year’s Dwell Design Awards are the epitome of style and function.
“The home wasn’t an inexpensive house to build,” says architect Peter Tolkin. “At the same time, it doesn’t have very fancy interior finishing. We wanted to design a modern house with a certain kind of spirit, and we didn’t think that the interior materials needed to be overly fancy. The two places where we really splurged—I think to great effect—were on the tiles in the bathrooms and kitchen, and the copper cladding, which protects the house but also has a very strong visual component to it.”
Clark & Chapin Architects, Buffaloe House, Kitchen
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.
The kitchen was constructed with the KXN modular steel system by IMO.
A hallways leads to the brightly-colored master bedroom. Hardwood floors running throughout the home are from Bois Chamois.
The home’s philosophy was inspired by the works of Alvar Aalto and Louis Kahn. The use of locally available and low-cost pine and Carrara stone gives it an almost Scandinavian sensibility, which the couple describe as “Scandi meets carpentry modernism.”
An elongated kitchen window ties the interior to the outdoor deck and bar area and the landscape beyond.
White oak details add a touch of warmth to the black kitchen while stainless-steel stools, countertops, and appliances bring an industrial edge.
In contrast to the otherwise white and bright rooms, the kitchen resonates with the black exterior. Lacquered MDF cabinetry is sleek and seamless.
This midcentury in Armonk, New York, was the personal residence of Arthur Witthoefft, an architect for renowned firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Witthoefft won an AIA First Honor Award in 1962 for his design, and the home was listed on the Register of Historic Places in 2011 after a meticulous restoration profiled in Dwell. The kitchen was modernized with white lacquer and stainless steel.
SysHaus, designed by São Paulo studio Arthur Casas Design, marries sustainable engineering solutions, state-of-the-art technology, and smart urban design to construct prefabricated, modular homes in less than 60 percent of time required with traditional building methods. Arthur Casas Design included a freestanding kitchen and cabinetry for the interiors, so if needed, the modules can be easily disassembled and relocated to a new site.
A Taiwanese expat couple purchased a 1,352-square-foot apartment near the river in the Taiwan’s New Taipei City, and reached out to interior design firm KC Design Studio to help them turn it into a stylish, modern home. Industrial elements like steel, brick, and exposed concrete harmonize with vintage accents: in the open kitchen, wood-paneled sliding doors conceal dark cabinetry. These combine with a sleek, dark counter and a shiny, bronze-clad island for a luxe effect.
Cedar Creek Residence in Texas sits on a seven-acre lakeside property much beloved to the client, who wanted a modern home that connects inside and out. "The goal of the design was to provide an artful and low-maintenance retreat that would blend in with the site," said Wernerfield Architecture, who worked on the project along with Emily Summers Design Associates. The stainless-steel kitchen system is by Bulthaup, and the countertop was fashioned by Brooklyn-based Wüd Furniture Design.
Due to its location under a lower ceiling, the kitchen gets the least amount of natural light in the home. However, Kiev-based architecture and design studio 2B.group mitigated this problem by using stainless-steel surfaces, which reflects sunlight streaming in through the dining and living.
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.
Sliding screens reveal additional kitchen prep and storage space.
A peek inside the skylit kitchen with clerestory windows.
The kitchen has top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances, including a French Morice stove with two ovens (one gas, one electric), a glass-front, Sub-Zero refrigerator, a built-in espresso maker, and a walk-in pantry.
Above the integrated pantry and bathroom is a lofted sleeping area. A small wood stove creates warmth and coziness on cold days.
Tongue-and-groove ceilings reference the home's midcentury roots.
The kitchen is outfitted with Miele appliances. The faucet and stainless steel cabinets are by Boffi.
The kitchen features a 24-foot-long counter made of stainless steel and walnut.
In the kitchen, the team refinished the original cabinets, supplemented them as needed, and introduced a new stainless steel countertop. New appliances provide modern functionality.
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.
Before: SHED redesigned the kitchen as a series of interconnected functional zones, which are linked by a continuous kitchen counter. This approach allowed the architects to increase usable space without modifying the house’s exterior. It also helped to visually connect the kitchen with the living area, while still maintaining separation via the walnut plywood cabinets and solid walnut eating counter, which serve as partitions.
In the kitchen, bar stools by Living Divani pull up to an island with Bretonstone countertops; the faucet is by Blanco.
In a modern home in the Illinois River Valley, the kitchen worktop is a seamless, stainless-steel surface with integrated sink and backsplash, custom-fit by Elkay. The sheen on the backsplash helps reflect light in the kitchen, and complements the hardware on the white cabinets.
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.
At a home about half an hour from Lake Tahoe, architect Jack Hawkins and interior designer Cheryl Chenault built a house that would support their clients’ unique requirements in a home that would be 8,000 to 10,000 square feet. In the kitchen, two islands, one in the shape of an L and the other a smaller rectangular island, are layered table over one portion create generous space to spread out. Norman Cherner barstools from Design Within Reach line the island in the kitchen, which is crowned by an open loft office. The faucets are from Dornbracht; the countertops are Caesarstone. Hawkins integrated a steel-clad casual eating nook, at left.
A look at the Miele double-oven, Dacor exhaust fans, fridge and cabinetry with Abet Laminati finish in the kitchen.
The kitchen joinery is by Barnaby Reynolds.
Unimpeded glimpses of the surrounding property via generous sight-lines and copious glazing.
Kitchen + Stair Detail
Kitchen w/ Custom Steel Bar Top
Kitchen Elevation
The SysHaus also has a biodigestor, which transforms organic waste into gas for use in the kitchen and fireplace.
The open plan kitchen flows seamlessly into the living area.
Jack Mama enjoying a book on the lounge seat with a pullout ottoman.
With its peaceful environment and abundance of amenities, Caravan Outpost can comfortably accommodate the needs of guests for their entire stay.
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.
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.”
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