Philippe Starck’s eco-conscious faucet design for Axor took cues from nature for its organic form.

Starck Organic Faucet by Philippe Starck for Axor by Hansgrohe Chrome is given a softer look in this streamlined fixture, which integrates handles into the faucet body.

A single bowl sink is self-explanatory: it consists of a sink that is not divided up into separate areas.

The Axor Starck V by Starck Network for Hansgrohe. The reason this glass faucet is extraordinary and deserves an award is clear (see what we did there?) but we’ll go into it anyway. For one thing, the faucet head detaches from the base to drain excess liquid. Secondly the entire faucet swings from side to side, adjusting for the user’s stance. Philippe, you win again.

Philippe Starck's line for Duravit was another highlight.

A Rohl faucet was stripped and replated in brushed brass. The modern fixtures prove a lovely contrast to the American walnut countertops and original Rosenthal dishware.

The large, naturally lit kitchen is the heart of the house. Messmate-clad cupboards and huge expanses of glass dominate the space where Angelucci uses the sink, Gorman works at the kitchen island, and Pepa and Hazel look on. Play in the courtyard between the kitchen and garage is easily supervised and enclosed from the alley behind the house.

Top designers give their advice about how to choose a stylish, functional faucet and what it will cost. Hint: it’s more than you may think.

The Purist kitchen faucet by Kohler

Conserve water and energy by swapping your regular kitchen and bathroom taps for more efficient faucets.

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 family’s getaway in the California desert includes a spa-like main bath with a large soaking tub that connects to an outdoor shower.

Get the whole family involved in the kitchen, whether it be teaching young ones a tried-and-true recipe or exploring a new dish together.

Molineus designed all of the storage units in the apartment, including the lacquered medium-density fiberboard cabinets under the kitchen sink, which is outfitted with a Vola faucet.

In this kitchen, an exposed brick wall stands out against the milky smoothness of the marble tile floors.

The clients and design team chose to forego an open floor plan in favor of defined, separated spaces. In this scheme, the vertically oriented spaces act as a cinematic "hard-cut" to their horizontal counterparts. The custom hot rolled steel kitchen, one of these vertical transition spaces, receives light from above through a Velux skylight. A GE Profile Induction cooktop and oven and Miele refrigerator complete the space.

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.

At breakfast, Arthur multitasks while seated at the dining table. He hand-stenciled the pattern on the wall in the background.

As the name implies, undermount sinks are attached to the underside of a countertop, where special clips ensure the sink stays in place or the sink is supported from underneath by the base cabinet structure.

Clear-yet-subtle labels mark controls for water flow and temperature on Axor’s Select Thermostat.

O’Sullivan designed the ceiling “to have a knitted or woven quality like that of wool or silk.” It dives down over the kitchen and dining area, eventually reaching a point at the entry that is low enough to touch. Here, resident Jes Wood leans against the onyx kitchen island while her daughter Ruby hangs out. Replica Jean Prouvé chairs surround the dining table; a vase by Bruce and Estelle Martin for Kamaka Pottery sits on top. The Reel table under the television is by Atelier Oï for B&B Italia.

All fixtures and faucets are from CEA.

Axor Shower Products by Front Design AB, produced by Hansgrohe SE.

We’ve got the skinny on June’s best discounts on bedding, home furnishings, apparel and more.

The best-made axe we could imagine, Thomas Kay Axe is created by Best Made Company of perfectly weighted high-carbon US steel with an Appalachian hickory handle and includes a leather sheath. Made in the USA.

Just because your kitchen is on the smaller side doesn’t mean you can’t make it as efficient and effective as possible.

The Axor Bouroullec shower.

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.

Make sure your kitchen fits seamlessly with the rest of your home. A good entertaining space should have a look that's consistent with the overall design, so use finishings, colors, and other elements that compliment the rest of the space.

A new kitchen at the front of the house completes the trifecta of reworked rooms on the main level. It fits nicely into the notion of balancing new and old elements throughout the house, with oak detailing married to exposed brick, offset by strip lamps. The Hee bar stools are by HAY, the Caravaggio P3 pendants are by Light Years, and the range oven is from Britannia.

Pros: Concrete countertops are durable, resistant to heat, and can be less expensive than natural stone, especially when completed as a DIY project. Cons: Concrete must be sealed before being used; otherwise, its porous nature means that it will stain very easily.

Their creative confections may ruin our diets, but we’re happy to be their taste testers anytime.

Built-in kitchen cabinets and a monolithic island help keep the space uncluttered. The wall ovens are from Gaggenau.

A double bowl sink is also quite self-explanatory, created either out of one large sink with a divider or from two distinct bowls framed into a single sink.

“The client wanted an interior space where you could read the materiality of the building elements like understanding the ingredients in a recipe,” principal architect Elizabeth Webster explains. The extension features distinctly textured materials: an exposed timber ceiling, painted brick walls, and polished concrete floors. Warm lighting by Brinklicht unifies the space.