kitchen
windows
layout
Conversation Starter This Colorado kitchen features a large island with seating on two sides that encourages family and friends to hang out and strike up a conversation. The island also has a small fridge that gives kids and guests easy access to drinks away from the main kitchen work area.
9. Knotty and Nice Knotty alder cabinets add a rustic vibe to this Oregon kitchen. The space, designed by Kathleen Donohue of Neil Kelly, also features a sage green island base with a walnut butcher block countertop, concrete-look quartz perimeter counters and a gray Foussana limestone backsplash with a decorative porcelain pattern tile feature above the range. Another standout feature is the undercounter microwave at the end of the island. “They are the best design innovation since the downdraft range changed the way we designed kitchens,” Donohue says. “The microwave can now be tucked away below the counter and does not have to hang from a wall cabinet or be part of a built-in stacked oven set.”
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United States The most popular U.S. kitchen of 2021 mixes colors and materials to create a style that looks collected over time. To keep the eye moving, Austin, Texas, designer Ariel Bleich balanced raw wood ceiling beams and other wood details with glass-front cabinets, textured taupe-colored backsplash tile and a bank of blue cabinetry. A creamy shade of white on the rest of the cabinets, walls and trim adds warmth.
United Kingdom In the U.K., we’ve been seeing more interest in natural color palettes and biophilic design. And this lovely space by Shere Kitchens showcases that trend beautifully. The sage green of the island (Vintage Vogue by Benjamin Moore) references the outside world. Plenty of natural light from bifold doors at one end of the room and light greige cabinets (Light Pewter by Benjamin Moore) keep the room feeling bright and airy.
Island, open space, high ceiling
Heated Island Countertop Sometimes solving a minor inconvenience can turn out to be your most cherished design decision. Designer Martha O’Hara was tired of having friends and family gathering around a cold kitchen island countertop in her Minneapolis home. So she installed a heating element like one typically used in radiant-heat floors. Now when someone leans their elbows on the countertop on a brisk winter morning, they’re met with a warm and welcoming surface.
floor, layout, big island
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