Glam Contemporary Kitchen

A sophisticated urban color palette of browns, grays and whites gets a shot of glamour from the shine and sparkle of select surfaces: high-gloss foil cabinets on the island, a mosaic of horizontal "stick" tiles on the backsplash, and gleaming polished quartz counters. The engineered oak veneers of the cabinets have a horizontal grain and integrated pulls to avoid disturbing the kitchen's sightlines with hardware. A downdraft ventilation hood, sleek electric cooktop, and integrated refrigerator, freezer and dishwasher serve the same discreet purpose. In keeping with the loft's openness, the kitchen has just one wall: A stand-alone "pod" encases the ovens and pantry storage. Behind the pod, a floating staircase with cable railing leads up a tiled feature wall to the second-story balcony, which overlooks the dramatic dual chandeliers. Copyright 2011 Kitchens.com