Color

The windows over the sink open right onto the screen porch. A wall of built-in shelving offers both storage and a clever way to separate the kitchen and living room.

While rooms are often designed to have islands of furniture, with a walking aisle around the perimeter, here the furniture is placed around the edges at a comfortable distance.

The vintage chairs are by Hans Wegner, while the table, cabinets, and the rest of the furnishings in the home were designed and built by Doug.

The kitchen, which is filled with playful mint tones, has a view into the backyard and features a patterned tile floor.

The 141-square-foot studio apartment in Normandy, France, that Miogui architecture designed as a student rental is a sublime display of color and geometry.

The walls are covered in Milestone cement plaster.

A green laminate countertop by Abet Laminati is surrounded by Norman Foster’s Emeco 20-06 counter stools at the island in the kitchen, which has an integrated Frigidaire induction range, Faber Cylindra Isola range hood, Blomberg dishwasher, Fisher & Paykel fridge, and flat-grain fir plywood cabinets by Portland craftsman Doug Chamblin.

The architect opted not to wall off the kitchenette and the shower area in an effort to preserve workspace in the studio.

The main kitchen, where Margit, left, is working with her niece Sarah, has a bright blue island that offers a striking contrast to the warm-toned wood and pink floors. “We wanted a color that would transform it into an object that really stands out in the room,” says Thurmann-Moe. “It’s almost like a sapphire.”

"The lighting works because we have these black accents: black door handles, the black painting on the metal stairs," says Cousins Wilson.

The dairy’s northern facade sits toward the rear the residence, where the dining room, kitchen, and casual meals area are located. An original window, now with acoustic glazing, connects the music studio located within the dairy with the casual meals area.

Modern cabinet finger pulls in bright and shiny chrome dot the drawers in this sleek kitchen in Venice, California.

Some laminate cabinets offer the sleek appearance of wood at a fraction of the cost.

Not only do built-in appliances keep kitchens tidy, but they also improve coherence between it and the rest of your home, creating a more fluid experience.

The firm then combined a palette of steel, concrete, and oak in the elegant, double-height rear addition.