Kitchen Ceramic Tile Backsplashes Drop In Sinks Metal Counters Design Photos and Ideas

The team used their office kitchen reno to explore bringing mixed materials together in a cohesive fashion.
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.
The kitchen is a central gathering place for the Baker family. The custom cabinetry was painted a light white color to make it feel a part of the wall.
“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.”
An elongated kitchen window ties the interior to the outdoor deck and bar area and the landscape beyond.
A backsplash featuring custom matte black ceramic tiles by Waterworks is paired with stainless steel countertops. The timber cabinets, by JRs Custom Cabinets, are made of white oak.
“Since the kitchen is open to the space, we tried to make it look as clean as possible with slab-faced cabinets flush to the walls, simple tile, and clean appliances,” Shively says. The island is inspired by Alvar Alto's designs.
Black accent pieces create the illusion of a black and white kitchen in the home of San Francisco architect Cass Calder Smith. A black reading nook coordinates perfectly with the stainless steel countertops and white cabinetry.
The kitchen joinery is by Barnaby Reynolds.
Stainless steel was selected for the kitchen countertops, and the pair relied on a local industrial sheet metal fabricator to help them prepare the material for residential application. The mix of warm and cool adds depth and dimension to the space.