Kitchen

Homeowners Izabel and Paul made a large open kitchen a top priority, insisting on counters at double the standard width.

The new kitchen-and-dining area connects to the living area and the rear yard.

In the kitchen, a glass backsplash is one of many connections to the outdoors. The Hee barstools are by Hay and the Highline pendant light is by Rakumba Lighting Australia.

Reeves relocated the kitchen to the back wall and separated it from the adjacent dining area with a large, quartzite-covered island. "When extended family comes to visit, they do quite a bit of cooking. [They use] a lot of spices, and so there was concern about staining the countertop," says Reeves, who chose Luce de Luna quartzite, a variety that has low porosity. Fireclay glazed brick floor tile defines the space from the rest of the great room.

The fireplace chimney became the stove backsplash and vents the custom exhaust hood.

The kitchen, which was moved to the sunny side of the house, embraces Anyeley’s taste for simple, modern forms. Cabinetry painted in Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball surrounds a central island fitted with Nerd bar stools by Muuto and a Dot Line Suspension pendant by Lambert & Fils. Completing the kitchen is a Litze faucet by Brizo and a Crosstown sink by Elkay, along with rangetop and wall ovens by Dacor and a Benchmark refrigerator from Bosch.

The pantry doors open to reveal an extra-high level of customization where every inch of storage space is thoughtfully accounted for. What looks like two pull-out drawers below the space are actually three drawers, as one door actually containing two drawers inside it.

The view from the open-plan lounge and dining zone back to the generous kitchen area. Natural light floods in through the extra-tall blue front door to the Katz home. Here one gets a sense of how effectively the dynamic floor patterning and concrete ceiling grid unite the different functional and living zones of the dwelling’s ground floor.

The pantry features black-stained timber doors that conceal appliances, keeping the kitchen surfaces clear.

Cooking and eating together is an essential part of life on the ranch. The floors throughout the open kitchen and dining area are wide-plank, engineered white oak by Castle Bespoke. A pair of copper Semi Pendants by Gubi hangs above the island. Green CH47 chairs by Carl Hansen surround a Solo Oblong dining table from De Le Espada.

A linear window runs under the cabinetry, its position allowing sunlight to hit the counters but avoiding looking into the neighbor’s house.

The house has two full kitchens, one on each floor. The downstairs kitchen—the one for “the riffraff,” jokes John—is reached through an original pointed arch and features blue and white concrete tiles from Granada Tile and bright white cabinetry. A selection from John’s extensive collection of glass purses is on display above the open shelving. “I love Murano glass and came across these inexpensive purses on eBay and Etsy, so I just started collecting them,” he explains. “Mitchell had the idea to mount them on the wall and make them into planters.”

Reimagined by architect Lisa Breeze, this compact semidetached brick home in Melbourne was built by the client's granduncle in the 1940s and passed down through generations. While the kitchen was updated to fit a modern lifestyle, the pastel color, gentle curves, and preserved Bakelite handles are a nod to the original era.

The material palette was investigated early on, along with a variety of layout options. The end product reflected both the homeowner’s style and the unique character of the home.

A full-length bench extends beneath a wall of windows in the dining area, with a wet bar tucked into the corner. Custom wallpaper was used on the back wall of the bar.

aesarstone counters in the kitchen, which best highlights the homes mix of light and wood. White conversion varnish was used on the sink side of the island for durability, with wood on the side of entertainment.

Inspired by a David Hockney painting, Grant Straghan colors his London home in soothing tones of seafoam and rose.