Inspiration for a kitchen in Denver.

Photo of a midcentury l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Portland with a drop-in sink, medium wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, white benchtop, exposed beam, flat-panel cabinets and brown floor.

Traditional kitchen in Houston.

This is an example of a mid-sized modern galley kitchen pantry in Other with a farmhouse sink, light wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, no island, brown floor, white benchtop and vaulted.

This is an example of a large country single-wall kitchen pantry in Nashville with wood benchtops, a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Photography: Eric Roth Photo

Design ideas for a beach style kitchen pantry in New York with shaker cabinets, quartz benchtops, blue splashback, timber splashback, light hardwood floors, white benchtop and grey cabinets.

Chris Snook
Design ideas for a transitional eat-in kitchen in London with shaker cabinets, solid surface benchtops, with island, grey floor, grey cabinets and white benchtop.

This is an example of a large traditional l-shaped kitchen pantry in Houston with open cabinets, grey cabinets, dark hardwood floors and brown floor.

A 1920s colonial in a shorefront community in Westchester County had an expansive renovation with new kitchen by Studio Dearborn. Countertops White Macauba; interior design Lorraine Levinson. Photography, Timothy Lenz.

Design ideas for a mid-sized transitional galley eat-in kitchen in Philadelphia with a peninsula, a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, solid surface benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances and medium hardwood floors.

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary galley kitchen pantry in Chicago with flat-panel cabinets, grey floor, no island, white cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback and slate floors.

Design ideas for a small transitional kitchen pantry in Chicago.

Design ideas for a country kitchen pantry in Surrey with grey cabinets.

Michelle Ruber
Small modern u-shaped separate kitchen in Portland with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, light wood cabinets, concrete benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, linoleum floors and no island.

Embark on a culinary crave with this classic gray and white family kitchen. We chose a warm neutral color for the cabinetry and enhanced this warmth with champagne gold cabinet hardware. These warm gray cabinets can be found at your neighborhood Lowes while the champagne hardware are designed by Atlas. Add another accent of shine to your kitchen and check out the mother of pearl diamond mosaic tile backsplash by Jeffrey Court, as seen here. Adding this hint of sparkle to your small space will allow your kitchen to stay bright and chic. Don't be afraid to mix metals or color. This island houses the glass cook top with a stainless steel hood above the island, and we added a matte black as our finish for the Edison lighting as well as black bar stool seating to tie it all together. The Taj Mahal white Quartzite counter tops are a beauty. The contrast in color creates dimension to your small kitchen layout and will continually catch your eye. Designed by Dani Perkins @ DANIELLE Interior Design & Decor Taylor Abeel Photography

Tre Dunham
Photo of a large country l-shaped separate kitchen in Austin with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, stainless steel appliances, brick floors, with island and brick splashback.

©Neptune
Expansive contemporary single-wall open plan kitchen in Other with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, with island and an integrated sink.

Design ideas for a transitional l-shaped kitchen in Seattle with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, with island and window splashback.