The goal of this renovation project located in Southeastern Massachusetts was to create a bright, open kitchen with space for entertaining family and friends. This was achieved by using grays and whites with an open floor plan. The cabinets are from Fieldstone Cabinetry in the Bristol door style in a white tinted varnish. The perimeter countertops are Pental Quartz-Evenza and the island countertop is Caesar Stone-Pietra Gray. The backsplash is a 2" Cararra marble hexagon mosaic. Kyle J Caldwell

Design by Frank B. Pirrello, Photos by Larry Peplin
Photo of a small contemporary u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Detroit with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, no island and grey floor.

Our goal with this project was to combine a cramped kitchen and small dining room into an airy, open kitchen which serves many functions for this busy couple with young children. A central island provides plenty of space for food prep, school projects as well as everyday family dinners. We rearranged the large front room to create both an intimate conversation area and a more formal dining area. As the main floor lacked a powder room and closet for coats and boots, we annexed an unused portion of the house's airshaft to create both. The addition also features a skylight which along with the enlarged rear window, floods the new kitchen with sunshine. The richly cool palette of grays and white offers a soothing backdrop in what has become the hub of this family's colorful life...

Black & white luxury modern kitchen design with large island bench, plenty of storage, Portsea Grey marble stone, 5 burner stove, undermount stainless steel sink and miele appliances.

Photo of a small transitional u-shaped kitchen pantry in Toronto with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, a peninsula, white floor and white benchtop.

Mid-sized transitional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Philadelphia with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, quartz benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, brown floor, white benchtop and a peninsula.

Inspiration for a small contemporary l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Other with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, no island, grey floor and white benchtop.

New 2-story custom built residence. Flat concrete tile roof, standing seam lead coated copper roof at bay windows, 2-car garage with impact rated wood clad doors, outdoor shower, swimming pool, detached guest bedroom and bathroom. Master suite; his bath, her bath, his dressing/closet, her dressing/closet, outdoor loggia with wood clad ceiling and outdoor fireplace, exterior via with wood trellis, cast stone columns, run stucco ext.

Houston Interior Designer Lisha Maxey took this Museum District condo from the dated, mirrored walls of the 1980s to Mid Century Modern with a gallery look featuring the client's art collection. "The place was covered with glued-down, floor-to-ceiling mirrors," says Lisha Maxey, senior designer for Homescapes of Houston and principal at LGH Design Services in Houston. "When we took them off the walls, the walls came apart. We ended up taking them down to the studs." The makeover took six months to complete, primarily because of strict condo association rules that only gave the Houston interior designers very limited access to the elevator - through which all materials and team members had to go. "Monday through Friday, we could only be noisy from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and if we had to do something extra loud, like sawing or drilling, we had to schedule it with the management and they had to communicate that to the condo owners. So it was just a lot of coordination. But a lot of Inner City Loopers live in these kinds of buildings, so we're used to handling that kind of thing." The client, a child psychiatrist in her 60s, recently moved to Houston from northeast Texas to be with friends. After being widowed three years ago, she decided it was time to let go of the traditionally styled estate that wasn't really her style anyway. An avid diver who has traveled around the world to pursue her passion, she has amassed a large collection of art from her travels. Downsizing to 1,600 feet and wanting to go more contemporary, she wanted the display - and the look - more streamlined. "She wanted clean lines and muted colors, with the main focus being her artwork," says Maxey. "So we made the space a palette for that." Enter the white, gallery-grade paint she chose for the walls: "It's halfway between satin and flat," explains Maxey. "It's not glossy and it's not chalky - just very smooth and clean." Adding to the gallery theme is the satin nickel track lighting with lamps aimed to highlight pieces of art. "This lighting has no wires," notes Maxey. "It's powered by a positive and negative conduit." The new flooring throughout is a blended-grey porcelain tile that looks like wood planks. "It's gorgeous, natural-looking and combines all the beauty of wood with the durability of tile," says Maxey. "We used it throughout the condo to unify the space." After Maxey started looking at the client's bright, vibrant, colorful artwork, she felt the palette couldn't stay as muted anymore. Hence the Mid Century Modern orange leather sofas from West Elm and bright green chairs from Joybird, plus the throw pillows in different textures, patterns and shades of gold, orange and green. The concave lines of the Danish-inspired chairs, she notes, help them look beautiful from all the way around - a key to designing spaces for loft living. "The table in the living room is very interesting," notes Maxey. "It was handmade for the client in 1974 and has a signature on it from the artist. She was adamant about including the piece, which has all these hand-painted black-and-white art tiles on the top. I took one look at it and said 'It's not really going to go.'" However, after cutting 6 inches off the bottom and making it look a little distressed, the table ended up being the perfect complement to the sofas. The dining room table - from Design Within Reach - is a solid piece of mahogany, the chair upholstery a mix of grey velvet and leather and the legs a shiny brass. "The side chairs are leather and the end ones are velvet," says Maxey. "It's a nice textural mix that lends depth and texture." The galley kitchen, meanwhile, has been lightened and brightened, with white quartz countertops and backsplashes mimicking the look of Carrara marble, stainless steel appliances and a velvet green bench seat for a punch of color. The cabinets are painted a cool grey color called "Silverplate." The two bathrooms have been updated with contemporary white vanities and vessel sinks and the master bath now features a walk-in shower tiled in Dolomite white marble (the floor is Bianco Carrara marble mosaic, done in a herringbone pattern. In the master bedroom, Homescapes of Houston knocked down a wall between two smaller closets with swing doors to make one large walk-in closet with pocket doors. The closet in the guest bedroom also came out 13 more inches. The client's artwork throughout personalizes the space and tells the story of a life. There's a huge bowl of shells from the client's diving adventures, framed art from her child psychiatry patients and a 16th century wood carving from a monastery that's been in her family forever. "Her collection is quite impressive," says Maxey. "There's even a framed piece of autographed songs written by John Lennon." (You can see this black-framed piece of art on the wall in the photo above of two green chairs). "We're extremely happy with how the project turned out, and so is the client," says Maxey. "No expense was spared for her. It was a labor of love and we were excited to do it."

This is an example of an expansive modern galley kitchen pantry in Phoenix with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, granite benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, with island and grey floor.

Small contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Other with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, black appliances, porcelain floors, no island, beige floor and white benchtop.

AWARD WINNING KITCHEN. 2018 Westchester Home Design Awards Best Modern Kitchen. A tremendous view of Hudson River inspired this family to purchase and gut renovate the colonial home into an organic modern design with floor to ceiling windows. Cabinetry by Studio Dearborn/Schrocks of Walnut Creek in character oak and backpainted glass; WOlf range; Subzero refrigeration; custom hood, Rangecraft; marble countertops; Emtek hardware. Photos, Tim Lenz. Architecture, Stoll and Stoll.

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This is an example of a small traditional galley kitchen in Moscow with an integrated sink, raised-panel cabinets, green cabinets, solid surface benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, black appliances, porcelain floors, beige floor, white benchtop and a peninsula.

Transitional eat-in kitchen in Los Angeles with beaded inset cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, blue splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, beige floor, white benchtop and a drop-in sink.

Mid-sized contemporary single-wall eat-in kitchen in Montreal with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, solid surface benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, panelled appliances, porcelain floors, with island, black floor and white benchtop.

Interior Design Concepts, Interior Designer
Photo of a large transitional kitchen in Houston with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, granite benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, with island, grey floor and grey benchtop.

Design ideas for a mid-sized transitional single-wall separate kitchen in Phoenix with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, with island and beige floor.

Ryan Gamma
This is an example of an expansive contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Tampa with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, concrete benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, with island, beige floor and grey benchtop.

Spacious and bright new kitchen featuring a waterfall countertop that spills onto the floor. Detailed in it's simplicity and elegance.
This is an example of an expansive contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Miami with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, marble splashback, panelled appliances, porcelain floors, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.