Open plan kitchen dining looking out towards the garden
Mid-sized contemporary u-shaped open plan kitchen in Cambridgeshire with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, wood benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, a peninsula and vaulted.

Inspiration for a large u-shaped kitchen in Melbourne with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, concrete floors, with island, grey floor and white benchtop.

The large island in this kitchen hosts seating for your guests without scrimping on storage.
Photo of a large transitional kitchen in Other with an undermount sink, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, white benchtop and shaker cabinets.

Peter Bennetts
This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Melbourne with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, granite benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, panelled appliances, limestone floors, with island, grey floor and black benchtop.

RixRyan Photography
Inspiration for a transitional galley open plan kitchen in Brisbane with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island and black floor.

This is an example of a transitional kitchen in Melbourne with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, white splashback, glass sheet splashback, medium hardwood floors and white benchtop.

Jeff Herr
Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional galley eat-in kitchen in Atlanta with grey cabinets, an undermount sink, granite benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors and with island.

This expansive Victorian had tremendous historic charm but hadn’t seen a kitchen renovation since the 1950s. The homeowners wanted to take advantage of their views of the backyard and raised the roof and pushed the kitchen into the back of the house, where expansive windows could allow southern light into the kitchen all day. A warm historic gray/beige was chosen for the cabinetry, which was contrasted with character oak cabinetry on the appliance wall and bar in a modern chevron detail. Kitchen Design: Sarah Robertson, Studio Dearborn Architect: Ned Stoll, Interior finishes Tami Wassong Interiors

Photography by Patrick Brickman
Design ideas for an expansive country open plan kitchen in Charleston with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, brick splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island and white benchtop.

Photo of a traditional open plan kitchen in Dallas with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, stone slab splashback and dark hardwood floors.

Andrew McKinney LED strip lighting is applied to the sides of cabinet behind the faceframe. This lights the entire cabinet and makes the cabinet glow.

Mid-sized transitional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in New York with an undermount sink, white cabinets, granite benchtops, white splashback, glass tile splashback, medium hardwood floors, brown floor, black benchtop and stainless steel appliances.

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

Walk on sunshine with Skyline Floorscapes' Ivory White Oak. This smooth operator of floors adds charm to any room. Its delightfully light tones will have you whistling while you work, play, or relax at home. This amazing reclaimed wood style is a perfect environmentally-friendly statement for a modern space, or it will match the design of an older house with its vintage style. The ivory color will brighten up any room. This engineered wood is extremely strong with nine layers and a 3mm wear layer of White Oak on top. The wood is handscraped, adding to the lived-in quality of the wood. This will make it look like it has been in your home all along. Each piece is 7.5-in. wide by 71-in. long by 5/8-in. thick in size. It comes with a 35-year finish warranty and a lifetime structural warranty. This is a real wood engineered flooring product made from white oak. It has a beautiful ivory color with hand scraped, reclaimed planks that are finished in oil. The planks have a tongue & groove construction that can be floated, glued or nailed down.

The only thing that stayed was the sink placement and the dining room location. Clarissa and her team took out the wall opposite the sink to allow for an open floorplan leading into the adjacent living room. She got rid of the breakfast nook and capitalized on the space to allow for more pantry area.

Contemporary l-shaped kitchen in New York with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, medium wood cabinets, white splashback, stone slab splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Inspiration for a large transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Chicago with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and beige benchtop.

Transitional u-shaped kitchen in Nashville with white splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor, white benchtop and flat-panel cabinets.

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Orange County with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, white splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor, white benchtop and marble benchtops.