Large transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in New York with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Photography: Regan Wood Photography
Photo of a large contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in New York with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, marble benchtops, grey splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor and grey benchtop.

Roehner Ryan
Design ideas for a large country l-shaped open plan kitchen in Phoenix with a farmhouse sink, beaded inset cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, marble splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor and grey benchtop.

Mid-sized modern galley open plan kitchen in Los Angeles with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

This is by far everybody’s favorite space. The kitchen is definitely the heart of the home where the dinner is getting ready, the homework is done, and in the family room the whole family can relax in front of the fireplace, while watching TV, listening to music, or playing video games. Whites with warm walnuts, light marble, and splashes of color are the key features in this modern family headquarters. The kitchen was meticulously designed to accommodate storage for numerous kitchen gadgets, cookware, and dinnerware that the family owned. Behind these simple and clean contemporary kitchen cabinet doors, there are multiple ergonomic and functional features that make this kitchen a modern chef’s dream

Inspiration for a large modern single-wall open plan kitchen in Charlotte with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, panelled appliances, marble floors, with island, white floor and white benchtop.

Mid-sized transitional galley open plan kitchen in DC Metro with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Christina Faminoff
Photo of a large contemporary galley open plan kitchen in Vancouver with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and grey benchtop.

Design ideas for a large country u-shaped open plan kitchen in Los Angeles with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, solid surface benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, with island and white benchtop.

This is an example of a transitional open plan kitchen in Vancouver with white cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, with island and white benchtop.

Design ideas for a mid-sized transitional u-shaped open plan kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, concrete benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and grey benchtop.

This is an example of a large arts and crafts open plan kitchen in Chicago with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, brown floor, solid surface benchtops, grey splashback, marble splashback and black benchtop.

This French Country kitchen features a large island with bar stool seating. Black cabinets with gold hardware surround the kitchen. Open shelving is on both sides of the black gas-burning stove.

This French Country kitchen features a large island with butcher block countertops, black cabinetry with brass hardware, and open shelving.
Photo of an expansive mediterranean u-shaped open plan kitchen in Phoenix with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, black cabinets, wood benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, marble splashback, panelled appliances, marble floors, with island, multi-coloured floor and multi-coloured benchtop.

High Res Media
Photo of an expansive transitional galley open plan kitchen in Phoenix with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island and beige floor.

Photo of a large midcentury single-wall open plan kitchen in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, beige cabinets, grey splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, an undermount sink, marble benchtops and beige floor.

This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Custom metal hood, superwhite countertops
Inspiration for a large transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Phoenix with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, panelled appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, marble benchtops and marble splashback.

This is an example of an expansive traditional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Boston with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, blue splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors and with island.