Gather ’Round
Find character-filled kitchens from top designers that invite you to stay awhile.
Coral Hued
A lake house kitchen gets a colorful second act.
Behind the Design
Coral may not be the first color that comes to mind when designing a kitchen, but the family of this lake house wanted a vibrant hub where the husband could cook, entertain and enjoy everyone’s company. Designer Elizabeth Drake honored these goals, designing the layout to be appetizer- and conversation-friendly, while strategically incorporating the color without overpowering the space. Using a mix of coral accents through tile, textiles, lighting and wall color, Drake balanced the bold hue with soft, off-white cabinetry and copper accents to keep it cheery, layered and lake-house friendly.
Designer: Elizabeth Drake,
elizabethdrake.com.
Photographer: Werner Straube, wernerstraube.com.
Center Stage
A baby blue range creates a captivating kitchen focal point.
Behind the Design
Honoring traditional architecture while taking the occasional design risk is what designer Suzette Donleavy does best, and this kitchen gave her ample opportunity to highlight delicate balancing acts. Here she designed a “lighter, brighter, more transitional space that addressed entertaining flow while in keeping with the traditional design of a Shore Colonial home,” Suzette says. The range is the hands-down showstopper, setting the tone for the entire design. “A La Cornue range in Suzanne Kasler’s Roquefort blue inspired the initial design, and the homeowner’s desire to incorporate a culinary star,” Suzette says. She extended the color inside the glass cabinets, where the same shade of blue is used, to provide a colorful canvas for the homeowner’s prized ironstone collection.
Designer: Suzette Donleavy, welldesignedinteriors.com.
Photographer: Patricia Burke, patriciaburkephoto.com.
Suite Dreams
A San Diego guest house kitchen channels main house style and comfort.
Behind the Design
For this San Diego guest house, designer Katelyn De Spain of Makehouse Design Studio wanted to create a full-size kitchen experience within a much smaller footprint. “Our vision was to create a guest house retreat that had all the bells and whistles of our client’s main residence, mirroring a mix of Southern California-Mediterranean style,” Katelyn says. Using full-size appliances and generous storage, the kitchen is tailor-made to ensure guests have main-house comfort. Katelyn also wanted to echo the primary home’s timeless feel, so she used wood beam ceilings sandblasted two times to achieve an aged, reclaimed look, adding, “It
was our clever way to achieve an Old World look in this
new build.”
Designer: Katelyn De Spain, Makehouse Design Studio, makehousedesign.com.
Photographer: Charlotte Lea, charlottelea.com.
First Blush
A statement-making kitchen leans into a palette of pinks.
Behind the Design
Personality, confidence, and color were all on the client’s wish list for her dream kitchen. “I saw her as free, independent and a bit of a rock star,” interior designer James Yarosh says. “She is truly comfortable in her own skin, and this served as a jumping-off point for the design journey.” James took his clients’ must-haves and crafted a one-of-a-kind culinary hub starring a palette of pinks and purples that includes petal-hued cabinets, Afteroom stool custom covered in JAB Anstoetz Fabrics and, most strikingly, the can’t-miss geometric backsplash tile sourced from Studium. The natural grain of the rosewood cabinets adds depth, while modern bronze accents and soft blush tones redefine neutrals, crafting a serene and inviting space for cooking and entertaining.
Designer: James Yarosh, jamesyarosh.com.
Photographer: Patricia Burke, patriciaburkephoto.com.
Water Marked
A kitchen takes its color cues from the nearby swimming pool.
Behind the Design
When interior designer Tom Vinges was tapped to design his clients’ dream home, the color palette came with a very specific source: The newly installed swimming pool. Vinges took that inspiration and translated it into a kitchen space that not only captures the pool’s soft blues but also its reflective qualities. Using Gazzini porcelain tile on the floors to bring in a feeling of sun-faded timelessness, Vinges selected blue/gray countertops. When combined with Palisandra’s Sophia Marble Mosaic iridescent tiles from Marble Systems on the backsplash, the entire space speaks to the pool that is always on view, thanks to a wall of glass doors.
Designer: Tom Vinges, vintagedesigngroup.com.
Architecture: McHugh Architecture, mchugharchitecture.com.
Photographer: Patricia Burke, patriciaburkephoto.com.
Free Range
An oversized stovetop accommodates cooking and a beloved collection.
Behind the Design
Not every home truly needs a professional size range, but interior designer Kristin Kostamo-
McNeil, founder of Anne Rae Design, went big for her clients who love to cook and gather in the kitchen with a 60” BlueStar professional range. And yet the project isn’t only about brand-new appliances; the client also wanted to highlight her extensive collection of Polish pottery. Using Tabarka Studio tiles for the backsplash, Kristin was able to integrate a hand-painted, timeless element that creates an Old World counterbalance to the state-of-the-art appliances: “By merging European refinement with natural elements, the space feels effortless and welcoming,” Kristin says.
Designer: Kristin Kostamo-McNeil, Anne Rae Design, annerae.com.
Photographer: Jenny Siegwart, jennysiegwart.com.
Bistro Chic
A Parisian-inspired kitchen finds a happy home in San Diego.
Behind the Design
When your clients are a Culinary Institute of American-trained chef and a French-born son of a bistro-owning family, the standards are going to be high. To create the kind of space that would complement her clients’ culinary skills and aesthetic vision, designer Kristin Kostamo-McNeil, founder of Anne Rae Design, created a one-of-a-kind menu that includes French café details with classic California elements, all while integrating everything a serious home chef could want. “With a mix of historic details and French-inspired accents, this charming bungalow is brimming with style,” Kristin says. The island is highlighted by a double light Urban Electric pendant, while hand-painted blue-and-white terra cotta backsplash tiles from Tabarka Studio complement the navy base cabinets. The true spotlight stealer, though, is the Dacor refrigerator. “I designed it to resemble a built-in armoire with a custom antique mirrored and paneled front,” Kristin says. “It steals the spotlight and never fails to captivate guests once they discover its true identity.”
Designer: Kristin Kostamo-McNeil, founder of Anne Rae Design, annerrae.com.
Photographer: Charlotte Lea Photography, charlottelea.com.
Then & Now
A kitchen goes from dark and dated to bright and full of charm.
Behind the Design
The goal for this San Diego kitchen remodel was clear: transform a dark and heavy space into a bright, fresh and charming area —without construction. Instead, designer Andrea Lackie replaced the outdated Roman shades and a heavy wood cornice on the room’s main window to instantly bring in more light and then repainted all cabinetry a warm and welcoming not-quite-white. “For continuity, a darker stain for the island was chosen to tie into the existing windows and add contrast to the surrounding kitchen cabinetry,” Andrea says, whose team enhanced the kitchen with sleek natural stone quartzite countertops and added a rich texture of sandcast bronze cabinet hardware.
Designer: Andrea Lackie Design, andrealackiedesign.com.
Photographer: James Furman, furmanstudio.com.
Now & Then
Bridging modern and transitional from above.
Behind the Design
How to connect a modern kitchen with a traditional home? That was the question when designer Andrea Lackie was brought on midway through this extensive Lake Tahoe renovation. With ultra-streamlined Henrybuilt walnut cabinets, the kitchen needed a visual connection to the neighboring rooms in this 1940s cabin. She found the key to the challenge above: Andrea designed a stained cedar ceiling, developed with Sawtooth Builders, to connect the rooms and dissolve their design differences. “We used cedar tongue and groove on the ceiling and added shallow beams to reference the existing living room ceiling, which was wood with large wood trusses,” Andrea says.
Interior Design: Andrea Lackie Design, andrealackiedesign.com.
Kitchen Design: Henrybuilt, henrybuilt.com.
Architect: DNM Architecture, dnmarchitecture.com.
Photographer: Christopher Stark, christopherstark.com.
Northern Exposure
A Seattle kitchen finds its best light.
Behind the Design
Creating a light and airy hub of the home is a special skill in Seattle, where short winter days and months of gray can easily make a space feel gloomy. Enter Jessica Dorling of Dorling Design Studio, a born-and-bred Seattle designer and expert at beckoning the light. To energize this north-facing kitchen, Dorling expanded the window and added “sky lights to bring in the natural light” while reconfiguring the entire space to accommodate lots of cooking, island homework, as well as family gathering and holiday entertaining. A custom wood hood adds warmth and character, while handmade wall tiles offer visual interest. Gold and cream hanging pendants, a gold faucet and black window frames complement the space’s natural elements. “What was once a closed off and dark space is now open and airy so that the family can engage in different activities while still being in the same space,” Jessica says.
Designer: Jessica Dorling of Dorling Design Studio, dorlingdesignstudio.com.
Photographer: Kara Mercer, karamercer.com.
User Friendly
The all-white kitchen gets recalibrated for kids.
Behind the Design
When you’re designing a home for four small children and one very busy single mom, the kitchen holds zero room for error. That was the case when Dallas-based interior designer Sarah Hargrave was enlisted to fully reimagine the space. “We aimed to refresh outdated cabinetry, appliances, and finishes along with creating intentional storage and beauty,” Sarah says. Sherwin Williams’ “Natural Tan” was chosen for the cabinetry to highlight the rich tones of the countertops and avoid a stark white palette. New Thermador Professional appliances and Brizo plumbing fittings were selected for their high quality and sleek design. The quartz countertops, with their covered edges, add sophistication, while kid-friendly counter stools with faux leather upholstery offer style, durability and freedom from worrying about stains.
Designer: Sarah Hargrave and Laura Cate Todd for The Collective, thecollectivedallas.com.
Photographer: Emery Davis Bastable,
emerydavisphotography.com.
