Lovell KitchenContemporary Kitchen, San Francisco

If the best location for your fridge is as prominent as this one — especially if you have an open-plan area and can see it from the sofa — it’s worth considering how to make it look beautiful and how to tie it into the decor of both your living room and your kitchen. Black is a versatile accent color for its power to anchor a design.See the rest of this kitchen

Long islands naturally come with broad expanses of counter space, something every kitchen can benefit from. Meeting both cooking and cleanup needs and dressed in hand-hewn walnut, this island was designed as a piece of bespoke furniture that measures 42 inches wide and 146 inches long.

Beams can turn one large opening into a succession of openings, giving the light source a more approachable scale.

Local contractor Bill Dew worked within the home's existing roof to create a large skylight. The shape of the skylight mimics the island below and lets in plenty of light, but still leaves the original roof trusses in place. The block of open cabinetry next to the island also lets light in and separates the staircase from the kitchen area. Art: Peter Wegner

liked the continuous grain of the cabinets

Storage area low / like some brick

They cut a hole through the roof and ceiling without disturbing the trusses.