Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   One of my favorite things to work on is older homes with a bit of history because I find it an interesting challenge to marry the historical architectural features of a home with modern design elements that work well for my client’s current lifestyle. This home was particularly fun because it was the second kitchen we had done for this family and was quite a departure from the style of the first kitchen. The before shot of the kitchen shows a view from the family room. See the dropped ceiling? We were curious, was this just part of the design or was the dropped ceiling there to hide mechanicals? Well we soon found out that it was mostly decorative (yay!), and with the exception of a little bit of work to some plumbing from an upstairs bathroom and rerouting of the ventilation system within the original floor joists, we were in the clear, phew! The shot of the completed kitchen from roughly the same vantage point shows how much taller the ceilings are. It makes a huge difference in the feel of the space. Dark and gloomy turned fresh and light! Another serious consideration was what do we do with the skinny transom window above the refrigerator. After much back and forth, we decided to eliminate it and do some open shelving instead. This ended up being one of the nicest areas in the room. I am calling it the “fun zone” because it houses all the barware, wine cubbies and a bar fridge — the perfect little buffet spot for entertaining. It is flanked on either side by pull out pantries that I’m sure will get a ton of use. Since the neighboring room has literally three walls of almost full height windows, the kitchen gets plenty of light. The gold shelving brackets, large pendant fixtures over the island and the tile mural behind the range all pay subtle homage to the home’s prairie style architecture and bring a bit of sparkle to the room. Even though the room is quite large, the work triangle is very tight with the large Subzero fridge, sink and range all nearby for easy maneuvering during meal prep. There is seating for four at the island, and work aisles are generous. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: LOMA Studios For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Stacy Zarin Goldberg Photography
Example of a transitional galley painted wood floor and black floor kitchen design in DC Metro with white cabinets, quartzite countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, shaker cabinets and a farmhouse sink

The interior of the cabinets in this kitchen were not working well for the homeowner. They wanted to keep their kitchen design and improve the functionality with convenient storage options. We added 2 garbage drawers that worked around the sink plumbing, double tiered corner cabinet pull out system and roll out drawers in other cabinets.

Enclosed kitchen - traditional u-shaped dark wood floor enclosed kitchen idea in Boston with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, marble countertops and cement tile backsplash

This creative transitional space was transformed from a very dated layout that did not function well for our homeowners - who enjoy cooking for both their family and friends. They found themselves cooking on a 30" by 36" tiny island in an area that had much more potential. A completely new floor plan was in order. An unnecessary hallway was removed to create additional space and a new traffic pattern. New doorways were created for access from the garage and to the laundry. Just a couple of highlights in this all Thermador appliance professional kitchen are the 10 ft island with two dishwashers (also note the heated tile area on the functional side of the island), double floor to ceiling pull-out pantries flanking the refrigerator, stylish soffited area at the range complete with burnished steel, niches and shelving for storage. Contemporary organic pendants add another unique texture to this beautiful, welcoming, one of a kind kitchen! Photos by David Cobb Photography.

A kid's bathroom with classic style. Custom, built-in, oak, double vanity with pull out steps and hexagon pulls, Carrara marble hexagon feature wall and subway tiled shower with ledge bench. The ultra-durable, Carrara marble, porcelain floor makes for easy maintenance.

Lake Front Country Estate Kitchen, designed by Tom Markalunas, built by Resort Custom Homes. Photography by Rachael Boling.
Inspiration for a large timeless l-shaped medium tone wood floor kitchen remodel in Other with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

This creative transitional space was transformed from a very dated layout that did not function well for our homeowners - who enjoy cooking for both their family and friends. They found themselves cooking on a 30" by 36" tiny island in an area that had much more potential. A completely new floor plan was in order. An unnecessary hallway was removed to create additional space and a new traffic pattern. New doorways were created for access from the garage and to the laundry. Just a couple of highlights in this all Thermador appliance professional kitchen are the 10 ft island with two dishwashers (also note the heated tile area on the functional side of the island), double floor to ceiling pull-out pantries flanking the refrigerator, stylish soffited area at the range complete with burnished steel, niches and shelving for storage. Contemporary organic pendants add another unique texture to this beautiful, welcoming, one of a kind kitchen! Photos by David Cobb Photography.

Tessa Neustadt
Inspiration for a mid-sized farmhouse dark wood floor laundry room remodel in Los Angeles with shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, wood countertops, white walls, a stacked washer/dryer and beige countertops

Maximize your bathroom storage with custom pull out shelves designed to fit your existing bathroom cabinets and vanities. Add riser shelves to your pull out shelves for additional storage. This cabinet features two riser shelves that fit around the plumbing inside the cabinet.

Master Suite has a walk-in closet. A secret tall pull-out for jewelry. Custom accessories abound; pull-outs for; pants, ties, scarfs and shoes. Open and closed storage. Pull-out valet rods, belt racks and hooks. Drawers with inserts and dividers. Two tilt-out hampers for laundry. Mirrors, A great space to start or end your day. Photo DeMane Design Winner: 1st Place, ASID WA, Large Bath

Upgrade a fixed shelf to a custom pull out shelf designed to fit your existing cabinet and create ease of access to your liquor cabinet. Each full extension pull out shelf holds 100 pounds, even when fully extended.

The soft-close trash can pull-out is an essential addition to any kitchen upgrade or remodel. These pull-outs help you easily separate your trash and recycling or food compost. The seal created when the pull-out is in the "closed" position easily hides any unwanted smells.

Encasing full depth fridge in paneling gives built-in appearance with greater storage. Hidden spice cabinets as side panel of refrigerator. Pull out broom storage.

Mediterranean home in San Mateo with traditional layout and accents. In keeping with the character of the home, client chose to include detailed crown moldings in grape pattern, decorative posts and panels on the appliances. The wall between the kitchen and breakfast room was removed to create a large open space with island and still maintained private seating area. Retained existing parquet flooring original to the home that blends nicely with the Dura Surpreme, Cherry cabinets. Devised much needed storage space with pantry cabinets, roll-outs, spice pull-outs, built-in trash and recycling. In the end, a lovely, open space worthy of guests any day of the week. Treve Johnson Photography

Andrew McKinney Photography Not every kitchen on houzz is enormous! Here's a 10' x 10' kitchen. It seems that painted white kitchens never go out of favor. While the cabinets, faucets and hardware lean toward a more traditional look, that look is tempered by the modern lines of grey glass tile and the chimney hood. And instead of carrara marble counter tops, the client opted for quartz for a similar look (Cambria's "Torquay").

Kitchen pantry - large modern l-shaped kitchen pantry idea in Salt Lake City with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, an island and white cabinets

The rangetop is flanked by two pull-out cabinets for storage of oils and other items. Note the lack of unsightly outlets in the backsplash - there are special angled power strips hidden below the upper cabinets.

Dedicated laundry room - transitional u-shaped gray floor dedicated laundry room idea in Austin with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, multicolored walls, a side-by-side washer/dryer and white countertops