In designing the new layout for the kitchen, we decided to remove the pantry closet and expand into the former eat-in area. This gave us the opportunity to create a beautifully functional island with plenty of seating and prep space for multiple cooks in the kitchen. We were all still in love with the walnut flooring we installed during the first phase of this project and opted to lean into the classic tones and bring them into the cabinetry scheme. To balance all those gorgeous warm grains, we cooled the space down with a spunky hand painted tile that enlivens the space.

Open-plan kitchen of a new construction home in the Berkeley Hills, CA. A dramatic two-tone cabinetry palette pairs flat-front birch plywood upper cabinets with dark oak lower cabinets and full-height pantry surround, creating a warm yet grounded material contrast. Black granite island with matte black faucet and integrated sink anchors the center of the kitchen. Clerestory steel-framed windows above the upper cabinets bring in natural light without sacrificing storage. Three wood cylinder pendant lights with brushed metal caps hang above the kitchen and island zones. Walnut hardwood floors, white large-format tile backsplash, and integrated professional-grade range and oven in dark stainless. Butcher block kitchen table with seating in the foreground. Architecture by CB Architecture + Design in collaboration with Timbre Architecture.

This customer wanted to completely update the kitchen making it more modern, in preparation for possibly selling it in the next few years. The design, which included two-tone base and upper cabinets, Cambria SummerHill Quartz, chrome cabinet hardware, arabesque marble backsplash tile, and undercabinet lighting made the final product simply stellar!

An old stone mansion built in 1924 had seen a number of renovations over the decades and the time had finally come to address a growing list of issues. Rather than continue with a patchwork of fixes, the owners engaged us to conduct a full house renovation to bring this home back to its former glory and in line with its status as an international consulate residence where dignitaries are hosted on a regular basis. One of the biggest projects was remodeling the expansive 365 SF kitchen; the main kitchen needed to be both a workhorse for the weekly catered events as well as serve as the residents’ primary hub. We made adjustments to the kitchen layout to maximize countertop and storage space as well as enhance overall functionality, being mindful of the dual purposes this kitchen serves. To add visual interest to the large space we used two toned cabinets – classic white along the perimeter and a deep blue to distinguish the two islands and tall pantry. Brushed brass accents echo the original brass hardware and fixtures throughout the home. A kitchen this large needed a statement when it came to the countertops so we selected a stunning Nuvolato quartzite with distinctive veining that complements the blue cabinets. We restored and refinished the original Heart of Pine floors, letting the natural character of the wood shine through. A custom antique Heart of Pine wood top was commissioned for the fixed island – the warmth of wood was preferable to stone for the informal seating area. The second island serves as both prep area and staging space for dinners and events. This mobile island can be pushed flush with the stationary island to provide a generous area for the caterers to expedite service. Adjacent to the main kitchen, we added a second service kitchen for the live-in staff and their family. This room used to be a catch-all laundry/storage/mudroom so we had to get creative in order to incorporate all of those features while adding a fully functioning eat-in kitchen. Using smaller appliances allowed us to capture more space for cabinetry and by stacking the cabinets and washer/dryer (relocated to the rear service foyer) we managed to meet all the requirements. We installed salvaged Heart of Pine floors to match the originals in the adjacent kitchen and chose a neutral finish palette that will be easy to maintain. These kitchens weren’t the only projects we undertook in the historic stone mansion. Other renovations include 7 bathrooms, flooring throughout (hardwoods, custom carpets/runners/wall-to-wall), custom drapery and window treatments, new lighting/electric, as well as paint/trim and custom closet and cabinetry.

With Craftsman details throughout the rest of the home, our clients wanted their new kitchen to have transitional elements such as Shaker style doors, a farmhouse sink, warm wood tones, and other timeless features such as a custom hood and natural stone counters. The beautiful Glorious White marble counters have a soft honed finish and the stunning marble backsplash ties everything together to complete the look. The two-toned cabinets pair a rich stained cherry island with soft white perimeter cabinets. Brushed brass accents on the appliances pulls, cabinet hardware, lights and plumbing fixtures add another layer of sophistication. An induction range, dishwasher drawers, undercounter microwave, and four-door smart refrigerator amp up the functionality of this cook’s kitchen.

The couple living in this condo wanted more than basic plush carpet but didn't want a pattern that they could become tired of or overwhelm any future design options. So this tone on tone, cut-n-loop designed carpet was the perfect option.

Custom-designed neutral tone on tone curving staircase.
Large transitional carpeted staircase photo in Philadelphia with carpeted risers

Transitional bathroom photo in Boston

This beautiful study was part of a whole house design and renovation by Haven Design and Construction. For this room, our objective was to create a feminine and sophisticated study for our client. She requested a design that was unique and fresh, but still warm and inviting. We wallpapered the back of the bookcases in an eye catching metallic vine pattern to add a feminine touch. Then, we selected a deep gray tone from the wallpaper and painted the bookcases and wainscoting in this striking color. We replaced the carpet with a light wood flooring that compliments the gray woodwork. Our client preferred a petite desk, just large enough for paying bills or working on her laptop, so our first furniture selection was a lovely black desk with feminine curved detailing and delicate star hardware. The room still needed a focal point, so we selected a striking lucite and gold chandelier to set the tone. The design was completed by a pair of gray velvet guest chairs. The gold twig pattern on the back of the chairs compliments the metallic wallpaper pattern perfectly. Finally the room was carefully detailed with unique accessories and custom bound books to fill the bookcases.

This traditional Shaker Kitchen has a masculine feel with its chocolate lower cabinets and walls of subway tile. The apron farmhouse sink is the centerpiece of the galley juxtaposed with a contemporary pull-out faucet. By applying a mirror on the door it gives the impression that it leads to a Dining Room. The wide plank flooring in a walnut stain adds texture and richness to this space. Laura Hull Photography

For a client with an enthusiastic appreciation of retro design, this sunny ode to kitchens of the past is a cheerful and comforting retreat for today. The client wanted a kitchen that creatively expressed her fun, unconventional taste while providing all the modern conveniences of a contemporary home. Space was borrowed from an existing office to provide more open area and easier navigation in the kitchen. Bright, optimistic yellow sets the tone in the room, with retro-inspired appliances in buttery yellow chosen as key elements of the design. A generous apron-front farm sink gleams with clean white enameled cast iron and is outfitted with a rare retro faucet with spray and scrub brush attachments. Black trim against the yellow ceramic tile countertops defines the kitchen’s lines. Simple maple cabinetry painted white with black ceramic knobs provides a modern level of storage. Playful positioning of contrasting tiles on the floor presents a modern, quirky interpretation of the traditional checkerboard pattern in this classic kitchen with an original point of view.

Stunning transformation for this Littleton home! The original kitchen had only a single bank of cabinets and an oversized pantry that took over one wall. The new layout with custom cabinetry is cohesive, efficient and dazzling. Medallion Cabinetry - Carriage Black and Magnolia White with Harvest maple floating shelves. Top Knobs Exeter pulls in Honey Gold. Design by Jennie Showers, BKC Kitchen and Bath. RangeFinder Photography

This transitional-inspired remodel to this lovely Bonita Bay home consists of a completely transformed kitchen and bathrooms. The kitchen was redesigned for better functionality, better flow and is now more open to the adjacent rooms. The original kitchen design was very outdated, with natural wood color cabinets, corian countertops, white appliances, a very small island and peninsula, which closed off the kitchen with only one way in and out. The new kitchen features a massive island with seating for six, gorgeous quartz countertops, all new upgraded stainless steel appliances, magnificent white cabinets, including a glass front display cabinet and pantry. The two-toned cabinetry consists of white permitter cabinets, while the island boasts beautiful blue cabinetry. The blue cabinetry is also featured in the bathroom. The bathroom is quite special. Colorful wallpaper sets the tone with a wonderful decorative pattern. The blue cabinets contrasted with the white quartz counters, and gold finishes are truly lovely. New flooring was installed throughout.

**I. Spatial Composition & Architectural Volume** The image frames a primary bathroom vanity zone through a deliberately compressed aperture — the vertical edge of a rift-sawn oak door jamb occupying the left third of the frame, functioning as a proscenium that stages the composition beyond. This device establishes a layered sightline sequence: foreground threshold, mid-ground vanity plane, and a tertiary reflected depth revealed in the mirrored cabinetry, where a travertine-clad shower enclosure and polished nickel showerhead appear as a spatial echo. The result is an interior that reads as considerably more expansive than its actual footprint, a classic strategy of volumetric borrowing through specular surfaces. Architecturally, the wall is resolved as a single continuous joinery composition — a full-height run of flush-fronted oak millwork with mirrored upper cabinet fronts, articulated only by hairline reveals rather than applied hardware or framing. This shadow-gap detailing establishes rhythm through negation, allowing the plane to remain monolithic while acknowledging its constituent modules. The vanity itself is conceived as a solid stone monolith, a thick-slab plinth with a generous mitred apron that cantilevers over recessed oak drawer fronts below, the base set back to create a shadowed float line. Geometry throughout is orthogonal and rectilinear: the square undermount basin, the deck's stepped perimeter, the horizontal datum of the backsplash terminating precisely at the mirror's lower edge. The only curvilinear intrusions are the capsule-form sconces and the ceramic vessel, deliberate soft counterpoints within an otherwise strictly Cartesian field. **II. Materiality, Color & Texture** The palette is a study in tonal adjacency rather than contrast — a restrained duet of oak and veined stone, held within a narrow chromatic band of taupe, greige, and warm sand. The joinery appears to be quarter- or rift-sawn white oak in a matte, open-grain finish, its tight vertical figure reading as a subtle striation that lends verticality and tactile warmth without pattern-making. Against this, the stone — a silver travertine or vein-cut quartzite with pronounced linear striation — provides the composition's dominant graphic energy. Crucially, the fabricator has book-matched and continued the veining from backsplash to deck to apron, so the stone's fluvial banding reads as a single geological event rather than assembled panels. This vein-matching is the project's most consequential craft decision. Textural interplay is calibrated across three registers: the low-sheen absorbency of the oak, the honed, slightly chalky matte of the stone, and the high-specularity of polished nickel fittings. The wall-mounted lever taps and spout, with their crisp escutcheons and knurl-free tapered levers, introduce a jewel-like precision — cool-toned metal against warm mineral. The white porcelain basin functions as a chromatic pause, the palette's only true neutral. Accent moments are equally disciplined: a ribbed ceramic soap dish holding a block of butter-yellow soap, and a matte bone-white bottle vase carrying hellebores in acid-green — a single saturated note that activates the surrounding earth tones through complementary tension. **III. Lighting, Atmosphere & Style Profile** Natural light enters obliquely and is largely inferred rather than depicted: a soft, diffuse wash across the upper mirror and a pale ceiling plane glimpsed in reflection suggest a clerestory or adjacent glazing beyond the frame. The primary illumination is architectural and task-oriented — two opal glass capsule sconces in polished nickel, surface-mounted directly to the mirrored fronts. Their pill-shaped diffusers emit a soft, omnidirectional glow that flatters skin tones and, critically, provides cross-lighting at facial height rather than the unflattering top-down wash of downlights. The reflected sconce in the mirror doubles the light count perceptually, reinforcing the sense of symmetry and depth. Shadow is used compositionally: the recessed toe of the vanity, the reveal lines in the joinery, and the raking light across the stone's striation all rely on controlled darkness to describe form. The resulting atmosphere is one of hushed, tactile luxury — sensory rather than declarative. Stylistically, the project sits within a contemporary Warm Minimalism, inflected with the material gravity of Milanese modernism and traces of a Japandi sensibility in its reverence for grain, joinery reveals, and the studied placement of a single floral gesture. There is nothing decorative in the additive sense; ornament is entirely subsumed into material and detail. The design's authority derives from restraint and fabrication rigor — the mitre, the reveal, the vein-match — positioning it as a mature exercise in what might be called quiet monumentality: a small room made consequential through the discipline of its surfaces.

Glamorous chef-inspired kitchen with blue and white two-tone cabinets, marble mosaic tile backsplash, and nickel hardware and pendant lights Photo by Stacy Zarin Goldberg Photography

Amy E. Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized timeless girl carpeted and white floor kids' room remodel in Phoenix with gray walls

Beach style carpeted bedroom photo in Grand Rapids with blue walls

We painted the upper cabinets in Benjamin Moore's "Stonington Gray", and the lowers in Benjamin Moore "Hale Navy", in this updated kitchen in Rollingwood, TX.

Dawn Burkhart
Example of a mid-sized cottage l-shaped brown floor and dark wood floor kitchen design in Boise with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, white countertops and white cabinets