Written by Mary Kate Hogan for Westchester Home Magazine. "The Goal: The family that cooks together has the most fun — especially when their kitchen is equipped with four ovens and tons of workspace. After a first-floor renovation of a home for a couple with four grown children, the new kitchen features high-tech appliances purchased through Royal Green and a custom island with a connected table to seat family, friends, and cooking spectators. An old dining room was eliminated, and the whole area was transformed into one open, L-shaped space with a bar and family room. “They wanted to expand the kitchen and have more of an entertaining room for their family gatherings,” says designer Danielle Florie. She designed the kitchen so that two or three people can work at the same time, with a full sink in the island that’s big enough for cleaning vegetables or washing pots and pans. Key Features: Well-Stocked Bar: The bar area adjacent to the kitchen doubles as a coffee center. Topped with a leathered brown marble, the bar houses the coffee maker as well as a wine refrigerator, beverage fridge, and built-in ice maker. Upholstered swivel chairs encourage people to gather and stay awhile. Finishing Touches: Counters around the kitchen and the island are covered with a Cambria quartz that has the light, airy look the homeowners wanted and resists stains and scratches. A geometric marble tile backsplash is an eye-catching decorative element. Into the Wood: The larger table in the kitchen was handmade for the family and matches the island base. On the floor, wood planks with a warm gray tone run diagonally for added interest." Bilotta Designer: Danielle Florie Photographer: Phillip Ennis

Holiday Kitchens Seattle Hickory Door in Natural This custom wet bar (and entire lower level renovation!) was designed by Brillo Home Improvements Inc. - WI | Photographer: Edmunds Studios, Inc. Features include: wine rack, beverage refrigerator, sink, puck lights underneath the staircase, and stacked-stone wall above the countertop. What an amazing transformation! See Brillo today www.BrilloHomeImprovements.com See more custom design work: http://holidaykitchens.com/index.php/quality-designed/gallery/kitchens Find a dealer near you: http://holidaykitchens.com/index.php/about/locator View our online brochure: http://holidaykitchens.com/index.php/planning-designing

A custom handmade wall covering recalls historical canopy beds transforming the bed now to the scale of the space. Vancouver's Stanley Park provides the tonal inspiration set underneath a luminous gold sky. Photo by: David Mitchell

The newly design craft space serves as a great place to create art, study with two desks, a large sink and cabinetry for clean up and walls dedicated to hanging new masterpieces by the children in the family. The colors were selected by the children and the rest was up to designer, Catherine O'Brien to make this space fun to use. Tim Lee Photography

Mid-century modern galley open concept kitchen photo in San Francisco with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, green backsplash and stainless steel appliances

Inspiration for a large timeless dark wood floor living room remodel in Sydney with white walls

Laurel Way Beverly Hills luxury home theater with glass wall garden view. Photo by William MacCollum.
Inspiration for a huge modern open concept carpeted and gray floor home theater remodel in Los Angeles with a projector screen and brown walls

We transformed this room from an outdated southwest style space to this elegant Spanish style living room. The fireplace was redesigned and an arched passage to the dining was added to better define the spaces. The balance of materials that help create this space are the old world terra cotta tiles, smooth plaster walls, hand carved stone fireplace and rough wood stained ceiling. Furniture, decorative lighting and accessories by Irma Shaw Designs.

This laundry sink has a custom wood work surface where the sink can become a flush folding zone, by the simple lift of the center board. The hole serves as both a way to lift the board and as a drain in case the water mistakenly gets turned on. The wall mounted spout on the faucet also swivels out of the way when the area serves as a work space.

A Modern Farmhouse set in a prairie setting exudes charm and simplicity. Wrap around porches and copious windows make outdoor/indoor living seamless while the interior finishings are extremely high on detail. In floor heating under porcelain tile in the entire lower level, Fond du Lac stone mimicking an original foundation wall and rough hewn wood finishes contrast with the sleek finishes of carrera marble in the master and top of the line appliances and soapstone counters of the kitchen. This home is a study in contrasts, while still providing a completely harmonious aura.

Dining room transformed from board-and-batten white trimmed builders grade, to personality and drama with the fireplace newly clad in steel, client's own dining room table with danish modern chairs added for flair and interest. Custom designed flue escutcheon to go with Matthew Fairbanks chandelier. Photo by Aaron Leitz

Over the Merrimack River and Through the Woods Set back from the road in a picturesque plush green setting flanked by towering 90’ pine trees with seasonal views of the Merrimack River, this 1960’s home was an ideal location to support this amazing kitchen transformation. The privacy, views, peaceful environment and very little traffic provides this family with the lifestyle they’ve grown to love and therefore decided was well worth the investment. Thoughtful space-planning solutions, creative layout and focus on function produced this aesthetically pleasing and sensible design. The homeowners are enjoying their updated, cozy space as if it was there all along. Photo by Eric Roth

Beach style dark wood floor sunroom photo in Boston with a fire pit, decking, a roof extension, a standard fireplace, a concrete fireplace and a standard ceiling

Photo: Joyelle West
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary l-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Boston with blue cabinets, terra-cotta backsplash, an island, an undermount sink, multicolored backsplash, stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops and raised-panel cabinets

Ryann Ford
Tuscan dark wood floor family room photo in Austin with white walls, a standard fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

A 1927 colonial home in Shaker Heights, Ohio, received a breathtaking renovation that required extensive work, transforming it from a tucked away, utilitarian space, to an all-purpose gathering room, a role that most kitchens embrace in a home today. The scope of work changed over the course of the project, starting more minimalistically and then quickly becoming the main focus of the house's remodeling, resulting in a staircase being relocated and walls being torn down to create an inviting focal point to the home where family and friends could connect. The focus of the functionality was to allow for multiple prep areas with the inclusion of two islands and sinks, two eating areas (one for impromptu snacking and small meals of younger family members and friends on island no. two and a built-in bench seat for everyday meals in the immediate family). The kitchen was equipped with all Subzero and Wolf appliances, including a 48" range top with a 12" griddle, two double ovens, a 42" built-in side by side refrigerator and freezer, a microwave drawer on island no. one and a beverage center and icemaker in island no. two. The aesthetic feeling embraces the architectural feel of the home while adding a modern sensibility with the revamped layout and graphic elements that tie the color palette of whites, chocolate and charcoal. The cabinets were custom made and outfitted with beaded inset doors with a Shaker panel frame and finished in Benjamin Moore's OC-17 White Dove, a soft white that allowed for the kitchen to feel warm while still maintaining its brightness. Accents of walnut were added to create a sense of warmth, including a custom premium grade walnut countertop on island no. one from Brooks Custom and a TV cabinet with a doggie feeding station beneath. Bringing the cabinet line to the 8'6" ceiling height helps the room feel taller and bold light fixtures at the islands and eating area add detail to an otherwise simpler ceiling detail. The 1 1/4" countertops feature Calacatta Gold Marble with an ogee edge detail. Special touches on the interiors include secret storage panels, an appliance garage, breadbox, pull-out drawers behind the cabinet doors and all soft-close hinges and drawer glides. A kneading area was made as a part of island no. one for the homeowners' love of baking, complete with a stone top allowing for dough to stay cool. Baskets beneath store kitchen essentials that need air circulation. The room adjacent to the kitchen was converted to a hearth room (from a formal dining room) to extend the kitchen's living space and allow for a natural spillover for family and guests to spill into. Jason Miller, Pixelate

Inspiration for an industrial concrete floor living room remodel in Seattle with white walls, no fireplace and no tv

When Cummings Architects first met with the owners of this understated country farmhouse, the building’s layout and design was an incoherent jumble. The original bones of the building were almost unrecognizable. All of the original windows, doors, flooring, and trims – even the country kitchen – had been removed. Mathew and his team began a thorough design discovery process to find the design solution that would enable them to breathe life back into the old farmhouse in a way that acknowledged the building’s venerable history while also providing for a modern living by a growing family. The redesign included the addition of a new eat-in kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, wrap around porch, and stone fireplaces. To begin the transforming restoration, the team designed a generous, twenty-four square foot kitchen addition with custom, farmers-style cabinetry and timber framing. The team walked the homeowners through each detail the cabinetry layout, materials, and finishes. Salvaged materials were used and authentic craftsmanship lent a sense of place and history to the fabric of the space. The new master suite included a cathedral ceiling showcasing beautifully worn salvaged timbers. The team continued with the farm theme, using sliding barn doors to separate the custom-designed master bath and closet. The new second-floor hallway features a bold, red floor while new transoms in each bedroom let in plenty of light. A summer stair, detailed and crafted with authentic details, was added for additional access and charm. Finally, a welcoming farmer’s porch wraps around the side entry, connecting to the rear yard via a gracefully engineered grade. This large outdoor space provides seating for large groups of people to visit and dine next to the beautiful outdoor landscape and the new exterior stone fireplace. Though it had temporarily lost its identity, with the help of the team at Cummings Architects, this lovely farmhouse has regained not only its former charm but also a new life through beautifully integrated modern features designed for today’s family. Photo by Eric Roth

Bath remodel with custom stone pedestal sink with Waterworks fixture. Reclaimed wood paneled wall with reclaimed antique Italian street lamp as pendant. Photography by Manolo Langis Located steps away from the beach, the client engaged us to transform a blank industrial loft space to a warm inviting space that pays respect to its industrial heritage. We use anchored large open space with a sixteen foot conversation island that was constructed out of reclaimed logs and plumbing pipes. The island itself is divided up into areas for eating, drinking, and reading. Bringing this theme into the bedroom, the bed was constructed out of 12x12 reclaimed logs anchored by two bent steel plates for side tables.