Karen Swanson, owner of New England Design Works in Manchester, MA keeps designing award winning Pennville Custom Cabinetry kitchens. You may remember that earlier this year, Karen won both the regional Sub-Zero Design Contest and the National Kitchen & Bath Association's medium kitchen of the year. nedesignworks@gmail.com 978.500.1096.

The combination of white painted cabinets, the richly-hued reclaimed cherry island and the stainless countertops and appliances all combine to give this kitchen a modern but warm farmhouse feeling.

Lobster and Swan

Jordan Bentley / Bentwater Studio

Modern farmhouse kitchen with patterned tile backsplash, wood island, shaker cabinets, and La Cornue stove. With white concrete countertops and a beautiful wall of marble tile!

David O Marlow

The most notable design component is the exceptional use of reclaimed wood throughout nearly every application. Sourced from not only one, but two different Indiana barns, this hand hewn and rough sawn wood is used in a variety of applications including custom cabinetry with a white glaze finish, dark stained window casing, butcher block island countertop and handsome woodwork on the fireplace mantel, range hood, and ceiling. Underfoot, Oak wood flooring is salvaged from a tobacco barn, giving it its unique tone and rich shine that comes only from the unique process of drying and curing tobacco. Photo Credit: Ashley Avila

The antique reclaimed beams and rafters were sourced with a local supplier from a 19th century barn located in Connecticut. Recycling never looked so good!

View of the whole kitchen. The island is painted in Valspar Merlin and has an oak worktop with an antiqued brass inlay. The stools are also oak. The base cabinetry is painted in Farrow & Ball Ammonite. The splashback behind the Aga cooker is also antiqued brass. The hanging pendant lights are vintage clear glass, chrome and brass. The worktop on the sink run is Nero Asulto Antique Granite. The floating shelves are oak. Charlie O'Beirne

Gil Schafer, Architect Rita Konig, Interior Designer Chambers & Chambers, Local Architect Fredericka Moller, Landscape Architect Eric Piasecki, Photographer

Photos credited to Imagesmith- Scott Smith Entertain with an open and functional kitchen/ dining room. The structural Douglas Fir post and ceiling beams set the tone along with the stain matched 2x6 pine tongue and groove ceiling –this also serves as the finished floor surface at the loft above. Dreaming a cozy feel at the kitchen/dining area a darker stain was used to visual provide a shorter ceiling height to a 9’ plate line. The knotty Alder floating shelves and wall cabinetry share their own natural finish with a chocolate glazing. The island cabinet was of painted maple with a chocolate glaze as well, this unit wanted to look like a piece of furniture that was brought into the ‘cabin’ rather than built-in, again with a value minded approach. The flooring is a pre-finished engineered ½” Oak flooring, and again with the darker shade we wanted to emotionally deliver the cozier feel for the space. Additionally, lighting is essential to a cook’s –and kitchen’s- performance. We needed there to be ample lighting but only wanted to draw attention to the pendants above the island and the dining chandelier. We opted to wash the back splash and the counter tops with hidden LED strips. We then elected to use track lighting over the cooking area with as small of heads as possible and in black to make them ‘go away’ or get lost in the sauce.

Photography by Veronica Rodriguez

A contemporary kitchen in a rural farmhouse brings to life this large open space, featuring warm English Oak worktops and Quebec Yellow Timber units, all hand-crafted and hand-painted. Not forgetting the all important Quooker tap and an Aga, giving the perfect mix of classic and contemporary chic. Photo: Chris Ashwin

Modern Kitchen in open floor plan arrangement with Dining and Living Areas. All spaces united by large vault and clear story lighting.

Large kitchen design in a cabin preservation project. Sam Oberter Photography