Photos by Julie Soefer

This stunning contemporary kitchen is finished off with granite countertops, Bianco Romano and beautiful backsplash: Ambra Waves, Color: Gris from Architectural Design Resource. Wall cabinets have opaque glass flip up doors. All cabinets are Brookhaven featuring a Vista Plus door style with a Cognac finish. Small island has seating for two and is fully paneled on ends. Ceiling puck lighting throughout the kitchen with an exquisite horizontal pendant light above island. Cabinet Innovations Copyright 2012 Don A. Hoffman

Side view of kitchen and kitchen island. Island countertop is marble while the countertop along back wall is plastic laminate with a marine grade plywood edge. The cabinetry is a bamboo veneer. Photographed by Ken Gutmaker

Kitchen island with suspended shelves above. Photos by Linda Svendsen.

Christopher Peacock cabinetry

British Cupcake Bakery Kitchen, Deepdale House LLC

Butler's pantry behind tile wall allows for a clean look for the kitchen. Tiffany Hazekamp (Photos)

Renovated loft. Photo by Daniel Talonia.

Interior Design & Architecture by Group 3

Remodel of a two-story residence in the heart of South Austin. The entire first floor was opened up and the kitchen enlarged and upgraded to meet the demands of the homeowners who love to cook and entertain. The upstairs master bathroom was also completely renovated and features a large, luxurious walk-in shower. Jennifer Ott Design • http://jenottdesign.com/ Photography by Atelier Wong

"The kitchen is fantastic. People definitely say wow when they walk around the corner and catch their first glimpse, and yet at the same time, it is so liveable and practical"

The owners of this prewar apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan wanted to combine two dark and tightly configured units into a single unified space. StudioLAB was challenged with the task of converting the existing arrangement into a large open three bedroom residence. The previous configuration of bedrooms along the Southern window wall resulted in very little sunlight reaching the public spaces. Breaking the norm of the traditional building layout, the bedrooms were moved to the West wall of the combined unit, while the existing internally held Living Room and Kitchen were moved towards the large South facing windows, resulting in a flood of natural sunlight. Wide-plank grey-washed walnut flooring was applied throughout the apartment to maximize light infiltration. A concrete office cube was designed with the supplementary space which features walnut flooring wrapping up the walls and ceiling. Two large sliding Starphire acid-etched glass doors close the space off to create privacy when screening a movie. High gloss white lacquer millwork built throughout the apartment allows for ample storage. LED Cove lighting was utilized throughout the main living areas to provide a bright wash of indirect illumination and to separate programmatic spaces visually without the use of physical light consuming partitions. Custom floor to ceiling Ash wood veneered doors accentuate the height of doorways and blur room thresholds. The master suite features a walk-in-closet, a large bathroom with radiant heated floors and a custom steam shower. An integrated Vantage Smart Home System was installed to control the AV, HVAC, lighting and solar shades using iPads.

A window bay provides seating for a family dining area in the new kitchen. Photo: Jeffrey Totaro

©2011 Jens Gerbitz www.seeing256.com

Steve Hall - Hedrich Blessing Photographer