This elaborate Russian-inspired kitchen has historical sources and a shocking “before”
When NY designer Howard Slatkin renovated his Fifth Avenue apartment, his highly detailed European style was not excluded from the kitchen. Describing the iconic blue-and-white Delft tiles on the ceiling and walls as a “wild mix,” he was hardly exaggerating – since the motif also [...]

The spirit of Mexican and rustic California Mission architecture is embodied in this kitchen which combines vivid turquoise – declared the “color of the year” for 2010 – with the warm reddish browns of Mexico’s natural Saltillo tiles.
The centerpiece of the room by Chicago-area designer Jean Stoffer, who also provides the custom cabinets, is a [...]

In L.A., even a long-dead movie star like screen legend Errol Flynn [right] can distinguish a house.
At some point, the star of film classics like 1935’s “Captain Blood” and 1938’s “Robin Hood,” lived in this 4500 square foot, 1926 Mediterranean style, hillside home in the Hollywood Hills, which boasts an 18 x 21-foot kitchen plus [...]

There’s a lot to say about this highly individual, 4-year old kitchen by Baltimore architect Charles Bohl, but my first question was “OMG, what’s that floor?” Practicality aside, the color and texture makes everything appear to float on a shimmering lake – evoking water as a vital element  – with stunning effect.
That the floor upstages [...]

Midnight-blue base cabinets are a visual anchor for this split-scheme kitchen designed by Stephen Hart and Bee Howes. It was one of the original clips in my notebook because I liked the calm atmosphere and classic look. White and glass upper cabinets seem to float on the walls when the skylight over the bead board [...]

Blue milk paint on these burnished Crown Point cabinets, with Shaker style doors, is matched up with a gray slate counter top and fluted tulip pendant light shades for a kind of hipster approach to conventional cottage style. (Source: crown-point.com)

Two shades of blue work well with terracotta floor tile in this unusual kitchen. The big island has a variety of features from turned columns with bun feet to open areas for cookbook storage and display. While the white appliances tend to pop rather than blend, they do coordinate with the white farm sink. Traditional [...]

Aged paint is the hallmark of Chalon, a bespoke British cabinet maker from Somerset. Invoking the style of 18th and 19th century manor houses, kitchens such as this are unfitted and distinguished by unique color and beefy turned wood knobs. Islands are often open at one end with a low pot shelf to accommodate tall [...]

Our same friends who built the Brooklyn Beach house kitchen rented a home in Italy from an Italian restaurateur and fell in love with his kitchen. While the sky-high open storage requires a ladder and steady footing, the convenience of a steam oven, espresso machine, stainless steel counters and commercial dishwasher was seductive. Modern Italian [...]

Classic blue and white Delft tiles inspire the overall color palette for this kitchen from Canadian custom cabinet maker Robert Thornton. The contrast of dark polished granite on the perimeter, with butcher block on the island, adds an extra helping of drama. Columns on blocks are furniture details on each side of the range top. [...]

Light blue plus black and white is a popular color scheme for English kitchens. This one, in a London townhouse, has a lighthearted aura even though the checkerboard floor adds a note of Victorian formality. Black jumps up and onto the counter adjacent to the range and onto the center work table. Blue cabinets from [...]

An old-fashioned cast-iron utility sink — with integrated back splash and a fabric skirt attached below to conceal storage — was typical of an unfitted WWII-era kitchen. That’s one keynote here. The other is unfitted cabinetry, including a big blue island with bun feet. To help carry through the retro look the drawer [...]