“This space originally was a closed-in galley kitchen, so we opened it up and extended the house to enclose a rear porch,” Summer Thornton says of this Bloomington, Illinois, home. “Steel doors and windows were added to improve natural light and all walls, including the brick surrounding the La Cornue CornuFe range, were painted white to bounce light around the kitchen.” Photo by Werner Straube, Josh Thornton
For this Mediterranean-style home in Bel Air, Suzanne Rheinstein & Associates opened up the space to the outdoors by adding French doors. They also painted the floor soft gray and off-white to reflect light, and they painted the walls in white lime-wash. The sitting area features Rheinstein’s Italian wingback chairs upholstered in her Delft Pom fabric, produced by Hollyhock for Lee Jofa. The 18th-century polychrome Delft plates surrounding the fireplace are from Bardith, and the French-style stools are from Paul Ferrante. Photo by Pieter Estersohn
A vintage light fixture, Spanish tile and stools with woven seats add depth to this Malibu kitchen by Reath Design. Photo by Andre Vippolis
“This kitchen always had two west-facing windows in the same locations that provided a great deal of light,” says Jeffry Weisman of Fisher Weisman, who updated the penthouse in a grand 1920s San Francisco apartment house. “However, they stare at an adjacent building, so they were unattractive. Andrew Skurman Architects replaced the plain windows with the decorative divided lights you see incorporating frosted glass rather than clear to obscure the view without reducing the natural light.” The counter stools are by Michael Taylor. Photo by François Dischinger
A vaulted ceiling and windows on three sides brighten this Block Island kitchen by Ike Kligerman Barkley off the coast of Rhode Island. Photo by William Waldron
A pair of vintage lanterns from Olde Good Things hang over the kitchen island of this beachfront kitchen in East Quogue, New York, by Robert A.M. Stern Architects. Photo by Peter Aaron / OTTO
A pair of pendant lights hanging from the vaulted ceiling of this Napa, California, kitchen by the Wiseman Group highlights the room’s architecture. Photo by Matthew Millman
A pair of vintage pendants illuminates the kitchen island of this Los Angeles abode by Giannetti Home. There are windows on three sides of the space, providing a more balanced light. Photo by Lisa Romerein
Kishani Perera updated this 1920s Spanish kitchen in the Pacific Palisades, California, juxtaposing modern-day features like stainless-steel appliances with more classic-feeling elements like herringbone floors and intricate tile. Photo by Joe Schmelzer
This Sonoma, California, lake house by Ken Fulk is full of vibrant color and prints, with the exception of this clean, restrained kitchen, whose starkness makes the bright colors of the art and decorative elements pop even more. Photo by Douglas Friedman
Suzanne Kasler designed this airy kitchen at Blackberry Farm in Knoxville, Tennessee, which includes whitewashed cypress beams, a herringbone-tile backsplash and leather-seated stools with nailhead trim. A wrought-iron chandelier dangles over the granite-topped island. Photo by Erica George Dines
A three-armed Serge Mouille light fixture is over a waterfall-edge island in this sleek Studio Hus–designed kitchen in the Los Feliz neighborhood in Los Angeles. Photo by Shade Degges
At Patina Farm, Brooke and Steve Giannetti’s California home, the couple maximized natural light by adding windows that go down to the counter and installing a skylight above the island. They also opted not to include upper cabinets. Photo by Lisa Romerein
A wall of patterned tile adds visual interest to this all-white kitchen in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, by Angie Hranowsky. Photo by Tria Giovan
Workstead updated this landmark brownstone in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, which included commissioning custom beech millwork for the kitchen that was designed and fabricated locally. Photo by Matthew Williams
Gray walls, dark wood accents and patterned window treatments add dimension to this sunny Pacific Palisades kitchen by Jeff Andrews. Photo by Grey Crawford
Glass walls put the focus on the incredible natural setting of this home by Nicole Hollis in Larkspur, California. Wood cabinetry and accents reinforce the space’s organic feel. Photo by Laure Joliet
A mix of solid and glass-front cabinets extend to the high ceilings of this Bridgehampton, New York, kitchen Timothy Godbold, which also features a child-size Charles and Ray Eames table-and-chairs set. Photo by Alec Hemer
The high, coffered ceiling and glass-front cabinets give this Consort-designed New York kitchen a bright, airy feel. Photo by Reid Rolls
A floral-print window treatment adds a pop of color to this Upper East Side duplex’s kitchen by Timothy Whealon. The lacquered table is surrounded with bistro-style stools. Photo by Max Kim-Bee
This Alyssa Kapito–designed kitchen in a New York apartment is a study in white. A Charles and Ray Eames dining table and chair in the style of Gerrit Rietveld stand at the far end of the galley layout. Photo by Nick Johnson
The black light fixture above the island pops against the white walls and surfaces in this Malibu kitchen by Jeffrey Alan Marks. Photo by Douglas Friedman
