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    Eight earthy kitchens where terracotta tiles add warmth and tactility

    For this lookbook, we’ve collated eight kitchens from Dezeen’s archive that use terracotta tiling to bring a sense of warmth into the functional space.

    Terracotta – meaning baked earth in Italian – technically refers to any object made from fired clay. But most commonly, the term is used to describe pottery made from a porous type of earthenware clay that is high in iron oxides, giving it a rusty reddish brown colour.
    Unlike ceramic stoneware or porcelain, terracotta is fired at lower temperatures so it does not vitrify – meaning the clay retains a coarse, organic texture and isn’t waterproof unless it is glazed.
    Used as a backsplash or flooring, this can bring some much-needed colour and texture into the kitchen while helping to create a connection to the outdoors.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring accent walls, bookshelves and sunken baths.

    Photo by Prue RuscoeBudge Over Dover, Australia, by YSG
    Australian studio YSG used narrow terracotta tiles to “draw the outside in” to this house in Sydney, spilling from the floor of the garden patio onto the adjacent kitchen and dining area, which can be opened up to the exterior using sliding glass doors.
    The rough clay is paired with shiny aubergine-coloured plaster and travertine in the sunken living room beyond, creating a contrast between raw and polished surfaces.
    Find out more about Budge Over Dover ›
    Photo by Mariell Lind HansenFarley Farmhouse, UK, by Emil Eve Architects
    When Emil Eve Architects added a gabled kitchen to a farmhouse in Wiltshire, the British studio set out to mirror the material palette of the existing home by adding arrowhead terracotta tiles to the extension’s exterior.
    Inside, matching rectangular tiles were laid in a herringbone pattern on the floor while a row of clay pendant lights hang from the wooden roof beams.
    Find out more about Farley Farmhouse ›
    Photo by Denilson MachadoHygge Studio, Brazil, by Melina Romano
    Terracotta flooring and tan brick walls lend a “rustic charm” to this São Paulo apartment, designed by Brazilian designer Melina Romano.
    The tiles spill out across the entire home including the bedroom and lounge, which is framed by a screen made of decorative perforated cobogó blocks.
    Find out more about Hygge Studio ›
    Photo by José HeviaLas 3 Marías, Spain, by Bajet Giramé and Nicolas Burckhardt
    All-over terracotta flooring was one of the ways that Spanish studio Bajet Giramé found to connect the kitchen of this 1960s holiday home to its generous backyard, alongside the addition of generous arched openings and perforated steel doors.
    “We ended up working on the whole plot, treating both house and garden as a playful matrix of varied interconnected rooms,” the studio told Dezeen.
    Find out more about Las 3 Marías ›
    Photo by Adrià GoulaLa Odette, Spain, CRÜ
    To create a bright, open floor plan inside this apartment in a Barcelona housing block that dates back to 1877, Spanish studio CRÜ tore down most of the internal petition walls
    Instead, the kitchen is now delineated by a statement wall clad in terracotta tiles – left over from the flooring and turned back-to-front to reveal their ribbed underside.
    Find out more about La Odette ›

    West Bend House, Australia, by Brave New Eco
    Three kinds of tiling provide textural interest inside the kitchen of this “forever home” in Melbourne, with sections of rustic terracotta contrasted against a backsplash of teal-glazed ceramics.
    Corrugated tiles were also folded around the pendant light above the island that illuminates the work area, courtesy of Australian lighting brand Southdrawn.
    Find out more about West Bend House ›
    Photo by Conrad BrownComo Taperia, Canada, by Ste Marie
    Both the seating area and the open kitchen of this Spanish tapas bar in Vancouver were lined with terracotta, in a nod to the brick chimneys of Barcelona’s industrial Poble Sec power station.
    Other Catalan references can be found in the restaurant’s cobalt blue accents – informed by the paintings of Joan Miró – and various abstract details that nod to the work of architect Antoni Gaudí.
    Find out more about Como Taperia ›
    Photo by German SáizConde Duque apartment, Spain, by Sierra + De La Higuera
    Different spaces in this open-plan apartment in Madrid were defined by traditional Moroccan zellige tiles, with glossy yellow and green glazes and organic handcrafted surfaces.
    To balance out these flashier surfaces, terracotta was used to ground the kitchen and dining area, paired with plain white walls and custom timber joinery.
    Find out more about Conde Duque apartment ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring accent walls, bookshelves and sunken baths.

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    Eight open-plan living areas with mix-and-match flooring

    This lookbook collects eight homes with spacious open-plan interiors, where different floor designs have been used to subtly define areas for cooking, dining and lounging.

    Open-plan interiors are an enduring trend in residential design, used most commonly to blend kitchen and living spaces and create a social heart for the home.
    However, this is now competing with an increase in homeowners opting for broken-plan layouts that cater to different activities and bring more variety to their interiors.
    In this roundup, we explore the middle ground: open-plan rooms where mix-and-match flooring is used to softly demarcate kitchens, dining and living areas, visually reducing the size of the space without truncating it.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring discreet lifts, concrete bathrooms and non-boring beige home interiors.

    Photo is by Mariela ApollonioCas 8 House, Spain, by DG Arquitecto
    A decorative range of mosaic tiles is used across the floors of Cas 8 House, a 1920s penthouse in Valencia that was recently modernised by local studio DG Arquitecto.
    As part of the project, the studio created an open-plan living area with an integrated kitchen. Here, the tiles help to set apart zones for lounging and food preparation, without breaking up the room.
    Find out more about Cas 8 House ›
    Photo is by Nicholas WorleyHackney House, UK, by Applied Studio
    London architect Applied Studio used mix-and-match chevron flooring in the rear extension of this house in Hackney, where two different finishes help divide the space.
    On one side, black granite tiles outline the kitchen area, complemented by jet-black timber cabinetry. The opposite side of the room, which is used for dining, is lined with wooden planks teamed with white walls and matching furnishings.
    Find out more about Hackney House ›
    Photo is by Roberto RuizKlinker Apartment, Spain, by Colombo and Serboli Architecture
    Colour-blocking marks out different spaces in the Klinker Apartment, which Serboli Architecture created within the shell of a fire-damaged residence in Barcelona.
    In the open-plan living area, a terracotta-hued strip of micro-cement flooring decorates the kitchen, which has a matching ceiling, splashback and cabinetry that is contrasted with a neutral tiled lounge area.
    Find out more about Klinker Apartment ›
    Photo is by José HeviaVillarroel, Spain, by Raúl Sánchez Architects
    This open-plan cooking, dining and sitting area in the Villarroel apartment is divided into two sections by the flooring, which marries grey-coloured stone slabs with warm wood.
    This reflects architecture studio Raúl Sánchez Architects’ overall design strategy for the home, which was to arrange it into zones without partition walls, opting for “material codes” that distinguish rooms from one another instead.
    Find out more about Villarroel ›
    Photo is by Trieu ChienMài Apartment, Vietnam, by Whale Design Lab
    Chunky white-marble terrazzo is teamed with smooth cement for the flooring of this monolithic, multi-purpose room in the Mài Apartment in Ho Chi Minh City.
    The graphic terrazzo used for the kitchen and food preparation area also covers its cabinets and worksurfaces, making the area feel like its own room despite opening out into the dining area.
    Find out more about Mài Apartment ›
    Photo is by Tim Van de VeldeHouse Mellinet, Belgium, by Atelier Fréderic Louis
    Architecture studio Atelier Fréderic Louis opted for a more subtle terrazzo for the floor in the kitchen of House Mellinet, which shares the same room as the dining area.
    While the terrazzo gives a functional feel to the kitchen, the dining area adjacent has wooden parquet flooring that establishes a warmer and more intimate atmosphere more suited to gathering at the dinner table.
    Find out more about House Mellinet ›
    Photo is by is by Jan VranovskyNagatachō Apartment, Japan, by Adam Nathaniel Furman
    Designer Adam Nathaniel Furman designed the colourful Nagatachō Apartment in Tokyo as a “visual feast”, with open-plan rooms that are filled with an eclectic mix of colours, patterns and textures.
    At the heart of the plan is a candy-pink kitchen suite, which is finished with watermelon-green vinyl flooring. It connects to a sitting room with a contrasting soft lilac carpet that “looks like icing”.
    Find out more about Nagatachō Apartment ›
    Photo is by David FoesselApartment in Paris by Septembre Architecture
    Sleek poured-concrete flooring is juxtaposed with rustic wooden planks in this large, light-filled multi-purpose room, which is located in a renovated Parisian apartment.
    The concrete is used to mark out the kitchen area, which is overlooked by a lounge and dining space with Les Arcs chairs by architect Charlotte Perriand and a statement Tulip table by architect Eero Saarinen.
    Find out more about this apartment in Paris ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring discreet lifts, concrete bathrooms and non-boring beige home interiors.

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    Eight tidy kitchens with slick storage solutions

    As people’s interest in ultra-organised homes shows no signs of abating, we’ve collected eight clutter-free kitchens with smart storage solutions in our latest lookbook.

    Spearheaded by Japanese organisational guru Marie Kondo, well-organised interiors have become a global trend. In no room is this more evident than in the kitchen, where pantries are stocked up with decanted jam jars, spice racks are labelled and shelving units are customised to house specific utensils.
    The following projects, which range from compact apartments to home extensions, use hooks, nooks, racks, shelves, cubby holes and display units to create tidy kitchens where not a grain is out of place.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring Spanish apartment renovations, cosy cabins and interiors with statement carpets.
    Photo is by Edmund SumnerMap House, UK, by SAM Architects

    Paolo Vimercati and Melanie Schubert of SAM Architects demolished a garage hidden behind several listed buildings in south London in order to create this mews house for themselves.
    Designed to accommodate their “modern lifestyles”, the home’s interior is clad in vertical planks of charred larch and has plenty of open-plan spaces.
    The kitchen has pink, blue and orange plywood units that are filled with cooking books and glassware, while a pegboard display area is used to hang crockery.
    Find out more about Map House ›
    Photo is by Perry E HallFifth Avenue Kitchen, US, by Handwerk Art and Design
    Space-saving storage solutions can be found in Fifth Avenue Kitchen, a compact New York apartment created by interior design studio Handwerk Art and Design for a client who works in the film industry.
    Aiming to make the most of the 160-square-foot (15 square-metre) space, Handwerk retrofitted the kitchen with features including a pegboard wall for hanging mugs, aprons and other items.
    “Starting with a study of their cooking habits and spatial needs, we designed a set of custom cabinets for the whole kitchen that placed everything specifically and precisely,” said the studio.
    Find out more about Fifth Avenue Kitchen ›
    Photo is by Megan TaylorFruit Box, UK, by Nimtim Architects
    Plywood and planed softwood structures with square tiles characterise this playful galley kitchen designed by Nimtim Architects for a home extension project in Forest Hill, London.
    A kitchen island features a tiled waterfall countertop above a sink and shelving. The kitchen walls were designed to be filled in to increase privacy, or easily removed to maximise open space depending on the family’s future needs.
    Find out more about Fruit Box ›
    Photo is by Hey CheeseThe Family Playground, Taiwan, by HAO Design
    This family home in Taiwan was reorganised by studio HAO Design so that its occupants could spend more time with each other. In the kitchen, the parents are able to watch their children play games or listen to them play the piano while they are making dinner.
    High ceilings in the kitchen meant there was room for a large black steel storage rack to be hung above a white-tiled island. The cage-like storage system serves as a “visual focus” and can also be used to hold plants or kitchenware.
    Find out more about The Family Playground ›
    Photo is courtesy of Position CollectiveAir-BnP, Hungary, by Position Collective
    This former studio flat in Budapest was reorganised by Hungarian studio Position Collective to create an Airbnb property suitable for two guests. Rather than rearranging the layout – and mindful of the small budget – the studio installed a plywood furniture and storage system that caters to temporary occupants’ needs.
    In the kitchen, it features a modular pegboard storage wall with adjustable shelves to showcase different pieces of local Hungarian art books, home accessories and cooking equipment.
    Find out more about Air-BnP ›
    Photo is by Megan TaylorCurve Appeal, UK, by Nimtim Architects
    London studio Nimtim Architects transformed a 1920s semi-detached house in Southwark using multifunctional plywood partitions with arched openings and alcoves for storing belongings.
    A limited, neutral-toned material palette was employed in the kitchen, comprised of handmade terracotta floor tiles, laminated countertops and sustainably sourced plywood.
    Find out more about Curve Appeal ›
    Photo is by Richard ChiversMaison Pour Dodo, UK, by Studio Merlin
    For the revamp of a flat in Stoke Newington, British interior firm Studio Merlin added an abundance of storage to form serene, clutter-free living spaces.
    An opening in the living room connects the kitchen, where there’s a wall of deep-set IKEA cabinets with smokey blue door fronts and a seating nook. Above this, a series of pantry-style shelves means the owner can easily access jars of cooking ingredients.
    Find out more about Maison Pour Dodo ›
    Photo is by Cristobal PalmaPunta Chilen, Chile, by Guillermo Acuña Arquitectos Asociados
    Named after the peninsula of land that the residential complex sits on, this red home extension was constructed by Santiago-based architecture studio Guillermo Acuña Arquitectos Asociados using pine stilts.
    An open-plan room in the heart of the home is a communal space designed for cooking and eating. Large pine shelves filled with ornaments and tableware line the walls.
    Find out more about Punta Chilen ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with sliding doors, earthy bedrooms with natural colours and kitchens with marble surfaces.

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    Eight kitchens that benefit from generous marble surfaces

    From veiny and earthy to sleek and spotless, our latest lookbook features eight kitchens from the Dezeen archive that prominently feature marble.

    Marble is a metamorphic stone formed when limestone rock is heated and pressured in the Earth’s crust, making it crystallise and form a streaky, swirly mix. The smooth stone can be used on walls, floors and other surfaces, often in bathrooms or kitchens.
    In larger kitchens, marble can be used to form sturdy islands, breakfast bars or dining tables while in smaller spaces, it can be used as an easy-to-clean splashback or countertop for meal preparation.
    Here are eight interior projects that feature marble kitchens, including a playful apartment in Melbourne and a minimalist house in Canada.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes informed by biophilic design, colourful 1970s interiors and homes with sliding doors.

    Photo is by Eduardo MacariosApartment 207, Brazil, by Belotto Scopel Tanaka
    For the revamp of a 75-square-metre apartment in Brazil, architecture studio Belotto Scopel Tanaka employed a simple material palette of glossy, dark wooded cabinetry against black and white marble.
    On one side of the marble breakfast bar, there is space for the residents to sit and enjoy meals; on the other, there are several drawers for crockery and kitchenware storage.
    Find out more about Apartment 207 ›
    Photo is by Piet-Albert GoethalsDeknudt Nelis, Belgium, by Arjaan de Freyter
    Blackened steel, dark walnut fittings and deep-green marble slabs fill the interior of this pared-back office that Belgian studio Arjaan de Freyter designed for law firm Deknudt Nelis.
    The same veiny stone used for the striking kitchen island has also been used to line the inner shelves of a full-height storage unit. Architect De Freyter chose the material to convey “decisiveness and professionalism,” he told Dezeen.
    Find out more about Deknudt Nelis ›
    Photo is by Benjamin HoskingBrunswick Apartment, Australia, by Murray Barker and Esther Stewart
    Like the majority of this Melbourne apartment, its L-shaped kitchen pays homage to the 1960s, with the same pistachio green tones and speckled flooring as its original mid-century interior.
    The designers used Rosa Alicante marble on the top of the custom-made steel frame table and long countertops, which complements the terrazzo floor tiles beneath.
    Find out more about Brunswick Apartment ›

    Photo is by Daniel SalemiBrooklyn Loft, US, by Dean Works
    New York studio Dean Works added a statement multi-functional plywood unit in the kitchen of this Brooklyn apartment, giving its occupants some much-needed storage space.
    Its in-built grey and white marble countertop was cut away to make space for a traditional white sink and a gas hob, while the shelves provide space above the counter for tableware, crockery and cooking utensils.
    Find out more about Brooklyn Loft ›
    Photo is by Piet-Albert GoethalsBelgian Apartment, Belgium, by Carmine Van Der Linden and Thomas Geldof
    Local architects Carmine Van Der Linden and Thomas Geldof designed this coastal two-floor apartment to reflect its calm countryside surroundings.
    Seaweed-coloured joinery and streaky Alga Marina marble surfaces make the kitchen the focal point of the residence and contrast the panelled birchwood cabinets and shelves.
    Find out more about Belgian Apartment ›
    Photo is by Andrew SnowBeaconsfield Residence, Canada, by StudioAC
    Located in Toronto, this Victorian townhouse renovated by StudioAC combines clean white hues with wooden furnishing and flooring.
    The overhaul included opening up the interior by reorganising the layout, as well as installing a black marble-covered kitchen island to provide a darker contrast.
    Find out more about Beaconsfield Residence ›
    Photo is by Raphaël ThibodeauCottage on the Point, Canada, by Paul Bernier Architecte
    Designed by local studio Paul Bernier Architecte, this sun-drenched kitchen sits within a house extension in Cottage on the Point, a lakeside dwelling in Quebec.
    The large glass windows that frame views of the surrounding trees and night skies also allow light to bounce across the pale marble surfaces that line the table, shelves and countertops.
    Find out more about Cottage on the Point ›
    Photo is by Timothy KayeBarwon Heads House, Australia, Adam Kane Architects
    Australian studio Adam Kane Architects blanketed the barn-style extension of Barwon Heads House in a monochrome interior palette and contemporary finishes.
    The open plan kitchen and dining area is divided by a large marble dining table, while elsewhere in the cottage, matching slabs of travertine marble are used as countertops and coffee tables.
    Find out more about A Barwon Heads House ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring interiors with Eames chairs, memorable pop-up shops and interiors informed by Bauhaus principles.

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    London apartment features fish and chip shop-informed kitchen

    A steel kitchen that references London’s many fast food shops takes centre stage in this apartment designed by local studio Holloway Li for its co-founder Alex Holloway, which also has a bathtub in the living room.

    Located in north London’s Highbury, the apartment is set in a converted Victorian house and was renovated to create a home-cum-photography-studio for Holloway and his partner Elle Parmar Jenkins, founder of vintage furniture store Goods In.
    The apartment includes a custom-built stainless steel kitchenHolloway Li sought to update the single-storey space while also maintaining many of its original features.
    Part of this process included removing the master bedroom entirely to create an open-plan living space from what were originally separate rooms, and adding two extra windows to illuminate this interior.
    Holloway Li looked to local fast-food shops to create this design”We exposed and retained the original timber verge beam keeping all the screws and not cleaning it up at all,” said Holloway, who founded the studio with Na Li in 2018.

    “We wanted to express the formation of the external butterfly roof internally by opening up the ceilings to show the vaulted geometry internally,” he told Dezeen.
    This triple-aspect living space contains a striking kitchen clad in circle-brushed stainless steel with a curved splashback that takes cues from the kebab and fish and chip shops that Holloway grew up surrounded by in London, according to the designer.
    Pink and orange accents feature throughout”A lot of our studio work often fuses aspects of what people might consider ‘low culture’ with a more high-brow aesthetic,” said Holloway, who explained that the kitchen was not created as a parody, but rather intends to honour the materials found in fast food outlets.
    “This is what London is – a mix of high and low always across the road from one another. It’s part of what makes it interesting, and having grown up here it was important to add those vernacular visual flavours into the space,” he added.
    “Also, I hadn’t seen that material [circle-brushed steel] used in a domestic setting before so I knew it would be unique.”
    A bathtub was inserted into the living spaceThe studio chose a neutral colour palette interrupted with pops of vibrant colours such as orange and blue, which was led by the rosy-hued exposed plaster walls that frame the space.
    Breaking with tradition, Holloway decided to insert a bathtub into the living space where the master bedroom used to be to make use of its panoramic natural light and to add an alternative touch to the apartment.
    The same resin used to create the dining table top is found in the bathroomIt is positioned next to a bespoke timber Holloway Li desk and a vintage Eames office chair that Parmar Jenkins uses when she works from home, while light-hued Douglas fir flooring and chunky geometric sconce lights add to the warm interior.
    Other furniture pieces by the studio include a chubby orange armchair that Holloway Li launched at this year’s London Design Festival in collaboration with Uma Objects as well as the dining table and a shower screen that were both formed from a gridded resin off-cut salvaged from a previous project.

    Ten self-designed homes by architects and designers

    Holloway’s favourite element of the apartment is “the windows and reflections,” he said. “It is very rare to have a room in a Victorian terrace that has windows on three out of four of its sides.”
    “The kitchen in turn – on the old side that doesn’t have a window – reflects the opposite windows so it actually feels like you are surrounded by light,” he added.
    Colours in the living space are also hinted at in the apartment’s one bedroomThis apartment is not the first of Holloway Li’s interior designs that intend to directly respond to their contexts.
    Previously, the studio dressed the Wunderlocke hotel in Munich in hues that nod to the paintings of the late Munich-based painter Wassily Kandinsky, while it designed bathroom brand Coalbrook’s showroom with industrial materials that echo the building’s original function as a tobacco-pipe factory.
    The photography is by Edmund Dabney. 

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    Emil Eve Architects designs small kitchen with space-saving Neff appliances that can be easily hidden away

    Dezeen has teamed up with Neff to commission London studio Emil Eve Architects to design a small contemporary kitchen using the German brand’s space-saving appliances, including an oven with a fully retractable oven door.

    To coincide with the 20th anniversary of the brand’s Slide & Hide oven, which features an oven door that slides away under the appliance, Neff and Dezeen teamed up with Emil Eve Architects to develop a design for a modern kitchen for city homes where space is limited.
    The Slide & Hide oven features a door that can “disappear” under the appliance to gain easy access to foodThe design aims to balance smart and functional design that saves space in an imaginative and contemporary style.
    “Smart and functional design doesn’t have to mean boring. We love to bring an element of fun to cooking with our appliances,” said Neff.
    “Space in city centres comes at a cost, so when that space is limited, design and functionality is essential to love the home you live in.”

    The kitchen was designed to optimise space in smaller city homesEmil Eve Architects developed the design with the vision of creating a kitchen space for preparing and sharing food, where cooking and eating is a social experience to leisurely spend time.
    The guiding principle behind the design was to combine efficiency and ergonomics and to maximise space for smaller city homes. The design features generous shelving for storage and displays, using products that have the ability to seamlessly slide everything away – even the appliances.
    “We have greatly enjoyed the challenge of working with Neff to develop a kitchen design for a city centre home, where space is at a premium, but design does not need to be,” said the studio.
    The kitchen features ample shelving for storage and displays and appliances that can be compacted awayNeff describes its Slide & Hide oven as the “only oven with a fully retracting door” that not only frees up space in the kitchen, but also enables users to get up close to the food to add last-minute additions and allows users to safely retrieve dishes without risk of getting burns.
    The built-in oven features a sliding door designed to “disappear” in one swift motion via a rotating handle. It comes in stainless steel or graphite grey with the option of adding steam functions, eco-clean, touch screen displays or be linked with Neff Home Connect app, which enables users to control home appliances remotely via voice commands.
    “It’s more than just a technical object, it has a sort of playful component, and it’s simply fun to use,” said Neff vice president of design Ralf Grobleben.
    The design centres around a kitchen island with easily accessible storageThe kitchen features a central island as a contemporary take on a traditional farmhouse kitchen table. The island is equipped with a series of drawers and open shelves where everything is easily accessible.
    The traditional kitchen garden is replaced with a richly planted balcony, designed to be a small but productive space elevated above the city.
    The architects combined high-quality materials including vibrant stained solid timber fronts that contrast with exposed powder-coated steel and stainless steel work surfaces.
    Founded in 1877, Neff develops and produces built-in home appliances for modern kitchens. Its products range from ovens, hobs, extractor hoods to refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers and coffee machines.
    Dezeen x Neff
    This article was written by Dezeen as part of a partnership with Neff. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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    Ten kitchens with polished granite surfaces

    The durable, stain-resistant qualities of granite make it a choice material for kitchens. Our latest lookbook showcases 10 kitchens on Dezeen that celebrate the light-coloured stone.

    Waterproof and scratch-resistant, the igneous rock granite has been used in construction and interior design for centuries.
    Today, the versatile material is often used as an alternative to marble to top kitchen counters and work surfaces, as well as in bathrooms or on floors.
    From a large grey granite kitchen island in a Mexican apartment to a chevron-patterned granite floor in a London house, the examples below showcase the many ways in which the stone can be used to furnish kitchens.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks homes with characterful floating staircases that appear to defy gravity, atriums that brighten and expand residential spaces and calm green bedrooms that showcase the power of natural colours.

    Photo is by Federica Carlet403 Greenwich, US, by Stefano Pasqualetti
    A mix of materials including steel, marble, granite and wood were peppered throughout this New York residence, which Italian architect Stefano Pasqualetti aimed to make feel “soothing and timeless”.
    In the open-plan kitchen, which offers views onto Tribeca’s West Historic District neighbourhood, walnut cabinets are fitted with granite worktops while a standout blackened metal staircase runs through the property’s core.
    Find out more about 403 Greenwich ›
    Photo is by Ståle EriksenGrove Park, UK, by O’Sullivan Skoufoglou Architects 
    Designed for a client with a keen interest in the outdoors, Grove Park is a terraced house that offers expansive views of the greenery and wild woodland outside.
    London-based studio O’Sullivan Skoufoglou Architects paired the ash-lined kitchen interior with creamy Shivakashi granite countertops and splashback and polished concrete flooring, which was cast in situ.
    Find out more about Grove Park ›
    Photo is by Denilson MachadoDN Apartment, Brasil, by BC Arquitetos
    Located in a 1970s building in the Jardins neighbourhood of São Paulo, this 230-square-metre apartment was designed for a landscape architect by local studio BC Arquitetos.
    The apartment comprises a primarily warm natural walnut interior that is complemented with harder materials, such as concrete columns, stone flooring and granite countertops. A collection of mid-20th century art adds the finishing touch.
    Find out more about DN Apartment ›
    Photo is by Joana França308 S, Brazil, by Bloco Arquiteos
    Brazilian architecture studio Bloco Arquitetos transformed 308 S, an apartment in Brasília, by removing several walls and reconfiguring the challenging layout to make it more open plan.
    To add to the stripped-back look, the architects opted for a neutral colour palette, while pale granite was used for the kitchen and bathroom countertops and flooring.
    Find out more about 308 S›
    Photo is by José HeviaVillarroel Apartment, Spain, by Raúl Sánchez Architects
    The three main areas inside this apartment in Barcelona are distinguished by contrasting materials rather than traditional walls, making it appear more spacious and flexible.
    Wooden floors and white-washed walls define the living area while functional spaces such as the kitchen – where a granite breakfast island takes centre stage – are completed in shades of grey.
    Find out more about Villarroel Apartment ›
    Photo is by Onnis LuqueCasa Nicté-Ha, Mexico, by Di Frenna Arquitectos
    A large granite kitchen island with an adjoining wooden counter is positioned in the middle of the double-height kitchen and dining area inside Casa Nicté-Ha, a home designed by Di Frenna Arquitectos in Colima City, Mexico.
    Elsewhere in the three-bedroom house, the studio mixed dark and light decor including white-painted walls, warm wood and concrete floors and exposed steel beams.
    Find out more about Casa Nicté-Ha ›
    Photo is by Serena EllerDiplomat Apartment, Italy, by 02A
    Antique and mid-century furnishings join sleek, contemporary cabinetry to create this one-bedroom flat in Rome by local architecture and interiors studio 02A.
    The stateless diplomat who owns and lives in the dwelling wanted to make his home a sanctuary filled with items he collected during his trips abroad.
    Find out more about Diplomat Apartment ›
    Photo is by NosheArt-Apart, Germany, by Raum404
    Swiss-based studio Raum404 chose to keep the interiors as minimal, white and spacious as possible in its renovation of Art-Apart, a 19th-century apartment-cum-gallery in Berlin.
    The artist owner tasked the studio with creating a space that could be opened up to the public for exhibitions, which resulted in furniture that could be folded up and plenty of white cupboards that could conceal personal belongings.
    Find out more about Art-Apart ›

    Hackney House, UK, by Applied Studio
    Black timber decor and plenty of windows were installed in architecture and interior design studio Applied Studio’s overhaul of this house in east London’s Hackney.
    Afterward, the studio fitted the glass extension that houses the kitchen and dining table with chevron-patterned granite flooring.
    Find out more about Hackney House ›
    Photo is by French + TyeGolden Lane, UK, by Archmongers
    Quirky modernist elements such as pops of primary colours and glossy furnishings were reinstated by Archmongers in its renovation of this 1950s flat in an inner city London estate.
    In the peninsula kitchen, which is separated from the dining area by chunky white door frames, white cabinets are topped with steel, while grey terrazzo with granite chips highlights the counter end and splashback.
    Find out more about Golden Lane ›
    This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing residential interiors bolstered by exposed wooden beams, living spaces with glossy surfaces that create depth and dimension and gardens with swimming pools that are made for summer.

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    Ten steely kitchens that use metal as their primary material

    A black steel island fitted between original cast-iron columns, a gleaming stainless-steel kitchen and one with reclaimed metal cabinetry are among the kitchen interiors featured in our latest lookbook.

    Metal kitchens can make for a stylish addition to a residential interior, often lending the heart of the home an industrial and restaurant-style look.
    These types of kitchens are said to have risen to popularity during the 1950s, after the steel factories that were formerly used to manufacture weapons pivoted to produce domestic goods.
    Though they went out of favour in the 1960s, by the turn of the millennium sleek, stainless steel kitchens were popularised in residential homes as the result of a futuristic, technology-driven outlook.
    They have since come to represent a modern kitchen look. Here, Dezeen has spotlighted ten homes that make use of metal in residential kitchens in different ways.

    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing relaxing hammocks, white bathrooms and minimalist interiors with natural palettes.
    Photo is by Ioana MarinescuFrame House, UK, by Jonathan Tuckey Design
    British studio Jonathan Tuckey Design renovated this Grade-II listed building in west London, creating a two-storey home that features open-plan living solutions and skeletal partitions.
    Its kitchen, which was positioned behind an intentionally incomplete wall, was clad in stainless steel to provide the home with a cool metallic distinction against the exposed brick walls and plywood carpentry that surround it.
    Find out more about Frame House ›
    Photo is by Ralph FeinerFarmhouse, Switzerland by Baumhauer
    Set within a vaulted room in a traditional barn house in the Swiss hamlet of Florins, architecture studio Baumhauer used clean lines and modern finishes to juxtapose against the home’s farmhouse look.
    An L-shaped kitchen, comprised of two stainless steel counters and rows of cabinetry, was placed beneath the curving ceiling. The metal countertop has a seamless look and features a built-in sink and electric hob, with appliances incorporated within the steel cupboards below.
    Find out more about the farmhouse ›
    Photo is by Nieve, Productora AudiovisualCasa Roc, Spain, by Nook Architects
    Fitted along the edge of an open-plan living and dining room, a glossy metal-lined kitchen adds a modern look to the interior of this Barcelona apartment, which was renovated by Spanish studio Nook Architects.
    The renovation saw the studio maintain the Gothic Quarter apartment’s original mosaic floors and wooden beams while applying shades of grey and white across the walls and ceiling.
    Find out more about Casa Roc ›
    Photo is by Salva LópezBarcelona apartment, Spain, by Isabel López Vilalta
    Several partition walls were removed in architecture and interior design studio Isabel López Vilalta’s overhaul of this penthouse apartment in Barcelona’s Sarrià-Sant Gervasi.
    Afterward, the studio fitted a black iron island that anchored the kitchen, and its appliances, within the now open-plan kitchen, dining and living area.
    “Life in the kitchen was very important to the family, they felt more comfortable in a lively, gathering space than in a strictly traditional and functional kitchen,” said Vilalta.
    Find out more about Barcelona apartment ›
    Photo is by Paul WarcholThe Photographer’s Loft, US, by Desai Chia Architecture
    Aptly named The Photographer’s Loft, this minimal loft apartment in New York was renovated by US studio Desai Chia Architecture for a photographer local to the city. It occupies a 5,000-square-foot former industrial space and is complete with cast iron columns that line the interior.
    Within the home’s main living space, the studio fitted a long black steel kitchen island that runs parallel to a stark white row of kitchen cabinetry and also a dining table.
    The island’s dark steel construction ties to the apartment’s existing iron columns, creating the impression that it existed alongside its original industrial features.
    Find out more about The Photographer’s Loft ›
    Photo is by Justin Clemons and Robert TsaiCCR1 Residence, US, by Wernerfield
    With a material palette consisting of concrete, steel, teak and glass, this kitchen has a stainless-steel finish that covers its worktops, appliances and below- and overhead cabinetry.
    The kitchen has a U-shaped design that backs onto its living and dining area, creating a social yet practical space. The home was designed by Dallas studio Wernerfield and occupies a lakefront setting in a rural location 60 miles southeast of Dallas.
    Find out more about CCR1 Residence ›
    Photo is by Claudia Muñoz KarigCasa Ocal, Ecuador, by Jorge Ramón Giacometti Taller de Arquitectura
    Reclaimed metal was used across the kitchen of this home designed by architecture studio Jorge Ramón Giacometti Taller de Arquitectura in northern Ecuador.
    The textural weathered material was used across its cupboards, countertops and splashback and contrasts against the home’s light timber walls. Positioned above the single row of cabinets, and with a sink at its middle, a rectangular window provides views across the hilly surroundings.
    Find out more about Casa Ocal ›

    House in Tokushima, Japan, by FujiwaraMuro Architects
    Fitted in a home in Tokushima, a city on the Japanese island of Shikoku, a metallic kitchen flanks a living and dining room between its split-level living arrangement.
    Designed by Japanese studio FujiwaraMuro Architects, the kitchen comprises an open-plan design, with its countertops and sink looking out to an adjoining breakfast bar that lines the border of the home’s dining room.
    Find out more about House in Tokushima ›
    Photo is by French+TyeEast Dulwich house extension, UK, by Alexander Owen Architecture
    London studio Alexander Owen Architecture added a marble-clad extension to this Victorian mid-terrace in East Dulwich, London, which houses a kitchen fitted with poured concrete floors, shot-blaster pewter brick walls, a timber ceiling and a stainless steel kitchen.
    The L-shaped kitchen stretches the width of the home and extends across the adjoining length of the extensions pewter brick walls. Stainless steel clads the tops of the kitchen’s worksurfaces and the sides of an island placed at the centre of the space.
    Find out more about East Dulwich house extension ›
    Photo is by Anton GorlenkoShakespeare Tower apartment, UK, by Takero Shimazaki Architects
    Metal countertops top wooden cabinetry at this Japanese-style apartment located within London’s Barbican Estate by London-based studio Takero Shimazaki Architects.
    The apartment comprises a primarily wooden interior that is complemented with cooler materials, such as glossy-black subway tiles organised across the floors of the kitchen, steel worksurfaces and appliances that run parallel in the galley-style space. An exposed concrete ceiling provides a finishing touch.
    Find out more about Shakespeare Tower apartment ›
    This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing relaxing hammocks, white bathrooms and minimalist interiors with natural palettes.

    Read more: More