In a Marina del Rey family home, Zeb Crunk opened up the kitchen to create a space that feels both lively and lived-in. A wall came down to make room for dining. “Our inspiration was the eat-in kitchen from the movie Moonstruck,” says design principal Jazmyne Crunk. “A dining table in the middle of a kitchen is just so dreamy.”
The 1960s Danish modern dining chairs and the 1960s French-oak dining table were both 1stDibs finds. “The aesthetic draws on mid-century modern influences while incorporating global accents, vibrant textiles and organic materials,” Crunk says.
Shades of green appear throughout, including in the cookware, seat fabric, paper pendant and smaller light fixtures by the windows. The Tabarka Studio wall tiles, hand-painted with a floral pattern, pair well with the heated terracotta flooring and Crema Marfil marble countertops. A skylight is painted blue on the inner surfaces to create a 3-D effect when looking heavenward.
“We look for opportunities to incorporate elements that make a kitchen feel warm and inviting,” Crunk explains. “Simple additions like lamps placed on countertops, rugs or thoughtfully selected fabrics can make a big difference.”
Brooklyn-based studio Chango transformed a classic A-frame cabin on a Yosemite Valley lake into a modern retreat where the kitchen is the heart of the home. Opening to both the dining and living rooms, the space layers warm-tone woods with sheetrock painted in Benjamin Moore’s Simply White. Large windows frame views of the forest outside, and iridescent Zia tiles bring some shimmer indoors.
“This specific home was asking for warmth,” says Chango creative director Susana Simonpietri. “The kitchen is full of natural light, wood millwork to complement original ceiling beams and paneling and colorful folk-patterned textiles that feel very California.”
Custom hardwood floors from Riva Spain, counters of Caesarstone Fresh Concrete and a Lacanche range combine function with bucolic character. Details like Waterstone plumbing, Rocky Mountain Hardware sash pulls, Vuuv Works stools and ceiling lights by Martin Brudnizki’s And Objects emphasize high-quality craftsmanship.
It’s a refreshingly modern Sierra Nevada kitchen that honors its cabin roots.
In a Malibu house steps from the Pacific Ocean, Amber Lewis designed the kitchen to serve as a perfect gathering place for a family that lives as much outdoors as in.
The palette leans beach bright without going full maritime. A vaulted ceiling with skylights floods the space with sun, and Roman-clay walls and antique-stone flooring ground it in warmth.
White-oak groove-paneled cabinetry balances honed Calacatta-marble and Petit Granit counters, while a brick oven provides old-world utility. Waterworks unlacquered-brass fixtures, Ann-Morris copper pendants, Belgian leather stools from Lucca Antiques and a vintage Mahal rug add patina.
“I wanted this kitchen to have a rustic, cozy vibe, even though the room is quite grand,” Lewis says. “The floors, paired with the oakwood tones, helped bring this to life and connect seamlessly with the rest of the home.”
Still, when designing a kitchen, she encourages clients to resist overmatching. “It can be different from the rest of the house while complementing it,” she explains. “Don’t think you have to carry through the flooring, cabinetry colors or specific elements from other spaces — mix it up and go with what you love.”
Vance Burke transformed a former den in his own mid-century Palm Springs house into a sunny and sophisticated kitchen. “We kept the materials light and used natural desert tones,” he says. “White terrazzo keeps the light bouncing.”
A counter-height glass-and-Lucite table, taking the place of a traditional island, is lit from above by skylights and a suspended fixture. Additional illumination from below creates a dramatic effect at night. A Heidi Van Wieren painting over the fireplace and a 1970s Murano globe lamp from J.F. Chen make the space read more like a sitting room than a kitchen.
“Whenever possible, we love adding upholstery, lamps and art to kitchens,” Burke says, “to complete a continuation of a residence and to avoid being too antiseptic.”
Clements Design gave a West Hollywood pied-à-terre in a mid-century high-rise a major reset, starting with the kitchen. “The client wanted to completely modernize the kitchen and was committed to taking a minimalist approach,” says Kathleen Clements, who runs the firm with her son, Tommy.
New blond-wood flooring, pull-less cabinets and modern appliances were brought in, she explains, “with the client’s aesthetic in mind, but also her desire for a true functioning kitchen.”
The paired-back aesthetic of the renovation spotlights the collectible pieces in the middle: a circa 1929 Le Corbusier table partnered with an Alexandre Noll mahogany side chair from the 1940s. The overall effect is sleek and contemporary, but the mix hints at a soulful life beyond the brand new.
Tineke Triggs transformed an Edwardian San Francisco townhouse into a contemporary home that is generally overflowing with high-brow playfulness and color. The kitchen, however, embodies a quieter sort of glamour, with “subtle layers when you really take it in,” Triggs says.
Modern lines and soft whites define the space, while materials with sheen catch the light. “The Calacatta Retro marble sets the tone right away,” she adds. “Soft veining, just enough movement and a really elegant backdrop for the whole space.”
Above the island, customized Apparatus Synapse pendants in blackened brass and tarnished silver offer a dash of drama. The bespoke cabinetry and island, coated in C2 Paint’s Whistler White, are met by WorkOf stools with black-walnut frames, sienna-leather cushions and satin-aluminum footrests.
“They’re so good here,” Triggs says of the stools. She finished the room with Manor pulls in walnut and nickel for another dab of polish.
“Designing a kitchen is all about balance for me,” the designer explains. “It has to function beautifully, of course, but it should also lift your mood the minute you walk in. Good materials, great lighting and a few special details — that’s the sweet spot.”
In Malibu, Chloe Warner, founder of Redmond Aldrich Design, joined forces with architecture firm Marmol Radziner to create a contemporary coastal compound for fashion entrepreneur Melissa Akkaway and her young family.
The 7,600-square-foot home is composed of a series of streamlined volumes with plenty of openings to the landscape. Warner sought to humanize that framework with color, pattern, natural textures and furnishings that feel collected over time.
Telescoping doors slide back to merge the centrally located kitchen with an olive grove and an outdoor dining pavilion. “When the glass wall to the olive grove is open, the space becomes a natural gathering place,” Warner says. “So, we wanted materials and colors that honor that daily magic.”
The adjoining room great room is simple in form and layered in tone. The result is a harmonious equilibrium between the architecture’s modernist formality and the family’s energy.
In L.A.’s Brentwood neighborhood, Jake Arnold was asked to rework a Spanish Revival house designed in the 1930s by architect-to-the-stars Paul R. Williams. Arnold, whose own celebrity clientele includes John Legend, Whitney Cummings and Aaron Paul, approached the project with reverence for Williams’s vision while reshaping the interior for the 21st century.
In the kitchen, the British-born designer found inspiration in the English Country aesthetic, filtered through the lens of a West Coast sensibility. The room’s neutral scheme encompasses shades of mocha and tan, and much of the wood cabinetry has distinct tiger-striped graining, which is contrasted with hand-painted sections.
Antique bronze hardware injects a subtle sense of history, and a La Cornue range introduces a timeless silhouette. For the marble surfaces, Arnold selected an ogee edge that draws attention to the natural veining of the stone.
Vintage lighting, plaster walls and bold textiles add variety. “Vintage pieces are always nonnegotiable for me,” Arnold states in his 1stDibs50 spotlight. “They add soul to a space.”
Commune Design renovated a 1922 Spanish-Moorish Revival house in L.A. by legendary local architect Stiles O. Clements, updating it without erasing its story.
Because the kitchen had already been expanded by a previous owner, the work in this space involved surface changes rather than a major reconstruction. Commune repainted the existing cabinetry, introduced a copper backsplash and swapped in Van Cronenburg hardware.
A floral wallcovering by Marthe Armitage introduces pattern without overwhelming the space, thanks to its low-contrast color scheme. A sculptural Lindsey Adelman chandelier hangs overhead, while an abstract painting by Stephen Greene provides an expressive moment. Soane barstools, vintage sconces found at Obsolete and a runner from Amadi Carpets complete the picture.
“For us, it was important to be respectful of the history and original details of the house but without being too literal or stuffy with the decor,” says firm coprincipal Steven Johanknecht. “There is a mix of periods and styles of furnishings.”
Martha Mulholland was tasked with softening a 15,000-square-foot white rectilinear house in Bel Air. The client, a real estate developer, wanted the intimidating spaces to be “warmed up and given context,” Mulholland says, “so I made it rustic, modern, earthy, warm and sophisticated.”
The kitchen is part of a large multiuse space that functions as the family’s informal hub, with plate-glass walls that slide open to a pool terrace carved into the hillside.
To make the volume feel more intimate, Mulholland broke it up into distinct zones. Travertine countertops define the kitchen itself, which flows into a casual dining area with a custom table and iconic Mario Bellini Cab chairs from CONVERSO.
Beyond, a fireplace wall features a cinematic digital painting by Petra Cortright, reinforcing the harmony between contemporary cool and California ease. “The scale,” the designer explains, “called for big pieces.”
