Hove by Benoit Viaene

Antwerp, Belgium

The Hove kitchen’s arched ceiling isn’t what you’d typically expect in a home on the outskirts of Antwerp. “It surprises every guest, and the monumentality combined with the materials awaken an emotive response,” Belgian designer Benoit Viaene says.

Naturally, Benoit set out to create a kitchen unique in form and experience. While the arch sets the tone, it’s accentuated by the materials and finishes, from the custom clay plaster, smoked oak veneer “left as natural as possible to keep the gradation in the wood” to the brushed Travertine benchtops. The kitchen floors are a custom mix of gravel, hand polished to give an imperfect, waved appearance. “Although monumental in space, the palette of materials, kitchen design and wall finish create a more intimate atmosphere,” Benoit adds.

A custom wine cellar, dining table, kitchen tap and central pendant have been specially designed for the space. Benoit credits the craftspeople they worked with to pull off this level of detail. “An idea or a design can be strong on a drawing board or presentation, but in the end, the skills of craftspeople make it real,” he says. “They are a key element in making a design real.”

Project M by Frederic Kielemoes

Oudenburg, Belgium

Belgian designer Frederic Kielemoes says his Project M kitchen exists as a series of balancing juxtapositions; “Contemporary, yet timeless. Minimal, yet warm. Graphic, yet calm. Calculated, yet intuitive.” For this, he derived inspiration from how we seek tactile, familiar touch points away from the virtual world. “This longing for familiarity translated into a study on materiality. I did this mostly by opposing raw materials, often with a history, with refined contemporary materials,” he says. Reclaimed old French flagstones on the floor meet untreated iron and solid worn oak, limewashed cupboards and expressive marble that intersects in a series of pieces. Above, solid timber slats line the ceiling, “directly cut from a tree”.

An important aspect of the kitchen is also the nearby fireplace, “almost as sacred and symmetrical as an altar,” Frederic says. Deliberately, Frederic has hidden as much modern technology as possible – heating, ventilation, appliances, lighting – so that the space elicits relaxation and ease.

Leinster Square Townhouse by Banda

London, UK

Banda follows the mantra that homes and spaces are not just to be lived in, but to be loved. It’s through working with craftspeople and the provenance of the materials, that they achieve this. “Craftsmanship is everything,” CEO and creative director Edo Mapelli Mozzi says, leading the redesign of an 1850s townhouse, with its high ceilings, period windows and historic garden square vistas.

The cantilevered Calacatta Oro marble Obumex ‘Joseph Dirand’ kitchen, is the space’s dramatic centrepiece. “It gives the notion of solidity and quality, the roots of the home, and then the softer, contrasting features of the vintage wooden pieces and fabrics,” Edo says. “The kitchen is a celebration of natural materials, colours and textures – marble, bronzes, vintage and antique woods.”

There’s even a bespoke bar that can be completely shut away behind a hidden door when not in use. “The kitchen is the perfect blend of old and new, hard and soft,” Edo reflects. “It is a place to come together, to gather, cook, talk, entertain, have fun but also seek respite.”

Brick 99 by AM Designs

East Flanders, Belgium

Brick 99 by Belgian studio AM designs takes in views of the Scheldt river, in the country’s East Flanders region. The entire apartment is designed around this outlook, inviting natural light through large openings and terraces.

The kitchen exists as part of the open plan living and dining area, so every effort was made to conceal it being a workspace. “I wanted the kitchen to integrate seamlessly,” AM Designs founder Mark Mertens adds, concealing Gaggenau appliances behind the floor-to-ceiling wall joinery that runs along the side of the kitchen.

AM Designs visualised the kitchen as “pieces of free-standing furniture”, achieved through a signature palette of Douglas fir timber and Pietra Dei Medici stone, warmed by brushed brass fixtures. “Ultimately, the stone and timber needed to connect with the large outside terraces and surrounding nature,” Mark adds.

Rustic Canyon by Walker Workshop

Los Angeles, North America

Walker Workshop’s president Noah Walker describes their Rustic Canyon kitchen as a sacred place. As the tallest room in the house, Walker Workshop designed and installed the expansive steel-framed windows, crediting natural light for the creation of their ‘Kitchen Cathedral’. “Rustic Canyon is nestled among some of the most beautiful Southern California flora and fauna,” Noah says. “We chose to pull dappled natural light from the outside environment into the core of the home. It was imperative to pull that light into the house.”

The material palette was selected for how it collected, reflected or observed the light. “We chose the softer, lighter-coloured wood veneer that was consistent in colour and a white, almost ephemeral stone to complement,” Noah says. Fundamentally, Rustic Canyon also challenges traditional perceptions of a kitchen’s purpose. “The great lesson we learned is a kitchen doesn’t have to prescribe to outdated notions of what a kitchen should be for it to be functional, exciting, and unexpected,” Noah adds.