Brooklyn-based design firm Workstead isn't big on color. Founders Stefanie Brechbuehler and Robert Highsmith, both graduates of the architecture program at Rhode Island School of Design, don't rely on bright paint color to give their work its beauty. ("Too easy, no integrity.") Rather, their designs spring from "the poetic (but still very regimented) use of materials," according to Dwell. So for a client's kitchen redesign, they decided to use brass as their color. More

If you've already renovated a kitchen or are just beginning the process, you know how overwhelming the details can be. Our Fittings and Material Spotlights are quick guides to basic kitchen fixtures and materials to familiarize you with terminology, pros and cons, and relevant reader reviews. Today we look at the pros and cons of hardwood flooring in the kitchen. More

Otomi fabric is handmade by Otomi Indians of Hidalgo, Mexico. The Otomi patterns (which are hand-embroidered in the traditional fabrics and printed in the manufactured facsimiles) are said to come from the ancient cliff drawings of the region. We love the bright colors and bold geometries of Otomi fabrics and would welcome such a lively print to the tabletop in our otherwise plain-Jane dining room: More

I definitely have a morning coffee ritual. I'm a fan of the pour-over coffee method, and I look forward to that one perfect cup to jumpstart my day. But despite the formality of my brewing method, everything else about the process is pretty jumbled, with carafes, mugs, coffee beans, and electric teapot all stored in different parts of my small kitchen. Perhaps that's why I'm drawn to the pretty organization of a separate morning coffee area. Maybe it's set up in a cabinet or just arranged neatly on a sideboard, but it seems fitting to devote an area to such a crucial, enjoyable part of the morning. More photos below: More

If you can't already tell, Dutch-born Yvonne Eijkenduijn (the woman behind the blog Yvestown) loves white and pink. She currently lives in Lommel, Belgium in "an old gentleman's house from 1896," and has been busy updating her home in her two signature colors. The kitchen is particularly sweet, decorated in a mix of soft pastels, including mint green pendant lights, a baby blue refrigerator, and pink accent pieces. See more photos below: More

I've seen a lot of tiny kitchens sporting equally tiny islands, and if you're set on having an island, it is possible. But how can you tell if an island will work in your kitchen? There's one important dimension you need to know. More

It's all fun and fancy in this remodeled Austin kitchen! Before the remodel, the space was divided into two rooms - a tiny kitchen, and a larger, underused dining room. Loop Design (the architecture firm hired for the redesign) knocked down a few walls to create one spacious cooking and dining space, while the owner, an interior designer, brought it to life with a bright, fresh color scheme. See more photos below: More

Some acquaintances are about to buy a new (to them) home, one that has been in the hands of one owner since the 50s. They invited me over to give some opinions on the kitchen, and as soon as I saw it, it felt familiar. Why? I realized it felt just like Betty Draper's kitchen on Mad Men. What would you do with this kitchen to update it, especially if you were on a budget? More

We, along with everyone else on the internet and in the publishing world, just can't stop talking about Julia Child! This past Wednesday would have been her 100th birthday, and in honor of that, Architectural Digest reprinted an essay Julia wrote for their July/August 1976 issue. It's mostly about the design of her kitchen, which makes it a particularly lovely read. Jump below for an excerpt: More

Let's say you wanted to make over the look of your kitchen (which you detest) but feel, rightly, that it would be unwise to spend a huge amount of money on a full renovation. What approach would you take? What would you do? Well, we should all take inspiration from Amanda Hesser's recent kitchen makeover, which turned what was rapidly becoming a dated space into something more sophisticated and modern, better tuned now for the video and photographic work done every week in this kitchen. Want to see the after? More