Decorating & Design
10+ Designers Take Us Inside Their Own Kitchens
Updated on January 19, 2025
Behind every great kitchen is a great designer. Whether choosing the right layout or optimizing storage, style and functionality, the process of designing a kitchen is highly personal. Take design cues from these experts, including Sarah Richardson‘s coastal-inspired cottage kitchen in Georgian Bay, Brian Gluckstein’s handsome black and white kitchen in Toronto and Susan Dover’s Scandi-inspired hub in St. Johns.
Scroll down for 10+ designer kitchens you’ll love!
Brian Gluckstein’s Classic Black & White Kitchen
Designer Brian Gluckstein, pictured here with his partner Gary Sarantopoulos, knows how to design a kitchen that works. Keep scrolling for a look inside.
Brian updated the traditional style of his 1913 kitchen by staining the wood cabinets a dark, smoky brown and swapping out the Gothic fretwork for something cleaner. “I elevated the fireplace so you can see it from anywhere in the kitchen,” he says. “In the winter, it’s wonderful to have that fire going when it’s snowing outside.”
Brian’s a huge fan of antiques like the English breakfast table in this nook. “I don’t want a shiny perfect table,” he says. “The patina makes it special and shows the way we live.”
Sarah Richardson’s Georgian Bay Cottage Kitchen
If you’ve been following the career of Sarah Richardson over the years, you know that Georgian Bay is an important place for the designer and her family. “I’m invested in connecting a home to its surroundings, the landscape, and creating a sense of place that’s rooted in the natural environment. There’s no glitz or sparkle here. Everything is homespun with handmade textures, so everything feels good to the touch,” says Sarah, pictured in her coastal kitchen.
Woven pendants resemble floppy straw hats in the kitchen; fluted cabinet doors, part of Sarah’s line with Allstyle Retrofit, remind her of ripples on the water. “For me, it’s about wind, water, rocks, sky and sunsets. This style is unfussed, with natural materials and patina and part of the lifestyle is being outside as much as possible,” she says.
Michaela Burns’s Light & Airy Kitchen With A Pantry That Pops
Sometimes, while standing at her kitchen sink, designer Michaela Burns has to remind herself about how she got here. “It’s as though someone lifted me up, built a new house around me and plopped me right back down,” she says with a laugh. “The kitchen, banquette and even my sons’ rooms are in the same location as the original house. It’s very comforting.”
Keep scrolling for a look inside her kitchen!
The kitchen counters have subtle marbling with a beautiful matte finish. “Loud veining can be overpowering and restrict your design,” says Michaela.
Brushed brass pulls complement the white oak cabinets. Forgoing uppers allows the black-framed windows to pop.
When it comes to decorating her own home, Michaela relishes in the unexpected. Case in point: the sculptural, curved coffee bar dividing the kitchen from the family room. Boasting a glossy black backsplash, the bar is also equipped with a microwave and fridge drawer.
The curved banquette is upholstered in caramel-colored leather with a channelled back and has integrated shelves on one side.
“We’ve got four colors of cabinets on the main floor: the black-stained oak ones on the coffee bar, the light oak and lacquered grey in the kitchen and the bold teal cabinets in the pantry,” says Michaela. Because when you’re designing a house for yourself, why not have a little fun?
Brooke Butler’s Mid-century Modern Kitchen
“My goal is to design spaces that marry form with function and have a deep connection with nature,” says designer Brooke Butler. When it came to renovating her 1980s ranch house in Calgary, Brooke opted for a mid century-inspired look in the open-concept kitchen.
The two-tone kitchen is packed with texture: a brick backsplash and range hood and white oak cabinets. “It was important to still see the wood-grain through the low-sheen colored lacquer on same of the cabinets,” says Brooke. An expansive island with Caesarstone counters seats 8.
To maintain the mid-century vibe, integrated custom wood pulls keeps things streamlined.
“This custom dining table is the heart of our home. Collaborating with a talented local woodworker to create this piece was a fun experience and something that has always been a part of my process,” says Brooke. “This banquette is unique because of its size – over 11’ long in both directions.”
Kyle Timothy Blood’s Charming Farmhouse Kitchen
After falling in love with designing his clients’ vacation homes in the Hamptons and Cape Cod, NYC designer Kyle Timothy Blood discovered his own piece of paradise in Prince Edward Island. Kyle worked hard to preserve every room of the late-Victorian farmhouse, but the kitchen deserved a full renovation. See how he paid homage to the original aesthetic below.
Shaker cabinets and a vintage-look freestanding island are hallmarks of a classic farmhouse kitchen. “While trying to find the perfect putty shade for the cabinets, I was initiated into — and tormented by — P.E.I.’s deceptive, beguiling light,” says Kyle. “Nineteen sample pots later, we found a winner.”
The kitchen sink is backed by beadboard wall panelling. A coastal painting flanked by two windows adds to the pastoral feel.
Sappho Griffin’s East Coast Kitchen
Sticking to a discplined budget during a renovation can be tricky, but Nova Scotia designer Sappho Griffin set a realistic wish list. “There were mostly only cosmetic changes to do, which was good, as I was building my design firm and didn’t want a large project.”
Olivia Botrie’s English-inspired Kitchen
When it came to renovating her century-old semi-detatched house in Toronto, designer Olivia Botrie was determined to maintain its charm. Specifically, Olivia wanted to create a kitchen that felt lived in and warm. “Like it had been here forever,” she says.
The English-style kitchen definitely feels that way, with Shaker-style doors, historical green cabinets and brass fixtures. “I fixated on that khaki green early on,” says Olivia, referring to Farrow & Ball’s Treron hue. “I love the look of it with the medium brown floors and the brass.”
A designated coffee and toast station is home to small appliances and a mix of family heirlooms.
“I’m typically against an island with a sink, but this layout offered the most storage,” she says. “I had to get my husband to agree to never pile dishes on it — part of why I don’t usually like an island sink.”
Cooking utensils are charmingly at the ready on the range wall. “I love the rail; it’s very useful,” says Olivia, who likes the ease of grabbing implements while making meals.
Veronica Martin’s Modern Black & White Kitchen
Designer Veronica Martin of Two Fold Interiors had one goal in mind for her Victorian home’s main floor. “I wanted to have the kitchen open to the rest of the main floor for entertaining,” she says.
Dramatic and elegant, the kitchen has rich-hued wood cabinets that set off the marble double-waterfall-edge island. “The first thing you see in the house is that marble,” says Veronica. On the range side is a wine fridge and, in a cavity near the stools, is hidden storage for liquor bottles.
The gorgeous oak cabinets have a visible grain and texture that Veronica loves. “The modern slab wood doors mixed with the protruding gables creates an interesting detail,” she says.
Curtis Elmy and Trevor Ciona’s Luxury Penthouse Kitchen
“We always start the design in the kitchen because it tends to sets the tone,” says Trevor Ciona. Take a look at Atmosphere Interior Design’s fashionable penthouse kitchen below.
The glamorous black, white and gold kitchen is as luxe as it gets. Calacatta Capri marble and mirrored cabinets doors gives it an Art Deco-inspired vibe.
The open-concept condo kitchen is hardworking with plenty of storage and counter space.
Jo Levitan’s Parisian-Inspired Kitchen
When design duo Jo Levitan and Maayan Kessler discussed the design of Jo’s midtown Tudor-style house in Toronto, it was clear they were on the same page: the look would be modern European.
The kitchen’s marble slab and integrated shelf were inspired by the Parisian kitchen of architect Joseph Dirand. Subtle, Shaker-style cabinets adorned with unlacquered brass hardware and fixtures are the epitome of sophistication. “I naturally gravitate toward Shaker-style cabinets,” says Jo. “I didn’t want to rewrite the map.” Jo found a slab of marble just wide enough to bridge the cabinets. Original Cesca stools and antique, mid-century Italian sconces are vintage touches.
A picture window above the built-in kitchen desk beautifully frames the ivy outside.