Six Culinary Sanctuaries

A Design that Shines

by Kymberly Taylor
photography by David Burroughs

When adventurous homeowners gave designer Sandra Steiner-Houck instructions to create a “one-of-a-kind wow kitchen,” the result was symphonic. Steiner-Houck composed an ultra-modern design using materials, finishes, and objects as instruments. They include glossy exotic veneers, porcelain, leather, white glass, and an astonishing necklace-inspired chandelier suspended over the kitchen island.

It all began three years ago when Steiner-Houck’s clients hired ABS Architects to remodel their traditional Annapolis home, including a dated kitchen with buttery yellow cabinets and granite countertops. Angela Phelan of ABS set the tone by enlarging and redefining the space. She added long windows for natural light, moved walls, and reduced doorways to open up the room. A key move was to add a scullery behind the main kitchen with a sink, dishwasher, two ovens, and coffee bar.

With highly glossed fumed Paldao cabinetry, white back-painted glass rangehood, and porcelain island and counters, the kitchen shimmers and shines. “The whole kitchen feels like a gem… It’s not just one thing; it’s everything. Angela started it. She created the footprint and the parameters architecturally. She gave us the beautiful space to step into and embellish,” reflects Steiner-Houck.

One “embellishment” is a glistening chandelier from Visual Comfort & Co. that performs a solo with lyrical loops suspended from the ceiling. “It was a unique piece that the client fell in love with… but the team had to figure out the length, placement, how many to use, and the configuration to create what feels like an art piece,” recalls Steiner-Houck.

Adding a dash of drama, the chandelier is mirrored by the fumed Paldao cabinets, which have a “rub and buff” automotive finish. The cabinets form two columns that flank the TV and contain a
Sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer. Beneath is a generous pull-out drawer for more storage. The veneer’s honey gold highlights complement the warmth of the natural pine floor without competing with it, explains Steiner-Houck.

The design tempo is sustained in the scullery, which, like the kitchen, has white back-painted glass cabinetry. The bar, which is right off the kitchen, has chagrin leather cabinets trimmed in brass. Fumed Paldao reappears in its curved cabinetry and backsplash.

Music has many dimensions. In this case, subtle visual melodies complement the architecture while creating a harmony specific to the family—and the bar and scullery’s fine cabinetry and appointments echo the distinct design rhythms of the main kitchen like a refrain.

INTERIOR DESIGNER: Steiner-Houck & Associates | ARCHITECT: ABS Architects | BUILDER: Younger Construction

Cabinetry: Premier Custom-Built, Inc. | Appliances: Wolf and Sub-Zero from ADU, Annapolis | Lighting Design and Fixtures: Visual Comfort & Co.

Waterfront Wind-down on Dividing Creek

by Dylan Roche
photography by Steve Buchanan

“Everything in the house is geared toward the water,” Gina Fitzsimmons says of this home situated on Dividing Creek off the Magothy River. That includes the kitchen—maybe even especially the kitchen, whose transitional design blends classic elegance with modern functionality. With its sea-green coloring and airy openness, it offers a relaxed environment ideal for summertime entertaining: inviting and refined, and subtly coastal, of course.

“We wanted to do something that would fit in with the coastal look of the rest of the house,” Fitzsimmons continues. “We pulled that sea-green color because it reminded the client of water, and she loves all blues and greens.”

But it isn’t just the color—in this case, it’s the Moon Bay finish from Fieldstone Cabinetry that gives the kitchen its coastal feel. The redesign added a window over the sink that looks directly at the water, and the sliding glass doors open out onto a waterfront deck for al fresco dining when the weather allows. This expansive glass, along with the high ceilings, gives the kitchen its sense of bigness, openness, and airiness.

The same shade of Moon Bay blue-green also appears in the distinctive mosaic tiles on the backsplash, sourced from Compass Studio Tile and Flooring. This tilework pairs well with the lightly colored quartz countertop that features subtle blue veining.

The dark stain of the island and hood provides a dramatic contrast and nicely anchors the otherwise light elements of the kitchen. The matte-finish honey bronze of the hardware gives a pop of warmth to the cool blue-green and dramatic stain. “The hardware really brings in the gold tones but softens it,” Fitzsimmons says. There’s also a sense of contrast between the warm wood floors and the sleek modernity of the stainless-steel appliances.

The kitchen’s inviting aspect complements its seating options, partially inspired by the seamlessness between spaces in the home. “We wanted to extend the kitchen out into the living room space a bit because we had some extra room between the kitchen and where the furnishings for the living room started,” Fitzsimmons explains. The built-in cushioned banquette at the end of the island, which cozies up to the kitchen table, creates the perfect seating area, whether it’s for a casual meal or just a little bit of working from home. The table and island together have seating for ten people—and there’s more when counting the outdoor seating on the deck beyond the glass doors. It’s a kitchen for entertaining and relaxation—with a view to match.

INTERIOR DESIGNER: Gina Fitzsimmons, Fitzsimmons Design Associates | BUILDER: Danny Plitt, Plitt Construction Group

Counters: MSI Quartz | Tile: Compass Studio Tile & Flooring | Microwave and Range: Wolf | Refrigerator: Sub-Zero | Dishwasher: Bosch Global

Calm & Collected

by Kymberly Taylor
photography by Stacy Zarin Goldberg

Zoë Feldman’s clients had just moved from a compact Brooklyn apartment into a much larger home in a Washington, D.C. suburb. They arrived with young children and a substantial collection of art and objects gathered over years of travel. They wanted a home that could reflect that richness and complexity, and that did not have a bland, suburban feel. “Their goal was a space that felt imaginative, personal, and full of stories, rather than the typical suburban blank slate. Our job was to bring character and cohesion to the architecture while giving their pieces room to shine,” notes Feldman. Though the rest of the home celebrates color and art and has moments of boldness, they wanted their kitchen to feel calm, grounded, and quietly confident.

Feldman notes that there were plenty of challenges. Several awkward architectural features lacked warmth or cohesion. Correcting those elements was essential and gave the kitchen a sense of wholeness and integrity. “We refined ceiling transitions, adjusted proportions, and used plaster and millwork to introduce softness where the house had been visually harsh,” explains Feldman.

What distinguishes this design from others is the interplay of materials, craftsmanship, and vintage character. Feldman points out that the range hood becomes an architectural element, with a chevron detail that draws the eye upward and softens the room’s original angularity. The island stools, which are vintage Spanish pieces from the 1970s, bring an unexpected sculptural quality that immediately gives the kitchen soul. Lighting was equally important. The pendant above the island is refined but not overly formal, and provides a focal point that connects the room’s different tones and textures. Rich walnut cabinetry, bronze hardware, and layered stone surfaces add depth and tactility, creating a kitchen that feels intentionally curated.

“The kitchen space supports the rhythm of family life while still carrying the sophistication of a home shaped by global influences. There is an ease to it. It feels collected rather than decorated, and it creates a sense of balance,” says Feldman. Now that the project is complete, the family can enjoy every room in their new home, especially the kitchen, which is warm and richly textured yet never openly showy or predictable.

KITCHEN DESIGNER: Zoë Feldman Design

A Mix of Stone & Steel

by Dylan Roche
photography by Peak Visuals

When Tessea McCrary designed this organic contemporary kitchen as part of a full townhome renovation for a couple of empty-nest professionals, she had a distinct focal point: the exotic Crystal Venato quartzite backsplash. With its sprawl of black and white, with touches of cream and gold, it made an impression: “The stone reminded us of an inkblot test for a personality assessment,” McCrary says. That made it appropriate for these homeowners, who work in psychiatry, and contributed to the overall goal of creating a home that evokes emotion.

All around the distinctive backsplash, the kitchen spreads out with dark wood cabinets, polished black granite counters, and a light-colored quartz island with double-sided waterfall edges. Black stainless-steel appliances and two-tone gunmetal hardware round out the selection of materials that work together to create an organic, contemporary style.

Because this townhome had a narrow, linear floor plan, the functional kitchen faced a blank wall—one that McCrary turned into a beverage center and bar. The same dramatic dark cabinetry frames the sleek white bar, and McCrary says, “The finishes start speaking to each other across the room in different applications.” The beverage center adds an element of interest. Glass doors for the drinkware cabinet and wine fridge with stainless steel shelves are illuminated from below by LED lights.

What makes the contemporary style organic in this kitchen is its use of materials. “It’s an all-natural-driven mentality,” McCrary says. It has the sleekness and simplicity of a contemporary room, while the stonework and the wood-beam ceiling that matches the floor, give the room a color palette you’d find in nature.

It creates an environment that’s perfect for ease and no-fuss dining, something the homeowners prioritized over preparation. “They’re not cooks—they want to pick up food from their favorite restaurants and use their kitchen as a wind-down area,” McCrary says. “They still want that element of ‘wining and dining’ without the work associated with that.”

With high-contrast natural materials, moody dark colors bathed in abundant natural light, and the inviting allure of a prominent beverage center, this kitchen makes for an ideal place to unwind after a busy day—and the perfect entry for an intimate yet distinctive home.

INTERIOR DESIGNERS: Tessea McCrary, Tessea McCrary Interior Design; Jeanine Turner, Turner Design Firm | CONTRACTOR: B & M Cabinetry Plus

Spa Blue Equation

by Walinda P. West
photography by Andrea Wheeler

From the street, Marge and Fred Wolf’s 1930s Colonial Revival residence in Arnold commands attention. Its circular driveway and stately façade sit gracefully along the sweeping Magothy River, suggesting a home of timeless elegance.

Inside, the interiors live up to that promise—rooms of proportion, detail, and character—but the awkward L-shaped kitchen, tucked into a corner of the house, felt out of scale and disconnected from the grandeur that defined the rest of the home. “I like to cook, but the kitchen had traffic issues, no lighting, and no counter space,” says Marge Wolf of her home.

After 15 years in the home, with only modest updates, the Wolfs turned to longtime kitchen and bath designer Joni Zimmerman of Annapolis-based Design Solutions, Inc. to reimagine the space, ensuring it would finally measure up to the home’s architectural pedigree. “We needed to totally integrate the shape of the kitchen and bring it up to the aesthetic of the house,” Zimmerman says.

The redesigned palette—soft creams and tranquil aquas—sets a calm, cohesive tone. Beautiful cabinets from Signature Custom Cabinetry were layered to match the home’s existing flooring, beams, and grooved ceilings, creating depth while honoring the home’s history. Zimmerman drew color inspiration from the spa blue colors that the homeowners favor, echoing those same serene hues throughout the kitchen in tilework and a custom beverage station with seeded glass. After choosing top-of-the-line appliances by Wolf and Sub-Zero, the homeowners worked with Zimmerman to install a new countertop that would give them a place to linger and spend time together.

A doorway connects the kitchen to the dining room. In a spot where a window once stood, Zimmerman installed custom cabinetry. Designed as a focal point, the cabinets not only showcase the homeowners’ pottery collection; they also conceal a television behind paneled doors. At the center of the room, a round chandelier hovers above a 100-year-old walnut table inherited from Wolf’s grandmother 50 years ago. “It’s been on many journeys with us,” Wolf says. Now, she says, it’s finally home.

Wolf credits designer Zimmerman with the new kitchen that now matches the rest of the home. “Joni has a gift. She took everything into consideration and created a kitchen we never want to leave.” In its new form, the kitchen no longer feels tucked away. Instead, it holds its own—and is finally worthy of the house it serves.

KITCHEN DESIGNER: Joni Zimmerman, Design Solutions, Inc.

Cabinetry: Signature Custom Cabinetry | Refrigerator: Sub-Zero | Freezer Drawers: Sub-Zero | Range: Wolf

In the Zone

by Dylan Roche
photography by Peak Visuals
styling by Courtney Favini

Clean. Organic. Serene. These are words that Paul Lobkovich uses to describe the warm contemporary aesthetic of this kitchen with its mix of minimalist geometry and organic materials, all with a sharp attention to finely curated details. Calming white pairs with rich brown and sleek lines from the dominant island combine with the slatted ceiling to create a sense of order and structure.

Lobkovich says he and his team always start with function first and then “enhance the space with design elements that are both beautiful and practical.” In terms of functionality, the kitchen’s perpendicular workspaces create two distinct zones: the primary one with the range across from the island and its double-faucet galley sink, and a secondary one on the window wall with another sink and ample counterspace. Then there’s a small coffee station on the far side of the kitchen closest to the family room, which Lobkovich explains is “for easy access to a cup of coffee without interrupting the workflow.”

A sleek, white hood over the range serves as a focal point for the kitchen. Its square shape is softened by the modern, rounded lights over the island and the curved double faucets of the galley sink. The distinctive ceiling detail, designed by artisan builders, points toward the other workstation, where an expansive window brings in plenty of natural light and open shelves add elements of interest.

The mix of sleek white and natural brown is an example of how Lobkovich says he and his team think outside the box in terms of design. “I think that by incorporating design elements that are simple in concept yet effective in impact…, we keep our designs feeling fresh for years to come,” he says. “We try to stray away from specific trends that are popular just because they are a trend.” But he notes they do embrace trends when they’re functional. For example, he says, workstation sinks, such as the second sink in this design, are increasingly popular.

Even with functionality in mind, this kitchen serves as a reminder that the work done in a kitchen doesn’t have to be stressful. With its highly cohesive use of straight lines and organic shapes, white stone and natural wood, it proves that a kitchen can indeed be a harmonious and calming part of the house.

KITCHEN DESIGN: Lobkovich Kitchen Design | INTERIOR DESIGNER: Georgia & Hunt Design Studio | ARCHITECT: GTM Architects | BUILDER: Artisan Builders

Cabinetry: Signature Custom Cabinetry | Appliances: Sub-Zero, Wolf, Miele, Bertazzoni, and Sharp