41 Dreamy Wood Kitchens From the AD Archive
Some might appreciate the bolt of energy that colored kitchen cabinets can provide, others might like the cleanliness of white cabinetry—but there’s no denying that wood kitchens are the ultimate classic. Whether you like farmhouse style, ultramodern design, or another expression entirely, timber can provide a textured backdrop for the rest of your kitchen material palette. Their aesthetic flexibility is unparalleled: You can match ’em with marble countertops, a colorful tile backsplash, or stainless-steel surfaces, and they’ll pull it all off without a hitch. Looking for inspiration for your next renovation? Below, we’ve highlighted some of our favorite wood kitchens from the AD archive.
Are wood kitchens still in style?
There are certain wood kitchen designs that have fallen out of favor—some early-2000s naysayers point to the Tuscan kitchen, for instance—but with such a wide range of applications, wood kitchens as a whole could never go out of style. Given how intensive the renovation process is, it’s best to consider timeless materials and colors whenever you’re planning a renovation.
Are wood kitchens more expensive?
Wood kitchens are generally more expensive than kitchens made with synthetic materials. That being said, wood kitchens can last much longer and be easier to maintain than other materials, resulting in long-term savings. As with any renovation decision, it’s important to weigh which design elements are worth investing more in, and which elements can be satisfactory with a more affordable material.
What is the most durable wood for kitchens?
Hickory is considered to be the most durable wood for kitchens. Important for kitchens in particular, given the abundance of heavy pots, pans, and countertop appliances that are moved around, the hardwood isn’t prone to indentations and it’s not quite as sensitive to moisture. The wood’s distinctive grain pattern adds flair to a kitchen too. Though hickory is considered particularly strong, there are a number of woods beloved for their durability and utility in kitchen applications.
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Photo: Paul Raeside1/41Cold Comfort Farm
Keith McNally—the restaurateur behind New York City go-tos Balthazar, Pastis, Morandi, and Minetta Tavern—hightailed it back to his native England in 2011, and he soon began restoring a Cotswolds farm. With the help of longtime collaborator and architectural designer Ian McPheely of Paisley Design NYC, McNally created a texturally rich abode showcasing a rustic and wood-dominated kitchen rounded out by tiles, open shelves, and marble-and-hammered-copper counters.
Photo: Jason Schmidt2/41Bohemian Rhapsody
Nikolai Haas (one half of Los Angeles–based artist twins the Haas Brothers) lives with his partner, fashion stylist Djuna Bel, and their son, Fox, in a whimsically revamped Highland Park home from the mid 1980s. The kitchen, for example, melds swaths of the Haas Brothers’ signature pele de tigre marble with playful hand-carved walnut seating that recalls a fairy tale.
Photo: Oberto Gili3/41English Breakfast
The kitchen in writer Amanda Brooks’s English country home boasts counter of reclaimed mahogany top pine cabinetry. The range is by Lacanche, and the brass sink fittings are by Barber Wilsons & Co.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn4/41Hillside Home
White oak cabinetry lends warmth to this Austin kitchen, where a concrete-and-steel table is paired with a suite of Christian Liaigre chairs. Lake|Flato Architects devised the residence, and the interiors were conceived in collaboration with decorator Terry Hunziker.
Photo: Scott Frances5/41Summering in Sagaponack
Christoff:Finio Architecture updated this Sagaponack, New York, summer house. The kitchen features a range and hood by Wolf, a utensil rail by Rösle, and floor tile by Urban Archaeology.
Photo: Douglas Friedman6/41Double-Tap to Like
On the north side of Lake Tahoe, designer Ken Fulk transformed a camp into a year-round refuge for Instagram cofounder Kevin Systrom and his wife, Nicole. Systrom, an avid cook, desired a warm yet stylish kitchen, and Fulk responded by making a commodious brass island topped with walnut the centerpiece. It’s bolstered by leather-finished granite counters and cold-rolled steel cabinets.
Photo: Björn Wallander7/41A Wood Kitchen in Big Sky
This rustic Big Sky, Montana, lodge kitchen features modern amenities such as a Sub-Zero refrigerator, Wolf range, and Waterworks sink. The residence was designed by JLF Architects, and decorated by Markham Roberts.
Photo: Oberto Gili8/41Sicilian Serenity
French designer Jacques Garcia reimagined a neglected 17th-century Sicilian monastery into a Venetian-inspired personal playground decked out with scalloped silk, faux marbling, and ceramic tiles in the kitchen. Another of the room’s standout elements is the antique wood cabinetry housing two sinks.
Photo: Francois Dischinger9/41Urban Retreat
Architect and designer S. Russell Groves instilled a relaxed vibe throughout the Greenwich Village town house that fashion designer Michael Kors shares with his husband Lance LePere. In the kitchen, a luminous Ceasarstone island contrasts with sleek wood-clad cabinetry and vintage leather-capped solid wood Erik Buch stools.
Photo: Nikolas Koenig10/41A Clean-Lined Kitchen
In the kitchen of this Woods Hole, Massachusetts, home by Leroy Street Studio, oak paneling clads Sub-Zero refrigerators, and a Best hood vents a Wolf range.
Photo: Björn Wallander11/41Hamptons Hideaway
Interior designer Muriel Brandolini’s kitchen in her Hampton Bays, New York, retreat is outfitted with cabinetry faced in colored wood veneer and concrete counters.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn12/41Hudson River View
In the home architect Steve Mensch designed for himself near Rhinebeck, New York, the kitchen features ovens by KitchenAid, a cooktop by Bertazzoni, and sink fittings by Grohe. The counters are granite.
Photo: Roger Davies13/41A Cartagena Kitchen
Interior designer Richard Mishaan’s home in Cartagena, Colombia, has a galley-style kitchen with oak cabinetry, black granite countertops, and a slate floor. The French doors open onto the courtyard.
Photo: William Abranowicz14/41City Outlook
In this New York City apartment by architect Carlos Aparicio, limed-oak paneling and cabinetry line the sunny kitchen, which features a travertine island and counters.
Photo: Roger Davies15/41Grand Entrance
This San Francisco kitchen, designed for Ed Hardy in collaboration with BAR Architects, features Waterworks sink fittings and a Viking range. The eye-catching chandelier is circa-1750 from Italy.
Photo: Nikolas Koenig16/41A Wood Kitchen in Greenwich Village
In the main kitchen of interior designer Laura Santos’s Manhattan town house, a Serge Mouille ceiling lamp from Guéridon is mounted above a BDDW dining table and midcentury Italian chairs from Galerie Van den Akker.
Photo: Jason Schmidt17/41’70s Calling
Artist Daniel Arsham resides with his family in a Norman Jaffe–designed marvel on Long Island completed in 1971. Although Arsham conserved many of its original features, he also made several updates. He replaced the slate tile in the wood-lined kitchen, which flows into a dining area starring a Sabine Marcelis resin table surrounded by Afra and Tobia Scarpa leather chairs.
Photo: William Waldron18/41A Floridian Wood Kitchen
This Florida kitchen, decorated by Furze Bard + Associates, is outfitted with bespoke quarter-sawn walnut cabinetry of the firm’s design.
Photo: Roger Davies19/41Modern Marvel
The horizontal-grain maple paneling and the kitchen’s cabinetry, stainless steel hood, counters, and sinks are all by Bulthaup. The Los Angeles house was designed by Lehrer Architects LA, with decor by JoAnne Brosnahan of Unique Custom Interiors.
Photo: Scott Frances20/41Meanwhile, in Aspen
This Aspen kitchen is outfitted with oak cabinetry, circa-1960 H. Rosengren Hansen barstools from Wyeth, and reclaimed oak floor. The home was designed by Studio Sofield in collaboration with Studio B Architects.
Photo: Scott Frances21/41The Black Walnut Kitchen
Architect Peter Gluck and his son, Thomas, designed this boldly contemporary retreat in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. The kitchen features black walnut veneer cabinetry and a copper backsplash. The residence was decorated by Jorge Rosso Architecture/Interiors.
Photo: Benjamin Benschneider22/41Cascade Mountain
Olson Kundig Architects designed and furnished this Washington State compound. The kitchen ceiling is clad in reclaimed corral boards from ReHistoric Wood Products. Marine-grade plywood was used for the cabinetry, which is accented by Tom Kundig Collection hardware from 12th Avenue Iron.
Photo: Dominique Vorillon23/41Double Trouble
Already pleased with the handiwork of architect Tom Kundig and designer Rodman Primack on their weathered Hawaiian beach house, an art- and design-loving couple hired the duo yet again to rejuvenate a century-old dwelling on Long Island’s East End. Blending into the expansive and colorful great room is the kitchen, where a Massimo Vignelli for Venini Murano pendant hangs above the island backdropped by open shelves.
Photo: Joshua McHugh24/41On Sagg Pond
This Bridgehampton, New York, kitchen, designed by Sawyer|Berson, is outfitted with a Wolf range and hood and Holly Hunt stools.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn25/41A Light-Filled Wood Kitchen
Edward Siegel of Cooper, Robertson & Partners and decorator Ernest de la Torre renovated this Manhattan apartment. The kitchen is equipped with a range and hood by Viking and dishwashers by Bosch.
Photo: Bjorn Wallander26/41Art Deco on the Water
AD100 designer Michael S. Smith was tasked with transforming an old boathouse into a functioning guesthouse–slash–“intensely sophisticated man cave,” as the homeowner told AD in the June 2014 issue. Originally built in the 1920s, the kitchen evokes both Art Deco motifs, as does much of the home, with a sumptuous curved frame enclosing the dark mahogany space.
Photo: Robert Reck27/41Brighten Up
When restoring her own circular midcentury-modern home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, designer Emily Summers was intent on increasing its brightness. But instead of ripping out the walnut cabinetry, she focused on contrast. Seen in the February 2010 issue, the resulting kitchen features bleached Douglas fir floors and a green glass tile backsplash.
Photo: Tim Beddow28/41Down to Earth
This white kitchen in Kenya was designed by architect Anthony Russell and interior designer Elizabeth Warner. Featured in the January 2008 issue of AD, the spare space prioritizes natural materials, with a wood table for guests to gather around in place of a typical island.
Photo: Saylor H. Durston29/41Jewel Box Moment
Interior designer Sherman Williams of Sherman Williams Design handled most of the design decisions for her apartment herself. Her husband, actor Christopher Meloni, did have one crucial note for the wood kitchen design, though: “Knocking a hole in the kitchen wall so you could see the park view,” Christopher told AD in the March 2008 issue. “I don’t like being enclosed.” Williams describes the finished product as “an elegant jewel box.”
Photo: Mary E. Nichols30/41Cozy in Colorado
An adobe-style home in Aspen, Colorado, might seem a little out of place, but in the hands of Cher and her interior designer Ron Wilson, it’s just as suitable as any old ski lodge. As shown in the October 1991 issue, the kitchen is perhaps the least desert-style-infused of any of the rooms. The quaint breakfast nook is just as cozy as the surrounding property is chilly.
Photo: Saylor H. Durston31/41Luxe and Lacquered
For clients with an admirable Art Deco collection, architect J. Woodson Rainey and designer Juan Montoya had to make a ranch house more suitable for the homeowners’ treasure trove. The same goes for the kitchen—open as it is—though the pre-existing stainless steel is already rather suitable for Deco. Lacquered wood cabinets did the rest of the job, as captured in the March 2007 issue of AD.
Photo: David Marlow32/41A Nantucket Knockout
With architecture by Nantucket Architecture Group and interior design by Karin Blake, the double-height kitchen in this Nantucket home balances farmhouse sensibilities with industrial cool. As pictured in the June 2007 issue, the kitchen features a Shaker-style chandelier, aged beams sourced in New Hampshire, and cabinets in similar wood tones.
Photo: Estersohn Pieter33/41A Vacation Retreat Kitchen
In this Los Cabos vacation home design by Olson Kundig and designer Terry Hunziker, everything is worry-free. The alder wooden cabinets are stained in a rich dark tone that complements the green Walker Zanger ceramic tile backsplash. As photographed in the November 2012 issue, large windows keep the contemporary kitchen design looking light and airy despite the dark wood.
Photo: Steve Hall34/41A Respectful Midcentury Redesign
A galley kitchen became a wide open space in this midcentury home’s kitchen remodel, led by Richard Barancik with architecture and interior design by Tigerman McCurry Architects. As seen in the February 2009 issue, the wood grain of the walnut cabinetry and the stone backsplash add texture to the space. The hardwood continues on paneled appliances.
Photo: Robert Reck35/41Room to Breathe
“Clean and modern” was the aim for this home design by Bar Architects and interior designer Michael Booth, which was featured in the October 2007 issue. The modern design for the kitchen certainly fits that mold. Its stainless-steel countertops are highly practical, while the wood island and pyramidal pickled-teak ceiling adds dimension to the space.
Photo: Peter Vanderwarker36/41Light and Bright
Reimagined by interior architect James Estes and published in the July 2005 issue of AD, this home’s third floor was once a series of dark, closed-off bedrooms. With Estes’s renovation, it became a living, dining, and kitchen space that takes full advantage of the level’s airy exposure. “I love that top floor,” Estes said. “The light, the view, the activity—it’s always changing.” The simple wood kitchen allows that sunlight to do all of the talking.
Photo: Ngo Ngoc Minh37/41Open Ended
In this São Paulo home by architect Isay Weinfeld, published in the November 2011 issue of AD, the emphasis was on keeping things as contemporary and casual as possible. For the minimalist kitchen design, natural wood cabinets and a wooden table, in place of a kitchen island, add warmth. The polished concrete floors and stainless steel appliances offer a more industrial edge.
Photo: Watson Simon38/41A Moroccan Mélange
Art dealer Dorothea Elkon worked with designer Salem Grassi to reimagine this once-decrepit Moroccan home, which was published in the May 2012 issue of AD. Throughout the house, Grassi and Elon mixed pieces tied to English, French, and Spanish traditions. In the kitchen, they paired antique yellow tiles with wood cabinets and blue porcelain accents.
Photo: Scott Frances39/41Rustic with Range
This modern kitchen by Thad Hayes fits right in with the rest of the house, which is filled with a mix of hickory pieces and cosmopolitan furnishings. The kitchen counters proved the most difficult to decide on, noted Hayes in the May 1997 issue: “It’s somewhere between granite and marble.”
Photo: Laure Joliet40/41Labor of Love
As seen in the October 2022 issue, sculptor Dan John Anderson’s Yucca Valley home is highly personal. The kitchen backsplash was made from cut-up redwood fence pickets, while the concrete island was poured on one of his children’s due dates. The cabinets are made from fir plywood sourced at a local lumber yard, and the ceramic backsplash was made in collaboration with Joseph Williams.
Photo: Stephen Kent Johnson41/41Undeniably Orderly
White oak cabinets are key in this kitchen, designed for prolific TV creator and producer Ryan Murphy by AD100 designer David Cafiero. “Repeat, repeat, repeat,” Murphy wrote in the June 2020 story on the home. “Find three materials you love and just keep using them.” One of his other rules, as evidenced in the space? Don’t use color.
