To All The Kitchens I've Known And Saved In 2020

2020 was definitely the Year of the Home, but above all, it was the Year of the Kitchen. For many of us, myself included, it was the first time we really put our kitchens to hard use, cooking three meals a day at home. As such, it made me reflect on how the kitchen could be more than just a cook space, and so my Instagram "saved" folder began bursting with kitchen images. Here are some of the favorites I fawned over in 2020:

This project, from English firm Clarence & Graves, is the epitome of British beauty — a space that feels like a garden both inside and out:

This expansive kitchen by S.F. duo Cass + Nico Studio is a study in how to combine marble with streamlined cabinets for a look that's still earthy and tactile:

Just "wow" to the funky yet restrained use of shapes in this tile in Bordeaux, France:

I keep flipping out over the stripe tile-and-terrazzo combo in the Flamingo Estate, a magical home and business in L.A.'s Eagle Rock neighborhood:

This cook space designed by Athena Calderon, aka @eyeswoon, is probably the one I bookmarked that would most resemble my dream kitchen — complete with Calacutta Monet marble, vintage stools, and Farrow & Ball paint:

I never thought I'd consider gray cabinets until I saw this 'gram from L.A.-based antiques purveyor, Galerie Provenance:

Another from my girl-croosh, Athena Calderone. Here is the designer and cookbook author in her own Cobble Hill, Brooklyn kitchen. The mix of herringbone floors, marble countertops, and navy cabinets is so swoon-worthy:

This project, from New Orleans-based Logan Killen Interiors, feels like the perfect melange of past-meets-present:

I don't ordinarily gravitate to such modern paneling, but the color combinations in this kitchen by U.K.-based Jack Trench were just so intriguing:

London's 2LG Studio convinced me that pink tile in a kitchen is absolutely a good idea:

One thing is sure: My dream kitchen will be painted in a hue by Farrow & Ball and their Duck Green is definitely a contender:

Then again, after seeing this blue kitchen by NYC's White Arrow, I can't decide between navy and green:

This playful kitchen brings together so many different design styles. It might not quite be right for everyone, but the first time I saw this image, I fell in love:

One company I ended up bookmarking a lot in 2020 was Plum Kitchen, a Paris-based firm that makes custom IKEA fronts. Clearly, they need to bring their wares Stateside, as evidenced by this enviable cane cabinetry:

Finally, this earthy and luxurious kitchen by Madrid-based Isabel López-Quesada marries neutral cabinets with rich, red marble for a look that is old world and timeless:

Recommended