Seven multitasking kitchens designed for whipping up gourmet meals, entertaining loved ones, and every bite in between.

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We don’t often imagine a modern-day version of Mad Men’s Don Draper in the kitchen—searing a wagyu steak while sipping his vodka martini. But if he were, he’d be in one just like this sleek Lakewood cookspace. An abundance of one material gives the space a streamlined look: “Walnut is a very traditional wood used in midcentury homes, and by using it for both the floors and millwork, it makes this kitchen feel very integrated into the character of the house,” says Brent Forget of Boss Architecture, the firm that designed this new home by taking cues from the surrounding 1960s-era ranch houses. The cabinetry, fabricated by Aspen Leaf Kitchens, features recessed finger pulls that make it “feel more like custom furniture than cabinets,” Forget says, while leathered White Pearl quartzite countertops provide ample space for meal prep and a dining-height walnut countertop gives the clients’ three children a spot to tackle homework. Smart and suave, just like Draper himself.

Aspen has no shortage of swoon-worthy residential spaces. Adding to the mix: this open kitchen in the Starwood neighborhood, which was designed—along with the rest of the 8,500-square-foot custom home—by Rowland & Broughton. But it’s more than just a pretty face—here, function reigns. “It was important to the owner [an international philanthropist and mother of three school-age children] that the space have multiple zones and plenty of storage,” says principal Sarah Broughton. “To that end, our team specified a cooking zone, a dishwashing zone, and a bar zone, and added upper glass-front cabinets to display personal collected items. Those cabinets are accessed by an integrated ladder.” Rift-sawn white oak sheathes the walls and ceiling; the countertops are Namibian white quartz; and Austrian spruce planks—brushed and oiled with a soap finish—form the floors. Perhaps most impressive of all? Despite an open floor plan and 11-foot ceilings, the kitchen “can feel very intimate…the kids have lunch at the counter. It fits multiple needs,” Broughton says.

Sarah Broughton, Rowland & Broughton

When a family of four tapped Katie Schroder of Atelier Interior Design to revamp their decidedly bland cookspace, they asked her to trade its traditional and beige finishes for “a much cleaner look,” Schroder says. But like a cook sticking to a tried-and-true recipe, these home chefs were hesitant to leave their comfort zone. “They wanted something neutral,” Schroder says, but “we pushed them to explore color options to make the design more unique.” The result: this vision of white oak and freshly painted cabinetry. “The dusty-blue is a good neutral-not-neutral color, and the white oak warmed up the space and kept the overall feel light and bright,” the designer says. Rich, cranberry-hued Huppe barstools, a glazed-brick mosaic backsplash, and a custom bronze-and-brass hood made by WW Fabricators add serious eye candy, helping this space move from meh to marvelous. “The hood is the show-stopper!” Schroder says.

Katie Schroder, Atelier Interior Design

If you’re longing to channel the warmth of director Nancy Meyers’ movie sets in your interiors, tack this kitchen to your vision board. “The style is Belgian farmhouse,” says Robin Bryant, lead designer at Factor Design Build. “It has a soft palette of layered neutrals and is heavily textured, for a fresh and homey appearance.” Key to that cozy look: thick, mitered-edge Carrara marble counters; “handmade terra-cotta tile with a glazed finish that’s meant to have natural imperfections, which gives it so much character,” Bryant notes; and select-grade white oak hardwood floors. “That means there are very few knots and the graining is pretty tight,” Bryant explains. One more touch provided the type of magic that Hollywood set designers are so adept at creating: The cabinets are textured melamine, which is “a super durable material, and the finish looks and feels like real wood,” Bryant says.

Robin Bryant, Factor Design Build

No color pairing is quite as elegant as black and white, the hues that make tuxedos iconic. And it proved the perfect match for the owner of this Greenwood Village home, who asked designer Laura Medicus to give her kitchen a dramatic feel. “She has classic taste, loves to cook and entertain, and enjoys being in her kitchen,” says Medicus, who leaned in to the timeless choice with a palette of black, white, and brass—made all the more alluring by added skylights and oversize windows that allow light to flood in, plus barstools that supply some farmhouse-esque warmth. One of Medicus’ favorite things: the painted tongue-and-groove ceilings. “I love that you can tell it’s real wood that’s been painted and not MDF; when you’re in the space, you can see subtle wood graining,” she says. Another detail that gives the designer a thrill: upper cabinets with retractable pocket doors. “One of the cabinets has a TV mounted inside so the client can have the television on while she cooks.”

Laura Medicus, Laura Medicus Interiors

This kitchen in the Preserve at Greenwood Village belongs to a family of literal rock stars, but not in the way you might think. “They’re both geologists, so they wanted to see the sediment in the stone,” says Julee Wray of Truss Interiors, the firm enlisted to revamp the space. “It was fascinating going to the Stone Collection with them and learning so much about how [layers of earth] settle.” Before the transformation, the kitchen’s counter and backsplash were stuck in the early aughts—with something akin to Colorado gold granite, as Wray recalls. Custom-painted cabinets in a saturated blue hue allow the homeowners’ new stone choice, Lumiere leathered quartzite, to pop. Two other points of pride for the designer: the custom hood, with a flat crimp wire grill that fancifies the facade, and pendant lights from Visual Comfort. “They really like a soft, industrial-meets-traditional vibe, and these [fixtures] were very much in alignment with that,” Wray says.

We all know the classic Colorado design tropes: Lincoln Log–esque walls and wrought-iron light fixtures that evoke the days of the Gold Rush. But it’s possible to nod to our beloved locale without tripping on it, and that’s exactly what designer Ashley Beaumier accomplished in this Beaver Creek condo. “We wanted to infuse elements of the modern mountain style—including rich woods, rustic textures, and deep colors—while ensuring it still resembled the client’s sophisticated and clean-lined style,” she says. In the kitchen, wide-plank cerused-white-oak flooring and black knurled hardware provide “some rugged texture,” but subtly, Beaumier says. An art piece (not shown) by Colorado’s own Charles DiJulio inspired the island’s purple hue, Sherwin-Williams’ Carnelian, while black Kelly Wearstler pendant lights supply a touch of cool. “I pushed black into every space during the remodel to add some edge,” Beaumier says. A high-style design move fit for the high country.

This article was originally published in 5280 Home August/September 2022.

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