“This family is not afraid of color,” says interior designer Alison Glen. An apple-green countertop may scare off some homeowners, yet this family of four in Venice, California, wanted to revive their kitchen make it bold and joyful. Obviously, a countertop that vibrant meant that all the additional materials needed to be picked about it. Glen stuck with a simple palette for the remainder of the space, installing ecofriendly concrete floors and zebra wood cabinetry as a fresh contrast to the glowing green. The result is a modern but homey kitchen. “It is so cheerful, even a sunken soufflé won’t bring you down in this kitchen,” says Glen.

LA Dwelling

The zebra wood cabinetry is the perfect colour to contrast with all the apple-green countertop. Glen says it is worth it to invest in the materials that matter, such as countertops and cabinetry. “But durability doesn’t have to be boring,” she adds.

Glen and the family spent a great deal of time exploring what the top materials would be for this particular kitchen, picking materials that are stylish but eco friendly. The zebra wood is both those things — it is formaldehyde free and was harvested from renewable forests — and durable to boot.

Cabinetry: Bradco Kitchens and Baths; countertop: Caesarstone, Apple Martini

LA Dwelling

Glen had additional storage put to the seat seats in the dining area for rarely used fine serving pieces and partyware. The table and the benches were both custom made by a local carpenter. Radiant heat keep the stained cement flooring from feeling too cold.

Lighting: Rejuvenation; floors: Montanari Construction; floors stain and conclude: EcoCrete Soy Stain

LA Dwelling

A small desk area is nestled near the oven, set lower than the countertop to get a sense of division. A massive foundation drawer retains the printer, which helps to keep the table uncluttered.

Glen filled the kitchen with plenty of useful features that the owners adore, such as an integrated filter in the sink faucet, vertical storage for baking sheets and a pullout trash and recycling bin.

Oven, cooktop, dishwasher: Bosch; hood: GE Profile; refrigerator: JennAir; fittings: Kohler; faucet: KWC; hardware: Hafele

LA Dwelling

The long, narrow shape of this kitchen limited that the client’s layout wish list. A comprehensive island would have taken up too much space, so Glen installed a combined bar and prep space on one of those walls. The sink, stove and refrigerator are not laid out in the conventional labour triangle, but it still works well for your household. The current configuration leaves space for entertaining and helps remove traffic jams.

Backsplash: Trend Mosaics; bar stools: Crate & Barrel

LA Dwelling

“Details typically come at a cost,” says Glen. “To be able to pay for the visual extras, like a metal strip from the counter, we scaled back a number of the upper cabinets and utilized open shelving instead.” She also installed big foundation drawers around the perimeter.

Browse more Kitchens of the Week

See related