Stainless steel initially gained popularity in the 50s and 60s in industrial kitchens for its hygienic properties and ease of cleaning. The sleek, modern appearance of the material soon caught the attention of residential designers and homeowners, leading to its widespread use in residential kitchens. Today, the material is used in the kitchen for a myriad of reasons, including its durability and resistance to high temperatures, its reflective properties, which in turn brighten and open up spaces, as well as its compatibility with a range of other materials commonly found in modern kitchens, such as wood and stone. In this second instalment of ‘Stainless Steel in the Kitchen’, we’re showcasing seven new kitchens that highlight this beloved industrial-grade material’s versatility and enduring appeal.
Knokke-Heist Home
Location: Knokke-Heist, Belgium
Design: Nathalie Deboel
In the Belgian seaside town of Knokke-Heist, Nathalie Deboel has designed a kitchen that embraces both the soft and the hard. “For us, it’s a story about contrast and harmony; the concrete beam and the stainless steel, in combination with the softer palette of polished concrete floors and clay wall finish,” she says. The hand-crafted stainless steel door panels impart an industrial feel to the space, without feeling overpowering.
Photography by Thomas De Bruyne
Photography by Thomas De Bruyne
Photography by Thomas De Bruyne
Photography by Tim Crocker
Photography by Tim Crocker
Photography by Tim Crocker
Magpie House
Location: London, UK
Design: DGN Studio
In a charming terrace house in London’s east, DGN Studio have sought to reflect its design-inclined owners through a mid-century inspired material palette. The heart of the home, the C-shaped kitchen, is designed with function in mind, offering ample storage and bench space while employing hard-wearing materials, including stainless steel for both the countertops and splashbacks. The client’s old stainless-steel Gaggenau oven completes the space.
Residential Castillon
Location: Vers-Pont-du-Gard, France
Design: Studio Le Cann
Studio Le Cann have designed a textural bed and breakfast with a stainless-steel-clad kitchenette in the ancient village of Vers-Pont-du-Gard in the south of France. “We always work within very minimalist envelopes and like finding creative ways to open them up,” Studio Le Cann co-founder Guillaume Fantin says, one being the use of reflective materials like stainless steel.
Photography by Alice Mesguich
Photography by Alice Mesguich
Photography by Olmo Peeters and Matthijs van der Burgt
Photography by Olmo Peeters and Matthijs van der Burgt
Architect Bram Van Cauter’s Antwerp Home
Location: Antwerp, Belgium
Design: Studio Okami
This Belgian architect’s home is situated on the bend of Antwerp’s Scheldt river, inside an early 1970s Brutalist building. The apartment is characterised by the juxtaposition of raw concrete and metallic materials, namely, a light-blue steel staircase and a monolithic stainless-steel kitchen island. “The kitchen island was approached as a sculptural addition to the space, just like the spiral staircase,” Bram says. The kitchen’s appliances are concealed behind a stainless steel wall unit inspired by American artist Donald Judd.
Spring Street
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Design: March Studio
This apartment, designed by March Studio, is situated within a heritage-listed Brutalist-style building in Melbourne’s CBD. The mesmerising silver-lined ceiling engenders a motif of reflective materials, including stainless steel, in the kitchen. March Studio co-founder Rodney Eggleston cites 70s optimism as a source of inspiration for these reflective materials: “At the time, architects were introducing reflective materials as a way of opening spaces up.” He also notes the owners’ background in the hospitality industry as a motivation for the stainless-steel kitchen.
Photography by Dan Preston
Photography by Dan Preston
Photography by Dan Preston
Photography by DePasquale+Maffini
Designer Michele Pasini’s Milan Home
Location: Milan, Italy
Design: Storagemilano
Storagemilano co-founder Michele Pasini has a passion for designing with metals, often wrapping metal sheets around furniture and blocks. The kitchen in his own Milan apartment is indicative of this, with the stainless-steel-wrapped kitchen island offering a stark contrast from the traditional, hand-painted ceiling.
Apartment Canal Saint Martin
Location: Paris, France
Design: Rodolphe Parente
In this restored 19th-century apartment in Paris’ Canal Saint-Martin neighbourhood, Rodolphe Parente has sought to balance the heritage elements of the space and the new, more expressive elements. This is typified in the kitchen, where the designer has paired stainless steel, travertine and warm pink tones with the space’s existing Haussmannian features – namely, the ornate wall details and timber floors. “There must be a form of friction between heritage and creativity – areas of resistance and discontinuity. This is really what the kitchen is about,” he says.
Photography by Giulio Ghirardi
Photography by Giulio Ghirardi
Photography by Giulio Ghirardi
