8 stainless steel kitchen ideas to add to your moodboard
The great stainless steel kitchen revival continues apace – but really, did this timeless kitchen design ever really go away? The appeal is obvious: it’s a hardworking material that is easy to maintain, plus, it can weather the wear and tear of a bustling family home as much as it can withstand the rigours of a commercial kitchen. Here, we round up inspiring stainless steel kitchen ideas from the ELLE Decoration archives to inspire your next kitchen overhaul.
The Georgian villa with an attention-grabbing stainless steel kitchen
Built by Jan Hendzel, the stainless-steel island and sideboard (inspired by a shelving piece by Maarten van Severen) create a striking juxtaposition to the Georgian architecture of designer Jill McNair’s London home. Further contrast comes via the handles of the custom oak and sapele cabinets which were inspired by her fascination with the peeling bark on Japanese maple trees.
A stainless steel kitchen within a brutalist masterpiece
Andrew Griffiths of studio A New Day designed the kitchen of his home in London’s iconic Barbican estate and brought Holte Studio on board to build it. He chose warm sapele wood, white laminate and stainless steel for the materials palette, with the timber adding warmth to their cool functionality. A Foster modular induction hob is set into one of the work surfaces, which are by the same company that installed the originals in the Barbican.
Fifty shades of grey in a Brutalist home
Grey House, by architect Adam Kane, is an ambitious project that uses both stainless steel and polished plaster throughout. ‘The design of the house really started from the kitchen,’ he says. ‘It has this sensory experience of feeling enclosed, but every view is of open landscape with the deciduous trees that change throughout the seasons. That’s the artwork, the movement, the colour and the life in the house.’ The materials palette in the kitchen is restrained: stainless-steel worktop, concrete floor and walls, with the ceiling and disguised cupboards finished in Marmorino polished plaster.
The Roman palazzo reimagined with stainless steel
This kitchen’s functional features, such as the drinks station and oven, can be concealed behind sliding brushed-steel doors. On the end wall hangs an engraving by Argentine-Italian artist Lucio Fontana. The ‘Eros’ side table by Angelo Mangiarotti for Agapecasa is paired with a vintage stool by Austrian architect and designer Josef Hoffmann.
The luxe kitchen that’s a stone’s throw from the Palace of Versaille
Steel and marble is a striking combination in the kitchen of this 19th century French townhouse, designed by RMGB. The bespoke stainless steel cabinetry draws the eye upward to the high ceilings, while any coolness is tempered by the textured solid brass handles of the cabinets and the richness of the Calacatta Viola marble island.
A pop-culture inspired kitchen in London
The circle-brushed stainless steel cabinets and worktop of the vibrant home of designer Alex Holloway are a bespoke creation of the studio he co-owns, Holloway Li. An offcut of a screen, designed by the interior design duo and produced by Polkima Moulded Composites (inspired by the work of art Rachel Whiteread) sits beside the window, where it catches the light.
A bespoke kitchen for a trendsetting gallerist
The home of pioneering gallerist Nina Yashar is as brilliantly curated as the exhibition spaces she oversees. ‘Life, collecting and the gallery are all driven by instinct,’ she explains. ‘I throw myself into the places that my instincts take me. I travel a lot. The objects discovered while wandering are the ones I bring into my world.’ Alpes Inox created the bespoke stainless steel kitchen in her Milan home, while the table is a piece by Giancarlo Montebello for Nilufar Gallery.
Stainless steel counters for a pro-style kitchen
The professional-style kitchen of this Ibizan home is designed to entertain. It features both blackened and stainless steel, along with fumed oak. Designed by Peter Mikic for owners who love having guests around but didn’t want the typical island party pad, it’s rich with warm wood and textural furnishings that honour the serenity of its setting.
