Kitchen Upgrades for Your Best Kitchen Yet
The kitchen is more than just a place to cook—it’s a hub for gathering, and often the busiest spot in the house. With today’s top design solutions, the kitchen can be as beautiful as it is hardworking, combining smart functionality with stunning design, and most importantly, creating a clutter-free space that brings peace of mind. From sleek hidden storage to stylish shelving, minimalist fixtures, and even refrigerated pantries, these design-forward features are making everyday life more organized and efficient than ever.
1. Pocket Doors: Seamlessly Concealed, Effortlessly Chic
Pocket doors slide smoothly into cabinetry, concealing appliances or workspaces when not in use and maintaining a clutter-free look. Pocket doors are perfect for open-concept kitchens or minimalist designs, where streamlined design is essential.
Divine Design Center
This custom kitchen by Divine Design Center showcases beautiful pocket doors that reveal a stylish coffee station and liquor collection when opened and vanish neatly into the cabinetry when closed–a perfect blend of utility and aesthetics!
Kistler and Knapp Builders
This kitchen, built by Kistler and Knapp Builders, features hidden storage integrated into spacious cabinetry wall. The storage setup combines high-end finishes with clever functionality.
(Architect: Ruhl Jahnes Architects, Builder: Kistler and Knapp Builders, Interior Design: Lewis Interiors, Landscape Architect: Stimson Studio, Photography: Nat Rea)
2. Hidden & Space-Saving Storage: Maximizing Every Inch
Every square inch matters in a hardworking kitchen. Pull-out drawers, toe-kick storage, and customized compartments create space for it all while keeping countertops clear and clutter-free.
Venegas and Company
Located steps from Boston Common, this streamlined kitchen by Venegas and Company is both elegant and highly functional—an ideal setup for an active young family in the city.
(Designers: Venegas and Company, Interiors: Spazzio Rosso, Builder: The CORE Group, Installers: Venegas and Company, Photography: Jared Kuzia)
Divine Design Center
Designed to preserve sightlines in an open concept layout, this kitchen designed by Divine Design Center features luxury cabinetry in a grey wood tone veneer.
A niche-lit shelving unit on the island offers display without distraction, complemented by concrete countertops and concealed storage elements.
3. Open Shelving & Transparent Cabinetry: Display Meets Function
Open shelving and glass-front cabinets keep essentials accessible while allowing beautiful dishware and beloved objects to be on full display!
Newton Kitchens & Design
With refined millwork and thoughtfully integrated cabinetry, this kitchen by Newton Kitchens & Design marries style with smart storage, offering a mix of transparent cabinetry in a beautifully layered design.
(Kitchen Stone + Cabinetry: Newton Kitchens, Interior Design: Nicole Hirsch Millwork/Designer: NKD, Styling: Sean William, Photography: Sarah Winchester Studios)
Venegas and Company
Featuring a Prima door style and faux-finished custom hutch, this space blends unique textures with reflective glass shelving to frame the stone-washed hood and walls.
(Designers: YaoYing Huang, Venegas and Company, Interiors: Anna O Design, Builder: BosCorp Design & Build, Installers: BosCorp Design & Build, Photography: Tamara Flanagan)
Crown Point Cabinetry
A timeless palette of Ellie Gray cabinetry with upper glass panels by Crown Point Cabinetry, a LeMans pull-out, and an appliance garage showcase function and elegance in equal measure.
(Cabinetry: Crown Point Cabinetry, Bill Staehle – Classics Reborn, Simon Stigsby – Studio Stigsby, Photography: Crown Point Cabinetry)
First Class Marble & Granite
With vein-matched Macchia Vecchia porcelain, a full-height backsplash, and bold cabinetry, this space proves that display and storage can work hand in hand.
(Stone: First Class Marble & Granite, Builder: Beacon Point Development)
4. Metalwork Shelving: Airy Meets Functional
Metal shelving brings an airy, modern look to the kitchen while offering practical storage and subtle visual separation between zones.
Venegas and Company
Here, light, open metal shelving keeps the kitchen feeling both breezy and connected to an adjacent sitting room, serving as both storage and a sightline-enhancing partition.
(Kitchen Design/Cabinetry/ Installation: Venegas and Company, Interior Design: Wolf in Sheep, Builder: Monaco Construction Group, Photography: Read McKendree / JBSA)
Crown Point Cabinetry
A dramatic Sherwin-Williams Black Blue finish contrasts beautifully with rich walnut floating shelves framed by metalwork structure. “Everett Schram’s eye for color and detail really allowed us to craft something special,” shares Brian Stowell, President of Crown Point Cabinetry.
(Cabinetry: Crown Point Cabinetry, Architecture: Everett Schram, J.E. Schram Architect, LLC, Photography: Macchia Photography, Inc.)
5. Minimalist Fixtures: Sleek, Smart, Sustainable
From touchless faucets to stylish pot fillers, today’s plumbing fixtures emphasize ease, cleanliness, and aesthetics.
Interiology + Monique’s Bath Showroom
Glass tile and integrated lighting create sparkle in this compact, cleverly designed bar station designed by Interiology Design Co., featuring a sparkling stainless steel faucet from Monique’s Bath Showroom.
Strategic upgrades—including a textural tile backsplash and sleek faucet—transform this once-cramped space into a fresh and functional gem.
(Designer: Interiology, Faucet: Monique’s Bath, Photography: Jared Kuzia)
Snow & Jones
In this gorgeous coastal kitchen, timeless yet contemporary pieces from Kallista add architectural interest without distracting from a wall of windows looking out toward the ocean. Featuring an oversized Mutliere workstation kitchen sink along with a Juxtapose pot filler in matte black, this kitchen is equal parts stunning and functional.
(Builder: ARCHWRIGHT Fine Home Builders, Architect: Catalyst Architecture & Interiors, Interior Design: Mrs. Paranjape Design + Interiors, Appliances: KAM Appliances, Plumbing Fixtures: Snow & Jones, Stone: Ricciardi Marble & Granite, Photography: Greg Premru)
6. Hidden Refrigeration: Clean Lines, Cool Features
Integrated refrigeration keeps visual clutter at bay, maintaining a seamless kitchen design without sacrificing food storage space.
Interiology Design Co.
This redesign transforms a small, inefficient space into a beautifully zoned kitchen with disguised refrigeration that blends into custom wall panels.
(Designer: Interiology Design Co., Photography: Jared Kuzia)
RootCellar Concepts
More than just a walk-in fridge, RootCellar Concepts offers customizable, concealed cold storage that matches any cabinetry style. With a patented, hands-free pocket door paired with a seamless aesthetic, the kitchen levels up in efficiency and functionality.
From video monitoring to oversized freezer bays and adjustable shelving, it’s the future of fresh food storage.
(Refrigerated Pantry: RootCellar, Photography: Jim Barbere, Architect: ZeroEnergy Design, Builder: Catalano)
7. Wine Storage: Sophisticated & Accessible
Integrated wine displays don’t just organize your collection—they elevate the ambiance of the entire kitchen and entertaining space. Details such as glass doors and horizontal bottle storage are also a great way to keep your collection in full view.
Charles River Wine Cellars
Positioned just off the main living space, this custom black wine room with glass doors and horizontal storage by Charles River Wine Cellars puts the homeowner’s collection on full view. Designed for both form and function, it’s ideal for entertaining in style.
(Wine Cellar: Charles River Wine Cellars, Builder: Sea-Dar Construction, Interior Design: Kristin Paton Interiors)
From cleverly concealed storage to sophisticated fixtures and smart refrigeration, modern kitchen design is all about working smarter—without compromising on style. These standout solutions from some of our favorite design pros show how thoughtful upgrades can transform your kitchen into a space that is both efficient and beautiful.
