3 of the most beautiful Studio McGee kitchens – and the design lessons we’ve learned from them

Kitchens are perhaps the most exciting to design. There are so many colors, materials, and finishes to consider, so it's often useful to look to designers for some beautiful inspiration.

Whenever we see a kitchen design by Studio McGee, there's always something unexpected yet utterly chic about it. Expertly designed to balance functional needs with cozier features, there are so many lessons we can learn from them to inspire our own kitchen ideas.

With that in mind, we're sharing 3 of the most beautiful Studio McGee kitchen projects to discover what makes them so special – and the design cues we can all take into our spaces.

The Houston Estate kitchen

This year's wooden kitchen revival has really come as no surprise. They are widely considered a timeless choice, especially when designed to the same standard as Studio McGee's Houston Estate kitchen.

While some people choose an accent of wood, the team has gone all in with a wood scheme. From the cabinetry to the island, the rich, paneled design feels traditional and timeless.

To ensure the kitchen still feels up to date, a more contemporary finish has been chosen. Marable countertops that continue up the backsplash add a lighter, sleeker finish, while decorative pieces add personality into the space.

Looking past the beautiful wood surfaces, it's the finer details that really catch your eye within the design. Glass-fronted cabinets on each side of the range area break up the solid surfaces and create an area to display the client's favorite kitchenware.

And the range area is something truly special. A black and gold range cooker centers the back wall of the kitchen, adding a contrast with the other finishes in the scheme. Plastering the range hood removes an unsightly feature and creates a more seamless design.

The decor here is what brings in character and personality, though. On one side, a beautiful still life painting leans against the backsplash, curated with a miniature lamp, a tray of garlic, and a ceramic crock filled with wood utensils.

On the other side, two dark wood cutting boards are layered on top of each other, while a stack of recipe books adds a lived-in feel. Above, a slim open shelf adds extra space for glassware, salt and pepper mills, and a collection of dainty ceramics.

To complete this cozy design, a vase of seasonal greenery creates an extra touch of interest to the island, while dark wood counter stools with leather upholstery add a sense of comfort to the informal seating arrangement.

This kitchen is a lesson in mixing traditional and modern design elements while layering in cozy decor to create a lived-in, characterful aesthetic. It's curated but not overly done. One things for sure – it will convince even the most sceptical people that wood kitchens have their place in this year's top designs.

The Tahoe Pines kitchen

Designing an open-plan kitchen can be a tricky task. In this Tahoe Pines project by Studio McGee, the large space features a spacious kitchen, a large dining area, and a cozy breakfast nook. All three spaces needed to have their own space and feel unique while remaining cohesive.

But it's a brief the team has nailed. Each zone has its own personality and individuality, but the entire space is tied together by a common thread – elements of natural, organic materials. A wooden island sits at the heart of the room, perfectly complemented by a wooden table and open shelving in the nook all add a sense of cohesion.

It helps that the color scheme has been kept relatively neutral. In the main area of the kitchen, warm neutrals are the dominant palette, creating the perfect base for the whole design.

The kitchen backsplash is a real stand-out feature. Square zellige tiles in an off white color add texture and interest to a neutral area, and taking them right up to the ceiling creates a focal point that hits one of this year's biggest kitchen backsplash trends.

An all-white space could easily feel flat and lack any visual interest, but the team have added plenty of decorative elements – alongside the backsplash – to add texture and contrast.

The subtle trim around the range hood offers a nod to the wooden details used throughout the space, while wooden decor like the cutting boards, trays, and utensils add a homey feel to the main cooking area. The wall sconces on either side of the hood add a layered lighting design to the space, adding functional task lighting as well as a complimentary finish to the cooker.

The cozy breakfast nook to the side of the main dining table is an unexpected yet utterly welcome addition to the space. While the obvious way to make it feel part of the main kitchen would be to add a wooden table, the design team took a much different approach.

Instead, a moodier atmosphere has been achieved with a black table and banquette seating upholstered in a deep green fabric. These deeper colors are key to making the nook cozy and welcoming, whist also giving it a unique feel within the kitchen.

The wood thread has still been woven through the nook, though – just in a more pared-back way. Instead of making it the focal point of the design, wood details have been introduced through the open shelving and ceiling, which instantly adds a cocooning feel.

The Tahoe Pines kitchen project is a showcase in how to make a large, open-plan kitchen feel cozy and warm. Each 'zone' has its own identity while feeling really cohesive – no easy feat, but one the team have totally nailed.

The Water's Edge kitchen

We often think of a huge, sprawling kitchen as the epitome of luxury – and it absolutely is. But with so much space to consider, it can be tricky to get the kitchen layout right.

But when the team at Studio McGee was tasked with designing the kitchen in the Water's Edge project, an unexpected layout solved all of their problems. A double island kitchen was the perfect way to add storage and extra surface space and ensure the scheme didn't feel too vast and empty.

Painting the islands in Fawn Brindle by Sherwin Williams was key to bringing the outdoors in, and paired with the natural wood tones and the wall of exposed brick, the team nailed the brief of bringing in a feel of the Cotswolds.

The only section of the kitchen that runs along the wall, the range area needed to look right among all of the exposed brick – as though it had always been there. Adding the wooden beam as a mantle leans into the traditional, countryside cottage aesthetic and blends with the rest of the wood details throughout the great room.

While the islands have been topped with marble countertops, they opted for a black countertop to blend into the cooktop, creating a more seamless finish. Instead of a classic tile backsplash, a plaster finish has been chosen for a more organic, textural finish.

To break up the large expanse of plaster, though, the team have gone totally traditional with a brass pot hanger – a feature that's enjoying a huge revival at the moment. Not only is it ideal for pot storage, but it offers an eye-catching place to hang dainty decor, like the mini art piece.

What really stands out in the design is the use of materials to create zones. Here, you can see how the exposed stone walls have been mirrored on the opposite side of the kitchen, giving a natural yet effective divide between the different areas.

In addition to bar seating on both islands, a round dining table has been added to the side of the main kitchen area for a more social seating option. This space hits another huge kitchen trend this year – a freestanding dresser adds space to store kitchenware and adds a more characterful feature.

This design proves that even a newly remodeled home can harbor a sense of tradition and character. The room here might be huge with multiple functions, but it feels cozy, elevated, and full of unique details. And while the double island layout might seem unexpected, in the right design, it can be the perfect solution to a tricky layout.

These 3 kitchens make it clear why Studio McGee's projects are a constant source of inspiration for designing rooms of different sizes, styles, and layouts. They imbue coziness while still feeling functional, decorated, and personalized without feeling cluttered. We'll certainly be taking a few cues from these designs in our kitchens.