“This year's Kitchen of the Year is a study in contrast, texture and light reflectivity,” said Steven Miller, principal of the San Francisco-based Steven Miller Design Studio, who designed the kitchen, which is part of this year’s San Francisco Decorator Showcase (3660 Jackson Street, Presidio Heights). “We have cultivated a mix of black enameled cabinetry from KraftMaid, Black Ice appliances from Whirlpool, and an array of sparkly, light catching details. The room is classic, functional and forward looking—taking full advantage of the natural light and views that abound.”

Steven Miller in the Kitchen of the Year

After six incarnations in New York City—five times in Rockefeller Plaza and once in the Kips Bay Decorators Show House—this year marks the first that House Beautiful has brought its Kitchen of the Year project to the West Coast.

“Kitchens are the new American living rooms. They are the center of the home, and we’re so fortunate to have had designer Steven Miller create this year’s kitchen, which is really a space for living,” said Newell Turner, editor-in-chief of House Beautiful. “Steven, who is based in San Francisco, has a chic and sophisticated design sensibility that is imbued with whimsy and a certain ease; his work embodies the way people want to live right now.”

“This year’s Kitchen of the Year is very striking,” said Sean Sullivan, associate publisher of House Beautiful. “Designer Steven Miller’s kitchen is black and white—all black and white. In addition to the KraftMaid cabinetry and Whirlpool Black Ice appliances, there is black and white mica wallpaper from Phillip Jeffries, black on black chevron black splash tiles from Ann Sacks, white Caesarstone countertops, and white walls courtesy of Valspar paint. All-green plantings in every shade and shape of plants and trees will bring forward the living, organic elements. The flow of kitchen to family room to outdoor deck with dining area reflects the indoor-outdoor lifestyle that California invented and now everywhere else in the country has adopted.”

The kitchen also features Kohler’s Stages sinks and HiRise faucets, Grothouse Lumber Peruvian Walnut countertops, lighting fixtures from CSL® (Creative Systems Lighting), Hudson Valley Lighting and Troy Lighting.

House Beautiful has also teamed up with Whirlpool to host a series of innovative culinary demonstrations and special events in the Kitchen of the Year with renowned chefs throughout the month of May, in partnership with Eat Drink SF.

The Kitchen of the Year will be open to the public on Tuesdays through Sundays, closing on Monday, May 26, Memorial Day. Tickets are $35 for general admission, $30 for seniors, and are available at the door or online.

For design enthusiasts outside of the San Francisco area, the Kitchen of the Year will be featured in the October 2014 issue of House Beautiful, available on newsstands in mid-September.

Photo Credit: Nikki Ritcher for House Beautiful