Warm-Toned Oak Veneer Kitchen

This project was based on playing with contrasts — between romantic and rugged, intimate and open — while focusing on the use of natural materials and warmth.

The clients’ dream was to have a spacious, functional, open, and airy kitchen with different seating options, making the kitchen — the heart of the home — a place that allows for all types of interaction and activity. The kitchen design aimed for a natural aesthetic, with a strong emphasis on rich materials and textures.

The cabinetry combines light, airy tones that blend seamlessly with the flooring, alongside tall cabinets in oak veneer with warm shades. For the countertop, the designer selected a dramatic stone with dynamic movement and warm accents to serve as the final layer tying all the elements together. These same tones and materials repeat throughout the home, with the kitchen setting the tone as the star of the space.

To maintain the openness toward the living room, it was clear to the clients that most of the kitchen should remain low and free of tall cabinets, leaving a clean, minimalist wall that became a blank canvas. The designer chose to extend the stone backsplash all the way up to a thin white shelf, perfect for displaying decorative items and jars.

“One of the challenges with this kitchen was to allow for both casual, high seating at the island and a proper dining area for hosting,” explains designer Mor Novitz Shomer. “Originally, there was only a small dining table that felt disproportionate to the space. We replaced it with a small, lightweight island with brown framed legs and a matching stone top, and added a perpendicular, extendable walnut dining table that perfectly complements the kitchen cabinetry.”

Photography: Karin Ravena