While stainless steel kitchens have long been favoured in the home, we’ve seen a shift towards sculptural forms that redefine what’s possible with the material. This edit explores five curved stainless steel kitchens that marry experimental design and expert craftsmanship.
In the kitchen — which makes one feel like a chef even when preparing the most mundane meal — the designer has used joinery by Silhouette Kitchens. Joinery handles are by custom by Livio Tobler | Photography by Anson Smart
Sydney, Australia
Handelsmann + Khaw co-founder and interior designer Gillian Khaw approached the redesign of her harbourside home with a keenness to take risks and sense of humour. “I would consider a singular stainless steel kitchen bench with no room for stools quite experimental,” Khaw reflects. “You’d normally expect to see some stone and practical seating instead. This is now one of my favourite parts of the house,” she adds.
The designer says the kitchen’s materiality makes her feel like a chef. “I do enjoy using the kitchen—the stainless steel makes me feel like I’m a chef, even when I’m just making toast,” Khaw says.
Milan, Italy
Founded in 2013, Italian stainless steel kitchen company Abimis showcased their Ego Kitchen by Venetian architect Alberto Torsello at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2024. While not a new design, the brand describes the kitchen as a symbolic model of their dedication to bringing the tools, technologies and construction of commercial kitchens into the domestic world. Inspired by 1950s aesthetics, the kitchen is handmade from AISI 304 stainless steel, resistant to corrosion and temperatures of up to 500C°.
The made-to-measure kitchen is available in different finishes and can be customised with various modules, accessories and appliances, including refrigerated food storage compartments and heated drawers. Rounded flush doors and handles are signature design details, alongside the completely invisible stainless steel hinges.
The Ego Kitchen system by Abimis and Venetian architect Alberto Torsello | Photography courtesy of Abimis
Paris, France
Architect Joris Poggioli’s Paris home is rooted in its storied past, while reflecting his ‘contemporary voice’. The industrial kitchen island is one of Poggioli’s favourite part of the home, designed as a “stainless steel sculpture,” he says. “Metals like stainless steel and silver reflect light; in reflecting, they speak to the past, embedding us within it,” Poggioli says. “I had to find a master craftsman to shape those curved forms from steel,” he says.
The kitchen’s design is deeply personal for Poggioli, as his father was a locksmith by trade, and his mother passed on her passion for cooking. “I love cooking for friends, so this island is the perfect link between the three of us,” Poggioli reflects. “It lives as a sculpture but is also the central gathering point when I invite family and friends over. Everyone gathers around it,” he adds.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Framework Studio designed an apartment in the heart of Amsterdam to be filled with custom details, tactile elements and striking moments of colour. The kitchen emerges as the heart of the home—a space in which the family can gather or entertain guests.
Meticulously crafted by Framework, the custom-designed kitchen space showcases terrazzo bench tops complemented by stainless-steel fronts and wall tiles in vibrant yellow and off-white hues. The distinctive palette reflects the living room on the other side of the passage, where the ceiling and walls are painted in a calming canary yellow.
The kitchen was custom designed by Framework, featuring terrazzo benchtops complemented by stainless-steel fronts and uniquely shaped wall tiles in vibrant yellow and off-white hues | Photography by Thomas De Bruyne
The custom-designed stainless steel kitchen island is paired with a vintage Luminator floor lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Vormen Chair.01 and a Muller Van Severen wire cabinet | Photography courtesy of atelier avondzon
Louis by atelier avondzon
Ghent, Belgium
Set against a backdrop of warm hues and greenery, the pared-back kitchen in this 19th-century bel-étage restoration embodies contemporary design.
The focal point is a sculptural, curved stainless steel island, designed by atelier avondzon and expertly crafted by Bossuyt Kitchens, a Belgian studio renowned for their professional-grade craftsmanship. Seamlessly integrating Smeg appliances, the kitchen is functional and streamlined while adding a distinctive character to the street-facing view.
The kitchen’s atmosphere is enhanced by a modernist vintage Luminator floor lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and further enriched by the Vormen Chair.01 and Muller Van Severen wire cabinet, mirroring the industrial stainless-steel details.
