Six cool kitchens in chrome, zinc and steel

Durable, heat-resistant and hygienic, stainless steel has long been the hallmark of the chef’s kitchen, arming cabinetry and counters with the resilience to fight the spills, stains – and slurs – hurled across them. The stainless-steel kitchen became a hot trend in homes during the 1990s, as celebrity chefs took over television screens. Now there is renewed interest in the look – perhaps spurred on by the tired but tantalising kitchen in hit show The Bear, where culinary chaos, friendship and conflict come to the boil, or David Beckham’s immaculately polished backsplash in the eponymous Netflix documentary.

The aesthetic is sleek and modern. To avoid a cold and clinical feel, edges of cabinets can be rounded, and a brushed finish can soften the look. The downside of stainless steel is that scratches will show – something that has to be embraced if you’re going for a full-metal look – but the material will patina nicely with age and its reflective nature can make a space feel bigger and brighter. Here are the stainless-steel kitchens we’ve taken a shine to.

A stainless-steel counter and corrugated metal Sing Sing Sing chair by Shiro Kuramata for XO in a Covent Garden holiday rental, a look created by interior designer Hollie Bowden.

This semi-customised brushed-stainless-steel kitchen was created by Italian brand Alpes Inox in the Paris apartment of interior architects Kim Haddou and Florent Dufourcq.

A stainless-steel kitchen paired with Calacatta Viola marble countertops – inspired by spaceships and laboratories – designed by the studio Love Is Enough for an apartment in Chelsea, New York. 

This bespoke bar designed by Daytrip for Cromwell Place Café in London is clad in naturally patinated zinc buffed to a silvery sheen – with a deep, cantilevering bullnose.

A new addition to an ’80s apartment overlooking Sydney Harbour. Designers Handelsmann + Khaw leaned into the hard materials of the decade, inspired by the adaptation of American Psycho. 

This floating stainless-steel kitchen contrasted with pastel-pink walls was designed by Rodolphe Parente for the Canal Saint-Martin project in Paris.