From the country that taught us how to make ourselves fully at home in the kitchen, here are 15 memorable designs—rustic, clean-lined, and effortless-looking combinations of the two.
Above: This luxe kitchen in a Vipp pop-up features modern, modular, and unfitted Vipp components (and a locally glazed tile floor) beneath a Venetian ceiling fresco. Take a tour in The Vipp Pop-Up Palazzo: Scandi Minimalism in an Italian Baroque Setting Turned Temporary Hotel.
Above: The kitchen at Casolare Scarani in Puglia by Studio Andrew Trotter was formerly, surprisingly enough, a garage, now fitted with terra cotta tiles.
Above: At Palazzo Daniele in Italy, history (tall ceilings and plastered archways) meets modern and minimal (stainless steel-clad island) in the communal kitchen. See more in Kitchen of the Week: Minimalism Meets Grandeur at an Italian Villa Turned Hotel.
Above: The ultimate marble sink in a convent turned country house, restored by Marina Sinibaldi Benatti (who became an interior designer along the way); see La Dolce Vita: A Restored 17th-Century Convent Outside Milan.
Above: Even a genius portable kitchen doesn’t skimp on the marble countertops; see A Moveable Feast: A Modular Kitchen from an Italian Architect.
Above: Understated ease in an apartment kitchen by Clarisse Demory at Villa Lena, a new hotel and artist retreat on a Tuscan estate. For more, see our post Steal This Look: A Humble Tuscan Kitchen, French Edition.
Above: Does this kitchen look familiar? It played a starring role in Luca Guadagnino’s A Bigger Splash. Take a full tour of the island villa in Vacation Dreaming: Elegant Simplicity on the Italian Island of Pantelleria.
Above: A Romantic/Industrial Milan Loft for a Bohemian Design Duo, glam chandelier included.
Above: A show kitchen in a rescued spinning mill in northern Italy features ground concrete floors and reclaimed shelving; see A Showroom in Italy Where Everything Is Made from Salvaged Materials.
Above: Also at Villa Lena: An apartment kitchen features cabinets painted in dusty sage. See Villa Lena: A New Creative Hub (and Hotel) in Tuscany.
Above: In the mountains, there’s this small, minimalist kitchen in a stone house, as seen in Ca’Giovanni: An Architect’s (Gentle) Renovation of His Great-Grandfather’s Work.
Above: An Italian designer’s tiny historic flat in Milan gets a 21st-century revamp with a rosy fresco and steel counters; see more at Pietro Russo’s 538-Square-Foot Apartment in Milan, Glamour Included.
Above: A backsplash in colorful tiles at Numeroventi in Florence. For more, see A Modern Guest House in a 16th-Century Palazzo.
Above: Get a glimpse of designer Katrin Arens’s own kitchen in Lombardy, stacked ceramics included, in Slow Design: Katrin Arens Plate Rack.
Above: And a quiet kitchen—with concrete countertops and niches for display—in Italian Spring: A Villa in the Puglia Countryside, with Rooms for Let.
To see more great kitchens around the world, read Greatest Hits: 16 Fantastique French Kitchens from Our Archives and 13 Favorite Cost-Conscious Kitchen Remodels from the Remodelista Archives.
And to outfit your kitchen Italian-style, check out our posts:
- 16 Made-in-Italy Kitchen Essentials
- Italian Design Through a Modern Lens, via Eligo in Milan
- Object Lessons: Italy’s Best Knives from Coltellerie Berti
N.B. This post is an old favorite; it was originally published on September 26, 2014, and has been updated with new kitchens we love.