A Recipe for Elegant Entertaining: Eight Stylish Kitchens

Sotheby’s International Realty

A blend of style, comfort, and functionality makes the kitchen a space where people naturally want to gather. In estates from Southampton to San Francisco, these kitchens make guests and hosts feel at ease with their fluid floor plans, superior appliances, and stylish surfaces.

Coastal Oasis in Palm Beach

This secluded oceanfront estate takes full advantage of its location, featuring an array of lovely spaces ideal for indoor-outdoor living and entertaining. In addition to 11 bedrooms and 18 baths, the 25,878-square-foot home offers an elegantly styled kitchen suited for all manner of culinary pursuits, with top-tier appliances, designer cabinetry, two islands—one with a cleverly hidden television—a coffee bar, refrigerator drawers, a walk-in pantry, counter seating, and a casual dining area with a view of the waves.

Offered at: $49,500,000
Location: North Palm Beach, FL 33408

 

Luxurious Hamptons Living

No need or desire has been overlooked at this Southampton estate, sited on gated manicured grounds and encompassing a home, a “cottage,” a pool and pool house, and a tennis court. Measuring a remarkable 15,500 square feet, the eight-bedroom main residence is filled with modern appointments, opulent details, and state-of-the-art amenities. Highlights include living and great rooms, a den, a theater, a billiards lounge with a bar, a formal dining room, and both professional and traditional kitchens, each outfitted to make elegant entertaining easy.

Offered at: $39,500,000
Location: 9 Olde Towne Lane, Southampton, NY 11968

 

Artful Greenwich Manor

The estate known as Amarpali combines refined formality with consummate modern comfort. Award-winning architect Dinyar Wadia created the four-level home in 2013, filling the impressive 18,000 square feet with an array of spaces for luxurious living and entertaining. In addition to a wood-paneled library with built-in bookshelves, a sophisticated dining room, eight restful bedroom suites, and a breezy loggia with graceful groin vaulting, it features a spacious eat-in kitchen with a dramatic island and stainless-steel appliances, including a range with an eye-catching hood.

Offered at: $33,000,000
Location: 471 Lake Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830

Renovated Beaux Arts Masterpiece with Bay Views

In the 1920s, architect Conrad Meussdorffer designed an 11-floor Beaux Arts building in San Francisco’s coveted Pacific Heights neighborhood. Masterfully renovated by Andrew Skurman, the 5,400-square-foot residence on the fifth floor continues to exemplify the classical early-20th-century refinement while accommodating the most luxurious of modern living. A 1,500-bottle wine cellar and a generous kitchen with stainless-steel appliances and plentiful cabinetry—both classical and glass-fronted for display—will appeal to the gourmand and the entertainer.

Offered at: $19,500,000
Location: 2000 Washington Street #5, San Francisco, CA 94109

 

European-Inspired Manor in Houston

Designed for grand festivities and lavish private living, this 13,836-square-foot, five-bedroom residence minutes from Houston’s city center is a bastion of Old World style and finery. Among its many grand spaces perfect for welcoming a crowd are an air-conditioned loggia, a 1,000-bottle wine cellar, a pool and hot tub, and a chef’s kitchen with a barrel-vaulted ceiling, alderwood cabinetry, honed marble countertops, commercial-caliber appliances, a casual dining area, and an adjoining pantry or catering kitchen.

Offered at: $18,950,000
Location: 526 West Friar Tuck Lane, Houston, TX 77024

 

Sweeping Tribeca Apartment

Generously proportioned and offering easy, open, light-flooded spaces with distinctive style and a welcoming warmth, this impressive 6,226-square-foot home on the second level of a landmark building is an entertainer’s dream. Every space—from a living room with a wood-burning fireplace, a library with picture-perfect views, a karaoke room, and a study and play area to an open kitchen with a banquette, a stone-topped island with counter seating, a butler’s pantry, and state-of-the-art appliances—is filled with an inviting ambience.

Offered at: $18,500,000
Location: 140 Franklin Street 2B, New York, NY 10013

 

Napa Valley Compound

Nestled on approximately 40 acres of cabernet vineyards and olive groves, this unique estate exemplifies Napa Valley luxury. It consists of three pavilions linked by breezeways and loggias, with highlights that include a library, a grand salon, stylish master and guest suites, a family room, a gym, a media room, a wine cellar, terraces, and an infinity-edge pool. The cook’s kitchen offers multiple islands, a breakfast bar, superior appliances, and an adjoining family room with a stone fireplace.

Offered at: $17,000,000
Location: 777 Lommel Road, Calistoga, CA 94515

 

Point o’ View

Exemplifying classic East Coast style, this 7,499-square-foot, five-bedroom residence in Osterville has an enviable position on West Bay that provides serene views of the water, sunsets, and boats sailing by. The living and entertaining areas include a light-filled formal dining room with French doors, a study or den, a cheerful living room enveloped by windows and French doors, a relaxing family room, and a spacious kitchen with clean lines, stainless-steel appliances, and an oversized island with granite and butcher-block countertops and seating for four.

Offered at: $11,900,000
Location: Osterville, MA 02655