Kitchens are the room we get asked about most. They are also the room where Sea-to-Sky homes either hold together or come apart — because the kitchen has to work for a family of four on a Tuesday night and for sixteen people arriving in ski gear on a Saturday afternoon. We designed the 2026 Western Living Design 25–winning Mountain Modern kitchen at Sunstone in Pemberton. The principles below are drawn directly from that work.
What a Sea-to-Sky kitchen has to do
It has to cook, obviously. It also has to absorb muddy dogs, snow-wet boots, and the post-ski cascade of six guests wanting water at once. It has to stay warm under grey December light and not feel sterile in July. It has to age well for ten years of use — which means honest materials and serviceable hardware, not a paint finish that chips on the first month. We design the kitchen with Tuesday in mind, not the magazine photograph.
The hero move: one anchor element
Every kitchen we design has one hero — an anchor the rest of the room orbits. At Sunstone it's the fluted, asymmetrical fireplace integrated into the kitchen wall — an architectural hearth that breaks symmetry on purpose. At Balsam it's a cold-rolled steel hood over a chisel limestone backsplash. The rest of the kitchen is quiet because the hero is doing the emotional work.
Closed-concept thinking, inside open-concept architecture
A shift we've been leaning into: 60% of our recent kitchens have moved toward zoned, closed-concept thinking. Not walls — but slab cabinet doors, concealed appliances, a pantry that actually hides the mess. The open great-room kitchen stays visible; the working kitchen gets tucked around the corner. It's the difference between a kitchen that always looks ready for company and one that always looks mid-clean-up.
Material choices that won Design 25
Stone slabs with restraint. Dark stone countertops with a waterfall edge, used as one move rather than everywhere. Unlacquered brass and warm metals. Hardware that will patina honestly. Pacific Northwest oak. Rustic oak cabinetry with real grain, not painted fronts. Custom millwork. Most of our kitchen cabinetry is fabricated by Williams Joinery, a Sea-to-Sky partner. Purchased-box kitchens are not in our vocabulary.
Work that shows the thinking.
Common questions.
What does a full kitchen design cost in the Sea-to-Sky?
How long does a kitchen design take?
Do you only design full-home kitchens, or can it be kitchen-only?
What's different about Mountain Modern kitchens vs. a Vancouver kitchen?
Let’s talk about how your family lives.
Every project starts with a conversation about who you are and how you actually live.