Over at Architectural Digest, they are featuring some beautiful celebrity kitchens. We recommend checking them all out and imagining how your favorite celebrities whip up gourmet meals, but we have to share the one we loved the most. Feast your eyes on this unusual kitchen:

No, it’s not in a European dungeon — although you probably figured that out from the stainless steel appliances. It’s Gerard Butler’s New York kitchen and it manages to be subtly masculine and cozy at the same. It seems like the sort of kitchen where you might roast a whole pig just as easily as you could boil up some pasta.

During the colder months, this kitchen would be especially nice to warm up in. It’s not the typical light and bright kitchen we’re used to seeing, but it works. We’re jealous of Gerard! You can read more about it here.

What do you think of his kitchen?

Image courtesy of Architectural Digest

A stunning restoration and renovation of a historic plantation home on the Eastern Shore of Virginia by Stephen Muse and William Kiwan of Muse Architects, this project was awarded because of its meticulous attention to detail, authenticity and preservation.

Originally constructed in 1784 and expanded in 1829, the brick-ended clapboard structure with twin Georgian entry porches follows a one bay deep linear plan typical of Tidewater homes.

Along with complete renovation and restoration of the original house, the scope of work included removal of recent out-of-character additions and construction of additional living space capturing the view of nearby Hungar’s Creek.

To accomplish this, the twin porches from the drive side of the house were replicated on the waterfront side and a new kitchen with breakfast bay was connected to the existing structure by a one-story hyphen.

Additional work included the restoration of all outbuildings, construction of a new garage and the restoration of all driveways, walkways and gardens.

Marvin products used in the project included Ultimate Double Hung Windows, French Casement Windows, Ultimate Casement Windows, Stationary Windows and Transom Windows.

To see more winners and learn more about the Architect’s Challenge, please visit Marvin.

Today the marketing department at Marvin Windows and Doors had the privilege of hearing Sarah Susanka talk to us about her work. Sarah has been a long-time friend of Marvin and we are huge fans of her. She’s a top architect, designer, author, visionary and all-around good person.

Sarah talked about her new showhouse in Libertyville, Ill., which feature both Marvin and Integrity windows. She shared some of her design tips with us. Here’s a sampling.

• Varied ceiling heights. This makes a room feel cozy instead of stark.
• Aligning the house so that the eye has something to be drawn towards. For instance, Sarah designed the entry of the Libertyville house with a recessed shelf that can hold some artwork or a vase of flowers. You see the focal point as soon as you enter in through the door.
• Walking towards light. As Sarah reminded us, human beings are drawn towards light, so when designing a home, it’s important that we are able to move towards light-filled spaces, whether that is a window, a door, or just a lighted area on a wall.
• Multi-use spaces. Sarah showed us a floor plan that could be switched around to include large gatherings. As she pointed out, in traditional home plans, there are often spaces that get used once or twice a year. Why not design homes to be as flexible as possible?

Learn more about Sarah and her Not So Big philosophy here.

Image courtesy of Susanka.com.

As the current recession turns in to years, the homes we live in are changing and the effects of this could very well influence home building for decades to come. The Wall Street Journal recently covered some trends they’re seeing, as well as things that are fading by the wayside.

• The end of the closed-off, one-purpose living room is coming to an end. What people want now is a large living space, with living, kitchen and dining rooms spilling in to each other.
• Older homes used to have a grand staircase in the front of the home, with a much simpler, utilitarian one in the back. But with the coming “silver tsunami” that secondstaircase is making way for an elevator. When people are too ill or infirm to take the stairs, it doesn’t matter that there are two sets.
• Instead of an office or library, a new trend is for a multipurpose room that can be used for working, doing homework, reading, paying bills, etc.
• A Jacuzzi in the bathroom can be wonderful, but how often is it really used? Most people use a shower for their cleaning purposes, so there are going to be more enhancements to that, such as steam.
• As the Wall Street Journal notes, “As the kitchen has opened up into the dining room, there’s less need for a separate, small table for breakfast.” What to do with that extra space? The sky is the limit but builders are seeing a desire for more outdoor space.

Everyone has certain beliefs about decorating that they’ve heard over and over again and internalized as the truth. Sometimes though, it is good to look at things you thought weren’t the “right” way to decorate.

House Beautiful shared quite a few well-kept decorating secrets. Here are a few of our favorites. Make sure to check out the rest of the post here!

• Don’t be afraid of the dark: A dark paint color can add depth to a small room and make it feel bigger. Not to mention, dark walls can often be quite cozy.
• Wallpaper isn’t just for walls: House Beautiful suggests wallpapering sliding closet doors to give them a new look. Don’t forget about the inside of your closets too! A pop of wallpaper that can be seen as the door opens adds a lot of visual interest.
• Speaking of closets…there isn’t anything worse than feeling around in a dark closet for your clothing. Put a light in there and stretch beyond the usual bare bulb on a string.
• Go green: With plants, that is! A nice, large plant in a room adds a sense of the outdoors.

You’ve probably heard of retractable roofs on stadiums, but what about a totally retractable house? We found this very unusal housing idea from our friends at Design Milk.

Basically, you have a flexible material on hinges that can be changed about to suit your needs. Design Milk very aptly compares it to a transformer. Maybe you only need a home office some of the time. Or maybe what you need is a sunroom. No problem! M-House by Michael Jantzen delivers.

What do you think of this adaptable house?

Image courtesy of Design Milk.

Secret places in a home are the sort of things you see in movies, like a bookshelf that turns into a door to a hidden room when a book is pulled out. But these rooms do exist in real-life houses, as this slideshow from MSN Real Estate proves. Why would you want a secret room? Well, for security, for a bit of extra room squeezed in and of course, just for fun! Here are a few of our favorites. Let us know what you think, and check out the rest here.

It’s the classic pull-out-a-book-and-a-secret-room-is-revealed move!

This Arizona home has a secret room hidden by a staircase. To move the staircase, the homeowners use a remote control to lift it.

To get to this child’s secret room through a crawlspace hidden by a dresser, one of the clock’s hands is turned to 12:00.

Images courtesy of MSN Real Estate

Via Curbly, we came across this fascinating little time-sink: a listing of the most expensive homes in each of these United States. Unfortunately, the only way to view the full list is in this slightly clumsy digital magazine format, but we’ll share some interesting highlights here.

The most expensive home in all the land? Aaron Spelling‘s mansion in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles, California. This $150 million palace is, well, gorgeous. The listing offers no details about square footage, number of bedrooms or bathrooms, or anything a hopeful homebuyer might want to know, but it does mention that it’s a “single-family residence” on 4.7 acres. Must be for a large family.

At the other end of the spectrum is the most expensive home in North Dakota. Found in the city of Minot, this home is valued at a relatively reasonable $1.3 million. Four bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms and 10,000 square feet, it’s situated on “approximately 15 acres in the heart of hunting and oil country.”

Another gem? This amazing home in an amazing location in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Called Tranquility (any home with a name is worth at least an extra 50 percent, right?), the 210-acre property includes a private lake, 16-car garage and — wait for it — two par-3 golf holes. You can see more photos here.

We can dream, right?

We ran across an article with some interesting tidbits about what homeowners want in 2011. Are any of these on your radar?

• Outdoor living areas: Are you paying more attention to things like porches and patios? An outdoor kitchen (from simple to grand) and a fireplace can add a whole new dimension. Who doesn’t love an extra room in the great outdoors?
• Green features: Green is hot right now, but homeowners are demanding practical things like energy efficient windows and water and electricity-saving appliances.
• Open kitchens: If the hearth is the heart of the home, it makes sense people want to be in it. Open kitchens allow that cozy feeling while allowing the cook some additional space to maneuver.
• Smaller homes: To go along with the green theme, smaller homes are easier to heat and cool, easier to clean and discourage the mindless filling of rooms.

Do you see these trends in your house hunting and remodeling plans?

Travel + Leisure (via MSNBC) has some interesting coverage of cool houses throughout the United States. These architectural wonders are the sort of places that are iconic, inspiring and make you wish you could live in them — even if just for one day. Here are three of our favorites. You can check out the article and slideshow for more information on these beauties.

Hearst Castle in San Simeon, Calif., was built by publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. It sheer size (165 rooms!) and legend (it was the inspiration for the fictional Xanadu estate in the film Citizen Kane) alone make it worth visiting. The good news is that since it is now owned by the state of California, it is open for public tours.

Fallingwater in Mill Run, Penn., is the most well-known and iconic of Frank Lloyd Wright’s houses. Fitting in and designed perfectly around its natural surroundings, Fallingwater continues to inspire its numerous visitors.

The Taos Pueblo in Taos, N.M., is “one of of the country’s best-preserved (and continuously inhabited) Pueblo Indian settlements, built before 1400.” You don’t often hear of people living in American dwellings that are over 600 years old. Now that is cool.

All images courtesy of Travel + Leisure.