A kitchen backsplash inset offers space to exhibit supplies.

Hickory wood cabinetry, custom-designed in Atlanta, Ga., determines the room's subdued neutral palette.

Variation in tile -- equally glass and travertine -- lends interest in the distance, in which sliver windows, capped with extension-arm lamps large mirrors . provide ample task lighting. Outlets are concealed atop each tiled window ledge.

Floating display shelves showcase earth-toned pottery. A collection of wood and metal vessels draws the eye, while Serenbe custom jams add the desired pop of color.

Frameless cabinetry finish with complete overlay doors is paired with stainless steel, satin nickel and galvanized metal to tell a story of cool and warm surfaces.

A dual-fuel range offers a pro-style cooktop, genuine European convection having an innovative flow system, as much as 10 cooking modes and 4.6 cubic feet of capacity.

A kitchen backsplash inset offers space to exhibit supplies. Oils and vinegars, sourced at a Roswell, Ga., neighborhood marketplace, tell a narrative of sustainability.

In the island front, double doors open to reveal 23-inch-deep by 40-inch-wide storage closets. To encourage dining at the table or at the courtyard, interior designer Linda Woodrum eliminated barstools.

Sandblasted glass panels provide contrast while hiding items saved behind garage-style cupboard doors.

Sleek and energy efficient, the stainless steel side-by-side refrigerator boasts a multi-airflow cooling system which ensures an even temperature distribution.

Strategically put glass walls create the illusion of expansive square footage, with a single room bleeding effortlessly to the next.

Architectural outswing folding patio doors open into the home's barbecue courtyard, a second dining area. Doors may stay open to foster conversation between the hostess and guests.

The kitchen and the barbecue courtyard share comprised garden beds, planted with low-maintenance evergreen mondo grass and camellia japonica, which blooms four to five months out of the year.

"The accordion door at the kitchen not only blurs the line between inside and outside but really removes the exterior wall entirely," says architect Steve Kemp. "Everyone always ends up in the kitchen (you can not prevent it), so we decided to extend the kitchen outside into the courtyard and make it a real centre of the house. The glass corner walls visually produce the courtyard feel like another room in the house."

A hallway connects the kitchen and other social spaces to the retreat room, a space designed for quiet reflection.

A tall handblown glass canister holds a fragrance of snowball blossoms. A stoneware planter introduces a plate of beets, interior designer Linda Woodrum's nod to Serenbe Farms.

Cabinetry extends 10 feet into the kitchen. A pantry area overlooks onto the staircase.

Glass and stone tile, warm wood surfaces, stainless steel and shimmering metals are among the textures and materials layered to create visual attention.

Tumbled travertine and glass mosaic tile can be used to define wall surfaces which encircle sliver windows. Windows provide natural light while ensuring privacy.

An undercounter stainless steel farmhouse sink advantages from a classically pulldown faucet at a steel. The flow-optimized faucet guarantees up to 32 percent savings in water use.

Custom terrazzo-blend countertop material clads three sides of this island. The substance, a proprietary mixture of cement binder, pozzolans, sand, fiber and ornamental aggregates, such as bottle glass reclaimed from Atlanta restaurants and neighborhood recycling programs, brings drama to the distance.

The floor material and ceiling layout differentiates the kitchen in the dining and living rooms. "You're going to feel like you are in 1 room or another room, but there are no walls separating spaces," states HGTV Green Home 2012 architecture and construction specialist Curtis Peart.

Countertop accessories inform their own greens stories. A set of ceramic vintage-style mastered shredder rests atop a Bavarian bread board, fashioned from 19th-century recovered wood.

The kitchen transitions seamlessly into the dining area, where colours and textures -- and elevation of accessories -- are all held to keep eyes focused on the view.