Open-plan kitchens are still popular, but we’re seeing a building interest in creating some boundaries. Often, the motivation is to give the kitchen more of the charm and intimacy that comes with separate rooms; practically, people are also interested in hiding some of the mess kitchen activities inevitably create.

Half-walls topped with columns frame the large entrance to this open, airy kitchen from the adjacent family room. The architecture gives the kitchen definition without blocking the flow or the light, as do the extra-wide doorway and set of French doors leading from the kitchen to other rooms.