James Veal and Christine Stucker, founders of New York– and Connecticut-based architecture and design firm Stewart-Schafer, know their way around a renovation. The duo take a holistic approach to their projects by emphasizing the interplay of light, natural materials, and classic forms.

While the team’s knowledge extends to both the residential and commercial realms, we’ve been particularly taken with their recent kitchen remodelsand gut renovations of old brownstones and prewar apartments, as well as their own Brooklyn townhouse. Because kitchens are the heart of the home, we asked Veal and Stucker about their top picks for appliances that’ll help transform your own cooking space into a well-oiled machine.

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