In creating their new kitchen, Martha Stewart Living's design director James Dunlinson and his partner, Alistair Turnball, put the focus equally on good friends and good food.

The kitchen meets its owners' dinner-party and storage needs, including space for their collection of cafe au lait bowls.

Alistair and James prepare lunch in their new kitchen; two large windows flood the room with light.

Many of James's flea market finds take on practical uses in the kitchen; jars he got in Paris hold pasta and tea bags.

Ronald DeVlam, a childhood friend of James's, and his wife, Michelle.

James, seated next to Alistair and Julie Sanderson, adds some dill to his stew.

By adapting to the room's quirks and putting even the smallest nooks to good use, Alistair and James maximize the kitchen's functionality.

The refrigerator, to the left of James, and the dishwasher are hidden by doors that match the cabinetry perfectly.

Faced with the challenge of working around an existing support beam, the couple built a shallow cupboard that is aligned with the rest of the cabinetry but just deep enough to hold drinking glasses.

An under-counter cupboard stores bulky pots and pans. Its wide, pullout shelves keep the equipment organized and accessible. A strip of electrical outlets was installed along the underside of the wall cabinets, allowing flexibility when using small appliances.

A narrow pullout cupboard makes efficient use of the 7-inch gap between the stove and an adjacent wall. Although it's slim, it easily holds spice jars and pot lids.

To house an extensive collection of magazines, there's a wall of custom cabinets. The deep shelves contain double rows of issues.

A snapshot, mid-renovation, showing paint-color tests.

The kitchen has a contemporary feel, due in part to boldly contrasting colors and materials. The flamed and honed stone countertops have an uneven texture and a dark color that offset the slick surfaces of the cabinets and light-colored floor. More than 300 vintage subway tiles, each handpicked, line the backsplash and contrast with the sleekness of the appliances, hardware, and cabinetry.

The layout for the redesigned kitchen.

See more photos of the kitchen's transformation.

To christen the remodeled kitchen, James and Alistair hosted a winter supper. To start, kir royales were served in stemless glasses.

Store-bought nibbles include olives, cornichons, cheeses, and Branston pickle (a sweet-and-spicy relish popular in England).

Vine-ripened tomatoes, which were roasted to intensify their flavor, are tossed with lettuce, endive, walnuts, and Pecorino Romano.

An English-style beef stew made with stout helps inaugurate the renovated kitchen.

Dessert is homemade frozen yogurt, which guests scoop themselves and top with a boozy cherry sauce and chocolate shavings.