Join NowHoliday Sale: Become an AD PRO member for only $20 $12 per monthArrowThe kitchen has been the darling of interior design aficionados for quite some time. As for what makes for the best kitchen ideaswell, thats a matter of personal taste. Some like them bright, light, and whiteand undeniably modern, sleek, and streamlined. Others are partial to a more rustic aesthetic and the French variety of this subset in particular. Others still seek out kitchens that break free from the proverbial bundt cake mold, opting to bring exceptionally unique and colorful spaces to life.Over the years, AD has featured thousands of kitchens in its pages, speaking to a litany of different tastes in the process. Below, we present 49 of our personal archival favorites. Altogether, they represent a wide swath of this stylistic gambitfrom exuberant and pattern-wrapped to clean-lined and contemporary. Read on to browse the creations of some of the best interior designers working today. Youll also find detailed sourcing information and more than a few enticing tidbits along the way, from Anne Hathaways Swiss-inspired cook space to the room in which artist Urs Fischer makes the culinary magic happen.Inside the Berkus-Brent Manhattan townhouse.Photographed by Nicole Franzen, AD, May 20201) A Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent New York KitchenCalacatta marble was used for the countertops, backsplash, and oven hood in the kitchen ofNate Berkus andJeremiah Brents Manhattan townhouse thatAD toured in 2020. Nonetheless, it is the smaller details of this scenethe wire cabinet screens and symmetrically placed lampsthat stand out as the most distinctive features of this image. Moreover, the bigger story of thisfeature was not so much an ode to marble but the very fact that the family had picked up and left behind theirCalifornia home. One thing I can promise you, Berkus commented toAD this spring, is that I will never again tell a publication that a house is my forever home. We learned our lesson, Brent added. We shant be saying that again! Given that self-awareness, it should come as no surprise that just two years later, the couple and their two children opened the door to a different Manhattan townhouse theyd swapped this one for. And yet were still quite fond of this particular New York kitchen.Frank de Biasi's original design.Photographed by Matthieu Salvaing, AD, April 20202) A Moroccan MlangeLocal tiles and reclaimed marble form the bedrock of this kitchen, which features a vintage English pendant lamp and Malian textiles. The location is Tangier and, more specifically, a home that one New York couple took four years to renovate. AD100 designer Frank de Biasi commented to AD at one point in the April piece, For me, layout and function and livability come first. The house happens to be de Biasis own home, and a fantastic one at that. The pale greens and copper pots seen inside the kitchen are just the beginning of its colorful palette, and one that in part helped inspire a permanent relocation. To be based here is just so much easier, de Biasi reflected at the time to Hamish Bowles. Life is led at a more measured pace.This English kitchen was created by Patrick Mele.Photographed by Miguel Flores-Vianna, AD, March 20203) A London-Set Ode to Color by Patrick MeleBetween its Wolf stove and IKEA table, this kitchen runs the gamut in terms of style and price point. However, its the rooms unbridled use of color that make it truly worthy of the limelight. Whats more, its hand-painted Iznik tiles infuse the space with floral forms, while the vintage 1960s chairs and a nearby stool draw its pops of red further out. At the time, designer Patrick Mele described the home, which he decorated for a London-based couple, as a little bit of bad taste, a little bit of fabulous taste, and a lot of books.A jewel-toned kitchen belonging to one mother and son.Photographed by Laure Joliet, AD, February 20204) One Colorful California KitchenPlummy purples and rich greens saturate the kitchen of this California home, where abstracted floral cutouts carry the day. Those cutouts can be seen on the rooms cabinetry, while Shaker chairs and an upholstered bench help emphasize the rooms pattern and texture. The open plan is further accentuated thanks to copper pots and contrasting pendant lamps. If ornament is crime, Katie is my accomplice, designer Frances Merrill said of her client, Katie Jordan, to AD. Crime or no crime, whats abundantly clear is that the room is perfectly arranged to help make for a very happy home.The German kitchen.Photographed by Robert Rieger, AD, January 20205) Studio Peregallis Bavarian RetreatFor one of two cover stories for the centennial issue of the magazine, writer Laura May Todd traveled to Bavaria to visit a countryside retreat. Designed by AD100 firm Studio Peregalli, the homes kitchen featured Portuguese tiles, Peperino marble countertops, fir cabinets, and an iron hood. He wanted a dreamy place, firm cofounder Laura Sartori Rimini recalls of the clients vision. So, in every room here, we created a small world.One artists delight.Photographed by Jason Schmidt, AD, December 20196) Urs Fischers Culinary StudioIn December 2019, West Coast editor Mayer Rus traveled to artist Urs Fischers personal Arcadia, located in East L.A. Rus described the room seen above as a giddy, polychromatic field of encaustic tiles that forms the floor of his voluminous mad scientist-meets-gourmand kitchen. The Swiss sculptor added, Some rooms, like the kitchen, you want to make you feel up and excited Other rooms, like the living room, you want to lower your heart rate. At the larger of the two tables pictured, chairs by Hans J. Wegner offer perches on which to sit. The colorful cement floor tiles were made using an encaustic, or hot wax, paint method. Fans of Fischers work may be reminded of some of his most famous pieces, which are constructed out of wax, and melt into newly deformed shapes once their wicks are lit.Studio Shamshiri's design.Photographed by Stephen Johnson, AD, October 20197) Anne Hathaways Swiss VisionNo, this kitchen, published in a fall 2019 issue of AD, is not set somewhere in the French countryside. Instead, its located in Southern California, and is inhabited by none other than actress Anne Hathaway and her husband, Adam Shulman. Inspired by Swiss ski retreats, it was created by AD100 designer Pamela Shamshiri of L.A.s Studio Shamshiri. Pam really leaned into it, Hathaway told AD at one point. As for Shamshiri, the designer reflects, We tried to maintain the sweetness that made the house so special while adding new layers of color, texture, and furnishings from different eras that reflect the evolution of the home over time and the warm, generous spirit of Annie and Adam. Elsewhere, a white La Cornue range matches the Rohl farm sink. Copper pots play nicely off of vintage copper pendants, which are interspersed with light fixtures designed by Deborah Ehrlich.Hannah Cecil Gurneys home.Photographed by Douglas Friedman, AD, October 20198) A Blooming de Gournay KitchenIn the October 2019 issue, AD visited the London home of Hannah Cecil Gurney. Considering that Gurney works for her family company de Gournay, the home was awash with color-filled floral wallpapers. As it happened, the kitchen was no exception. But instead of leaving it all to the chinoiserie, Gurney added additional pops of saturated colors that made the curling vines read almost like a neutral backdrop. (Interestingly, that wallpaper survived an early incident, in which Gurneys dogs nibbled at its edges.) Simon Smith and Michael Brooke Architects helped design the open space so the chef isnt alone while all the guests are having fun next door, as Gurney explained. The tte chef isnt Gurney, however, but her husband, who, as she explained, regularly whips up meals to accommodate the couples robust entertaining schedule.Chris Burchs French kitchen.Photographed by Miguel Flores-Vianna, AD, May 20199) Une Cuisine Not Far from ParisWhen Chris Burch encountered a historic home not far from Frances capital city, he was quick to fall in love. Nonetheless, that didnt mean the 1608 htel particulier didnt require a fair amount of work: It needed renovation; it needed everything, he told the magazine in May 2019. But you could just feel it was wonderful. Indeed. One particularly wondrous corner turned out to be the houses kitchen, in which Burch installed a La Cornue stove. In a nod to the maisons historic provenance, Burch kept its original 19th-century table and chairs, while installing a pendant light fixture from the same century and emphasizing tiles and ceramics from the one prior. With minty green paint and blue-and-white cushions, the room became the perfect canvas on which to display fresh fruits and fleurs.A Mexican tiled kitchen.Photographed by Douglas Friedman, AD, January 201910) San Miguel de Allendes Blue and White OasisThis image of a blue-and-white-tiled kitchen in Mexico graced one of the April 2019 covers of AD. The home in question, located in San Miguel de Allende, actually started as two distinct structureswhich AD100 designer Michelle Nussbaumer ingeniously united. The colorful and undeniably unique Nussbaumer wasnt about to whitewash any area of the home, least of all its kitchen: I love bringing timeworn techniques into a modern era, she commented at one point in last years article. [A]nd the last thing this place needed was a marble kitchen. While the jars seen are a mixture of new and vintage pieces, the tiles used were designed by Nussbaumer and made by Ceylon et Cie.Will Kopelmans kitchen by AD100 designer Gil Schafer.Photo: Simon Upton11) Will Kopelmans New York PadIt was a rabbit warren, AD100 designer Gil Schafer commented in the February 2019 issue of AD. [T]otally opposite to the way families live today. He was speaking of the ber-divided kitchen, butlers pantry, and laundry room that ultimately gave way to a much more open space. I wanted to make the kitchen the centerpiece, Kopelman says of the areas re-envisioned cookery-filled room. Its where I make the girls breakfast in the morning and cook their dinner at night. I wanted a space that could handle all of that. Its also a classic space that reads as more French country than as city-set workroom. The white subway tiles might betray a trace of the Big Apple, but its plate storage, farm sink, and wooden table, which dates back to the 19th century and was originally used by French silk traders, tell a different story. The La Cornue stove and its nearby cacophony of copper pans only accentuate the look. The hood was custom-designed by Schafer to match the range.The marble-filled space in L.A.Photographed by Jason Schmidt, AD, November 201812) A Haas Brothers Los Angeles HomeIn November 2019, AD put together a package of some of the best kitchen products of the day. To help further illustrate the multi-page spread, images of enviable kitchens were liberally interspersed. Readers were no doubt hard-pressed to miss this marble-clad L.A. room, owned by Djuna Bel and Nikolai Haas. For collectible-design aficionados, Nikolais last name no doubt rings a bell, considering that he makes up one half of the Haas Brothers group. While the kitchen was first photographed for the magazine exactly one year prior, it made another more recent digital appearance, thanks to the newly unveiled series AD Visits. In its inaugural episode, Bel and Haas swept onlookers through this exact, textured space.The Cobble Hill home.Photographed by Gieves Anderson, AD, October 201813) Athena Calderones Swoon-worthy Brooklyn KitchenIn October 2018, AD popped on over to the Greek Revival townhouse of Athena Calderone in Brooklyns Cobble Hill neighborhood. The main story was that Calderone, a designer and the force behind the popular blog EyeSwoon, was finally finished with her house-swapping ways and had found her elusive forever home. Readers may have been quickly distracted by another detail: Calderones dreamy open kitchen, which gave way to an enviable office nook. Calderone admitted to ADs Jane Keltner de Valle that the sun-filled kitchen, which was coated in Calacatta Paonazzo marble, was the star of the show. That makes for especially logical sense, considering that much of Calderones work rests on documenting the food that she cooks. For shooting purposes, you need side light, so thats why we ended up with a square island instead of a rectangle. It sounds crazy, she said at the time, but I needed to make certain things work for my brand. The barstools are by Thomas Hayes Studio, while the range is by Fisher & Paykel. AD100 architect Elizabeth Roberts helped with the design.Matthias Vriens-McGraths kitchen.Photographed by Franois Halard, AD, September 201614) One Verdant Californian DwellingMatthias Vriens-McGrath has an uncanny ability to understand what makes for a good home. Why? Hes not only a photographer but also an antiques dealer. Inside his California home, which was once a key dwelling during Hollywoods Golden Age, a seemingly simple kitchen blooms anew. Paola Navone woven-ceramic bowls and antique majolica pitchers are characteristic of Vriens-McGraths knowledge set, while nearby surfaces provide plenty of space for both edible and decorative greenery. I like to surround myself with beautiful things, whatever they are, he reflected at one point in the September 2016 issue. If I love something, I can always find a way for it to live with all the other things I love.An island-set open-floor plan kitchen, with an island all its own.Photo: Architectural Digest, December 201515) A Glossy Nantucket SpaceOn the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, one large and seemingly simple kitchen sits, ready to play host. The centerpiece of the room is its long, rectilinear table and four correlating benches. Built by Hudson Furniture, all five pieces make excellent use of walnut wood, while the table is covered with acrylic. That glossy finish pairs nicely with the kitchens sleekly white cabinetry, as well as its shiny wooden floors. The Lem kitchen island stools were purchased through DWR. In terms of appliances and fixtures, the microwave is by Gaggenau, the fridge is Sub-Zero, and the sinks fittings are by Dornbracht.Bobby McAlpine and Ray Booths design.Photographed by Pieter Estersohn, Architectural Digest, October 201416) Louisianas Finest Dutch-Enthusiast KitchenBaton Rouge, Louisiana, is the setting for this Cape Dutchstyle home and its expansive kitchen. The waterfront dwelling, which was featured in the October 2014 issue of the magazine, is the result of AD100s Bobby McAlpine and Ray Booths considerable collaborative efforts. (The place needed to look like it had been here for 200 years, one of the clients noted to AD at the time of the brief to create a historically accurate home.) In the kitchen, that meant installing a 17th-century portrait and French antique chairs. The La Cornue range, and other appliances, are, of course, new.The Houston kitchen.Photographed by Thomas Loof, AD, August 201417) Miles Redds Texan CreationEach August, AD tends to highlight second homes and seaside escapes. The 2014 issue was no exception, thanks in part to this Miles Redddesigned kitchen. Unabashedly white and with just enough pops of red, it brings to mind a modernized lobster bake. But upon closer inspection, some of its sharpest details come into clearer view: The subway tiles seen extend throughout the entire cavernous space, while not one but two minimal chandeliers are hung akimbo. And yet, the kitchen in question isnt located along an beachy coastline. Instead, its inside the exceptionally colorful Houston home of one couple. Its livable glamour, a worlds fair of decorating, the client told the magazine at the time. Around every corner is a surprise.Inside the photographers home.Photographed by Nikolas Koenig, Architectural Digest, August 201218) Kelly Kleins Warmly Minimalist Floridian KitchenThe fact that photographer Kelly Kleins home betrays more than a trace of minimalist chic shouldn't come as any huge surprise. After all, Klein, whose rsum also boasts her modeling career and work as an author, is the former spouse of Calvin Klein. An August 2012 Architectural Digest article, written by William Norwich and produced by Carlos Mota, visited Kelly at her then-new Palm Beach, Florida, home. Naturally, the homes pool was of great interest (her book Pools is a famous photography best-seller). But the kitchen was equally appealing as a space to dive into, thanks to its Wolf oven range, Dornbracht sink, and Sub-Zero refrigerator. More striking was its total lack of cabinets. Some people dont like looking at their things, Kelly mused at the time. I like seeing my glassware and dishes.The AD100 designers kitchen.Photographed by Pieter Estersohn, Architectural Digest, March 201119) Muriel Brandolinis Manhattan HomeFor some, its the Viking range that catches their eyes. For others, its the bespeckled, and sometimes yellow, cabinetry, which alternates various tones. (City Joinery is responsible for them, and yes, those are indeed holes.) This kitchen, which was featured in the March 2011 issue of Architectural Digest, is chock-full of unexpected detailsright down to its Czech chairs that date back to the 1930s. Its no huge surprise that its located inside designer Muriel Brandolinis own Manhattan townhouse. With the right craftspeople, you give them an inch and thenwhoosh! the AD100 decorator told ADs own Mitchell Owens at one point in the article. As an example of that very phenomenon, he pointed to those cabinets, which have Brooklyn-based furniture maker Jonah Zuckerman to thank for their enameled Swiss cheese aesthetic. The table, which further anchors the room, is by Jean Dunandy.Andrei Dmitrievs Russian kitchen.Photographed by Deborah Turbeville, Architectural Digest, September 200620) A St. Petersburg Apartment Photographed by Deborah TurbevilleIf one were forced to guess which year this image dates from, the answer likely wouldnt be 2006. And yet thats when Deborah Turbeville, the photographer best known for her pioneering fashion images taken of women during the 1970s, traveled to Russia to shoot this kitchen and its surrounding rooms. Most of the furniture is Russian, from different times but mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries, explains Andrei Dmitriev, an interior designer and former linguist. I limit modern things to the telephone and the computer. The kitchen is a perfect example of this approach, with its clear sense of age and rusticity, as writer Joseph Giovannini stated at the time. Its more formal because I was trying to re-create the ambience of the 19th century, Dmitriev added of his kitchen, which, complete with its northern Russian table, sits inside the cozy apartment.A home in the state of Georgia.Photographed by Robert Thien, Architectural Digest, February 199521) One Mid-1990s Atlanta KitchenFor design enthusiasts, its the Alessi tea kettle with bird whistle, famously designed by Michael Graves, that likely makes this image worthy of a double take. But beyond the photos foreground and nearby fruit bowl is a richly layered scene to unpack. A painted black-and-gray shelf houses a cloisonn bowl and various Chinese decorative arts works. The entire space, which exists within the Atlanta home of James and Sandy Cape, was designed and renovated by Thomas Britt.The Fall 1969 cover of Architectural Digest.Photographed by Danforth-Tidmarsh, Architectural Digest, Fall 196922) A Late-1960s ThrowbackFor its fall 1969 cover, Architectural Digest chose to draw attention to a quintessentially American kitchen. Located in the Omaha home of Mr. and Mrs. William Utney, the room in question appears to be a bit older than the magazine issues date might implyand for good reason. Rather than furnish the room with then-state-of-the-art appliances, the couple chose to carefully re-create a typical kitchen from the United States earliest days. A crackling hearth, a collection of blue-and-white china, and an ample supply of wooden pieces helped set the scene, while copper, brass, and silver details set the room aglow. Styled with sunny flowers, dried corn, and a bounty of cherry-red apples, the brick-clad space was the embodiment of colonial-revivalism.This kitchen is fresh in blue and white.Photographed by Steve Hall,Architectural Digest, October 200823) Blooming in BlueBuilt on a wooded knoll and totally integrated with its environment, you might expectthis home by architect Carlene Nolan Pederson to be furnished in natural tones and materials. Instead, the designers opted to go against the wood grain and add accents of bold cobalt blue along with neutral furnishings. The island and cupboards match the exposed beams visible in an adjacent living space. Plus, open shelving on the wall leaves plenty of visual breathing space.Diane Keaton went full throttle with color in this kitchen.Photographed by Tim Street-Porter,Architectural Digest, April 200524) Loving Layers Chez KeatonThe kitchen inDiane Keatons Bel Air home that AD toured in 2005 is nothing if not an exercise in collage. Working with designer Stephen Shadley, Keaton brought in passions new and old. That chrome range is a 1950s OKeefe & Merritt number that the pair did a U-turn to nab after spotting it in a store window while driving through LA. Keatons dishware collection adds dimension and draws the eye upward. The island, meanwhile, is made of repurposed California tile tablesthe very items that first emboldened Keaton to embrace color in her home. An adapted Robert Frost quote was painted atop the arch, serving as something of a mission statement for the vibrant kitchen.Blue and yellow brighten up this rooftop kitchen.Photographed by Simon Watson,Architectural Digest, May 201225) Old School, New DigsBright by definition, this rooftop kitchen within an 18th-century Morocco property serves an outdoor entertaining pavilion. By the time they got a hold of the crumbling estate, designer Salem Grassi and homeowner Dorothea McKenna Elkon needed to demolish and rebuild the top floors. Grassi spent two years overhauling the home, touring mosques and palaces across Morocco and Spain, and meeting local artisans to help oversee select elements. Theres no doubt that those tile setters, painters, and stone-carvers came in handy when it came to creating the rooftop kitchens custom shelves and tiled floor, countertop, and backsplash. The result? A meticulous recreation of the aged charm that attracted McKenna Elkon in the first place.Emma Chamberlains take on the green kitchen.Photographed by Christopher Sturman,Architectural Digest, November 202226) Going GreenEmma Chamberlain is far from the first homeowner to try out a green kitchen, but her pistachio green sanctuary still took the internet by storm when her Proem Studiodesignedhome was featured in the pages ofAD. It almost felt like a summer camp, so we leaned into that mood. We described it as Wet Hot American Summer meets Troop Beverly Hills, recalled Ashley Drost of Proem Studio. Emma said, I love that idea, but I have no clue what youre talking about. Their chase after that summer camp appeal is evident in the kitchen, which is topped by wood paneling and skylights.Theres something quite inviting about this kitchens pair of lozenge-shaped islands.Photographed by Stephen Johnson,Architectural Digest, July/August 202227) Blue and White All OverIf youve ever wanted to mix the fun of midcentury colors and patterns with the technology and comfort of the 21st century, this project by interior designer Jamie Bush and architect William Hefner is sure to satisfy. The kitchen is particularly captivating, with its steadfast commitment to only the most eye-catching hues of blue. The islands are topped with emerald quartzite, the flooring is by Hermosa Terrazzo, and the custom brass hardware is by Pasupatina. I just love that it feels fun to me, homeownerMary Kitchen said toAD. At the end of the day, if you dont have a sense of humor, whats the point?A kitchen by Reath Design in coastal Massachusetts.Photographed by Laure Joliet,Architectural Digest, January 202328) Concentrated on Color BlockingClever color blocking makes a whopping impact in this coastal Massachusetts kitchen by AD100 studio Reath Design. The case could be made that the red 1953 Chambers stove is the rooms focal point, though the eye cant help but dart between that appliance, the yellow Bruno Rey chairs, and theFarrow & Ball Cooks Blue trim. And though the lilac Pyrolave countertops offer throwback charm, they are thoroughly contemporaryand surprisingly even incorporate volcanic lava stone.A Hamptons kitchen.Photographed by Bjrn Wallander,Architectural Digest, April 201429) A Penchant for PlayThe house feels playfulit has a sense of humor, interior designer Muriel Brandolini said toAD of her familys Hamptons home in the April 2014 issue. Its not about making a statement. Its about our life. That joie de vivre is easy to see in the kitchen that brings the homes color-blocked exterior inside. Bursts of vibrant shades come in through the blue-trimmed windows and the pendant lights; plus a built-in bench offers a cooks companion a place to lounge. Elsewhere, a few chairs lend a spot for the rest of the family to dine.Shulamit Nazarians Studio Shamshiridesigned kitchen.Photographed by Stephen Johnson,Architectural Digest, January 202330) Going Full CircleFrom the beginning ofAD100 designer Pamela Shamshiris work updating the historic A. Quincy Jones home of Los Angeles gallerist Shulamit Nazarian, she knew it was all about creating a space that was more comfortable for its homeowner. Naturally, the kitchen was a key part of this reconfiguration of the floor plan. The walnut-cupboard-lined circular kitchen calls to Joness circular concrete floors elsewhere in the home, and while Shamshiri insists it was the most challenging kitchen shes ever done, the effort clearly paid off. The kitchen is a place of gathering and nourishment, homeowner Nazarian stated. The new design connects the houses more formal areas with the family spaces in the most beautiful, generous, welcoming way.Perry Farrells Venice kitchen.Photographed by Alan Weintraub,Architectural Digest, August 199531) Big Time Barrel VaultingBarrel-vaulted ceilings add a sense of subdued grandeur to thisrelatively humble 2000-square-foot Venice Beach pad. In the 90s, rockstar and Lollapalooza creator Perry Farrell was looking to replace the simple wood cottage that stood on the property when he bought it, so he commissioned the structurefrom architect Steven Ehrlich. I appreciate the Japanese sensibility of refinement, of choosing whats necessary, Farrell told AD during a 1995 tour. When things get too big and ornate, they can make you uncomfortable. The wood kitchen blends seamlessly with the Korean barbecue pit-centered dining room and stands open to a refreshing lap pool.At the hands of Mir, this kitchen gained a lot more of an airy feel.Photo: Robert Reck32) In Texas, Traditional with A TwistYou know that something has happened to this house, but its not one of those transformations that completely changes the character, architect Juan Mir said of this 1940s abode, which his AD100 firm, Mir Rivera Architects, renovated and redesigned. Compared to the before photos of the home, which are included in ADs February 2009 feature, the process was clearly a skillful reimagining, not a dramatic top-to-bottom overhaul. The kitchen is emblematic of the firms overall approach: They replaced the stovetop island with a traditional islandreducing the visual bulk that the range hood added to the center of the roomadded a large window above the sink, and replaced some of the upper cabinetry with open shelving to further open things up. Even with two islands instead of one, the space looks much more airy. New stainless steel appliances and accents add to the modern flair, though the flooring was kept exactly as is. An oil painting by Johannes Hppi hangs at the far left.This Rhode Island home is modernized with light wood-panelling throughout, despite retaining some of its more Victorian elements.Photo: Peter Vanderwarker33) The Cherry On TopIn this Victorian home in Jamestown, Rhode Island, what once was a third floor and attic became a double-height open-concept living, dining, and kitchen at the hands of architect Jim Estes, of the Newport firm now known as Estes Twombly + Titrington Architects. These clients are truly daring, Estes told AD for the July 2005 feature on the home. I cant think of anyone else who would agree to a three-floor walk-up to get to the living room. With its sprawling views of Narragansett Bay, the space is worth the extra steps. Though the renovation was largely a project of modernizing the home, the old-fashioned addition of a dumbwaiter (seen at far right in the above photo) is what made the upside-down plan totally livable.With its clapboard accents and wooden countertops, this kitchen is quintessential Marthas Vineyard.Photo: Richard Mandelkorn34) Gardenside GloryHomeowners Roseline and Bill Glazer spent 10 years revitalizing this Marthas Vineyard home. The Glazers recognized the potential of the property, which was formerly a series of dilapidated cottages with trees that blocked the views of Vineyard Sound. Architect Joseph W. Dick handled the structures, and Roseline herself took on the creation of the propertys new main attraction: its gardens. Surrounded by a veritable cornucopia of flowers and a brick patio, the rear door of the primary cottage leads straight into the kitchen. With a window positioned squarely above the Kohler sink, dish duty is a lot less grueling thanks to the flowery view. We dont have much art, Roseline told AD in June 2008. The landscape and sea are all the art we need.This Californian kitchen plays into both the houses natural slope and the owners affinity for all things culinary.Photo: Arthur Matthew Gray35) Fit for a ChefThis kitchen is defined by its updated ceiling, which is one of the more daring ideas thought up for this Los Angeles canyon home. Described as the big move by Margaret Griffen of Griffen Enright Architects, the once lowly sloped pitched roof was folded back up, beckoning more sunlight in and mirroring the grade of the property itself. The space is appropriately striking for homeowners Judi and Howard Sadowsky, given that Howard is a passionate amateur chef who happily crafts five-course meals for friends. The stainless-steel-topped island would pass even a professional cooks cleanliness test, and the abundance of under-the-counter storage means theres never a reason to say no to a new gadget or tool. Better still, all of those hungry guests can easily filter in and out of the house through the 10-foot glass barn doors at the left. One of the things I love is that its an incredibly efficient space, Sadowsky told AD in the April 2004 story on the home. It gives us everything we need.The kitchen of chef and author Julia Child includes French heavy-duty copper and ironware, which hangs from a pegboard wall.Photo: Richard Champion36) Julia Childs LaboratoryFor beloved chef Julia Child and her husband Paul, the sight of this Cambridge, Massachusetts, propertys large kitchen was reason to celebrate. It only took one visit to convince the pair that the home was meant for them. For renovations, they dialed the late architect Robert Woods Kennedy. The kitchen proper was our major concern because, to us, it is the beating heart and social center of the household, Child wrote in the July 1976 issue of AD. Although this was our ninth kitchen, we never before had had the luxury of a large and well-proportioned room. We intended to make it both practical and beautiful, a working library as well as a living and dining room. Only a couple of structural changes were needed: The sink was relocated and a window was covered up with a pegboard, as pictured above, to give them more space for what really mattered: their cookware. In the story, Julia describes her and Pauls appreciation for cookware as decorative objects. She gives Paul full credit for the meticulous arrangement of pots and pans by size.The combined dining room/kitchen in the Spanish home of designer Duarte Pinto Coelho features a beamed ceiling, indoor shutters, tile floors, painted tile architraves, and a 1920 painting on dining.Photo: Jose Luis Perez37) A Sprawling Spanish KitchenThe first thing I had to do was to make very certain that the house conformed to this particular region of Spain, the late designer Duarte Pinto Coelho explained to AD, describing his approach to building a new country home for himself in Trujillo, Spain, southwest of Madrid. I wanted to give the impression that it had always been here. Next were the obvious elements of comfort: livability, enough space. If any space best exemplifies this two-pronged approach, its the combination kitchen and dining room featured on the October 1980 cover of AD. Rather than a traditional kitchen island with counter stoolswhich would go against the need for timelessness and be slightly less comfortable for guests to perch atCoelho placed an antique-looking table for food prep and two dining tables nearby for visitors to sprawl out at for hours on end. As with the houses other rooms, layers of decor add to a sense of the property being decades old. They may have been perfectly placed in quick succession, but the collection of baskets and cookware appear as though they were accumulated over years and years.The open kitchen in a diamond shaped residence in Accord, New York, featuring a long skylight on the sloped ceiling, a walk-in cooler behind a butcher block island, and wall oven by Gaggenau.Photo: Bruce Buck38) An Upstate New York dream kitchenArchitect Nancy Copley spent decades building her property in New Yorks Catskills region. Though her process began in the 1950s, she had been continually modifying it up until it was featured in the October 2007 issue of AD. With its wood, stone, and glass material palette, the home feels very much of its place, but its angularity adds an undeniable flair that makes it stand out in its forested locale. There is perhaps no better showcase of this juxtaposition than the kitchen. Two sets of windows lean sharply in opposite directionsone in the kitchen proper, the other in the nearby breakfast nookwhile uniform wood kitchen cabinets and butcher-block countertops create a sense of grounding in this delightfully out-there design.Alongside the kitchen, Adler devised ceramic tiles for the living room and master suite.Photo: Joshua W. Mchugh39) Jonathan Adlers modern kitchen ideasThe exact vibe was to be a blend of Big Sur bohemian and rich Ibiza hippie, two of our favorite adopted personas, Simon Doonan writes of the home he and his husband Jonathan Adler crafted in Shelter Island in the July 2012 issue of AD. Working with Lisa Gray and Alan Organschi of Gray Organschi Architecture, they created a space inspired by Case Study Houses and Scandinavian country homes, defined by Adlers signature, slightly tweaked midcentury-modern style. Worry notthe kitchen doesnt leave play behind in pursuit of practicality. The island has a mural inspired by local birdlife by John-Paul Phillipp, and the kitchen backsplash features patterned tiles designed by Adler himself.The house is named Casa Acanto, considering acanthus leaves were a design motif used throughout.Photo: Simon Watson40) A San Miguel de Allende spotThe best white kitchen ideas use just the right amount of spice without fully diluting the relief of a bright neutrality. Jeffry Weisman and Andrew Fisher, the professional and personal partners that make up design firm Fisher Weisman (now Fisher Weisman Brugioni), gut renovated this San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, property. For the kitchen makeover, published in the April 2013 issue of AD, they paired white tile with a complementary blue frieze along the uppermost portion of the wall. The reddish tones of the sabino and reclaimed pine cupboards are illuminated by the natural light that flows into the space.Huston has several buildings on the 120-acre property: the main house, which she calls the Adobe; a two-bedroom guesthouse called the Casita; and the Bunkhouse. There is also a tack room and a studio.Photo: David Marlow41) A ranch kitchen for Anjelica HustonOne of the most playful of kitchen cabinet ideas is found in Angelica Hustons country kitchen. Published in the October 2005 issue of AD, her cabinet doors are decoupaged with illustrations of animals, fruits, and vegetablesa project that producer Laila Nabulsi, a friend of Hustons, helped out with. The motifs are right in line with the Center Valleys rustic airs. Huston describes her sense of style as extremely peculiar and eclectic in the articlecharacterizations that are hard to disagree with. Huston called the kitchen her favorite part of the house. In the morning, as I make my coffee, I survey the beauty of my garden, she told AD. I think this house is my inner life.Throughout the house, furniture groupings rather than walls provide spatial definition.Photo: Erhard Pfeiffer42) Practical by designWe had to strip the building down to its skeleton in order to create a simple open plan and a feeling of spaciousness, Christopher Bene of architecture and design firm Chang Bene Design told AD in the October 2006 issue. This kitchen space is proof that they accomplished that goal. The compact kitchen island is abutted by a small table that serves as a breakfast nook, with food preparation space available on the countertops on either side of the room. Kitchen remodel ideas should always serve the desired use of the space as best as possible, and this space accommodates the homeowners desire for a practical, flexible living space.

Behind the Scenes: Alien Worlds - Jumpship over a tidally locked planet By Alina Khan on December 24, 2024 Behind the Scenes Jump into Samuels intricate workflow as he navigates various sources and tools to create his magnificent sci-fi piece of art.INTRODUCTIONHi, Im Samuel Pantze from Germany, and Blender has been my main creative outlet for the past five years. I studied mechatronics engineering, but then decided that Id rather want to become a scientist, so I started a PhD in computer science in early 2023, where I now write VR software to analyze multidimensional microscopy images. It turns out that knowing how to use Blender proves quite helpful for my PhD project, allowing me to create quick 3D mock-ups, simulate datasets, or prototype shaders and lighting.I took my first baby steps in Blender back in 2017 when I joined a group of hobby game developers I met online. They needed someone to do the texturing, so thats what I learned first. Eventually, the irresistible pull of Blender led me to learn about its other features as well. Needless to say, that game we were working on never came to fruition, but since then Im addicted to this glorious piece of open-source software.INSPIRATIONIve always been a huge fan of everything related to sci-fi and space. My bookshelf is piling over with books from Arthur C. Clarke, Stanislaw Lem, Pierce Brown, John Scalzi, Dan Simmons, Isaac Asimov, and so on. Another source of inspiration is the videos from John D. Boswell, better known as Melodysheep. His ability to weave science, 3D art, and self-composed soundtracks into these masterfully crafted videos is truly unmatched. Lastly, I want to mention the beautiful concept art from Paul Chadeisson; he is incredibly skilled at conveying a sense of scale in his scenes.The idea for this particular project was sparked in March 2024 when the theme for the monthly render challenge on the Blender Discord server was announced as Alien Worlds. Id watched both the TV show Foundation and the movie The Creator a few days earlier and knew Id have to model a spaceship reminiscent of either the Foundation jumpships or the Nomad space station from The Creator.But what world would be alien enough to satisfy the topic of the challenge? Thanks to one of Melodysheeps videos, I was made familiar with the concept of tidally locked planets. These types of planets rotate around themselves at the same rate as their orbit around the Sun. As a result, the same side will always be facing the sun, causing it to heat up. The dark side of the planet will be equally hostile to life due to its freezing temperatures. But there may be planets that are habitable just around the twilight zone between searing heat and eternal darkness.So, the goal was clear: I wanted to model a spaceship with a jump drive over a tidally locked planet. Now I just had to draw the rest of the owlPROCESSMy scene is made up of two major components: the spaceship and the planetary background. But before I dive into the intricacies of said background (spoiler: its all done with vector math), lets focus on the boring part first: how to model a spaceship.Spaceship: ModelingLooking at other peoples spaceship models and having modeled a few myself before, I learned the following things: There is always a hierarchy of shapes: the very basic main shape of the ship comes first. Rough geometric details then break up the simple shape and add detail and functionality. Finer geometric details then help add a sense of scale (think tiny turrets or pipes to indicate a huge ship). And only after you have all these detail layers implemented should you start worrying about texture details. Be mindful of the detail density. There needs to be a visual balance between relatively flat surfaces (except for panel creases here and there) and highly structured or cluttered areas. On a spaceship hull, the flat areas can be thought of as shielding panels, and the detailed areas are where those panels reveal the underlying structure, made up of pipes, engines, docking ports, radiators, weapons, etc. Right angles or even sharper angles are illegal; instead, break the edges with a bevel or use a subdivision surface modifier. Focus on the areas where light and shadow meet. Thats where you want to break up edges that are too clean to create a more interesting shadow terminator. In areas with less visual weight, you can be a bit sloppier. Rule of thumb: If your model looks detailed without applying any textures, youre good. I love the Random Flow addon for adding fine details, especially for dividing a large area into smaller panels. I also rely on the good old JSplacement textures to use as hull textures and to use as mesh displacement for the ultra-fine details:Since these textures all have more or less orthogonal details, it's important to not stretch them too much when mapping them onto your model. Thats why I put special attention on having a good quad flow in my base mesh.I started out by brainstorming where to put the jump drive. I wanted it to be a huge ring, similar to the jumpships from Foundation, but also not a downright copy of their stand-up design. I decided to put the drive at the rear of the ship and then model the ship around it with a very rough shape using a simple subdivision surface modifier. To speed things up, I only modeled a quarter of the ship and mirrored it both horizontally and vertically. This worked well because the whole ship has a very flat design.After applying that modifier, I ended up with a pretty good quad flow already. I then added another subdivision surface modifier to add details and refine the flow of the smooth surfaces. I broke the smoothness here and there with sharp edges to create contrasting surface features.Now that I had the basic shape and rough details fleshed out, I went on to add smaller details. I modeled the rear of the ship with some space for conventional engines in mind; how else would our ship be able to travel within the star system? After playing around with rotational symmetry for a bit, I found the conical shape that I had imagined, and the array modifier took care of the rest:Once that was done, I moved on to shielding the ship from radiation with my trusty friend, the Random Flow addon. I selected individual islands from the main mesh and played around with the random panel generator. To do this, I had to make a copy of the base mesh first and apply the subdivision modifier so that the generator had sufficient underlying mesh resolution to work with.Next up: adding detail to the sides. First, I scattered random cubes along the sides with, you guessed it, Random Flow:To add more interest to the sides, I added pipes, arrayed shapes (radiators?), spherical shapes (docking ports?), guns, structural elements, and other random doodads. The sides were supposed to show the inner workings of the ship, after all.Spaceship: TexturesWith all the geometry in place, it was time to move on to the materials. I mentioned JSplacement textures above; for those unfamiliar with JSplacement, it used to be a freeware for generating tiled textures by randomly splatting rectangles and other shapes over another. Very handy for adding color detail to surfaces or using displacement maps. The software is no longer available for download, but you can achieve similar effects with the free web-based Displacement X tool or by using the SciFi Flex addon.I mixed some of these textures together, added slight color variations and roughness details with random noise, and then used the ambient occlusion node to add dirt build-up in the nooks and crannies. I duplicated this material and created a darker variant of it to create alterations on the hull. For the sides, I chose a different type of JSplacement texture that consisted mainly of arrayed spots and turned it into tiny emissive window lights.The glow of the jump drive was created by simply putting a gradient texture on a plane and mixing in a warped noise texture for details.Since the sunlight hit the top of the hull at a very flat angle, I felt that it could use a bit more geometric detail that casts shadow. So I upped the subdivision levels of the hull and added mesh displacement to the materials. The result is not perfect, but it was sufficient for my use case.This concludes the boring spaceship part. Lets move on to the shader magic.The Planet BackgroundThe problem with planets is that theyre pretty big, at least compared to spaceships. Earth has a diameter of a bit over 12,700 km, and the largest human-built vessel is a cruise ship with around 0.36 km in length (the ISS is only a meager 109 m). Even if we assume our spaceship to be 1 km in length, wed have to fit an object over ten thousand times that size into the same scene. So what most people do is simply create a sphere that looks big enough, place it somewhere in the distance, apply either a procedural texture or a planet texture they found online, and then add volumetrics to create an atmosphere and clouds.This approach usually works well, but it has a couple of caveats. First: scale. This is less important when rendering still images, but when animating, parallax from planets that are too small can quickly make the scene look unrealistic. And second: volumetrics. While they do provide accurate light modeling of the atmosphere, theyre quite slow to compute, and especially when you get close to the planet, it really takes forever to render good volumetric clouds (because it requires a small volume step size). Not even talking about rendering animations at this point; and not everyone owns an RTX 4090.For these reasons I had the idea of an alternative approach: why not use shader math to create a planet in the world shader? This would solve the scaling problem (the HDRI is always infinitely far away), and it wouldnt require volumetrics at all. Wed also get global illumination from it for free, even in Eevee. The downside: all volumetric effects would have to be modelled manually. But I have always been a fan of challenges, so I gave it a try anyway.Since my goal was to create a scene close to the atmosphere, I started out by finding a coordinate system transformation that would turn the spherical mapping of the world shader into something resembling a flat surface in perspective.This is what the coordinate system looks like by default:And after a simple transform, it looks something like this:After masking out the top half and moving it a bit downwards, I slowly started to get the effect I wanted:(Disclaimer: The math here does not correspond to what actually happens when you project a sphere in perspective onto a plane. The goal was simply to make it look plausible. I recently picked up the node graph for this shader again and started implementing a more accurate way of projecting spheres onto planes.)The falloff didnt feel right yet, so I played around with different power values until I got something closer to what I had in mind:Next, I created a shadow gradient (not with gradient textures but by using the texture coordinates themselves by running them through power functions):This gradient would prove useful in two ways: first, I could use it for the actual shadow, and second, I could use it as a mix factor for the terrain, allowing me to go from a scorching dry terrain over a lush green zone to an icy blue terrain. (Actually, the mask is also useful for modelling other effects like Rayleigh scattering and the sunset glow of clouds).I mixed a few existing procedural planet textures Id created for an earlier project and ended up with a terrain like this:To create the outer atmosphere, I used the Z texture coordinate and ran it through an exponential falloff:In a similar fashion, I created a falloff mask for the inner atmospheric layer:For the clouds, I also used existing procedural cloud patterns and mixed them together.I packaged both the terrain and cloud setup into their own groups so I could reuse them anywhere in the node graph. To create the cloud shadows, I simply had to duplicate the cloud group and move its coordinates a bit to one side. It turned out that the bump node didnt work in generated coordinate space in the world shader, so I wrote my own (probably highly inefficient) bump mapping, which I then used to give depth to the clouds and to color them with a sunset glow:After combining all the effects together and sprinkling a few small extras on top (like glowing lava cracks on the shadow side and a procedural starfield), I ended up with this planet:In the process, I created this monstrosity of a node graph (which is only the topmost hierarchy; it only covers coordinate conversion, mixing the different textures together, and creating the atmospheric effect):Or in other wordsOn the flip side, everything has a parameter and its quite easy to tweak the look of the final HDRI:Post-processingI used the Flared addon to create subtle lens flares for some of the renders. The rest of the post-processing was done in Affinity Photo, which is my editing program of choice nowadays.The raw TIF render looked like this:After applying a bit of a bloom effect, a LUT, some curve corrections, and a subtle grade, I ended up with the final images below!RENDER: Alien Worlds - Jumpship over a tidally locked planet And thats how I modelled a jumpship and created a fever dream of a node graph. I hope I gave you a good overview of my workflow and look forward to your thoughts and feedback!About the Artist Samuel Pantze is a Blender hobbyist focused on proceduralism, generative art, and sci-fi. He works as a computer scientist in training and sells procedural Blender tools on Blender Market.Links

Unicorn HunterWeve all forgotten about one of the years best RPGs, and thats a crying shame because its the best strategy game Ive played in yearsVanillawares Unicorn Overlord might have one of the silliest names around, but beneath the comedy moniker is a stone cold classic.Image credit: VG247/Sega Article by Dom Peppiatt Editor-in-chief Published on Dec. 24, 2024 I write about games for a living (lucky me, right?) and as much of a dream as that is, it has some downsides. If you can believe it. One of them is that I often dont find games very stimulating or motivating. When you need to play something thats not exactly to your taste as often as once a week to ensure youre covering it correctly, you often find yourself engaging work brain, rather than fun brain. Pumping 50 hours into CoD in a week can be rough when you also need to spend a lot of the 9-to-5 editing, running meetings, generating reports, or yelling to colleagues about Googles baffling new Core Update.Unicorn Overlord, which launched back in March this year, felt like a balm. It is perhaps the most motivating game I have played in years. Once I picked it up to preview, and got my review copy shortly after, I easily dumped 100 hours into it within two weeks. I played it in bed, I played it on my travels, I played it whilst waiting in line for a gig. It broke the curse of the so-so work game I had gotten into my head, and it made my life better as a result.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. So, how to sum up Unicorn Overlord? Its like a premium meal at a fancy restaurant you can only afford to eat at once a year; its glossy, its rich, its sumptuous. Its a bit off-beat, maybe not the sort of thing youd find yourself making at home or eating in other, lesser-renowned places. But it does what it does well; a fusion dish, somehow combining cosy elements with unusual flavours that just sing on the palette.Its a tactical RPG that can sorta play itself. It makes you feel like a proper commander of a small army; the onus is more on recruitment, management, and deployment, rather than actual battling. It takes the best bits of the Final Fantasy 12 Gambit System, and smushes it together with the best bits of the Tactics Ogre series, whilst liberally nicking ideas from Fire Emblem.In fact, it's all very 1990s. It even summons whispers of Langrisser and Shining Force. But Vanillaware, in its now-trademark way, remixes the tropes and expectations you have for the genre and spits out something altogether unique. Ive never played a game that feels like Unicorn Overlord, really, and therein lies the charm Knights into dreams. | Image credit: Vanillaware/Atlus/SEGATake the combat flow, for example. If you want, you can skip every single battle. The stats and the moment-to-moment gameplay is worked out in a spreadsheet, concealed from view. You can spend hours min/maxing your characters, selecting your squads, and sending your allied units into battle, knowing that they can trample any fool that dares come underfoot. But thats not really the point of the game, is it?Instead, like in Fire Emblem, theres a degree of player-directed storytelling in making characters team up and fight. Seeing their interactions and monitoring how their skills compliment or undercut each other is RPG catnip. Its compelling. Nigh-addictive, even. Playing Unicorn Overlord on Switch, and trying to perfect certain maps, I missed my stop on the Tube maybe eight times in a week. It's consuming, really.The joy - and the unique draw, for my money - of Unicorn Overlord is the way it makes you think about even the easiest engagements like theyre life or death. Play it on harder difficulties, and you will need to summon an intimate understanding of your whole army (you know, just like a real commander) if you want to have any chance of chiselling your way through the game. Come for the gameplay, stay for the food. | Image credit: AtlusYou know its a good RPG, because youll find yourself mouthing yes! to yourself if you manage to up your flying squads damage output by a paltry 5%. Youll find yourself muttering bastard if a 95% accuracy attack fails and you need to rethink, literally, your whole battle strategy for a given skirmish. Vanillaware deftly treads the line between challenge and reward, and if you choose to engage with the minutiae of the mechanics, youll find its one of the most dense and mechanically responsive RPG sandboxes in years. Seriously.In a year packed to the gills with noteworthy RPGs, Unicorn Overlord has been Unicorn Over-looked (sorry). If youre looking for something really special, and really unique, to get your teeth into this festive break, Id recommend this even over my actual GOTY suggestion. Its a perfect game to reset your brain ahead of the year to come.

Contractors working to improve Googles Gemini AI are comparing its answers against outputs produced by Anthropics competitor model Claude, according to internal correspondence seen by TechCrunch.Google would not say, when reached by TechCrunch for comment, if it had obtained permission for its use of Claude in testing against Gemini.As tech companies race to build better AI models, the performance of these models are often evaluated against competitors, typically by running their own models through industry benchmarks rather than having contractors painstakingly evaluate their competitors AI responses.The contractors working on Gemini tasked with rating the accuracy of the models outputs must score each response that they see according to multiple criteria, like truthfulness and verbosity. The contractors are given up to 30 minutes per prompt to determine whose answer is better, Geminis or Claudes, according to the correspondence seen by TechCrunch.The contractors recently began noticing references to Anthropics Claude appearing in the internal Google platform they use to compare Gemini to other unnamed AI models, the correspondence showed. At least one of the outputs presented to Gemini contractors, seen by TechCrunch, explicitly stated: I am Claude, created by Anthropic.One internal chat showed the contractors noticing Claudes responses appearing to emphasize safety more than Gemini. Claudes safety settings are the strictest among AI models, one contractor wrote. In certain cases, Claude wouldnt respond to prompts that it considered unsafe, such as role-playing a different AI assistant. In another, Claude avoided answering a prompt, while Geminis response was flagged as a huge safety violation for including nudity and bondage.Anthropics commercial terms of service forbid customers from accessing Claude to build a competing product or service or train competing AI models without approval from Anthropic. Google is a major investor in Anthropic.Shira McNamara, a spokesperson for Google DeepMind, which runs Gemini, would not say when asked by TechCrunch whether Google has obtained Anthropics approval to access Claude. When reached prior to publication, an Anthropic spokesperson did not comment by press time.McNamara said that DeepMind does compare model outputs for evaluations but that it doesnt train Gemini on Anthropic models.Of course, in line with standard industry practice, in some cases we compare model outputs as part of our evaluation process, McNamara said. However, any suggestion that we have used Anthropic models to train Gemini is inaccurate.Last week, TechCrunch exclusively reported that Google contractors working on the companys AI products are now being made to rate Geminis AI responses in areas outside of their expertise. Internal correspondence expressed concerns by contractors that Gemini could generate inaccurate information on highly sensitive topics like healthcare.You can send tips securely to this reporter on Signal at +1 628-282-2811.

In an era where its become tougher to raise venture capital, many companies have turned to non-dilutive, Revenue-Based Financing (RBF) as an alternative. As a result, plenty of startups have risen to meet that challenge, none more so than in the MENA region, which has taken to the model like a duck to water. The latest is CredibleX which has raised a $55 million Seed financing round led by Abu Dhabi-based Further Ventures in order to take advantage of the booming market for revenue financing in the Middle East.Providing working capital financing to small and medium-sized businesses, CredibleX operates in a market where we saw companies like MENA competitors FlapKap and Flow48 scale and raise capital in 2023, not to mention others elsewhere like Modifi (raised $353.6 million to date), Drip Capital ($528.1 million to date) and IncomLend ($25 million to date).So whats going on here?With MENA SMEs (Small/Medium Enterprises) still finding it difficult to access working capital from traditional banking channels, CredibleX has found a route to market. It partners with large aggregators and then goes after the SMEs in their vertical ecosystem.CEO and Cofounder Anand Nagaraj told TechCrunch: We believe this approach helps us in recovering repayments easily as we have a direct relationship with the debtor/payer. Most of the others in this space work with the SMEs to try and get an assignment of receivables/sales.In particular, revenue-based financing works quite well for SMEs in high-income countries like the UAE, and similar countries, since its harder to obtain financing from so-called Development Finance Institutions, which are primarily set up to invest in projects in less economically developed countries.How the platform works is very MENA region given the explosion of platforms set up for service-based industries like restaurants, of which there are millions in MENA.Heres an example: An SME such as a restaurant uses a platform like Talabat (acquired by Delivery Hero in 2015 for $158.52 million) to deliver its food, and wants to access RBF. It applies for a loan through the Talabat platform integrated with CredibleX, uploads its historical sales data/ratings, and then CredibleX makes the credit decision on issuing a loan, all within 24 hours.The restaurant then pays the loan back in the form of Talabat making payments directly to CredibleX (which also has similar relationships with 37 other such partners).The company started operations in March 2024 and claims to have so issued over AED 100 Mn (US$27Mn) to SMEs.Nagaraj previously worked at Citi, then set up Invoice Bazaar, a Supply Chain Finance platform helping SMEs that supply to large corporations with early payments. After exiting that startup in 2021, Anand, along with cofounders Ahmad Malik and Hassan Reda, launched CredibleX.Nagaraj explained: Our approach helps us to access a larger pool of SMEs and it certainly helps when things go bad, in terms of recovering repayments from the SMEs. CredibleX is also fully regulated by FSRA at Abu Dhabi Global Markets.The Seed round consists of equity from Further Ventures and debt from various providers including Kilgour Williams Capital. Further Ventures has LPs that include ADQ and Mastercard.

In BriefPosted:7:37 AM PST December 24, 2024Image Credits:Boston DynamicsWatch Boston Dynamics electric Atlas do a backflipA little early holiday surprise from Boston Dynamics this week, as Santa suit-wearing electric Atlas performs a backflip. The feat occurs about 13 minutes into a new video, showcasing yet another trick in the humanoid robots arsenal.Its worth noting that unlike with humans a robot performing a backflip isnt necessarily more complicated than walking. That said, roboticists tend to focus on useful tasks like locomotion first. Even so, its impressive to see how robust Boston Dynamics new robot is proving to be and that it managed to keep its Santa hat on the whole time.The electric Atlas is following in the footsteps of its hydraulic predecessor, which debuted the skill in 2017. More recently, Unitrees humanoid has shown of its own gymnastics abilities.Topics

Breakdown & ShowreelsYodha: VFX Breakdown by Redchillies VFXBy Vincent Frei - 24/12/2024 When the skies turn hostile the visuals soar! Redchillies VFX delivers really cool visual effects in Yodha, bringing the tension of a hijacked flight and a failing engine to life. Witness a soldiers high-stakes strategy to outsmart terrorists and save the passengers. Dont miss this VFX-driven action-packed thriller!WATCH IT ON Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2024

Published December 24, 2024 10:00am EST close 'CyberGuy': Timeshare terror leaves retired couple $50K in the hole after being scammed The FBI is warning timeshare owners of a telemarketing scam tied to a Mexican drug cartel. Tech expert Kurt Knutsson provides steps to stay safe. The FBI is issuing a stark warning to timeshare owners about a widespread telemarketing scam linked to a violent Mexican drug cartel. This scheme targets unsuspecting property owners, leading to significant financial losses. Here's what you need to know and how to protect yourself. Illustration of a timeshare property (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)The Dimitruks' devastating timeshare scam experienceIn late 2022, Mr. and Mrs. Dimitruk, a retired Canadian couple, received a call about selling their Florida timeshare. The scammers, aware of their specific timeshare details, promised a Mexican buyer willing to pay above market value. The fraudsters employed an intricate process involving a fake New York escrow company, ecurrencyescrow[.]llc. The Dimitruks were asked to complete forms and wire more than $3,000 for "administrative" and "processing" fees.For almost a year, the scammers made additional financial demands, citing various taxes and fees. The couple even sent $5,000 to pay off their remaining timeshare balance, believing it was part of the sale process. Mr. Dimitruk, a 73-year-old retired long-haul truck driver, revealed in an interview with KrebsOnSecurity that they lost more than $50,000 to this scam. Even after this substantial loss, the scammers continued to contact them, claiming their money was waiting and urging further payments. Fake New York escrow company email (KrebsOnSecurity) (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Cartel connections to fraud schemesThe FBI has linked these timeshare fraud schemes to the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel in Mexico. According to a July 2024 warning from theFBI and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, these scams are part of the cartel's efforts to diversify their revenue streams and finance other criminal activities, including drug trafficking.Since at least 2012, the cartel and other Mexico-based transnational criminal organizations have increasingly targeted U.S. owners of timeshare properties in Mexico, particularly older adults who are often more vulnerable to such scams. The proceeds from these fraudulent activities not only support the cartel's operations but also contribute to the manufacturing and trafficking of dangerous substances like fentanyl into the United States.How these scams workThe Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has expanded its criminal activities beyond traditional drug trafficking into sophisticated scams, including timeshare fraud targeting unsuspecting individuals, particularly Americans. Here are some of the methods employed by the cartel in executing these scams:Impersonation of legitimate entities: Scammers often pose as legitimate real estate agents, escrow companies or even officials from U.S. government agencies like the Treasury Department. This tactic is designed to instill a sense of trust and urgency in potential victims, making them more susceptible to fraud.Targeting vulnerable populations: The cartel primarily targets elderly Americans who own timeshares in Mexico. These individuals are often contacted with offers to buy their timeshares at inflated values, but they are required to pay various fees upfront, such as taxes or closing costs, before any transaction can be completed. Once these payments are made, the scammers disappear, leaving victims with significant financial losses.Use of call centers: The CJNG operates illegal call centers where employees, often unaware of the cartel's true nature, engage in telemarketing schemes. These centers are strategically located in regions with high unemployment rates, providing a pool of workers who may be desperate for jobs. The call centers not only facilitate scams but also serve as a means for the cartel to exert control over local populations through intimidation and violence.Complex fraud schemes: The scams can involve multiple layers of deception. For instance, victims may be contacted multiple times by different scammers posing as various professionals (e.g., lawyers or real estate agents) who claim they can assist with selling their timeshares or recovering lost funds. This re-victimization often leads to further financial exploitation.Violence and intimidation: The cartel employs extreme measures to maintain control over its operations and silence potential whistleblowers. Reports indicate that workers attempting to quit these call centers have faced dire consequences, including murder, which serves as a chilling message to others considering leaving the cartel's employment. This brutal enforcement mechanism not only protects their operations but also instills fear within communities.Digital infrastructure: The CJNG utilizes a network of fraudulent websites and domains that appear legitimate at first glance. These websites often mimic real escrow and real estate firms, making it difficult for victims to discern the authenticity of their interactions. Many of these domains have been linked back to a central hub that manages multiple scam operations simultaneously.By understanding these operational tactics, you can better appreciate the complexities and dangers associated with scams perpetrated by organized crime groups like the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. This knowledge is crucial for potentially preventing future victimization. Government warning (U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control) (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Protecting yourself from timeshare scamsTo avoid falling victim to similar scams, it is crucial to take proactive steps to safeguard your financial interests:1) Verify the buyer's identity and offer legitimacy: Always confirm the identity of any potential buyer and the authenticity of their offer. Contact the timeshare company directly to validate any claims made by the buyer.2) Research any company that contacts you: Conduct thorough research on any business reaching out to you. Look for reviews, complaints and verify their credentials through reliable sources.3) Be wary of upfront fees: Legitimate transactions typically do not require upfront fees for administrative or processing purposes. If a company requests such payments, exercise caution.4) Use secure communication channels: Avoid sharing personal or financial information over unsecured methods such as phone calls or emails. Opt for secure communication channels whenever possible.5) Do not click on links: Avoid clicking on any links or downloading attachments from unsolicited emails. Scammers often use these tactics to steal your personal information. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.6) Consult with professionals before proceeding with transactions: Seek advice from a real estate attorney or a trusted financial advisor before engaging in any transactions. Their expertise can help you navigate potential pitfalls.7) Report suspicious activity to authorities: If you suspect you've been targeted by a timeshare scam, don't hesitate to promptly report it to local authorities, theFBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov or the Federal Trade Commission. Reporting can help protect others from falling victim to similar schemes.8) Invest in personal data removal services: While the advice provided is valuable, the most crucial step in protecting yourself from such scams is to minimize your online presence. By reducing the amount of personal information available on the web, you make it significantly harder for scammers to target you. No service promises to remove all your data from the internet. However, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time.Check out my top picks for data removal services here.Kurt's key takeawaysHere's the deal. These timeshare scammers are clever, they're persistent, and they're backed by some seriously bad dudes. But don't let that scare you into inaction. Remember, knowledge is power. By staying informed and skeptical, you're already one step ahead of these fraudsters. Trust your gut. If something feels off, it probably is. And don't be afraid to ask for help or report suspicious activity. Let's make life a whole lot harder for these scammers and keep your hard-earned money where it belongs: in your pocket.What additional steps do you think authorities should take to combat telemarketing scams targeting vulnerable populations? Let us know by writing us atCyberguy.com/Contact.For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to cover.Follow Kurt on his social channels:Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com.All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurts free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

ZDNET's key takeaways The Samsung Neo QLED (QN90D) 98-inch TV lists for $15,000, but is marked down to $13,000 at most vendors. Its picture quality rivals OLED models in contrast and motion handling while exceeding most of them in peak brightness. The location of its connection ports can make setting up such a large TV a bit fussy. more buying choices It's rare for me to be blown away by the picture quality of any TV I'm reviewing. But with Samsung's QN90D Neo QLED TV, that's what happened -- in a big-time (ultra-large) way.That's because Samsung sent the 98-inch model to our ZDNET lab in Louisville, and I had the pleasure of spending some time with it, fully daunted by its imposing $15,000 price tag. This is the most expensive model of any TV I've tested. Also: The next big HDMI leap is coming next month - what the 2.2 standard means for youSo, does the QN90D live up to its price point? If your budget falls into the $10K+ cost echelon, then you've already jumped the first hurdle in acquiring one. And if that's the case, then the answer is a resounding "Yes." details View at Best Buy To be clear, there are dozens of 98-inch TVs on the market that are much easier on the wallet than this puppy. For example, you can buy two of TCL's 98-inch QM8 Mini-LED for less than one QN90D. But there's a substantial difference in the technology behind these models, namely Samsung's treatment of Quantum Dot overlays on a mini-LED backlit display.Also:How I optimized this 98-inch TV to feel like a movie theater (and it's on sale)This formula is known as "Neo QLED," in which case Samsung has swapped out conventional LEDs for tens of thousands of mini-LEDs. These components consist of manufactured nanocrystals with ultra-fine semiconductor materials, allowing for a higher magnitude of these units to distribute light accurately and efficiently. The result, as Samsung puts it, is "brighter whites, darker blacks, and overall, a better color range in between."I can attest to this. The QN90D offered up a crystal-clear picture with glistering highlights, vibrant colors, and the truest blacks I've witnessed on a non-OLED set. With its spread of UHD micro dimming zones, dark areas are so piercingly black that focusing your eyes on shadows is like staring into a void. This is fine by me because they're shadows, and I'm a fan of higher contrast ratios. Adam Breeden/ZDNETBut in some extreme cases, dark objects were so dark that their features were lost. Picture a black-clad motorcyclist racing down a sunlit road -- black helmet, black jacket, black bike -- and in this distant, wide-angle shot, the cyclist and his bike become almost a uniform silhouette, revealing no distinguishable textures or dimensionality. To be clear, this would be a demanding ask of any TV for the scene I'm describing. A desirable level of detail in such inky blackness may only be captured on Samsung's Neo QLED 8K QN990C, which goes for an eye-watering $40,000 and is the subject of a different review altogether.What impressed me most was the in-your-face brightness and extraordinary color gamut of the QN90D. It's bright, but not offensively so. I'd rather call the overall effect "convincing." Viewing the motion graphics at the beginning of Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox productions, for example, felt like looking into the window of an uber-vivid metaverse. In a few instances, the color vibrance was so intense that some viewers might find it off-putting, such as the radioactive red glow of Netflix's logo. There are settings to reduce this intensity. For starters, you won't want to set the TV's picture mode to "Dynamic" because then every color will gleam with supersaturated abandon. (I'll speak more on setting options below.) Adam Breeden/ZDNETOtherwise, I didn't encounter disproportionate levels of color or tonality. This held true in my assessments of glare and reflection, plus a scope of the QN90D's viewing angles. Standing just two feet from the screen at an unreasonably tight angle, the picture only suffered a minor loss of coloration (a slight washout), yet it retained its 4K QLED sharpness.I was equally impressed with this TV's audio output. Even in the absence of a connected soundbar, the volume managed to fill our testing area more than adequately, and it did this at about one-tenth of its potential. While watching Kandahar on Prime, I never pushed the volume past 12. It frightens me to imagine the stentorian result of cranking it up to 100.Also: You can finally buy LG's transparent OLED TV - if you're willing to pay $60,000In addition to 4.2.2 channel speakers pumping out 60 watts of power, Samsung's OTS+ technology tracks the onscreen action and adjusts sounds accordingly. Its 98-inch panel consists of 8,276 square inches, allowing for more integrated speakers, which strategically create a 3D-like soundscape that seems to envelop you from all directions. No soundbar is necessary. (Although I don't discourage adding one to it.)I did change the QN90D's default sound mode to "Amplify" and noticed a marked improvement in the crispness of whispering dialogue in Dune 2andKandahar. The setting's name is a bit misleading because it doesn't amplify volume but clarity. The two films I mentioned above are excellent for TV testing. Like many movies, they have plenty of whispering dialogue but also gads of sweeping desert vistas.Color variation and rendering become more evident in viewing these mostly stark landscapes, which include everything from jutting rock formations to an actor's skin tone and Dune's reddish "spice" granules within swells of billowing sand. The bright and sunny drone shots in Kandahar, for example, were particularly stunning.My ideal picture settings for the Samsung QN90DWhen orienting myself with any new TV, I spend a lot of time testing out the settings. I toggle the options on and off while scrutinizing select scenes from certain movies. I adjust the sliders if available (e.g., tint). I experiment with Expert Settings (like switching Local Dimming to high and Contrast Enhancer to low, and vice-versa).I do a similar thing with audio. This practice of combining and/or separating setting variables is basically a trial-and-error endeavor in pursuit of seeing optimal results. Naturally, this is a subjective process because it's all about personal preferences.Also: I changed these 6 Samsung TV settings to significantly improve the picture qualityFor the QN90D, I only changed three picture settings from their default positions, and that's in large part owed to the Tizen software's AI capabilities:Under All Settings, you'll find Samsung's "Intelligent Mode" option. Turning that on disables the usual lineup of options under the Picture Mode menu (Dynamic, Eco, Filmmaker, etc.).The Picture Mode options are then replaced with three choices: "Optimized," "Eye Comfort," and "AI Customization." The latter indeed lets you customize your visual preference by selecting one of four image choices (each) for sports, movies, and general viewing.The Tizen OS's NQ4 AI Gen2 processor then used my image selections as ingredients to concoct what was, to me, the best picture possible.After all the experimentation, my selections solidified AI Customization as the clear winner in terms of a preferred picture mode. The contrast, brightness, and sharpness in scenes from these 4K flicks were incredibly satisfying. Adam Breeden/ZDNETConsider these design elements as you shopLike other new Samsung remotes, the QN90D's takes a little getting used to because of its diminutive size and its rocker buttons, which are relatively unconventional for remote controls. These small, flat, capsule-shaped buttons are designed to push toward or away from the TV to adjust the volume and navigate the menu. (The interface itself, I should note, only required a modicum of menu-diving to reach desired selections, making it one of the more user-friendly panels I've tested.)I acclimated to the remote's design swiftly, and I also appreciate the solar panel on its underside for a lifetime of use without cable charging or replacing batteries. But if it's just too much effort to pick up and use a TV remote, the QN90D also offers hands-free operation with its Bixby, Alexa, or Google voice assistants. Disappointingly, the remote is not backlit -- as I wish all TV remotes should be -- because I tend to do any binge-watching after sundown.A common complaint among users of the QN90D is the placement of its input array. Its four HDMI ports, two USBs, and other connection points are situated on the back right side of the panel. This is fairly standard for many TVs. For a television of this size, however, simply accessing the ports and then deciding how to run your wires to the nearest wall outlet can be an awkward affair. These grumblings likely stem from prior iterations of Samsung's QLED models (e.g., the QN95C) having a separate OneConnect box that can marry all your peripherals to the TV through a single translucent cable. For the QN90D, the lack of a dedicated HDMI switch is a practical concern in terms of access and positioning. And it's an aesthetic consideration if you can't stomach visible wires trailing from the electronic centerpiece of your living room.ZDNET's buying adviceI can overlook Samsung's decision to make the inputs a tad harder to reach because this TV is spectacular to watch and listen to. At $15,000, even an ultra-large 98-inch screen ought to be brimming with cutting-edge technology, elevated specs, and a profusion of cool features. The Samsung QN90D certainly qualifies with these traits.Most of all, though, it delivers an exceptional viewing experience that will dazzle your eyeballs and please your earholes. If I were in a higher tax bracket (and had a bigger house), I would undoubtedly put this massive entertainment purchase in my (gargantuan) shopping cart.Should you want a TV of similar size but with a more accessible price, consider the TCL Q6 and QM8, both of which ZDNET has tested and recommended for big-screen shoppers on a budget.Samsung 98-inch QN90D 4K QLED TV tech specsDisplay TypeNeo QLEDScreen Size98 inchesResolution4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160)Refresh Rate120HzHDR CompatibilityQuantum HDR 32xScreen Brightness1253 nitsContrast RatioInfiniteAudioDolby Atmos 4.2.2chProcessorNQ4 AI Gen2 ProcessorGaming FeaturesMotion Xcelerator, FreeSync Premium Pro, 4K @ 144HzInput Lag (Game Mode)2.9 msInputs4x HDMI 2.1, 2x USB 2.0, 1x Ethernet, 1x RFWi-FiWi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)Smart TV PlatformTizen OSVoice AssistantBixby, Alexa, Google AssistantStreaming PlatformsNetflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, and many moreDimensions (with stand)86.6" x 50.8" x 14.3"Weight (with stand)113.5 lbsHow we test TVsWhile testing and researching the TV featured in this review, I and other ZDNET experts kept these criteria in mind:Price:Not all budgets are created equal. And if you're working with a limited budget, that shouldn't mean you have to settle for a sub-par TV. Each TV model we review has been chosen across a variety of price points to help accommodate different needs.Screen size:The most important factor to consider, after price, when shopping for a new TV is whether or not it will fit into your space. While this specific screen size is exceptional, the QN90D is available in a wide variety of smaller sizes to suit different rooms.Picture and audio quality:A new TV doesn't mean much, even if it costs an arm and a leg, if it doesn't provide a great picture and clear audio. Each TV on this list has been ensured to support various HDR codecs, including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, as well as enhanced audio software like Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, and object-tracking sound.For a more detailed look, check outour extensive TV testing methodology.Featured reviews

The Shokz OpenSwim Pro bone conduction headphones sound fantastic even when underwater. The best part is that they're on sale for the holiday season.