The US Open is in its final stretch, Serena Williams is back in the conversation, and her sculptural Miami kitchen still has design people talking. Here is how to borrow the good parts—without borrowing a celebrity budget.
Serena Williams is officially back at the U.S. Open, and she brought Venus with her.
After returning to Queens for mixed doubles with Carlos Alcaraz, Serena will now team up with her sister for the women’s doubles tournament. The Williams sisters received a wild card, marking their 10th U.S. Open appearance as a doubles team. They won the event together in 1999 and 2009 and have collected 14 major doubles titles along the way.
New York, NY - September 8, 2018: Serena Williams of USA reacts after receiving code violation during women's single final of US Open against Naomi Osaka of Japan at USTA National Tennis Center
Before they take the court, there is another Williams-sister collaboration worth revisiting: Serena’s sculptural Miami kitchen.
Designed by V Starr, the interior design firm founded by Venus, the room is still giving design people plenty to talk about. Here is how to borrow the good parts—without borrowing a celebrity budget.
Celebrity kitchens are very good at two things: making us zoom in and making our renovation budgets feel personally attacked.
Serena Williams’ Miami kitchen does the first. Happily, it does not have to do the second.
The room is a study in opposites. Black cabinetry lines the perimeter. A white island sits in the center. Warm oak runs underfoot, while gold appears in the lighting, backsplash, and appliance trim. Then there is the table: a dark, angular dining surface attached to the island, part sculpture, part breakfast spot, and largely responsible for all that screenshotting.
1. Let contrast do the heavy lifting
Black and white can turn cold quickly. Here, the dark perimeter gives the room weight while the white island pulls light into the center. The contrast does the composition.
Try dark lowers with a pale island, or a wall of black cabinetry balanced by white counters and warm flooring. Perfect symmetry is optional. Giving the eye somewhere obvious to land is not.
If pure black feels a little too supervillain, Graphite Black delivers most of the drama with a softer edge. If bright white feels clinical, warmer options such as Linen, or Oyster still read white; they simply stop asking everyone to whisper.
2. Give the island a plot twist
Most islands are rectangles because rectangles are dependable. They hold the sink and never ask to be understood.
Serena’s begins there, then takes a turn. The angular table gives the island a second silhouette—and a second job. Prep stays at counter height. Sitting, eating, and supervising dinner move to a lower surface outside the main work zone.
That instinct is exactly what a Fabuwood kitchen specialist told Homes & Gardens: “Homeowners are increasingly looking for ways to personalize their living spaces.” Unconventional islands and tables, he explained, give people a visible way to put their preferences into the room. Personality, but make it millwork.
You do not need Serena’s exact trapezoid. Try a lowered tabletop, asymmetrical overhang, contrasting waterfall extension, or corner banquette.
Protect the fundamentals before getting geometric. NKBA guidelines generally recommend a 42-inch work aisle for one cook and 48 inches for multiple cooks. Measure the tightest point—the one most likely to meet your hip—and confirm how the extension will be supported. Gravity remains extremely committed to its work.
3. Add warmth, then know when to stop
The dark table and oak floor keep the palette from feeling like a showroom after closing time. Wood is the handshake between the room’s harder surfaces.
Bring it in through flooring, stools, shelving, or cabinetry. Repetition matters more than quantity: one wood tone appearing in two or three places feels intentional. Five unrelated tones start a group chat nobody asked to join.
For a deep finish, Kona works naturally with this high-contrast palette. Truffle is warmer and earthier, while Desert Oak offers a lighter counterpoint.
Handle gold with the same restraint. Choose pendants, hardware, a faucet, or a backsplash detail. Then stop. A kitchen can have range without looking as though the hardware aisle followed you home.
4. Choose the closest Fabuwood route
For the most modern interpretation, pair Fabuwood’s Catalina Carbone Matte perimeter with a Bianco Matte island. Add Nocce 3 or Como Ash 2 for the wood note. Sleek, graphic, and still perfectly capable of hiding the snack drawer.
If a slab feels too modern, pair slim-Shaker Luna Pitch Black with Luna Dove. Luxe Canyon Oak offers a warm middle ground.
This is where configurable cabinetry earns its keep. Custom Works can adapt sizes, storage, shelving, seating, and other details to the room you actually have. Ask your designer to solve the storage, circulation, and sightlines first. Then bring in the fabricator for the angular tabletop.
Make the inspiration yours
Celebrity spaces are better mood boards than shopping lists. The goal is not to track down every exact surface and appliance. It is to understand why the room works, then translate that logic into your own home.
Borrow the contrast. Keep the warmth. Give the island more than one job. Let a few well-placed finishes handle the drama.
Then, when someone asks whose kitchen inspired yours, you can say: “I’m just Serena.”
Ready to bring the look home? Order door samples or find a Fabuwood dealer to compare finishes and plan your kitchen.
Product recommendations are visual matches, not claims that Serena Williams used or endorsed Fabuwood products.
