Brothers Take New Orleans: Kitchen Transformations

Today show host Hoda Kotb steps in as the New Orleans native judge for the 

brothers' second challenge, arguably the most important room in a New 

Orleans home: the kitchen.

Talk about a blank slate! Jonathan had plenty of room to work with in the kitchen of his side of the shotgun home. It even came decorated with vines that had grown inside the home from outside! 

Along with the JD advantage, Jonathan also had much more square footage in his side of the home than Drew did, allowing for a bit of a more open floor plan in the kitchen.  

A round dining table allows for close conversation over a meal, which is key in a food-focused town like New Orleans.

The kitchen counter wraps around to a peninsula breakfast bar with a waterfall edge, ideal for casual seating and congregating in the heart of the home. 

A New Orleans kitchen wouldn't be complete without some sweets on hand. 

Accent tiles on the peninsula are one of the first things you notice when walking into the kitchen, and the green pendant lights offset the blues and grays used in the finishes. 

Double-stacked upper cabinets take full advantage of the kitchen's height, and dark lowers are sleek and add interest. 

Drew's kitchen space was significantly smaller than Jonathan's, but he did have one awesome feature that his brother didn't ... 

...another view of that quad-sided fireplace! Click through to see how Drew used plaster to transform its front and create his New Orleans dreamworthy kitchen. 

By utilitizing both reclaimed materials and custom finishes, Drew was able to create a New Orleans kitchen with a rustically modern flavor. 

A custom plaster treatment to the quad-sided fireplace turns it into a majorly eye-catching feature in the kitchen. 

Personalized photographs of the city along the wall with the breakfast nook help maintain a New Orleans character throughout the home. 

The reclaimed wood accents (made from the house's original floorboards!) on the front of the breakfast bar complement the wood ceiling beam and tie together Drew's vision of rustic modern charm. 

Drew's kitchen may be a bit smaller than Jonathan's, but he still made room for this 8-foot island with a waterfall edge. 

Drew didn't forget the details when carefully designing and considering accents for his kitchen countertops.  

Reclaimed wood and brass accents create some seriously rustic modern open shelving in Drew's dream kitchen. 

The Today show host and good friend of the brothers' has lived and worked in New Orleans and carefully critiques the two kitchens for their authenticity to New Orleans. Who'd she choose as the winner? 

And the competition is even! Hoda loved the open and airy vibe in Jonathan's kitchen, but Drew's New Orleans artwork and plaster treatment on the fireplace brought home a win.