Open Plan Kitchen with Flat-panel Cabinets and White Splashback Design Ideas

Light and airy contemporary kitchen with minimalist features. The large, stone clad island and expansive skylight hero the space.
Photo of a large modern l-shaped open plan kitchen in Sydney with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, engineered quartz splashback, black appliances, laminate floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

This is an example of a large contemporary galley open plan kitchen in Perth with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, laminate benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, laminate floors, with island, brown floor and grey benchtop.

This is an example of a mid-sized midcentury l-shaped open plan kitchen in Melbourne with a double-bowl sink, terrazzo benchtops, subway tile splashback, black appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, white splashback, beige floor and multi-coloured benchtop.

Fringe Dweller’s sculpted extension transforms an unassuming weatherboard cottage into a proud forever home. It walks multiple tightropes at once: balancing openness with privacy, strength with softness, and a rich history with our clients’ future needs. On Clifton Hill’s suburban edge, the house sits opposite the leafy Quarries Park Reserve. Our clients, Ishtar and Craig, have three children and purchased their cottage to create a long-term family home. Lying within a heritage overlay, the cottage’s traditional layout is largely preserved – only tweaked, in a wise parenting move, to form three equally sized bedrooms. The extension’s shared spaces feature rich materials, a warm palette and curved edges, creating a feeling of softness and easing transitions between zones. A staircase arcing through the living areas leads up to the lounge and main suite. Elevated above street level, these spaces can more freely relate to the park: the lounge’s attached balcony overlooks the park’s open field, while the main bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling window frames magnificent foliage. Downstairs, sliding doors connect the living areas to a semi-covered deck, while the garden beyond is embraced by a self-contained studio at the rear and high walls on either side. A brick wall interspersed with permeable screens lines the site’s public edge, balancing backyard privacy with neighbourhood connection. For passers-by, it’s a strong addition to the streetscape, granting glimpses of the lush garden within. Fringe Dweller embraces its presence on the fringe of the parklands, balancing its historical context with its future as a nurturing family home.

By opening up the existing ground floor, the kitchen becomes the heart of the home, anchored by a curved island with slatted timber detailing. It’s a space for cooking, gathering and conversation. An understated wall of vertical timber slats conceals ample storage and utility spaces, keeping the home clutter-free. Every detail ensures practicality while maintaining a calm and organized aesthetic.

As we shift our gaze within this captivating open-plan kitchen, the design narrative continues to unfold seamlessly. The veneer doors and shaker-style wall cabinet doors blend effortlessly, offering a perfect marriage of contemporary and traditional elements. From this different vantage point, our attention is drawn to the exquisite island design, where rhythmic arches extend a graceful invitation towards the adjacent living room. These enchanting arches mirror the design finesse seen in the wall cabinets, creating an unbroken visual thread that weaves through the entire space.

Modernist open plan kitchen
This is an example of an expansive modern galley open plan kitchen in London with flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, concrete floors, with island, grey floor, an undermount sink and white benchtop.

Open plan kitchen living area in a log cabin on the outskirts of London. This is the designer's own home. All of the furniture has been sourced from high street retailers, car boot sales, ebay, handed down and upcycled. The kitchens is Howdens Trade. Design by Pia Pelkonen Photography by Richard Chivers

Originally a church and community centre, this Northside residence has been lovingly renovated by an enthusiastic young couple into a unique family home. The design brief for this kitchen design was to create a larger than life industrial style kitchen that would not look lost in the enormous 8.3meter wide “assembly hall” area of this unassuming 1950’s suburban home. The inclusion of a large island that was proportionate to the space was a must have for the family. The collation of different materials, textures and design features in this kitchen blend to create a functional, family-friendly, industrial style kitchen design that feels warm and inviting and entirely at home in its surroundings. The clients desire for dark charcoal colour cabinetry is softened with the use of the ‘Bluegrass’ colour cabinets under the rough finish solid wood island bench. The sleek black handles on the island contrast the Bluegrass cabinet colour while tying the island in with the handless charcoal colour cabinets on the back wall. With limited above bench wall space, the majority of storage is accommodated in 50-65kg capacity soft closing drawers under deep benchtops maximising the storage potential of the area. The 1meter wide appliance cabinet has ample storage for small appliances in tall deep drawers under bench height while a pair of pocket doors above bench level open to reveal bench space for a toaster and coffee machine with a microwave space and shelving above. This kitchen design earned our designer Anne Ellard, a spot in the final of KBDI’s 2017 Designer Awards. Award winners will be announced at a Gala event in Adelaide later this year. Now in its ninth year, the KBDi Designer Awards is a well-established and highly regarded national event on the Australian design calendar. The program recognises the professionalism and talent of Australian kitchen and bathroom designers. What the clients said: ” The end result of our experience with Anne and Kitchens by Kathie is a space that people walk into and everyone says “Wow!”. As well as being great to look at, it’s a pleasure to use, the space has both great form and function. Anne was extremely responsive to any issues or concerns that cropped up during the design/build process which made the whole process much smoother and enjoyable. Thanks again Anne, we’re extremely happy with the result.”

While this is a beach house kitchen, it would sit just as comfortably in an exclusive home on the European Alps. There is a lot of timber in this kitchen, yet there is no feeling of timber overload a la 1970's scandi-mania! So, what keeps this timber chic? High impact black engineered stone bench tops take the eye from the wood giving a feeling of warmth and a laid back air. Hard wearing terracotta ground the timber without going overboard on the brown tones. There is a definite luxurious cinnamon flavour happening here and it is pulled off expertly by the designer.

Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional single-wall open plan kitchen in Cologne with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, glass sheet splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island and brown floor.

Pocket door. Modern oak kitchen in Dublin. Scandinavian feel with oak and white quartz worktops.
Design ideas for a mid-sized modern u-shaped open plan kitchen in Dublin with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, stone slab splashback, black appliances, medium hardwood floors, a peninsula and white benchtop.

Rotpunkt furniture in Urban Wild Oak and Beach Grey (off-white). Worktops in Silestone Ethereal Haze.
Photo of a large scandinavian open plan kitchen in London with an integrated sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, engineered quartz splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Contemporary Apartment Renovation in Westminster, London - Matt Finish Kitchen Silestone Worktops
This is an example of a small contemporary single-wall open plan kitchen in London with an integrated sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, solid surface benchtops, white splashback, engineered quartz splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, no island, yellow floor, white benchtop and wallpaper.

Liadesign
Small industrial single-wall open plan kitchen in Milan with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, wood benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, black appliances, light hardwood floors, no island and recessed.

Fotografía y estilismo Nora Zubia
Photo of a small scandinavian single-wall open plan kitchen in Madrid with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, laminate benchtops, white splashback, window splashback, stainless steel appliances, laminate floors, no island, brown floor and grey benchtop.

This is an example of a large contemporary u-shaped open plan kitchen in Melbourne with blue cabinets, a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

This is an example of a large contemporary galley open plan kitchen in Sydney with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, white splashback, subway tile splashback, light hardwood floors, with island, white benchtop, quartz benchtops, stainless steel appliances and brown floor.

Chris Snook
Design ideas for a large contemporary single-wall open plan kitchen in West Midlands with a single-bowl sink, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, glass sheet splashback, black appliances, porcelain floors, with island, grey floor, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets and white benchtop.