2011 NKBA MN | 2nd Place Large Kitchen Matt Schmitt Photography
Inspiration for a large traditional l-shaped kitchen in Minneapolis with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, soapstone benchtops, black splashback, stone slab splashback, black appliances, dark hardwood floors and with island.

Contemporary Cottage Kitchen: Where Functionality Meets Fine Living

Chervin Kitchen & Bath Inc.

Step into this contemporary cottage kitchen with its inviting U-shaped layout, boasting a blend of modern functionality and rustic charm. The centrepiece is a stunning white oak kitchen island, offering ample storage and a warm, natural aesthetic. Stainless steel appliances seamlessly complement the space, while flat panel cabinets add a sleek, minimalist touch, creating a harmonious balance between tradition and modernity.

Lake Travis Overlook

Marion Interior Design

Large modern l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Austin with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, soapstone benchtops, black splashback, porcelain splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and black benchtop.

The 1790 Garvin-Weeks Farmstead

Cummings Architecture + Interiors

The 1790 Garvin-Weeks Farmstead is a beautiful farmhouse with Georgian and Victorian period rooms as well as a craftsman style addition from the early 1900s. The original house was from the late 18th century, and the barn structure shortly after that. The client desired architectural styles for her new master suite, revamped kitchen, and family room, that paid close attention to the individual eras of the home. The master suite uses antique furniture from the Georgian era, and the floral wallpaper uses stencils from an original vintage piece. The kitchen and family room are classic farmhouse style, and even use timbers and rafters from the original barn structure. The expansive kitchen island uses reclaimed wood, as does the dining table. The custom cabinetry, milk paint, hand-painted tiles, soapstone sink, and marble baking top are other important elements to the space. The historic home now shines. Eric Roth

Country Club Residence

Regas Interiors

photo: Woodie Williams
This is an example of a transitional galley separate kitchen in Atlanta with recessed-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, soapstone benchtops, mirror splashback, dark hardwood floors, no island, brown floor and black benchtop.

Remodel- Polo Club

Brekhus Tile & Stone

Raul Garcia
Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional eat-in kitchen in Denver with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, soapstone benchtops, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors and with island.

Casey Key Coastal

Perrone Construction Custom Homes

Design ideas for a mid-sized beach style galley open plan kitchen in Tampa with an undermount sink, soapstone benchtops, blue splashback, subway tile splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, multiple islands, brown floor, grey benchtop, recessed-panel cabinets and turquoise cabinets.

Kitchen renovation

Greyslate Building Group LLC

Complete kitchen renovation on mid century modern home
Inspiration for a mid-sized midcentury single-wall open plan kitchen in Indianapolis with a double-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, soapstone benchtops, grey splashback, stone tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, slate floors, with island and grey floor.

Plaza-Midwood Kitchen

Flourish Interior Design

Designed with DiFabion Remodeling
Inspiration for an arts and crafts l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Charlotte with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, soapstone benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, coloured appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and grey benchtop.

The Elbow Park Reno

Knight Custom Homes

A corroded pipe in the 2nd floor bathroom was the original prompt to begin extensive updates on this 109 year old heritage home in Elbow Park. This craftsman home was build in 1912 and consisted of scattered design ideas that lacked continuity. In order to steward the original character and design of this home while creating effective new layouts, we found ourselves faced with extensive challenges including electrical upgrades, flooring height differences, and wall changes. This home now features a timeless kitchen, site finished oak hardwood through out, 2 updated bathrooms, and a staircase relocation to improve traffic flow. The opportunity to repurpose exterior brick that was salvaged during a 1960 addition to the home provided charming new backsplash in the kitchen and walk in pantry.

Ballard Whole House Remodel: Kitchen

Harjo Construction

M.Romney Photography
This is an example of a large transitional u-shaped kitchen in Seattle with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, soapstone benchtops, white splashback, mosaic tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and black benchtop.

Bonnet Shores Beach House - Narragansett, RI

KEP Interior Designs

This is an example of a mid-sized beach style l-shaped kitchen in Providence with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, soapstone benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors and with island.

Bunker Hill Kitchen Remodel

Greymark Design + Build

Design ideas for a mid-sized mediterranean galley eat-in kitchen in Houston with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, soapstone benchtops, stainless steel appliances, ceramic floors, brown floor, black benchtop and beige splashback.

White Kitchen with Reclaimed Wood Accents and Dash of Blue

Normandy Remodeling

Whats not to like about reclaimed wood hanging shelves for that extra decor space you've always wanted. Not to mention the beautiful crisp white cabinetry to match the rest of the kitchen with the added bonus of storage.

Modern Custom Build in WashPark neighborhood: Denver Life Magazine Showhouse

Beautiful Habitat: Design & Decoration

The overall vision for the kitchen is a modern, slightly edgy space that is still warm and inviting. As a designer, I like to push people out of their comfort zones. We’ve done that a few ways with this kitchen – Ebony and matte gray cabinets, mixing cabinet and countertop materials, and mixing metals. We’ve all seen and done the white kitchen for the last 10 years. I wanted to demonstrate that a black kitchen is functional and dramatic and not the dark cave everyone fears. To soften the black, we’ve incorporated organic elements like natural woods, handmade backsplash tiles, brass and the flowing, organic patterns of the fabrics.

Atlanta Estate Home

Joel Kelly Design

Emily Followill
Large transitional u-shaped open plan kitchen in Atlanta with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, soapstone benchtops, green splashback, marble splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, multiple islands, grey floor and green benchtop.

Kitchen

Wells Design Studio

Photo of a transitional kitchen in Denver with shaker cabinets, medium wood cabinets, soapstone benchtops, white splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors and black benchtop.

Mission Victorian

Form + Field

This is an example of a mid-sized scandinavian l-shaped open plan kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, soapstone benchtops, black splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, multiple islands, brown floor and black benchtop.

1920's Spanish Revival home with travertine floors and soap stone countertops

Red Rock Construction and Design

1920's Spanish Revival
Inspiration for a mid-sized mediterranean l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Los Angeles with a farmhouse sink, raised-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, soapstone benchtops, beige splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, travertine floors and no island.

White Shaker Kitchen with soapstone countertops

Bouchard-Pierce

Designer: Matt Welch Contractor: Adam Lambert Photographer: Mark Bayer
Mid-sized arts and crafts u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Burlington with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, soapstone benchtops, white splashback, stone tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors and with island.

Black Kitchen with Soapstone Benchtops Design Ideas

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to planning your kitchen design. Where do you even start? Gathering some inspiration in a photo gallery is always a good starting point, as looking at different kitchen designs often brings up ideas you haven’t even thought of yet.

Browse Photos of Kitchen Designs for Inspiration and Collect Your Ideas

You can browse through photos of all kinds of kitchen styles, layouts and sizes on Houzz to get started before jumping into any design software or contacting a local professional for help. Here’s a few considerations to keep in mind when planning your kitchen.

1. What Makes a Good Kitchen Design, and Why is it Important?

For starters, you want to find a balance between aesthetics and function. You may have heard of the ‘kitchen work triangle’, which refers to the space between your fridge, sink and stove. You want everything within easy reach when you’re working in the kitchen and look beautiful at the same time. It’s a good idea to take note of both when browsing our photo gallery.

2. Consider Your Space to Determine Your Kitchen Layout

Firstly, consider the space you have, and the limitations that come with it. Do you have a small kitchen and need to maximise your workspace and storage? Can you allow yourself some more space and a big island with seating? Are you designing your kitchen from scratch or renovating an existing design? Which appliances do you already own and what are their measurements? Are there windows you need to take into consideration when planning cabinets? How do kitchen, living and dining areas connect? Depending on your space and needs, you want to use a shape that suits you. U, G, or L-shaped kitchen, with or without island or peninsula? Know your dimensions, plan cabinetry carefully and consider the placement of your appliances. You don’t want to end up with a finished design, only for your significant other to question where the fridge is supposed to go. Consider from the start where your fridge, oven, microwave and sink goes to save yourself from starting again from scratch - remember the kitchen work triangle! You also want to plan the layout of your cabinets. Maybe you’re planning for a pantry and can do with less storage space in your kitchen, so that your design can be one without upper or lower cabinets for a different look. A corner cabinet can be a smart storage solution if you want to keep the look clean and simple.

3. Decide on a Kitchen Style, But Don’t Forget Practicality

You want the style of your kitchen to reflect your personality and taste. We have curated a large array of kitchen styles here at Houzz, from traditional to contemporary to transitional and everything in between. Consider what your cooking style is for a start - Italy is known for its cuisine, so italian kitchen designs are generally popular. Also consider ergonomics - depending on how much time you spend in your kitchen, the height of your counters can make a big difference to your overall health. You also want to consider colour and finishes of cabinets, countertops and splashbacks. Which colour do you want your cupboards to be? Simple, timeless white or rather making a statement in black? Maybe rather a rustic wood? Also consider the colour of your floor - if you have dark floors, you may want to keep cabinets lighter. You could also go for an all-white look and choose black appliances for contrast. Once you know which style you fancy, don’t forget how you will be using the space. You want to keep cooking in mind, as well as how easy to clean and maintain the space will be. How many cooks do you need to accommodate? Do you have kids around? How much storage do you need? Maybe you want to go for open shelves rather than cabinets and allow for easy reach of key items you use when cooking. Again - remember the triangle! Lastly, choose lighting that both enhances the look of your kitchen as well as your cooking performance, providing light in all the right places.

4. Be Conscious of Your Budget

No matter what you plan for your kitchen design, cost is always a big factor. Be sure to plan with your budget in mind. It may make more sense to go for a modular kitchen design rather than custom build. You can save a lot of money if you get at least 3 estimates from professionals before locking in the job. And don’t forget to allow a 20% buffer for emergencies. Once you are ready to hire a pro, our directory will help you find one, no matter where you are. So whether you're looking for an Interior Designer in Melbourne or an Architect in Sydney, you can be sure to find a qualified expert for the job!