Contemporary artist Gustav Klimpt’s “The Kiss” was the inspiration for this 1950’s ranch remodel. The existing living room, dining, kitchen and family room were independent rooms completely separate from each other. Our goal was to create an open grand-room design to accommodate the needs of a couple who love to entertain on a large scale and whose parties revolve around theater and the latest in gourmet cuisine. The kitchen was moved to the end wall so that it became the “stage” for all of the client’s entertaining and daily life’s “productions”. The custom tile mosaic, both at the fireplace and kitchen, inspired by Klimpt, took first place as the focal point. Because of this, we chose the Best by Broan K4236SS for its minimal design, power to vent the 30” Wolf Cooktop and that it offered a seamless flue for the 10’6” high ceiling. The client enjoys the convenient controls and halogen lighting system that the hood offers and cleaning the professional baffle filter system is a breeze since they fit right in the Bosch dishwasher. Finishes & Products:  Beech Slab-Style cabinets with Espresso stained alder accents.  Custom slate and tile mosaic backsplash  Kitchenaid Refrigerator  Dacor wall oven and convection/microwave  Wolf 30” cooktop top  Bamboo Flooring  Custom radius copper eating bar

The Victorian House

Snug Kitchens

Darren Chung Photography Ltd
Photo of a contemporary galley eat-in kitchen in Berkshire with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, copper benchtops, black splashback, black appliances, with island, beige floor and black benchtop.

Malibu Colony Modern

Joel Reis Architecture and Real Estate Photography

Photo of an expansive contemporary kitchen in Los Angeles with white splashback, with island, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, copper benchtops, grey floor and medium hardwood floors.

New Copper Shorwoom Display

Sola Kitchens

Mia Lind
Photo of a small contemporary single-wall open plan kitchen in London with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, brown cabinets, copper benchtops, grey splashback and no island.

Cala Woods Residence and Studio

Johnson Squared Architecture + Planning

Alex Hayden
Design ideas for a contemporary kitchen in Seattle with stainless steel appliances, copper benchtops, a single-bowl sink, open cabinets and green cabinets.

North Hill

Anna Williamson Architects

Our client wanted to create a warm, homely and light-filled environment that would draw their family together. Achieving this involved extensive internal and external reconfiguration to reorganise and interconnect the family living spaces and to bring natural light, access to and views of the garden into the heart of the home. This is a recently built split-level, semi-detached property; the internal stairway received no natural lighting giving an uninviting link between each room. The family rooms were located away from the sunny garden and the office was installed in the attic, separating the family to the least appealing corners of the house for daytime activities, connected by the uninviting staircase. The south facing living room was remote from the main living spaces and had small low doors affording little view to the garden. Our intervention focussed on making the underused garden room viable and worthy as the best room in the house. In order to house the kitchen, dining and tv snug, we pushed the rear wall out and up, installing a series of full height glazed doors to the rear as well as rooflights, raising sightlines for views of the sky and garden and giving level entry to a new enclosed terrace with permanent seating, barbeque and storage. External stairs connect up to the main garden and sweep onwards back to a second family room. The living spaces, now all located to the sunny rear, flow together, with the kitchen and barbeque reinstated as the hub of family life. We added a welcoming porch and refurbished the entrance hall, highlighting the previously obscured frontage and affording immediate views from it through to the garden on entry as well as adding plenty of storage. Unable to add windows to the stair, we inserted a large rooflight and opened up the half landings to it with floor glass and mirrors. Glazed internal walls bring light from front and back at each landing, flooding the stair with natural light and giving continually repeating views to the sky and garden. The refurbishment, with beautiful, tactile and textured surfaces, layers warmth onto contemporary concrete, steel and glass to further enrich the homely ambiance in conjunction with the natural external textures visible from every space.

Kitchens

Cunningham Contracting, Inc.

Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Richmond with a double-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, green cabinets, copper benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, terra-cotta floors, with island and red floor.

Dovercourt Park Renovation

post architecture inc

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary galley separate kitchen in Toronto with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, copper benchtops, white splashback, brick splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors and with island.

Custom cherry kitchen cabinets

Arktikos Custom Builders, Ltd.

Cherry kitchen cabinets have a hand rubbed Watco oil finish.
Mid-sized contemporary kitchen in Other with a double-bowl sink, copper benchtops, stainless steel appliances, laminate floors and brown floor.

Natural copper kitchen island

Modum Worktops

This is an example of a large contemporary kitchen in London with copper benchtops.

Kitchen

Tranne A.C.Interiors

2 Pak White gloss doors, Caesarstone benchtop
Photo of a large contemporary u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Brisbane with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, copper benchtops, white splashback, glass sheet splashback, white appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, white floor and white benchtop.

Madeline Dr Showcase Kitchen

Republic Tile Works, LLC

CBA
Contemporary eat-in kitchen in Los Angeles with copper benchtops and blue floor.

The Oak Hill House

User

The kitchen backsplash as well as the hood are hand forged steel...We are featuring a 1/8" copper counter top. All done by the EXTREMELY talented Craftsmen at Oak Hill Iron in Morganton, NC / Contact: Mr. Josh Smith @ 828.437.5348 or e-mail: info@oakhilliron.com

Darlene Somrak CKD

Somrak Kitchens, Inc.

Eldon Brugger, Majestic Imaging
Design ideas for a contemporary kitchen in Cleveland with copper benchtops.

Canal House

Cranius Creative Concepts

A Piet Boon Kitchen island, surrounded by Marie's Corner barstools forms the heart of the house. A gas fire with seating adds further warmth.
Photo of a large contemporary single-wall kitchen in Amsterdam with copper benchtops, light hardwood floors and with island.

Strahan Road - Timber Kitchen - Extension - Refurbishment -

Markland Ball homes

The owners wish to reconfigure the downstairs of their property to create a space which truly connects with their garden. The result is a contemporary take on the classic conservatory. This steel and glass rear extension combines with a side extension to create a light, bright interior space which is as much a part of the garden as it is the house. Using solar control glass and opening roof lights, the space allows for good natural ventilation moderating the temperature during the summer months. A new bedroom will also be added in a mansard roof extension.

Berlin Studio Kitchen

45 KILO

The Berlin Studio Kitchen is an economic concept for a functional kitchen that combines an industrial look with the natural beauty and vividness of untreated copper. Standard container boxes serve perfectly as drawers. That way expensive mechanical drawer runners, lacquered fronts and handles become all unnecessary. The good thing about this of course: the saved money can be invested in a beautiful worktop and quality appliances. The kitchen body therefore becomes merely a shelve, filled with boxes which are made of recycled plastic material. For going shopping or the barbecue outside, one simply takes a box from the shelve. The copper worktop opposes the industrial and raw look of the kitchen body. It’s untreated surface is vivid, reacting in various colors to the influences of cooking and cleaning and thereby creating an atmosphere of warmth and natural ageing.

Urban Modern Kitchen Oro Valley

Uncharted Design LLC

Photo of a large contemporary l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Other with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, black cabinets, copper benchtops, beige splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, concrete floors, with island, yellow floor, yellow benchtop and vaulted.

Contemporary Lausanne Slab Cabinets and Island Kitchen

Arizona Cabinet Source

Contemporary Lausanne Slab Cabinets and Island Kitchen
Mid-sized contemporary separate kitchen in Phoenix with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, copper benchtops, grey splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island and beige floor.

M.I. from California

Tuscan Hills Cabinetry

Tuscan Hills Cabinetry Utimo Line Malibu Maple White
This is an example of a large contemporary u-shaped eat-in kitchen in New York with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, no island, brown floor, black benchtop, a single-bowl sink, copper benchtops, white splashback and painted wood floors.

Contemporary Kitchen with Copper 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 Contemporary 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!