This is an example of a small contemporary l-shaped kitchen in Saint Petersburg with a drop-in sink, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, pink splashback, white appliances, dark hardwood floors, brown floor and beige benchtop.

Montclair Modern

Nicole Benveniste Interior Design

Ilumus photography
Photo of a large contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, medium wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, blue splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island, bamboo floors and brown floor.

Blanco House

LaRue Architects

The glow of the lantern-like foyer sets the tone for this urban contemporary home. This open floor plan invites entertaining on the main floor, with only ceiling transitions defining the living, dining, kitchen, and breakfast rooms. With viewable outdoor living and pool, extensive use of glass makes it seamless from inside to out. Published: Western Art & Architecture, August/September 2012 Austin-San Antonio Urban HOME: February/March 2012 (Cover) - https://issuu.com/urbanhomeaustinsanantonio/docs/uh_febmar_2012 Photo Credit: Coles Hairston

Renovation in Williamstown, Massachusetts

Burr & McCallum Architects

Photo: Peter Vanderwarker
This is an example of a contemporary kitchen in Boston with glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, metallic splashback, metal splashback and stainless steel appliances.

Saint Michael's Alley Kitchen Design Photography

Karson Photography LLC

Contemporary eat-in kitchen in Charleston with an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, stainless steel cabinets, wood benchtops, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors and with island.

Swingline

Resolution: 4 Architecture

A large open kitchen includes lots of custom built-ins for storage, a custom stainless hood, and operable windows along the backsplash.
Large contemporary eat-in kitchen in New York with an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, light wood cabinets, solid surface benchtops, window splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island, black benchtop and light hardwood floors.

Синее зазеркалье

Dasha Ukhlinova

Inspiration for a small contemporary l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Toronto with glass-front cabinets, beige cabinets, solid surface benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, ceramic splashback, white benchtop and white appliances.

LA Cuesta Contemporary Kitchen

Eurowood Custom Cabinetry, Inc.

Photo of a large contemporary galley separate kitchen in San Diego with an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, marble floors and with island.

Walnut Woods Residence

John Senhauser Architects

Photo Credit: Craig Thompson
This is an example of a large contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Cincinnati with a double-bowl sink, glass-front cabinets, light wood cabinets, green splashback, glass sheet splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and grey benchtop.

Contemporary Handleless Intuo Kitchen with T-shaped Island

Searle & Taylor

This open plan handleless kitchen was designed for an architect, who drew the original plans for the layout as part of a contemporary new-build home project for him and his family. The new house has a very modern design with extensive use of glass throughout. The kitchen itself faces out to the garden with full-height panel doors with black surrounds that slide open entirely to bring the outside in during the summer months. To reflect the natural light, the Intuo kitchen furniture features polished glass door and drawer fronts in Lava and Fango colourways to complement the marble floor tiles that are also light-reflective. We designed the kitchen to specification, with the main feature being a large T-shaped island in the 5.8m x 9m space. The concept behind the island’s shape was to have a full preparation and surface cooking space with the sink run behind it, while the length of the island would be used for dining and socialising, with bar stool seating in recesses on either side. Further soft-close drawers are on either side at the end. The raised Eternal Marfil worktop by Silestone is 80mm thick with square edging. The preparation area is 3.2m wide and features a contrasting 20mm thick Eternal Marfil worktop with Shark’s nose edging to provide easy access to the stainless-steel recessed handle rails to the deep drawers at the front and sides of the island. At the centre is a Novy Panorama PRO 90, with an integrated ventilation tower that rises when extraction is required and then retracts back into the hob’s surface when cooking has ended. For this reason, no overhead extraction was required for this kitchen. Directly beneath the hob are pull-out storage units and there are further deep drawers on either side for pans and plates. To the left of the island are tall handleless glass-fronted cabinets within a 600mm recess, featuring a broom cupboard at one end and a Neff integrated fridge freezer at the other. A bank of Neff side-by-side cooking appliances make the central focus and include two single pyrolytic ovens, a combination microwave and an integrated coffee machine together with accessory drawers. Further storage cupboards are above and below each appliance. The sink run is situated beneath a long rectangular picture window with a black metal surround. Directly above it is a run of glazed cabinets, all by Intuo, with black glass surrounds, with one double-height to the left of the window. The cabinets all store glassware and crockery and they are backlit to make a feature of them at night. Functional pull-out storage cupboards sit beneath the worktop, including pull-out bins, together with a 60cm integrated dishwasher on either side of the sink unit. An undermount single bowl and separate half bowl sink by Axixuno are all cladded in stone to match the pale walls and the tap is by Quooker. The feature wall is painted in Caramel crunch by Dulux. The bar stools by Danetti were chosen by our client to complement this striking colour, and crockery was chosen to match. The pendant lights are taper by Franklite.

Nogueira

Mariana Martini

MCA estudio
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary eat-in kitchen in Milan with glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Cabinets

Dalton Carpet One Floor & Home

Design by Dalton Carpet One Wellborn Cabinets- Finish: Back Wall - Maple Glacier; Island - Willow Door Style: Messina Countertops: Caesarstone Fresh Concrete; Calcutta Latte Floor Tile: Logwood Grey Grout: Mapei Pewter Photo by: Dennis McDaniel

Beverly Hills

Elite Remodeling & Construction

This is an example of a contemporary eat-in kitchen in Los Angeles with glass-front cabinets and white splashback.

Kitchens by Julie Williams Design

Julie Williams Design

Inspiration for a contemporary l-shaped kitchen in San Francisco with glass-front cabinets, stainless steel appliances, an undermount sink, medium wood cabinets, red splashback, mosaic tile splashback and red benchtop.

New York Marble Kitchen

Attila Home Centre Pty Ltd

Inspiration for a contemporary galley kitchen in Melbourne with glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, marble splashback, medium hardwood floors, with island and white benchtop.

Brian Doherty Kitchens

Brian Doherty Photography

Brian Doherty Photography
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary l-shaped kitchen in Boston with an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors and with island.

Las Olas Isles Private Residence

Equilibrium Interior Design Inc

This unique and functional kitchen gives a new meaning to the phrase “Kitchen is the heart of a home”. Here, kitchen is the center of all attention and a conversation piece at every party. Black glass cabinet fronts used in the design offer ease of maintenance, and the kaleidoscope stone countertops and backsplash contrast the cabinetry and always look clean. Color was very important to this Client and this kitchen is definitely not lacking life. Designed for a client who loves to entertain, the centerpiece is an artistic interpretation of a kitchen island. This monolithic sculpture raises out of the white marble floor and glows in this open concept kitchen. But this island isn’t just beautiful. It is also extremely practical. It is designed using two intercrossing parts creating two heights for different purposes. 36” high surface for prep work and 30” high surface for sit down dining. The height differences and location encourages use of the entire table top for preparations. Furthermore, storage cabinets are installed under part of this island closest to the working triangle. For a client who loves to cook, appliances were very important, and sub-zero and wolf appliances we used give them the best product available. Overhead energy efficient LED lighting was selected paying special attention to the lamp’s CRI to ensure proper color rendition of items below, especially important when working with meat. Under-cabinet task lighting offers illumination where it is most needed on the countertops. Interior Design, Decorating & Project Management by Equilibrium Interior Design Inc Photography by Craig Denis

Hippie Modern

Modern Nest

A bold sense of color grounded with walnut cabinetry makes this space pop.
Photo of a mid-sized contemporary galley separate kitchen in Los Angeles with a single-bowl sink, glass-front cabinets, medium wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, orange splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, no island and grey floor.

Modern transformation in Houston TX

By Design Interiors, Inc.

So many elements come together to make this kitchen a wonderful place to live. The mesquite floors were sourced from a Texas mill and is combined with ipe wood planking accenting the island. Soapstone and quarts counter tops play off each other combing function with good looks. Other elements are beautiful examples of perfect contrast: light and dark cabinetry, mixes of gold and silver metals, commercial appliances with residential finishes. Photographer: Jeno Design

Fifth Avenue Urban Loft Kitchen

Lauzon Wood Floors

The kitchen of this beautiful Home features Lauzon Flooring Fifth Avenue Wire Brushed hardwood flooring from the Urban Loft Series.
This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary u-shaped separate kitchen in Calgary with a double-bowl sink, granite benchtops, beige splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets and grey floor.

Contemporary Kitchen with Glass-front Cabinets 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!