A place to prepare drinks and open wine bottles is intentionally located outside the kitchen's main traffic area. Integrated drawer pulls continue the kitchen's clean lines,

LED Kitchen Cabinet and Toe Kick Lighting

Super Bright LEDs

The right lights are essential in a kitchen. They compliment the personality of a room as well as provide necessary illumination. The blue LED flexible light strips here add a refreshing pop of color while the white lights under the cabinet give off the perfect amount of task lighting. The recessed lights in the ceiling are a sleek way to incorporate general lighting for the space.

Hover House

Sophie Nguyen Architects

The kitchen sits on the side of the main room and is in plain view. It is treated as a sculptural object; an ode to cooking rather than just a functional space. The joy that comes from preparing meals together and eating them is celebrated with a warm and joyful colour. The gloss finish adds the reflection of the space around it and extends it.

Küche mit Kochinsel

Schreinerwerkstätte mandelartz

Fotograph: Jürgen Ritterbach
This is an example of a large contemporary galley open plan kitchen in Cologne with an integrated sink, beaded inset cabinets, grey cabinets, wood benchtops, yellow splashback, stone tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, multiple islands, brown floor and brown benchtop.

Une cuisine modernisée, un jardin métamorphosé

ADC l'atelier d'à côté

Architectes d'intérieur : ADC l'atelier d'à côté Amandine Branji et Pauline Keo - Paysagisme : Studio In Situ
Inspiration for a large contemporary galley separate kitchen in Paris with an undermount sink, light wood cabinets, yellow splashback and with island.

Holiday-inspired kitchen, New Malden

Thomas Davies Kitchens

Large contemporary eat-in kitchen in Surrey with flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, quartzite benchtops, yellow splashback, ceramic splashback, with island and white benchtop.

Pacifica

Canterbury Design Kitchen Interiors

This Asian inspired open plan kitchen brings the outdoors in by incorporating multiple layers of colors, textures and surfaces into the design. Alison Griffin created this look with three cabinetry colors (slivered almond opaque finish, cherry dark lager finish and foundry medium greyed taupe finish), three surface textures (smooth, rough sawn and rough hewn) and three countertop materials (Peruvian Walnut end grain butcher block, Taj Mahal Quartzite, and Nacarado Quartzite). For all of the complexity of this design, its overall effect is a calm and engaging contemporary kitchen.

Shades Of Grey; Elegant Main Floor Kitchen Renovation

Dependable Renovations Ltd

Photo of a large contemporary l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Calgary with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, marble benchtops, yellow splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, a peninsula and black floor.

GTMadhouse - Kitchen

Maytree Studios

Contemporary kitchen in Brisbane with quartz benchtops, yellow splashback, cement tile splashback, white appliances, concrete floors, grey floor, white benchtop and exposed beam.

Paris-ci Monsieur Haussmann

Prisca Pellerin Architecture & Intérieur

CUISINE - Vue sur la cuisine et son châssis parisien, apportant transparence et lumière sur la nouvelle salle à manger Meubles blancs d'origine MOBALPA, poignées et plans de travail IXINA "Chêne basalte" © Hugo Hébrard photographe architecture

Crescent Estate

L. Lumpkins Architect, Inc.

Photo of a large contemporary u-shaped kitchen in Dallas with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, yellow splashback, panelled appliances, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Cornwall Contemporary (Custom Home)

Moceri Construction

This is an example of a contemporary l-shaped kitchen in Seattle with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, yellow splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and grey benchtop.

Casa R

- pia -

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary single-wall eat-in kitchen in Other with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, yellow splashback, no island and grey floor.

Contemporary and Deco

Bureau69 Architects / Arch. Massimiliano Strano

Massimiliano Strano
Photo of a mid-sized contemporary galley separate kitchen in Other with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, yellow splashback, stainless steel appliances, concrete floors, with island, yellow floor and an undermount sink.

Yellow Basement Kitchen in London

Timothy James Interiors

KITCHEN DESIGN – TIMOTHY JAMES INTERIORS We offer a full kitchen design service to our residential clients. Many of the interior design projects we work on include a new kitchen, and it is often the centrepiece of the home. Taking your unique requirements into account, we design kitchens that function perfectly for you and your family – and of course, look fabulous! Some of the kitchens we design are custom-made by our expert joiners and specialists. We can also work alongside your own chosen kitchen company, should you have one already appointed for your project. Alternatively, some of our projects involve decorating and furnishing houses around an existing kitchen. Any of these setups can work equally well in its own way. The kitchens we design are meticulously planned, ensuring they are laid out in the most stylish and functional way possible. We take a detailed brief of your requirements so that your kitchen is designed around your lifestyle, giving you a space that is fully optimised for cooking, storage and entertaining. Our kitchens are carefully designed in keeping with your property and the overall aesthetic of the project. As with all our designs we take great pride in creating kitchens that enhance your home in every way possible, adding value as an investment and in day to day use. Our kitchen designs are presented through photo-realistic 3D visuals, floor plans and sample boards containing all of our chosen finishes and fixtures. This is given to you for approval along with the rest of your interior design package. We provide a full technical drawing package as required, which can be given to our skilled craftsmen for fabrication. Throughout the specification and construction stages we coordinate everything to ensure it’s a smooth process for all, and everything is carried out in line with our designs.

Recent projects

Photo by Pixy

Photo by Pixy for SWEETEN
Inspiration for a small contemporary l-shaped separate kitchen in New York with white cabinets, yellow splashback, white appliances, light hardwood floors, no island and flat-panel cabinets.

Ground floor revamp SW16

Earl & Calam Design and Build Ltd

Architect Quesnel Design, photographer Chris Snook
This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary single-wall open plan kitchen in London with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, quartzite benchtops, yellow splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, with island and grey floor.

Golden Pilsen Granite- Waterfront Annapolis Home

Granite Grannies

Golden Pilsen Granite in a custom home on the waterfront in the Annapolis/ Edgewater area.
Design ideas for a large contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Baltimore with an undermount sink, white cabinets, granite benchtops, yellow splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors and with island.

South London Semi Detached House

Beacham Architects

Extension and refurbishment of a semi-detached house in Hern Hill. Extensions are modern using modern materials whilst being respectful to the original house and surrounding fabric. Views to the treetops beyond draw occupants from the entrance, through the house and down to the double height kitchen at garden level. From the playroom window seat on the upper level, children (and adults) can climb onto a play-net suspended over the dining table. The mezzanine library structure hangs from the roof apex with steel structure exposed, a place to relax or work with garden views and light. More on this - the built-in library joinery becomes part of the architecture as a storage wall and transforms into a gorgeous place to work looking out to the trees. There is also a sofa under large skylights to chill and read. The kitchen and dining space has a Z-shaped double height space running through it with a full height pantry storage wall, large window seat and exposed brickwork running from inside to outside. The windows have slim frames and also stack fully for a fully indoor outdoor feel. A holistic retrofit of the house provides a full thermal upgrade and passive stack ventilation throughout. The floor area of the house was doubled from 115m2 to 230m2 as part of the full house refurbishment and extension project. A huge master bathroom is achieved with a freestanding bath, double sink, double shower and fantastic views without being overlooked. The master bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe room with its own window. The children's bathroom is fun with under the sea wallpaper as well as a separate shower and eaves bath tub under the skylight making great use of the eaves space. The loft extension makes maximum use of the eaves to create two double bedrooms, an additional single eaves guest room / study and the eaves family bathroom. 5 bedrooms upstairs.

Sala da pranzo

Valeriano

sala da pranzo
Photo of a mid-sized contemporary single-wall eat-in kitchen in Rome with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, laminate benchtops, yellow splashback, porcelain splashback, white appliances, light hardwood floors, no island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Contemporary Kitchen with Yellow Splashback 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!