Inspiration for a large modern l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Sydney with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, engineered quartz splashback, black appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, grey benchtop and exposed beam.

A Contemporary Kitchen Renovation in Malvern

Tennille Joy Interiors

Design ideas for a contemporary u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Melbourne with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, beige cabinets, solid surface benchtops, beige splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Contemporary Aging in Place

Kitchen Design Partners, Inc.

Photo Credit: Dennis Jourdan
Mid-sized contemporary u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Chicago with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, a peninsula, multi-coloured floor and grey benchtop.

Balmer Circle Kitchen Project

Neil Kelly Company

This home was worn out from family life and lacked the natural lighting the homeowners had desired for years. Removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room let the light pour in, and transformed the kitchen into an entertaining delight with seating/dining spaces at both ends. The breeze colored island stone backsplash tile (Pental Surfaces) is low maintenance and long-wearing, and pairs perfectly against the stained cherry contemporary cabinetry (Decor Cabinets). Quartz countertops were installed on the surround (Caesarstone) and island (a charcoal color with a suede finish was selected for the island to cut down on glare - Siletsone by Cosentino). Chilewich woven fabric applied to the back of the island adds durability and interest to a high-traffic area. The elevated, locally sourced Madrone bar (Sustainable NW Woods) at the end of the island—under a stunning "ribbon" pendant (Elan Lighting)—is a perfect spot to sip Sauvignon.

Farmhouse Kitchen

Design ideas for a mid-sized country l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Philadelphia with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, brown floor and grey benchtop.

Scandinavian Modern Dining Area and Kitchen

10K Architecture

Scandinavian minimalist kitchen with black cabinets with rift cut white oak accents.
Design ideas for a large scandinavian l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, engineered quartz splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Mosman 2 Kitchen

Dan Kitchens Australia

Modern kitchen renovation within a pre-war era home in Mosman. The existing room was extended to enlarge the kitchen space whilst also providing the opportunity to improve natural lighting. The overall layout of the kitchen remains the same with the exception of a large scullery/pantry at one end and minor layout optimisations.

Hilltop Dream

TRG Architecture + Interior Design

This is an example of a transitional u-shaped eat-in kitchen in San Francisco with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, quartzite benchtops, grey splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island and white benchtop.

Квартира в центре Москвы

Ira Sagun

This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary single-wall eat-in kitchen in Moscow with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, beige cabinets, granite benchtops, grey splashback, granite splashback, black appliances, marble floors, no island, grey floor and grey benchtop.

Forest Hills Mid-Century Remodel

The Kingston Group - Remodeling Specialists

This is an example of a large midcentury l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Nashville with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, green splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, white benchtop and vaulted.

Magenta

Lou - Toinon

Mid-sized contemporary single-wall eat-in kitchen in Paris with yellow cabinets, limestone benchtops, white splashback, limestone splashback, no island, white benchtop, a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors and beige floor.

COTTAGE ON THE LAKE

JN Interior Spaces

The renovation of a mid century cottage on the lake, now serves as a guest house. The renovation preserved the original architectural elements such as the ceiling and original stone fireplace to preserve the character, personality and history and provide the inspiration and canvas to which everything else would be added. To prevent the space from feeling dark & too rustic, the lines were kept clean, the furnishings modern and the use of saturated color was strategically placed throughout.

Marble-ous Modern Farmhouse

Gardner/Fox Associates, Inc

Mid-sized modern u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Philadelphia with a triple-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, ceramic floors, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Twin Peaks House

Mihaly Slocombe

Twin Peaks House is a vibrant extension to a grand Edwardian homestead in Kensington. Originally built in 1913 for a wealthy family of butchers, when the surrounding landscape was pasture from horizon to horizon, the homestead endured as its acreage was carved up and subdivided into smaller terrace allotments. Our clients discovered the property decades ago during long walks around their neighbourhood, promising themselves that they would buy it should the opportunity ever arise. Many years later the opportunity did arise, and our clients made the leap. Not long after, they commissioned us to update the home for their family of five. They asked us to replace the pokey rear end of the house, shabbily renovated in the 1980s, with a generous extension that matched the scale of the original home and its voluminous garden. Our design intervention extends the massing of the original gable-roofed house towards the back garden, accommodating kids’ bedrooms, living areas downstairs and main bedroom suite tucked away upstairs gabled volume to the east earns the project its name, duplicating the main roof pitch at a smaller scale and housing dining, kitchen, laundry and informal entry. This arrangement of rooms supports our clients’ busy lifestyles with zones of communal and individual living, places to be together and places to be alone. The living area pivots around the kitchen island, positioned carefully to entice our clients' energetic teenaged boys with the aroma of cooking. A sculpted deck runs the length of the garden elevation, facing swimming pool, borrowed landscape and the sun. A first-floor hideout attached to the main bedroom floats above, vertical screening providing prospect and refuge. Neither quite indoors nor out, these spaces act as threshold between both, protected from the rain and flexibly dimensioned for either entertaining or retreat. Galvanised steel continuously wraps the exterior of the extension, distilling the decorative heritage of the original’s walls, roofs and gables into two cohesive volumes. The masculinity in this form-making is balanced by a light-filled, feminine interior. Its material palette of pale timbers and pastel shades are set against a textured white backdrop, with 2400mm high datum adding a human scale to the raked ceilings. Celebrating the tension between these design moves is a dramatic, top-lit 7m high void that slices through the centre of the house. Another type of threshold, the void bridges the old and the new, the private and the public, the formal and the informal. It acts as a clear spatial marker for each of these transitions and a living relic of the home’s long history.

LAMBER - Rénovation complète 150m2, Paris

Beau Intérieur

Design ideas for a large contemporary galley eat-in kitchen in Paris with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, engineered quartz splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, with island and white benchtop.

Green with Envy

River Woodcraft

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Philadelphia with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island and white benchtop.

2020 Supreme Kitchen Design Award Winner

Niche Design Co | Chelsey Mathieson

Large beach style galley eat-in kitchen in Other with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, marble benchtops, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors and with island.

Ascot Vale Kitchen Project

Mint Kitchen Group

Design ideas for a contemporary u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Melbourne with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, black splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and black benchtop.

Homage to the Eichler Home

Carmit Oron Interior Design

Mid-sized midcentury galley eat-in kitchen in San Francisco with flat-panel cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, with island, grey floor, an undermount sink, medium wood cabinets, white benchtop and timber.

North Residence

Skyhook Design

Kitchen with Walnut cabinets, Black Mist Granite counters, and Limestone tile backsplash.
Inspiration for a small contemporary u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Denver with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, brown cabinets, granite benchtops, grey splashback, limestone splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, with island, beige floor and black benchtop.

Eat-in Kitchen with Flat-panel 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 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!