Photo of an expansive transitional open plan kitchen in Sydney with a double-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, dark hardwood floors, with island, white benchtop and vaulted.

Red Ledges

Studio McGee

This is an example of a large country u-shaped kitchen in Salt Lake City with white cabinets, white splashback, black appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, grey benchtop, shaker cabinets and brown floor.

Modern House in Kingsgate - Kitchen

Shepel Homes - Kitchen and Bath

We used an open floor plan for the kitchen and dining, with both being part of the great room together with the living room. For this contemporary gray kitchen and dining, we used flush cabinet surfaces to achieve a minimalist and modern look. The backsplash is made with beautiful 3” x 16” light gray tiles that perfectly unite the white wall cabinets and the darker gray base cabinets. This monochromatic color scheme is also evident on the white dining table and countertops, and the gray and white chairs. We opted for an extra large kitchen island that provides an additional surface for food preparation and having quick meals. The modern island pendant lights serve as the functional centerpiece of the kitchen and dining area.

Cambridge Kitchen and Breakfast Nook

Leah Ward Interiors

Traditional white marble New England kitchen with walnut wood island and bronze fixtures for added warmth. Photo: Michael J Lee Photography
Inspiration for a traditional kitchen in Boston with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, marble splashback, panelled appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and wood benchtops.

Contemporary Kitchen

Contemporary l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, dark hardwood floors, with island, stainless steel appliances and an undermount sink.

Island Focused Modern Kitchen in Naperville, IL

Adam Hartig

Inspiration for a large contemporary l-shaped kitchen in Other with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, glass tile splashback, panelled appliances, with island, brown floor, white benchtop and dark hardwood floors.

Delaplane

Warren Cabinets/Tolson Appliance Center

Photography courtesy of Andrea Jones
Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional u-shaped eat-in kitchen in DC Metro with an undermount sink, beaded inset cabinets, grey cabinets, granite benchtops, beige splashback, stone tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors and a peninsula.

British West Indies Inspired Custom Home in Winter Park Florida

Element Home Builders

Mid-sized beach style l-shaped open plan kitchen in Orlando with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, with island, white benchtop, white splashback, marble benchtops, dark hardwood floors, a farmhouse sink, stone tile splashback and brown floor.

Cambria Atlanta

Cambria

Countertop, Island: Brittanicca from Cambria's Marble Collection
Design ideas for a transitional kitchen in Minneapolis with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, grey splashback, dark hardwood floors, with island and brown floor.

Greenwich Renovation

William D. Earls AIA Architect

Pantry with fully tiled wall.
Design ideas for a traditional l-shaped kitchen pantry in New York with recessed-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, wood benchtops, dark hardwood floors, no island, brown floor and brown benchtop.

Glenview Renovations - Large, Elegant Green Island

Catherine Schager Designs

Photo Credit: Mike Kaskel, Kaskel Photo
This is an example of a large traditional eat-in kitchen in Chicago with a farmhouse sink, raised-panel cabinets, grey splashback, subway tile splashback, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, grey cabinets, quartzite benchtops and stainless steel appliances.

Modern DC Kitchen

Haus Interior Design

These terrific clients turned a boring 80's kitchen into a modern, Asian-inspired chef's dream kitchen, with two tone cabinetry and professional grade appliances. An over-sized island provides comfortable seating for four. Custom Half-wall bookcases divide the kitchen from the family room without impeding sight lines into the inviting space. Photography: Stacy Zarin Goldberg

Luxury Kitchen Remodel

Kandrac & Kole Interior Designs, Inc.

This was a full gut an renovation. The existing kitchen had very dated cabinets and didn't function well for the clients. A previous desk area was turned into hidden cabinetry to house the microwave and larger appliances and to keep the countertops clutter free. The original pendants were about 4" wide and were inappropriate for the large island. They were replaced with larger, brighter and more sophisticated pendants. The use of panel ready appliances with large matte black hardware made gave this a clean and sophisticated look. Mosaic tile was installed from the countertop to the ceiling and wall sconces were installed over the kitchen window. A different tile was used in the bar area which has a beverage refrigerator and an ice machine and floating shelves. The cabinetry in this area also includes a pullout drawer for dog food.

Colby's Run

Archer & Buchanan Architecture, Ltd.

Photo: Tom Crane Photography
Inspiration for a transitional u-shaped open plan kitchen in Philadelphia with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, white benchtop and white splashback.

Organic Modern Mountain Home

Living Stone Design + Build

Inspiration for a large country open plan kitchen in Other with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, granite benchtops, white splashback, window splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and black benchtop.

Transitional Kitchen Remodel and Addition in Birmingham, MI

MainStreet Design Build

This beautiful Birmingham, MI home had been renovated prior to our clients purchase, but the style and overall design was not a fit for their family. They really wanted to have a kitchen with a large “eat-in” island where their three growing children could gather, eat meals and enjoy time together. Additionally, they needed storage, lots of storage! We decided to create a completely new space. The original kitchen was a small “L” shaped workspace with the nook visible from the front entry. It was completely closed off to the large vaulted family room. Our team at MSDB re-designed and gutted the entire space. We removed the wall between the kitchen and family room and eliminated existing closet spaces and then added a small cantilevered addition toward the backyard. With the expanded open space, we were able to flip the kitchen into the old nook area and add an extra-large island. The new kitchen includes oversized built in Subzero refrigeration, a 48” Wolf dual fuel double oven range along with a large apron front sink overlooking the patio and a 2nd prep sink in the island. Additionally, we used hallway and closet storage to create a gorgeous walk-in pantry with beautiful frosted glass barn doors. As you slide the doors open the lights go on and you enter a completely new space with butcher block countertops for baking preparation and a coffee bar, subway tile backsplash and room for any kind of storage needed. The homeowners love the ability to display some of the wine they’ve purchased during their travels to Italy! We did not stop with the kitchen; a small bar was added in the new nook area with additional refrigeration. A brand-new mud room was created between the nook and garage with 12” x 24”, easy to clean, porcelain gray tile floor. The finishing touches were the new custom living room fireplace with marble mosaic tile surround and marble hearth and stunning extra wide plank hand scraped oak flooring throughout the entire first floor.

Saint Paul Craftsman

David Heide Design Studio

Architecture & Interior Design: David Heide Design Studio Photography: William Wright
This is an example of an arts and crafts l-shaped kitchen in Minneapolis with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, granite benchtops, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors and grey splashback.

Wild Dunes

Jill Frey Kitchen Design

William Quarles
Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional u-shaped kitchen in Charleston with a farmhouse sink, grey cabinets, white splashback, panelled appliances, stone slab splashback, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, quartzite benchtops and recessed-panel cabinets.

【リノベ】K PROJECT, TOKYO

Authentic Collection

Design ideas for a transitional galley kitchen in Tokyo with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, black cabinets, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

St John's Wood Luxury Apartment

VORBILD Architecture

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern u-shaped separate kitchen in London with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, marble benchtops, grey splashback, marble splashback, panelled appliances, dark hardwood floors, no island, black floor and grey benchtop.

Grey Kitchen with Dark Hardwood Floors 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!