Photo of a mid-sized beach style u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Melbourne with a farmhouse sink, open cabinets, distressed cabinets, concrete benchtops, white splashback, shiplap splashback, coloured appliances, light hardwood floors, brown floor and grey benchtop.

Barn Door Walk-in Pantry, Transitional Kitchen Remodel

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.

Blue Stallion Farm - Southwest Ranches, FL

Big Chill

A Big Chill Retro refrigerator and dishwasher in mint green add cool color to the space.
Small country l-shaped kitchen in Miami with a farmhouse sink, open cabinets, medium wood cabinets, wood benchtops, white splashback, coloured appliances, terra-cotta floors, with island and orange floor.

Dutch Colonial Charm

Cummings Architecture + Interiors

Joyelle West Photography
Mid-sized traditional kitchen pantry in Boston with open cabinets, white cabinets, light hardwood floors, a farmhouse sink, marble benchtops, stainless steel appliances and with island.

Island Family Retreat

Martha's Vineyard Interior Design

Eric Roth Photography
Large country l-shaped kitchen in Boston with open cabinets, white cabinets, metallic splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, a farmhouse sink, concrete benchtops, metal splashback, beige floor and grey benchtop.

"Unfitted" Rustic Farmhouse

Angela Otten - Inspire Kitchen Design Studio

Emily Redfield; EMR Photography
Country kitchen in Denver with a farmhouse sink, white splashback, terra-cotta floors, open cabinets and dark wood cabinets.

Wren Cottage

Craft Renovations

Design ideas for a large traditional open plan kitchen in Wiltshire with a farmhouse sink, open cabinets, wood benchtops, limestone floors and a peninsula.

Waterfront Cottage

b Architecture Studio

Small beach style l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Boston with a farmhouse sink, open cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, green splashback, porcelain splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor, white benchtop and exposed beam.

Central Avenue

Barrow Building Group

Design ideas for a beach style u-shaped kitchen in Charleston with a farmhouse sink, open cabinets, stainless steel benchtops, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island and beige floor.

Rural Farmhouse

Grayson Dare Homes, Inc.

Stephen Thrift Phtography
Design ideas for a large transitional u-shaped kitchen pantry in Raleigh with a farmhouse sink, white cabinets, granite benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island, brown floor, open cabinets and dark hardwood floors.

Chestnut Hill

J. Stewart Designs

Large country u-shaped kitchen pantry in Jackson with a farmhouse sink, open cabinets, white cabinets, wood benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, concrete floors, with island and grey floor.

Modern Rock Star Retreat

John McClain Design

The epitome of modern and warm, this kitchen and dining room combination blend grays, whites, blacks, and metallics into a sleek and contemporary space that is ready for sophisticated entertaining. Stephen Allen Photography

Kitchen Remodel After

Kami Gray Interior Design

Michael Jones
Inspiration for a country kitchen in Portland with a farmhouse sink and open cabinets.

The Old Fish Cellar Mousehole

Camilla Banks Interior Design

Black Shaker Kitchen with Granite Worktops Chris Yacoubian
Photo of a small industrial l-shaped kitchen in Cornwall with a farmhouse sink, black cabinets, granite benchtops, cement tile splashback and open cabinets.

The Bloomsbury WC1 Kitchen by deVOL

deVOL Kitchens

deVOL Kitchens
Photo of a transitional kitchen in London with a farmhouse sink, open cabinets, grey cabinets, white splashback, stainless steel appliances and medium hardwood floors.

Walk-in Pantry – Red Pine Farm – 2015 Model

Gonyea Custom Homes

Walk-in pantry has plenty of space for dishes, service ware, and even ingredients. Photography by Spacecrafting
Large transitional l-shaped kitchen pantry in Minneapolis with a farmhouse sink, white cabinets, grey splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island and open cabinets.

Past Projects

Roecker Cabinets

Custom cabinets for a garden shed getaway
Photo of a mid-sized country separate kitchen in Chicago with a farmhouse sink, open cabinets, medium wood cabinets, concrete benchtops, ceramic floors and multi-coloured floor.

Botany House

Angus Mackenzie Architect

This freestanding brick house had no real useable living spaces for a young family, with no connection to a vast north facing rear yard. The solution was simple – to separate the ‘old from the new’ – by reinstating the original 1930’s roof line, demolishing the ‘60’s lean-to rear addition, and adding a contemporary open plan pavilion on the same level as the deck and rear yard. Recycled face bricks, Western Red Cedar and Colorbond roofing make up the restrained palette that blend with the existing house and the large trees found in the rear yard. The pavilion is surrounded by clerestory fixed glazing allowing filtered sunlight through the trees, as well as further enhancing the feeling of bringing the garden ‘into’ the internal living space. Rainwater is harvested into an above ground tank for reuse for toilet flushing, the washing machine and watering the garden. The cedar batten screen and hardwood pergola off the rear addition, create a secondary outdoor living space providing privacy from the adjoining neighbours. Large eave overhangs block the high summer sun, while allowing the lower winter sun to penetrate deep into the addition. Photography by Sarah Braden

Kitchen

Emerick Architects

Open, light-filled and fresh, this kitchen puts the chef right in the middle of it all.
This is an example of a contemporary kitchen in Portland with a farmhouse sink, open cabinets and dark wood cabinets.

2018 Artisan Home Tour

Housing First Minnesota

2018 Artisan Home Tour Photo: LandMark Photography Builder: w.b. builders
Inspiration for a mediterranean kitchen in Minneapolis with a farmhouse sink, open cabinets, grey splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island and grey benchtop.

Kitchen with a Farmhouse Sink and Open 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!