An inviting kitchen and living space for family and friends to gather.
This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary kitchen in Melbourne with an undermount sink, medium wood cabinets, granite benchtops, blue splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, with island and beige floor.

Blue Kitchen with Terrazzo Benchtops

Improva

A kitchen that combines sleek modern design with natural warmth. This beautifully crafted space features a curved island as its centrepiece, creating a dynamic flow that enhances both functionality and aesthetics. The island is clad with elegant terrazzo stone adding a touch of contemporary charm. The combination of the Dulux Albeit-coloured joinery and the Milano oak wall cabinets creates a captivating interplay of colours and textures, elevating the visual impact of the kitchen.

Haslemere Residence

Studio Amble

Photo of a mid-sized modern l-shaped kitchen pantry in Melbourne with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite benchtops, blue splashback, stone slab splashback, black appliances, concrete floors, with island, grey floor and blue benchtop.

Duboce Street San Francisco

Ken Longo Design

Inspiration for a contemporary galley kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, blue splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, brown floor and beige benchtop.

Kitchen Remodel Mohawk Drive North Attleboro, MA

Cypress Design Co.

Design ideas for a large l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Providence with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, yellow cabinets, soapstone benchtops, blue splashback, glass tile splashback, coloured appliances, medium hardwood floors and with island.

Siochi Kitchen Addition

Criner Remodeling

Photography: Joёlle Mclaughlin
Expansive transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Other with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, granite benchtops, blue splashback, glass tile splashback, stainless steel appliances and medium hardwood floors.

Dennis Bayview Cape

REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder

Inspiration for a mid-sized beach style l-shaped separate kitchen in Boston with an undermount sink, beaded inset cabinets, mosaic tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, white cabinets and blue splashback.

Arts & Crafts Kitchen Backsplash

Motawi Tileworks

Arts and Crafts kitchen backsplash featuring Motawi Tileworks’ Songbird and Long Stem art tiles in Grey Blue. Photo: Justin Maconochie.
Design ideas for a mid-sized arts and crafts u-shaped kitchen in Detroit with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, granite benchtops, blue splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors and no island.

Mercer Island Modern

Garret Cord Werner Architects & Interior Designers

Photography by Benjamin Benschneider
Inspiration for a large modern l-shaped open plan kitchen in Seattle with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, blue splashback, glass sheet splashback, stainless steel appliances, concrete floors, with island, grey floor and grey benchtop.

Concordia Midcentury Modern

risa boyer architecture

Reagen Taylor
Photo of a mid-sized midcentury l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Portland with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, blue splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors and with island.

Kitchen and Island

Daniel Contelmo Architects

This is an example of a mid-sized beach style l-shaped open plan kitchen in New York with an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, blue splashback, glass tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and grey benchtop.

Sleepy Hollow Transitional

Studio Dearborn

A young family moving from NYC tackled a lightning fast makeover of their new colonial revival home before the arrival of their second child. The kitchen area was quite spacious but needed a facelift and new layout. Painted cabinetry matched to Benjamin Moore’s Light Pewter is balanced by grey glazed rift oak cabinetry on the island. Shiplap paneling on the island and cabinet lend a slightly contemporary edge. White bronze hardware by Schaub & Co. in a contemporary bar shape offer clean lines with some texture in a warm metallic tone. White Marble countertops in “Alpine Mist” create a harmonious color palette while the pale blue/grey Waterworks backsplash adds a touch of color. Kitchen design and custom cabinetry by Studio Dearborn. Countertops by Rye Marble. Refrigerator, freezer and wine refrigerator--Subzero; Ovens--Wolf. Cooktop--Gaggenau. Ventilation—Best Cirrus Series CC34IQSB. Hardware--Schaub & Company. Sink--Kohler Strive. Sink faucet--Rohl. Tile--Waterworks Architectonics 3x6 in the dust pressed line, Icewater color. Stools--Palacek. Flooring—Sota Floors. Window treatments: www.horizonshades.com in “Northbrook Birch.” Photography Adam Kane Macchia.

Winston - Contemporary Waterfront

Visbeen Architects

Featuring a classic H-shaped plan and minimalist details, the Winston was designed with the modern family in mind. This home carefully balances a sleek and uniform façade with more contemporary elements. This balance is noticed best when looking at the home on axis with the front or rear doors. Simple lap siding serve as a backdrop to the careful arrangement of windows and outdoor spaces. Stepping through a pair of natural wood entry doors gives way to sweeping vistas through the living and dining rooms. Anchoring the left side of the main level, and on axis with the living room, is a large white kitchen island and tiled range surround. To the right, and behind the living rooms sleek fireplace, is a vertical corridor that grants access to the upper level bedrooms, main level master suite, and lower level spaces. Serving as backdrop to this vertical corridor is a floor to ceiling glass display room for a sizeable wine collection. Set three steps down from the living room and through an articulating glass wall, the screened porch is enclosed by a retractable screen system that allows the room to be heated during cold nights. In all rooms, preferential treatment is given to maximize exposure to the rear yard, making this a perfect lakefront home.

Custom Kitchen Island with Blue Macauba Quartzite

Blackline Renovations

- CotY 2014 Regional Winner: Residential Kitchen Over $120,000 - CotY 2014 Dallas Chapter Winner: Residential Kitchen Over $120,000 Ken Vaughan - Vaughan Creative Media

Blue Beauty: A Farmhouse Kitchen Remodel in Fort Worth

Medford Remodeling

Mid-sized country u-shaped separate kitchen in Dallas with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, quartz benchtops, blue splashback, mosaic tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, ceramic floors, no island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Mid-Century Modern Kitchen

Zieba Builders, Inc.

Inspiration for a small midcentury galley eat-in kitchen in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, blue splashback, stainless steel appliances, laminate floors, with island and white benchtop.

Elevation Road

Massey Design Group

This home's plentiful views of San Diego Bay provided much inspiration for the colors, tones and textures in this kitchen. Design details include porcelain tile backsplash, soapstone countertops, floating wood shelves and a custom butcher block top for the island.

Mast

Innovative Builders & Design, Inc.

Photo of a mid-sized midcentury l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Orange County with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, quartzite benchtops, blue splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, vinyl floors, with island, beige floor, white benchtop and vaulted.

American River Drive Residence

Benning Construction Inc

Design ideas for a midcentury u-shaped kitchen in Sacramento with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, blue splashback, stainless steel appliances, concrete floors, with island, grey floor and white benchtop.

Augusta Kitchen

Riverside Homes LLC

Mid-sized modern single-wall eat-in kitchen in Austin with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, blue splashback, glass tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island and white benchtop.

Kitchen with an Undermount Sink and Blue 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 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!