Thomas Leclerc
This is an example of a mid-sized scandinavian galley open plan kitchen in Paris with a single-bowl sink, beaded inset cabinets, blue cabinets, copper benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, black appliances, light hardwood floors, no island, brown floor and yellow benchtop.

Beacon Hill Duplex

Eleven Interiors

Photographer: Greg Premru
Photo of a transitional eat-in kitchen in Boston with blue cabinets, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island and white benchtop.

Auteuil - Paris 16e - Appartement privé de 100m2

Charlotte Vauvillier

Thibault Pellegrin
Contemporary l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Paris with flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors and beige floor.

Cottage on the Lake

Tailored Spaces, Natalie Spiniolas

Shanna Wolf
Design ideas for a mid-sized country u-shaped separate kitchen in Milwaukee with a farmhouse sink, beaded inset cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, linoleum floors, brown floor and grey benchtop.

Whitewater Retreat

Geneva Cabinet Company, LLC

GENEVA CABINET COMPANY, LLC., Lake Geneva, WI., -What better way to reflect your lake location than with a splash of blue. This kitchen pairs the bold Naval finish from Shiloh Cabinetry with a bright rim of Polar White Upper cabinets. All is balanced with the warmth of their Maple Gunstock finish on the wine/beverage bar and the subtle texture of Shiplap walls.

Maine Mainstays: White Brick Kitchen Backsplash

Fireclay Tile

Design: Heidi LaChapelle Interiors Photos: Erin Little
Design ideas for a mid-sized country u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Portland Maine with shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, white splashback, brick splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, no island, red floor and white benchtop.

Blue Kensington Kitchen

Tim Wood Limited

The Kensington blue kitchen was individually designed and hand made by Tim Wood Ltd. This light and airy contemporary kitchen features Carrara marble worktops and a large central island with a large double French farmhouse sink. One side of the island features a bar area for high stools. The kitchen and its design flow through to the utility room which also has a high microwave oven. This room can be shut off by means of a hidden recessed sliding door.

NYC Kitchen Remodel

Palette Pro Painting & Renovation

This is an example of a small contemporary u-shaped kitchen in New York with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, no island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Bezaleel Brown House | Greenwich, CT

Period Architecture Ltd.

Angle Eye Photography DAS Custom Builders
Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional u-shaped kitchen pantry in New York with raised-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, light hardwood floors, beige floor and brown benchtop.

Stunning Shaker-style kitchen in Surrey

Chisholm Design

This stunning, spacious and contemporary kitchen forms the heart of a fabulous newly-built home in Farnham. The White Kitchen Company provided the solid wood, in-frame Shaker units, which were hand-painted in Farrow & Ball Stiffkey Blue. They are topped with a quartz worktop and complemented with an American-style fridge-freezer and large range cooker. A boot room adjoins the kitchen, also with White Kitchen Company units, hand-painted in Farrow & Ball Worsted.

St Julian's Farm Road

Luxdon Properties

Open plan kitchen & dining area
Inspiration for a large transitional single-wall eat-in kitchen in London with blue cabinets, beige splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island, shaker cabinets, beige floor and beige benchtop.

Portrane Road

Graham Architecture

The clients brief for this large 1930s house was to demolish several internal walls to covert a narrow ‘L’ shaped kitchen into a large open family space. Key client desires included a nook capable of seating the whole family and a functional ‘industrial’ style. Through a series of computer model presentations, we moved away from a conversion of the existing space developing instead an extension. The resultant large space was separated into a functional kitchen zone and a large nook area housed within a frameless glass bay window. High quality rich natural materials such as handmade brick and hardwoods were enhanced with hidden natural lighting from above to create a rich, textured and layered look. Inspiration for this brightly lit complex space was drawn from the idea of the ‘Manhattan Loft’.

House 206

Ryan Group Architects

Kitchen. Built by Crestwood Construction. Photo by Jeff Freeman. Rhino on countertop.
Mid-sized modern u-shaped open plan kitchen in Sacramento with an integrated sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, porcelain splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Hillcourt Rd SE22 - kitchen extension

Plus Rooms

Fine House Studio
This is an example of a large transitional l-shaped kitchen in London with shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartzite benchtops, light hardwood floors, with island and white benchtop.

Two Tone Grey and Blue Kitchen Backsplash

Fireclay Tile

Photos by Max Maloney
Design ideas for a small contemporary single-wall eat-in kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, ceramic floors, no island, grey floor and white benchtop.

Clapham Georgian Cottage

Lisette Voute Designs

For the kitchen we designed bespoke cabinetry to fit the galley style and maximise the use of space to best effect. Love the soft blue colour and clean lines of the shaker style cabinetry, paired with warming brass fittings and lighting. The original fireplace provides a pretty decorative feature, with attractive shelving above. Photographer: Nick Smith

Twickenham House Renovation and Loft Conversion

Proficiency

A kitchen that was Featured in Britain Best Selling Kitchen, Bethroom and Bathroom magazine. @snookphotograph
Photo of a mid-sized contemporary single-wall open plan kitchen in London with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, marble benchtops, with island, brown floor, grey benchtop, mirror splashback, stainless steel appliances and light hardwood floors.

Oatlands Court

The Wood Works

Paul Craig (@paullmcraig)
This is an example of a mid-sized transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Surrey with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Modern/Contemporary Spanish Kitchen in Blue and Rustic Alder

UltraCraft Cabinetry

This beautiful Spanish/Mediterranean Modern kitchen features UltraCraft's Stickley door style in Rustic Alder with Natural finish and Lakeway door style in Maple with Blue Ash paint. A celebration of natural light and green plants, this kitchen has a warm feel that shouldn't be missed!

North Kensington

Such Designs

Photo of a mid-sized contemporary single-wall eat-in kitchen in London with flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, light hardwood floors, with island, white benchtop and beige floor.

Kitchen with Blue Cabinets and Purple 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!