The homeowners, an eclectic and quirky couple, wanted to renovate their kitchen for functional reasons: the old floors, counters, etc, were dirty, ugly, and not usable; lighting was giant fluorescents, etc. While they wanted to modernize, they also wanted to retain a fun and retro vibe. So we modernized with functional new materials: quartz counters, porcelain tile floors. But by using bold, bright colors and mixing a few fun patterns, we kept it fun. Retro-style chairs, table, and lighting completed the look.

Navy Kitchen addition

Grossmueller's Design Consultants

Photo by Stu Estler
Photo of a mid-sized transitional l-shaped separate kitchen in DC Metro with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Beachwood Canyon Kitchen

LA Dwelling Inc

This small kitchen and dining nook is packed full of character and charm (just like it's owner). Custom cabinets utilize every available inch of space with internal accessories

Skype project

KB Design +

A young family with kids purchased their first home and contacted me with the task to design an upbeat and energetic space for them, which also will have all the functionality they needed. There were some restrains - a load-bearing beam ran across the space leaving very little wall space on the left available. We've chosen European size appliances and creatively resolved the corner to allow the sink placement. and added a ton of color and shine.

Charming Blueberry Kitchen

Dream Kitchens

This is an example of a mid-sized transitional u-shaped separate kitchen in Detroit with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Wansley Tiny House, built by Movable Roots Tiny Home Builders

Tiny Modern Homes

Wansley Tiny House, built by Movable Roots Tiny Home Builders in Melbourne, FL
Photo of a small modern l-shaped open plan kitchen in Dallas with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, vinyl floors, no island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Sandalwood transitional

Jamestown Estate Homes

Starlight Images Inc
Expansive transitional galley eat-in kitchen in Houston with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, metallic splashback, mirror splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, beige floor and white benchtop.

Hide & Seek

Griffin Designs

The new range alcove hides a structural post necessary to incorporate the old back porch into the kitchen area. The tray ceiling takes advantage of the taller ceiling structure in the original kitchen space and highlights the island and range alcove. Photo Credit: Whitney Kidder

Milton Lake House

LuxeMark Company

Photos By Tad Davis
Design ideas for a large transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Raleigh with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, blue splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island and white benchtop.

Santa Cruz Modern Ranch Home

Lydia Lyons Designs

Heath Little Diamond ceramic tile backsplash, painted cabinets, stained oak floating shelves.
Large modern open plan kitchen in San Francisco with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island and white benchtop.

Navy Blue & White Kitchen Renovation

Groysman Construction

Design ideas for a mid-sized transitional u-shaped kitchen in San Diego with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, cement tiles, with island, grey floor and white benchtop.

A Bold and Beautiful Blue Kitchen in Glen Ellyn

TKS Design Group

Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW The new galley style configuration features a simple work triangle of a Kitchenaid refrigerator, Wolf range and Elkay sink. With plenty of the seating nearby, we opted to utilize the back of the island for storage. In addition, the two tall cabinets flanking the opening of the breakfast room feature additional pantry storage. An appliance garage to the left of the range features roll out shelves. The tall cabinets and wall cabinets feature simple white shaker doors while the base cabinets and island are Benjamin Moore “Hale Navy”. Hanstone Campina quartz countertops, walnut accents and gold hardware and lighting make for a stylish and up-to-date feeling space. The backsplash is a 5" Natural Stone hex. Faucet is a Litze by Brizo in Brilliant Luxe Gold. Hardware is It Pull from Atlas in Vintage Brass and Lighting was purchased by the owner from Schoolhouse Electric. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKBD Photography by: LOMA Studios For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Pearl District Condominium Remodel

User

Design ideas for a small beach style u-shaped kitchen in Portland with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, grey splashback, subway tile splashback, panelled appliances, a peninsula, white benchtop, quartz benchtops, light hardwood floors and beige floor.

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.

Eleventh Street Apartment

kimberly peck architect

photo by Pedro Marti The goal of this renovation was to create a stair with a minimal footprint in order to maximize the usable space in this small apartment. The existing living room was divided in two and contained a steep ladder to access the second floor sleeping loft. The client wanted to create a single living space with a true staircase and to open up and preferably expand the old galley kitchen without taking away too much space from the living area. Our solution was to create a new stair that integrated with the kitchen cabinetry and dining area In order to not use up valuable floor area. The fourth tread of the stair continues to create a counter above additional kitchen storage and then cantilevers and wraps around the kitchen’s stone counters to create a dining area. The stair was custom fabricated in two parts. First a steel structure was created, this was then clad by a wood worker who constructed the kitchen cabinetry and made sure the stair integrated seamlessly with the rest of the kitchen. The treads have a floating appearance when looking from the living room, that along with the open rail helps to visually connect the kitchen to the rest of the space. The angle of the dining area table is informed by the existing angled wall at the entry hall, the line of the table is picked up on the other side of the kitchen by new floor to ceiling cabinetry that folds around the rear wall of the kitchen into the hallway creating additional storage within the hall.

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’.

Royal Circus

Stange Kraft

Square foot media
This is an example of a large transitional galley eat-in kitchen in Edinburgh with an integrated sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, grey benchtop, grey splashback and marble splashback.

Textured Minimalism

Jill Howard Design Studio

Photography by Abby Murphy
Design ideas for a mid-sized modern galley eat-in kitchen in Charleston with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, blue splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island and white benchtop.

Two Tone Grey and Blue Kitchen Backsplash

Fireclay Tile

Photos by Max Maloney
This is an example of 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.

Mandeville

Lewis / Schoeplein architects

Marisa Vitale Photography
Design ideas for a midcentury l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, with island, grey floor and white benchtop.

Kitchen with Blue Cabinets and Quartz Benchtops 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!