Simon Wood
Design ideas for a large contemporary galley kitchen in Sydney with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, marble benchtops, mirror splashback, light hardwood floors and with island.

Tewksbury Farmhouse

Dan Ruhland Designs LLC

Large country u-shaped eat-in kitchen in New York with recessed-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, brick floors and with island.

Cypress Kitchen 1

Jonathon Dahl

This beautiful kitchen entails amazing beaded inset doors and frames with hand-crafted corbels through-out. The Island is made out of a rich black walnut and stained and coated with a ML Campbell Conversion Varnish. The remainder of the space is painted a pigmented lacquer by Mohawk. With solid maple dovetail drawer boxes and solid poplar cabinet doors are analogous with the rest of the beaded inset doors and frames. Complimented by bright candlestick lighting above and LED tape lighting below the upper cabinets. And very well finished off with antique style iron knobs and pulls.

Farmhouse kitchen

Project Guru

Large kitchen remodel transformed the space in keeping with the farmhouse style of the home, adding a large working and seating island with undermount copper sink. A large cabinet bank now links the kitchen and adjoining dining space. Photo: Timothy Manning www.manningmagic.com

Beverly Shores Residence

Facilities Design Group PC

Lilija Gelazis
This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Chicago with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors and with island.

Upper West Side, NYC

Darci Hether New York

Dark wood cabinets are juxtaposed with a light Terrazo floor in this contemporary u-shaped kitchen. It features an undermount sink, a green, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, glass-front cabinets, and marble countertops. --- Our interior design service area is all of New York City including the Upper East Side and Upper West Side, as well as the Hamptons, Scarsdale, Mamaroneck, Rye, Rye City, Edgemont, Harrison, Bronxville, and Greenwich CT. For more about Darci Hether, click here: https://darcihether.com/

Macleod Modern Marble

Smith & Smith Kitchens

Twin extractor fans are the feature that first draws the eye in this sleek kitchen. Any lover of cooking will quickly become mesmerised by the amount of bench space for food preparation and the copious amount of storage space to suit a cooking paraphernalia habit. The communal aspect of a kitchen has not been forgotten with a seating area at a safe, yet intimate distance from the heat of the prepa

Dwell Labs Showcase

bespoke design

The linear kitchen and wide entrance to this apartment allows for extra storage and interest. The Vitsoe 606 Universal Shelving System by Dieter Rams allows for modular modern storage of books and housewares. The cabinet depth glass front Sub-Zero refrigerator adds interest and makes the kitchen expansive. The drop-down table has been clad in Caesarstone to match the countertops opposite. Contessa tile by Walker Zanger adds a bit of Hollywood glam to this studio apartment. Bel Air Photography

Pull-Out Storage for Utensils, Oils & More

Bay Area Kitchens

This custom pull-out unit features four stainless steel utensil baskets, slots for knives, a hole for a sharpening steel, and storage for oils and other essentials.

Eclectic Kitchen

Design ideas for an eclectic eat-in kitchen in Chicago with subway tile splashback, an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets and white splashback.

Traditional Kitchens

Arizona Designs Kitchens and Baths

These homeowners desired a Western kitchen for their Southwest Contemporary home. These hand-planed, lightly distressed Alder cabinets provide that look. They converted the attached laundry/storage to a butler's pantry for additional storage and food prep area

Kitchen

Michael Abrams Interiors

Traditional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Chicago with recessed-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, white splashback and stone slab splashback.

Basement Kitchen

Old World Kitchens & Custom Cabinets

Cabinetry: Old World Kitchens (oldworldkitchens.com) Photography: Bob Young (bobyoungphoto.com)
Photo of a transitional single-wall kitchen in Vancouver with glass sheet splashback and dark wood cabinets.

Walnut cabinets with a walnut floor

Gary Brown Homes LLC

Young Remodeling
Mid-sized traditional eat-in kitchen in Kansas City with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, granite benchtops, beige splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors and a peninsula.

New Showhomes! (Calgary + Edmonton)

User

Design ideas for a transitional eat-in kitchen in Edmonton with recessed-panel cabinets and dark wood cabinets.

Mount Royal Show Home

Maillot Homes

Mike Heywood - Trilogy Studios
Photo of a contemporary kitchen in Calgary with stainless steel appliances, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets and brown floor.

Sleek Home in Oakville (1206)

Braam's Custom Cabinets

PERIMETER: Painted shaker profile doors & drawers in Benjamin Moore BM OC 17 White Dove - RANGE ELEVATION & ISLAND: Walnut shaker profile doors & drawers - Solid surface countertops.

Paradise Concrete Design

Paradise Concrete Design Studio

DYI Network Kitchen Modern Kitchen Pheonix Home and Garden
Photo of a large country l-shaped separate kitchen in Phoenix with stainless steel appliances, a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, marble benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, stone tile splashback, dark hardwood floors, with island and brown floor.

Western Run-kitchen

HBF plus Design

Photo by Anne Gummerson
Design ideas for an eclectic kitchen in Baltimore with stainless steel appliances, soapstone benchtops, an integrated sink, slate floors and brown cabinets.

Kitchen detail of custom mosaic tile

Dayna Katlin Interiors

Photo by Grey Crawford
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional eat-in kitchen in Los Angeles with stainless steel appliances, raised-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, multi-coloured splashback, mosaic tile splashback, a farmhouse sink, quartz benchtops, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Kitchen with Brown Cabinets and Dark Wood 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!