Inspiration for a contemporary l-shaped kitchen in Melbourne with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Elegant Queenslander | Clayfield

Designtank

Mid-sized contemporary l-shaped kitchen in Brisbane with an undermount sink, white cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, a peninsula, brown floor, flat-panel cabinets and white benchtop.

TAS, Davies Design & Construction

Housing Industry Association - HIA

A combination of bricks, cement sheet, copper and Colorbond combine harmoniously to produce a striking street appeal. Internally the layout follows the client's brief to maintain a level of privacy for multiple family members while also taking advantage of the view and north facing orientation. The level of detail and finish is exceptional throughout the home with the added complexity of incorporating building materials sourced from overseas.

Newport Home

Joanne Green Landscape & Interior

Joanne Green Landscape and Interior transformed a dated interior into a relaxed and fresh apartment that embraces the sunlit marine setting of Sydney's Barrenjoey peninsula. The client's brief was to create a layered aesthetic that captures the property's expansive view and amplifies the flow between the interior and exterior spaces. The project included updates to three bedrooms, an ensuite, a bathroom, a kitchen with a butler's pantry, a study nook, a dedicated laundry, and a generous dining and living area. By using thoughtful interior design, the finished space presents a unique, comfortable, and contemporary atmosphere to the waterfront home.

Windsor Workers Cottage

Michael Christopher Design

Inspiration for a transitional kitchen in Brisbane with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, green cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, a peninsula, brown floor, multi-coloured benchtop, timber and vaulted.

Balwyn Townhouses

R ARCHITECTURE

Photo of a contemporary galley kitchen in Melbourne with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, panelled appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and grey benchtop.

Balmain East Residence

Bumph & Scumble Design Centre

Design ideas for a transitional separate kitchen in Sydney with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, marble benchtops, metallic splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, multi-coloured benchtop and timber.

Black Ribbon House

Studio 15b - Architecture + Interior Design

This is an example of a contemporary galley open plan kitchen in Brisbane with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, window splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Blue Moon Granite

Avant Stone

Inspiration for a contemporary u-shaped kitchen in Sydney with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, grey splashback, panelled appliances, dark hardwood floors, a peninsula, brown floor and grey benchtop.

113 Willow Ave - Hoboken

Comstock Home Renovations LLC

Contemporary l-shaped kitchen in New York with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, medium wood cabinets, white splashback, stone slab splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Lurline Bay House I Part 2

D'Cruz Design Group

Photo of a large contemporary u-shaped kitchen in Sydney with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, marble benchtops, glass sheet splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, grey benchtop and exposed beam.

Seattle Contemporary Waterfront

H2 View

Open format kitchen includes gorgeous custom cabinets, a large underlit island with an induction cooktop and waterfall countertops. Full height slab backsplash and paneled appliances complete the sophisticated design.

Modern Living in Downtown Birmingham

Stalburg Design

This stylish, family friendly kitchen is also an entertainer’s dream! This young family desired a bright, spacious kitchen that would function just as well for the family of 4 everyday, as it would for hosting large events (in a non-covid world). Apart from these programmatic goals, our aesthetic goal was to accommodate all the function and mess into the design so everything would be neatly hidden away behind beautiful cabinetry and panels. The navy, bifold buffet area serves as an everyday breakfast and coffee bar, and transforms into a beautiful buffet spread during parties (we’ve been there!). The fridge drawers are great for housing milk and everyday items during the week, and both kid and adult beverages during parties while keeping the guests out of the main cooking zone. Just around the corner you’ll find the high gloss navy bar offering additional beverages, ice machine, and barware storage – cheers! Super durable quartz with a marbled look keeps the kitchen looking neat and bright, while withstanding everyday wear and tear without a problem. The practical waterfall ends at the island offer additional damage control in bringing that hard surface all the way down to the beautiful white oak floors. Underneath three large window walls, a built-in banquette and custom table provide a comfortable, intimate dining nook for the family and a few guests while the stunning chandelier ties in nicely with the other brass accents in the kitchen. The thin black window mullions offer a sharp, clean contrast to the crisp white walls and coordinate well with the dark banquette. Thin, tall windows on either side of the range beautifully frame the stunningly simple, double curvature custom hood, and large windows in the bar/butler’s pantry allow additional light to really flood the space and keep and airy feel. The textured wallpaper in the bar area adds a touch of warmth, drama and interest while still keeping things simple.

Calle Del Cerrito

Joseph Rodrigues Interiors

Spanish Revival Kitchen Renovation
Large mediterranean u-shaped separate kitchen in Orange County with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, green cabinets, quartz benchtops, beige splashback, ceramic splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and beige benchtop.

When Three Become One

Square Footage Inc.

Photos by Valerie Wilcox
Photo of an expansive transitional u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Toronto with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and blue benchtop.

Pleasanton Custom Home

Ridgecrest Designs

Kitchen featuring white oak lower cabinetry, white painted upper cabinetry with blue accent cabinetry, including the island. Custom steel hood fabricated in-house by Ridgecrest Designs. Custom wood beam light fixture fabricated in-house by Ridgecrest Designs. Steel mesh cabinet panels, brass and bronze hardware, La Cornue French range, concrete island countertop and engineered quartz perimeter countertop. The 10' AG Millworks doors open out onto the California Room.

Island with Hidden Outlet

User

Hidden outlet behind drawer front for countertop appliances and charging
Large traditional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in New York with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Custom Modern Barn

Bartelt. The Remodeling Resource

Photo Credit - David Bader
Design ideas for a country l-shaped kitchen in Milwaukee with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, panelled appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and black benchtop.

Martis Camp Lot 640

Kelly & Stone Architects

Roger Wade Studio
Design ideas for a country u-shaped kitchen in Sacramento with an undermount sink, granite benchtops, grey splashback, limestone splashback, panelled appliances, dark hardwood floors, multiple islands, brown floor, shaker cabinets and grey cabinets.

Modern Spanish

Cdot Design Studio

Photo of an open plan kitchen in Phoenix with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, marble benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, marble splashback, panelled appliances, with island, brown floor and multi-coloured benchtop.

Kitchen with Panelled Appliances and Brown Floor 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!