Transitional l-shaped kitchen in Nashville with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and grey benchtop.

1950's House Refurb

Born Designers Ltd

Bespoke hand built kitchen with built in kitchen cabinet and free standing island with modern patterned floor tiles and blue linoleum on birch plywood

Mid-century Kitchen with a Modern Rustic Appeal

Amazing Spaces

The existing kitchen was separated from the family room by a 17’ long bookcase. It was the first thing you saw upon entering and it hid much of the light and views to the backyard making the space feel claustrophobic. The laundry room was part of the kitchen space without any attempt to conceal the washer and dryer. Removing the long bookcase opened the opportunity to add counter stools in the kitchen and decided to align a target wall opposite the front door to help maintain some division within the main space while creating a space for the refrigerator. This also allowed us to create an open laundry room concept that would be hidden from view from all other areas. We kept the industrial feel of the exposed building materials, which we complimented with textured melamine slab doors for the new kitchen cabinets. We maintained the galley set up but defined the kitchen from the utility area by changing both thickness and color of the countertop materials. Because the back of the house is mainly windows, there was very little wall space for upper cabinets and everyday dish storage. We designed a custom ceiling hung shelf system that floats in front of the windows, and is mostly out of view from the sitting area. Tall cabinets are installed along the only available wall to support both kitchen and laundry room functions. We used cable lighting threaded through the beams which really punctuates the industrial aesthetic.

Starkman Residence

IntraBuild

Inspiration for a contemporary u-shaped eat-in kitchen in New York with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, engineered quartz splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, a peninsula, brown floor and multi-coloured benchtop.

Family home refurbishment Skerries

Carton Interiors

A contemporary kitchen with green cabinets in slab door and with brass profile gola channel accent. Worktops in calcatta gold quartz. Flooring in large format tile and rich engineered hardwood.

FLYNN KITCHEN

Kate Roos Design LLC

Design ideas for a mid-sized transitional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Minneapolis with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite benchtops, grey splashback, stone slab splashback, panelled appliances, vinyl floors, with island, brown floor and grey benchtop.

Los Gatos Modern

Bynn Esmond Designs

Custom european style cabinets, hidden kitchen concept, procelain walls, white on white modern kitchen
Photo of a large modern eat-in kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, solid surface benchtops, white splashback, stone slab splashback, black appliances, with island and white benchtop.

Symphony on the Hill

Vela Interior Design

Modern kitchen with rift-cut white oak cabinetry and a natural stone island.
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary kitchen in Minneapolis with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, quartzite benchtops, beige splashback, engineered quartz splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor and beige benchtop.

Celadon Green Transitional

Kitchen Magic

Celadon Green and Walnut kitchen combination. Quartz countertop and farmhouse sink complete the Transitional style.
Expansive transitional galley kitchen in Boston with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, green cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, vinyl floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

South Kensington Project

Rose Narmani Interiors

A historic London townhouse, redesigned by Rose Narmani Interiors.
Design ideas for a large contemporary kitchen in London with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, black appliances, bamboo floors, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Contemporary Kitchen

Inspiration for a contemporary l-shaped kitchen in Miami with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, grey splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Senara

Unique Homestays

Photo of an expansive beach style open plan kitchen with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, concrete benchtops, white splashback, porcelain splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, grey benchtop and vaulted.

Clean and Collected New Construction Home

Two Hands Interiors

While this kitchen is sleek, it has a welcoming warmth. The slab front cabinets keep the focus on other elements like marble slab backsplash and Lightology light fixture. A waterfall island counter tops anchors the room and adds another element for visual interest. Design by Two Hands Interiors.

Black Stallion

America Granite INC

A mid-size minimalist bar shaped kitchen gray concrete floor, with flat panel black cabinets with a double bowl sink and yellow undermount cabinet lightings with a wood shiplap backsplash and black granite conutertop

Santa Barbara - Kitchen Remodel

Luxe Remodel

Materials Countertop: Soapstone Range Hood: Marble Cabinets: Vertical Grain White Oak Appliances Range: @subzeroandwolf Dishwasher: @mieleusa Fridge: @subzeroandwolf Water dispenser: @zipwaterus

Rio Del Mar Remodel - Kitchen

Urbana Design Studio

This beautiful kitchen showcases painted cabinets mixed with a white oak island topped with engineered marble. Glass cabinets lighten the upper cabinets and create an enclosed display area. Brushed brass hardware creates a warm contrast with the painted cabinets.

Earthy Mackay House

Cathie Hong Interiors

This 1956 John Calder Mackay home had been poorly renovated in years past. We kept the 1400 sqft footprint of the home, but re-oriented and re-imagined the bland white kitchen to a midcentury olive green kitchen that opened up the sight lines to the wall of glass facing the rear yard. We chose materials that felt authentic and appropriate for the house: handmade glazed ceramics, bricks inspired by the California coast, natural white oaks heavy in grain, and honed marbles in complementary hues to the earth tones we peppered throughout the hard and soft finishes. This project was featured in the Wall Street Journal in April 2022.

Grossman Home

megro123

Granite countertops, wood floor, flat front cabinets (SW Iron Ore), marble and brass hexagonal tile backsplash. Galley butler's pantry includes a wet bar.

Walmer

Wanda Ely Architect Inc.

Design ideas for a contemporary kitchen in Toronto with flat-panel cabinets and with island.

Boho Modern Kitchen

Zimmer Design LLC

Photo of a mid-sized midcentury u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Minneapolis with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island and white benchtop.

Kitchen with Flat-panel 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!