This is an example of an expansive contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, multiple islands, beige floor, solid surface benchtops, white splashback, grey cabinets, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances and concrete floors.

New York City, New York

Superior Woodcraft, Inc.

The exposed brick, wooden floor, gray cabinetry, black range, stainless steel appliances, glass doors, wood and stone counter tops provide a wide range of textures and colors that provide a nice warm feeling.

Bentwater Lake house

Accent Cabinets

Expansive contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Houston with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, granite benchtops, blue splashback, glass tile splashback, panelled appliances, marble floors and multiple islands.

Hampstead

Hammerhead General Contractors Ltd

Design ideas for a contemporary kitchen in London with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, light hardwood floors and multiple islands.

Gray Painted Eclectic Kitchen

The Muir Showrooms

This project was an extensive kitchen remodel. Our goal was to open up the space, while still creating storage and function. We added a large pantry with custom old fashion hanging wood barn door. High-end stainless steel appliances, with a separate space for the refrigerator and freezer and wood beams to add dimension. Mixing color, various woodstains to fit the eclectic style of this room. Photo by: John Gauvin

Kitchen Renovation

Janine Lamontagne Photography LLC

This is an example of a traditional eat-in kitchen in New York with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, granite benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, slate splashback, stainless steel appliances, multiple islands, brown floor and black benchtop.

Moorings

User

New Leicht kitchen cabinets, Concrete and Lacquer painted
Large contemporary l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Atlanta with an integrated sink, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, engineered quartz splashback, stainless steel appliances, ceramic floors, multiple islands, white floor, white benchtop and recessed.

Gold Pendant Lighting

Fratantoni Interior Designers

Modern Chic kitchen with gold pendant lighting, custom backsplash, and double islands with waterfall edge countertops.
Design ideas for an expansive modern u-shaped kitchen in Phoenix with a drop-in sink, grey cabinets, marble benchtops, grey splashback, stone tile splashback, coloured appliances, marble floors, multiple islands, grey floor, grey benchtop and coffered.

Pantry Barn Doors

Kitchen & Bath Design + Construction

The existing pantry was enclosed with sliding barn doors that mimic the look of the custom Hickory cabinetry. Photo by Chrissy Racho.
Photo of an expansive industrial single-wall eat-in kitchen in Bridgeport with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, quartz benchtops, brown splashback, travertine splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, multiple islands, brown floor and white benchtop.

Newport Coast - Santa Barbara Style Home

Homer Oatman, AIA

Photo of a mediterranean galley kitchen in Orange County with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, multiple islands, beige floor and white benchtop.

26- Orem, Utah Residence

Masterpiece Millwork & Door

Alan Blakely
Design ideas for an expansive transitional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Salt Lake City with grey cabinets, multiple islands, an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white splashback, stone slab splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, brown floor and white benchtop.

5223 Braeburn Drive

BAS Concepts LLC

This is an example of a large contemporary u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Houston with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, multiple islands, brown floor and white benchtop.

The Starmann Effect

Amy Storm & Company

Joe Kwon
This is an example of a transitional kitchen in Chicago with a farmhouse sink, grey cabinets, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances and multiple islands.

El Dorado Hills Modern Art Home

Nar Design Group

This gorgeous European Poggenpohl Kitchen is the culinary center of this new modern home for a young urban family. The homeowners had an extensive list of objectives for their new kitchen. It needed to accommodate formal and non-formal entertaining of guests and family, intentional storage for a variety of items with specific requirements, and use durable and easy to maintain products while achieving a sleek contemporary look that would be a stage and backdrop for their glorious artwork collection. Solution: A large central island acts as a gathering place within the great room space. The tall cabinetry items such as the ovens and refrigeration are grouped on the wall to keep the rest of the kitchen very light and open. Luxury Poggenpohl cabinetry and Caesarstone countertops were selected for their supreme durability and easy maintenance. Warm European oak flooring is contrasted by the gray textured Poggenpohl cabinetry flattered by full width linear Poggenphol hardware. The tall aluminum toe kick on the island is lit from underneath to give it a light and airy luxurious feeling. To further accent the illuminated toe, the surface to the left of the range top is fully suspended 18” above the finished floor. A large amount of steel and engineering work was needed to achieve the floating of the large Poggenpohl cabinet at the end of the peninsula. The conversation is always, “how did they do that?” Photo Credit: Fred Donham of PhotographerLink

Open Plan Kitchen Living Area

Janey Butler Interiors

This total redevelopment renovation of this fabulous large country home meant the whole house was taken back to the external walls and roof rafters and all suspended floors dug up. All new Interior layout and two large extensions. 2 months of gutting the property before any building works commenced. This part of the house was in fact an old ballroom and one of the new extensions formed a beautiful new entrance hallway with stunning helical staircase. Our own design handmade and painted kitchen with Miele appliances. Painted in a gorgeous soft grey and with a fabulous 3.5 x 1 metre solid wood dovetailed breakfast bar and surround with led lighting. Stunning stone effect porcelain tiles which were for most of the ground floor, all with under floor heating. Skyframe openings on the ground and first floor giving uninterrupted views of the glorious open countryside. Lutron lighting throughout the whole of the property and Crestron Home Automation. A glass firebox fire was built into this room. for clients ease, giving a secondary heat source, but more for visual effect. 4KTV with plastered in the wall speakers, the wall to the right of the TV is only temporary as this will soon be an entrance and view to the large swimming pool extension with sliding Skyframe window system and all glass walkway. Still much more for this amazing project with stunnnig furniture and lighting, but already a beautiful light filled home.

Sonoma Residence

Eluminations

This fabulous Sonoma estate is located in Geyserville and is set on acres of beautiful vineyards. Eluminations was selected to provide the lighting design and lighting plans for this new residence completed in 2015. We worked in conjunction with the clients, contractor, and the interior designer to create a lighting design that complemented the wonderful architecture and interior design.

Warm Farmhouse Kitchen - Basking Ridge, NJ

KraftMaster Renovations

Warm farmhouse kitchen nestled in the suburbs has a welcoming feel, with soft repose gray cabinets, two islands for prepping and entertaining and warm wood contrasts.

A Double-Island Cook's Paradise

Hobsons Choice

Island one features plenty of preparation space plus a large sink, Quooker boiling hot-water tap and second dishwasher. On the rear is a beautiful bulthaup walnut breakfast bar, which adds further warmth to the bulthaup colour scheme of Flint and Gravel.

Kitchen With Multiple Islands

Kitchen Encounters

Design ideas for a large country u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Boston with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, soapstone benchtops, beige splashback, travertine splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, multiple islands, brown floor and black benchtop.

Antique barn

Christine Donner Kitchen Design Inc.

This open kitchen is part of larger family room, anchored by a great stone fireplace. This room tells a story about a family that cooks great food, loves a roaring fire and an armchair to curl up with a good book. Photo by Mary Ellen Hendricks

Kitchen with Grey Cabinets and multiple Islands 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!