Transitional kitchen in Chicago with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Gordon Park House

Shane Marsh Architects

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary galley open plan kitchen in Brisbane with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, window splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, white benchtop and recessed.

Kitchen with hand painted Glass panel doors

Nouvelle Kitchens & Bathrooms

Photo of a large transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Sydney with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, black cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, engineered quartz splashback, black appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, white benchtop and vaulted.

HAMPTON ROAD

The Real Estate Stylist (TRES)

Transitional l-shaped kitchen in Melbourne with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, black appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Lago Bungalow Kitchen

Nar Design Group

This kitchen proves small East sac bungalows can have high function and all the storage of a larger kitchen. A large peninsula overlooks the dining and living room for an open concept. A lower countertop areas gives prep surface for baking and use of small appliances. Geometric hexite tiles by fireclay are finished with pale blue grout, which complements the upper cabinets. The same hexite pattern was recreated by a local artist on the refrigerator panes. A textured striped linen fabric by Ralph Lauren was selected for the interior clerestory windows of the wall cabinets.

Double Storey Extension - Ashgrove, Brisbane

Smith & Sons Renovations & Extensions Ashgrove

Photo of a contemporary u-shaped open plan kitchen in Brisbane with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, window splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, a peninsula, beige floor and white benchtop.

Hawthorn Alterations & Additions

Sketch Building Design

This is an example of a contemporary galley kitchen in Melbourne with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Scissor House

Owen David Architecture

The kitchen sits under the low ceiling of the existing house and acts as a separation between living and dining. The benchtops and cupboards are made from solid plywood with white laminate veneer and exposed ply edges. The lower doors and draws feature cut-out handles, while the upper ones are touch-catch to maintain the clean modern aesthetic.

Kitchen Remodeling in Washington, D.C

Reno Maryland

Large eat-in kitchen in DC Metro with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, with island, white benchtop, granite splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors and brown floor.

Lake House

Park and Oak Design

Inspiration for a beach style l-shaped kitchen in Chicago with a farmhouse sink, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Green with Envy

Yancy Interior Design

Inspiration for a large traditional u-shaped open plan kitchen in Detroit with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, green cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.

High Summit Drive

Jessica Koltun Home

Coastal contemporary finishes and furniture designed by Interior Designer and Realtor Jessica Koltun in Dallas, TX. #designingdreams
Inspiration for a mid-sized beach style l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Dallas with a single-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, light wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Quimby Mid-Century

James Frank Construction Inc

Mid-Century update to a home located in NW Portland. The project included a new kitchen with skylights, multi-slide wall doors on both sides of the home, kitchen gathering desk, children's playroom, and opening up living room and dining room ceiling to dramatic vaulted ceilings. The project team included Risa Boyer Architecture. Photos: Josh Partee

Flower Mound Transitional Modern

Urbanology Designs

Photo of a large transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Dallas with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Contemporary Kitchen Design Ideas

Everingham Design

Design ideas for a large contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Columbus with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, green cabinets, marble benchtops, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Navy is a Neutral Ranch Remodel & Addition

KBG Design

Photo of a large beach style l-shaped open plan kitchen in San Francisco with shaker cabinets, grey splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, a farmhouse sink, white cabinets, solid surface benchtops, brown floor and white benchtop.

Fairfield Modern Farmhouse

Karen Berkemeyer Home

Expansive country open plan kitchen in New York with a farmhouse sink, white cabinets, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, white benchtop and shaker cabinets.

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.

Custom Beach Home

Mur-Sol Builders Inc

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Orange County with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, white splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor, white benchtop and marble benchtops.

Clean and Bright

Cabinet Joint

From bare studs to bright and stunning, This customer tore their former kitchen down to its foundation to build this kitchen inspiration. With a soft blend of whites, grays, and Hickory wood throughout the space, the natural light from the windows makes this kitchen glow with warmth. This kitchen is an example of when simplistic elegance is enough. Featuring a custom beverage bar, a charming small desk, a walk-in pantry, as well as an intentional bottom-heavy design with few wall cabinets, this kitchen marries aesthetics and functionality, the familiarity of a farmhouse, and the efficiency of a commercial kitchen.

Kitchen with Light Hardwood Floors and White Benchtop 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!