Willet Photography
Photo of a large transitional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Atlanta with with island, an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, limestone benchtops, grey splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors and brown floor.

CASA MAS SALLENT CERDANYA

Jordi Miralles Fotografia

This is an example of a large country open plan kitchen in Other with light hardwood floors, limestone benchtops and with island.

WIMBLEDON FAMILY HOUSE

STEPHEN FLETCHER ARCHITECTS

A large central island unit with a slate counter houses contains many of the kitchen appliances and cupboard space, as well as a casual dining area. The oven range, additional cabinetry and open shelves are located along the party wall. Photographer: Nick Smith

South Melbourne

DW Architects and Interiors

Design ideas for a mid-sized modern open plan kitchen in Melbourne with an undermount sink, light wood cabinets, limestone benchtops, window splashback, black appliances, light hardwood floors, with island and grey benchtop.

Country Kitchen

Michael Crockett Photography

This is an example of a mid-sized country eat-in kitchen in Berkshire with an undermount sink, blue cabinets, limestone benchtops, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island and flat-panel cabinets.

Organic Mill Valley

Ann Lowengart Interiors

The three-level Mediterranean revival home started as a 1930s summer cottage that expanded downward and upward over time. We used a clean, crisp white wall plaster with bronze hardware throughout the interiors to give the house continuity. A neutral color palette and minimalist furnishings create a sense of calm restraint. Subtle and nuanced textures and variations in tints add visual interest. The stair risers from the living room to the primary suite are hand-painted terra cotta tile in gray and off-white. We used the same tile resource in the kitchen for the island's toe kick.

Industrial Chic Home

Weisshouse

An antique apothocary cabinet serves as the base for the kitchen island. Poliform cabinets create a minimal wall while hiding storage and appliances. Photo by Adam Milliron

Bright & Contemporary Home

Interiors and Beyond

Michal Stassburg
Photo of a scandinavian l-shaped eat-in kitchen in London with flat-panel cabinets, light hardwood floors, with island, white benchtop, an integrated sink, grey cabinets, limestone benchtops, white splashback, limestone splashback, panelled appliances and white floor.

Krome Collection - High Gloss Acrylic Kitchen

Demetra Cabinetry San Jose

Inspiration for a small contemporary l-shaped separate kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, limestone benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, a peninsula, beige floor and white benchtop.

Perkins Kitchen Remodel

Dream Home Builders and Remodelers

Awesome shot by Steve Schwartz from AVT Marketing in Fort Mill.
This is an example of a large transitional single-wall eat-in kitchen in Charlotte with a single-bowl sink, recessed-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, limestone benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and multi-coloured benchtop.

Surry - James River

Tracy deShazo Interiors

Aware of the financial investment clients put into their homes, I combine my business and design expertise while working with each client to understand their taste, enhance their style and create spaces they will enjoy for years to come. It’s been said that I have a “good” eye. I won’t discount that statement and I’d add I have an affinity to people, places and things that tell a story. My clients benefit from my passion and ability to turn their homes into finely curated spaces through the use of beautiful textiles, amazing lighting and furniture pieces that are as timeless as they are wonderfully unique. I enjoy the creative process and work with people who are building their dream homes, remodeling existing homes or desire a fresh take on a well lived-in space. I see the client–designer relationship as a partnership with a desire to deliver an end result that exceeds my client’s expectations. I approach each project with professionalism, unparalleled excitement and a commitment for designing homes that are as livable as they are beautiful.

Arts and Crafts

PB Kitchen Design

A remodel of a small home, we were excited that the owners wanted to stay true to the character of an Arts & Crafts style. An aesthetic movement in history, the Arts & Crafts approach to design is a timeless statement, making this our favorite aspect of the project. Mirrored in the execution of the kitchen design is the mindset of showcasing the craftsmanship of decorative design and the appreciation of simple lines and quality construction. This kitchen sings of an architectural vibe, yet does not take away from the welcoming nature of the layout. Project specs: Wolf range and Sub Zero refrigerator, Limestone counter tops, douglas fir floor, quarter sawn oak cabinets from Quality Custom Cabinetry, The table features a custom hand forged iron base, the embellishment is simple in this kitchen design, with well placed subtle detailing that match the style period.

Ordway

Eisenmann Architecture

Design ideas for a large contemporary single-wall separate kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, stainless steel cabinets, limestone benchtops, metallic splashback, metal splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island and brown floor.

Custom Kitchen in Nantucket

J. Graham Goldsmith Architects

Susan Teare
This is an example of a mid-sized beach style kitchen pantry in Boston with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, limestone benchtops, porcelain splashback, white appliances, light hardwood floors, no island, brown floor, multi-coloured benchtop, recessed and blue splashback.

Custom Cabinetry

Cabinets & Designs

No corner gets neglected with Cabinets & Designs.
This is an example of a traditional kitchen pantry in Houston with beaded inset cabinets, dark wood cabinets, limestone benchtops and light hardwood floors.

Raffle Dream House Remodel

Bay-Marin Construction

Design ideas for a small transitional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in San Francisco with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, limestone benchtops, beige splashback, stone tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors and with island.

Kitchen

STACKLAB

The patina finished rolled copper backsplash has high impact against the all white IKEA kitchen Photography: Sean McBride
Mid-sized contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Toronto with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, multi-coloured splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, limestone benchtops, stone tile splashback, no island and beige floor.

Cedarvale meets New York

Geometra Design Ltd.

Mid-sized contemporary single-wall open plan kitchen in Toronto with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, limestone benchtops, grey splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor, grey benchtop and coffered.

FINNE Kitchen Seattle

FINNE Architects

Architect Nils Finne has created a new, highly crafted modern kitchen in his own traditional Tudor home located in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle. The kitchen design relies on the creation of a very simple continuous space that is occupied by intensely crafted cabinets, counters and fittings. Materials such as steel, walnut, limestone, textured Alaskan yellow cedar, and sea grass are used in juxtaposition, allowing each material to benefit from adjacent contrasts in texture and color. The existing kitchen was enlarged slightly by removing a wall between the kitchen and pantry. A long, continuous east-west space was created, approximately 25-feet long, with glass doors at either end. The east end of the kitchen has two seating areas: an inviting window seat with soft cushions as well as a desk area with seating, a flat-screen computer, and generous shelving for cookbooks. At the west end of the kitchen, an unusual “L”-shaped door opening has been made between the kitchen and the dining room, in order to provide a greater sense of openness between the two spaces. The ensuing challenge was how to invent a sliding pocket door that could be used to close off the two spaces when the occasion required some separation. The solution was a custom door with two panels, and series of large finger joints between the two panels allowing the door to become “L” shaped. The resulting door, called a “zipper door” by the local fabricator (Quantum Windows and Doors), can be pushed completely into a wall pocket, or slid out and then the finger joints allow the second panel to swing into the “L”-shape position. In addition to the “L”-shaped zipper door, the renovation of architect Nils Finne’s own house presented other opportunity for experimentation. Custom CNC-routed cabinet doors in Alaskan Yellow Cedar were built without vertical stiles, in order to create a more continuous texture across the surface of the lower cabinets. LED lighting was installed with special aluminum reflectors behind the upper resin-panel cabinets. Two materials were used for the counters: Belgian Blue limestone and Black walnut. The limestone was used around the sink area and adjacent to the cook-top. Black walnut was used for the remaining counter areas, and an unusual “finger” joint was created between the two materials, allowing a visually intriguing interlocking pattern , emphasizing the hard, fossilized quality of the limestone and the rich, warm grain of the walnut both to emerge side-by-side. Behind the two counter materials, a continuous backsplash of custom glass mosaic provides visual continuity. Laser-cut steel detailing appears in the flower-like steel bracket supporting hanging pendants over the window seat as well as in the delicate steel valence placed in front of shades over the glass doors at either end of the kitchen. At each of the window areas, the cabinet wall becomes open shelving above and around the windows. The shelving becomes part of the window frame, allowing for generously deep window sills of almost 10”. Sustainable design ideas were present from the beginning. The kitchen is heavily insulated and new windows bring copious amounts of natural light. Green materials include resin panels, low VOC paints, sustainably harvested hardwoods, LED lighting, and glass mosaic tiles. But above all, it is the fact of renovation itself that is inherently sustainable and captures all the embodied energy of the original 1920’s house, which has now been given a fresh life. The intense craftsmanship and detailing of the renovation speaks also to a very important sustainable principle: build it well and it will last for many, many years! Overall, the kitchen brings a fresh new spirit to a home built in 1927. In fact, the kitchen initiates a conversation between the older, traditional home and the new modern space. Although there are no moldings or traditional details in the kitchen, the common language between the two time periods is based on richly textured materials and obsessive attention to detail and craft.

Warm and Modern • Balboa Peninsula, CA

User

Cabinets have a custom driftwood finish over alder wood. Stainless steel barstools compliment the stainless steel appliances to complete the warm modern theme. Photography: Jean Laughton

Kitchen with Limestone Benchtops and Light Hardwood Floors 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!