View of kitchen from open plan dining/ living area.
Mid-sized contemporary open plan kitchen in Other with a farmhouse sink, green cabinets, white splashback, ceramic splashback, black appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island and white benchtop.

Bayview

Bluestone Homes

Design ideas for a contemporary galley kitchen in Sydney with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, grey splashback, black appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Engawa House, Ivanhoe

Inbetween Architecture

Inspiration for an asian single-wall open plan kitchen in Melbourne with open cabinets, wood benchtops, medium hardwood floors and exposed beam.

Natick

JMH Designs

Inspiration for a transitional l-shaped kitchen in Boston with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, beige cabinets, beige splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and beige benchtop.

Markham Project

Lynda MacDonald Interior Design

Design ideas for a contemporary l-shaped kitchen in Gold Coast - Tweed with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, grey splashback, stone slab splashback, medium hardwood floors, a peninsula, brown floor and grey benchtop.

Hindley & Co - Kitchen Joinery

Hindley & Co Architecture & Interior Design

A secret door leads to a laundry and powder room under the stair
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary u-shaped open plan kitchen in Melbourne with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, solid surface benchtops, grey splashback, ceramic splashback, black appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Tri-Color Kitchen

Miyuki Yamaguchi Design Studio

Photo of a mid-sized transitional u-shaped kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, engineered quartz splashback, black appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, white benchtop, recessed, wood and medium wood cabinets.

Caulfield House

User

White walls and ceiling are combined with wood and sand tones to create this beautiful open plan kitchen.
Design ideas for a large country l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Melbourne with a farmhouse sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, grey splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, white benchtop and exposed beam.

Brighton

Sketch Building Design

Inspiration for a transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Melbourne with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, stone slab splashback, black appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Morningside Kitchen Renovation

Michelle Khadye Interior Design

Design ideas for a contemporary l-shaped kitchen in Brisbane with flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, grey splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Diane

Watara Homes

Mid-century meets modern – this project demonstrates the potential of a heritage renovation that builds upon the past. The major renovations and extension encourage a strong relationship between the landscape, as part of daily life, and cater to a large family passionate about their neighbourhood and entertaining.

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.

South Yarra Residence

MR.MITCHELL

This is an example of a large contemporary kitchen pantry in Melbourne with flat-panel cabinets, marble benchtops, medium hardwood floors and with island.

Hill House, Wheelers Hill

Inbetween Architecture

Scandinavian u-shaped kitchen pantry in Melbourne with medium hardwood floors and with island.

Glebe Kitchen - Front

Matter Design & Make Pty Ltd

Our client approached Matter in late 2019 for a new kitchen. While the existing kitchen had a reasonable layout and some great features, the cupboards weren’t optimising the space to its full potential, particularly for storage. Noting that the old kitchen aged very quickly, our client wanted the new kitchen to be constructed entirely from plywood—liking the appearance and strength of the material. They also loved vibrant use of colour and suggested we look at the kitchens featured in films by the Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar for inspiration. The result was a playful mix of hand painted navy, light blue and retro orange in combination with a ‘raw’ effect from the birch plywood. To save on cost and waste, we decided to keep certain components of the kitchen that have remained in very good condition. Some of these included the stainless steel bench tops and oven/range hood stack, as well as a polished concrete island bench top. We replaced most of the cupboards with drawer units specifically tailored to fit our client's extensive collection of cookware and appliances with adjustable partitions. An integrated Hideaway rubbish bin free’s up circulation space and a Kesseböhmer pull-out pantry will ensure no bottle of spice is ever lost to the back of a cupboard again.

Narrow Scandi home with texture and colour

Western Cabinets

Photo of a large scandinavian galley open plan kitchen in Perth with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, mosaic tile splashback, black appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Estates at Shaddock Park

Normandy Homes

Jim Wilson
Inspiration for a transitional l-shaped kitchen in Dallas with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, black cabinets, white splashback, mosaic tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Osborne Park Showroom Traditional

Joyce Kitchens

Inspiration for a transitional u-shaped kitchen in Perth with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Sophisticated Nostalgia Kitchen in Deer Park

Advance Design Studio, Ltd.

When this suburban family decided to renovate their kitchen, they knew that they wanted a little more space. Advance Design worked together with the homeowner to design a kitchen that would work for a large family who loved to gather regularly and always ended up in the kitchen! So the project began with extending out an exterior wall to accommodate a larger island and more moving-around space between the island and the perimeter cabinetry. Style was important to the cook, who began collecting accessories and photos of the look she loved for months prior to the project design. She was drawn to the brightness of whites and grays, and the design accentuated this color palette brilliantly with the incorporation of a warm shade of brown woods that originated from a dining room table that was a family favorite. Classic gray and white cabinetry from Dura Supreme hits the mark creating a perfect balance between bright and subdued. Hints of gray appear in the bead board detail peeking just behind glass doors, and in the application of the handsome floating wood shelves between cabinets. White subway tile is made extra interesting with the application of dark gray grout lines causing it to be a subtle but noticeable detail worthy of attention. Suede quartz Silestone graces the countertops with a soft matte hint of color that contrasts nicely with the presence of white painted cabinetry finished smartly with the brightness of a milky white farm sink. Old melds nicely with new, as antique bronze accents are sprinkled throughout hardware and fixtures, and work together unassumingly with the sleekness of stainless steel appliances. The grace and timelessness of this sparkling new kitchen maintains the charm and character of a space that has seen generations past. And now this family will enjoy this new space for many more generations to come in the future with the help of the team at Advance Design Studio. Photographer: Joe Nowak Dura Supreme Cabinetry

Southlake Transitional Remodel

Le Belle Maison Interiors Inc.

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Dallas with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island and white benchtop.

Kitchen with Medium 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!