Transitional u-shaped kitchen pantry in Dallas with open cabinets, white cabinets, medium hardwood floors, brown floor and white benchtop.

A Naturally Modern Kitchen Remodel

Bobbi Alderfer/Lifestyle Design

With using the walnut cabinets, we tried to keep the sizes as uniform as possible but there were some aspects the client wanted. One of those was the corner appliance garage. Hiding these necessary evils in a beautiful cabinet with easy accessibility was the perfect marriage.

HOMEWOOD RESIDENCE

Anderson Nikolich Design Initiative

Design ideas for a scandinavian eat-in kitchen in Birmingham with flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.

All about Sophistication & Textures

GJ Morgan Kitchens

Muse Photography
Large contemporary galley kitchen in Newcastle - Maitland with quartz benchtops, stone slab splashback, concrete floors, with island, an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, grey floor and white benchtop.

Daniel Island Drive

Delpino Custom Homes

Photography by Patrick Brickman
Design ideas for an expansive country open plan kitchen in Charleston with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, brick splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island and white benchtop.

Edwardian Double Fronted House

Imperfect Interiors

Chris Snook
Design ideas for a large contemporary open plan kitchen in London with solid surface benchtops, green splashback, with island, grey floor, an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, grey cabinets and white benchtop.

High-Contrast Luxury Home

Cambria

This large, open-concept home features Cambria Swanbridge in the kitchen, baths, laundry room, and butler’s pantry. Designed by E Interiors and AFT Construction. Photo: High Res Media

Lido House Hotel Harbor Cottage

Matt White Custom Home

Photo of a beach style u-shaped kitchen in Orange County with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, a peninsula, beige floor and white benchtop.

Custom Transitional Kitchen - St. Charles, IL

Drury Design

Arched valances above the window and on the island bookshelf, along with the curved custom metal hood above the stainless steel range, contrast nicely with the overall linear design of the space. The leaded glass cabinet doors not only create a spot to display the homeowner’s favorite glassware, but visually it helps prevent the white cabinets from being overbearing. By installing recessed can lights uniformly throughout the space instead of decorative pendants above the island, the kitchen appears more open and spacious.

Los Altos New Residence

Klopf Architecture

Klopf Architecture and Outer space Landscape Architects designed a new warm, modern, open, indoor-outdoor home in Los Altos, California. Inspired by mid-century modern homes but looking for something completely new and custom, the owners, a couple with two children, bought an older ranch style home with the intention of replacing it. Created on a grid, the house is designed to be at rest with differentiated spaces for activities; living, playing, cooking, dining and a piano space. The low-sloping gable roof over the great room brings a grand feeling to the space. The clerestory windows at the high sloping roof make the grand space light and airy. Upon entering the house, an open atrium entry in the middle of the house provides light and nature to the great room. The Heath tile wall at the back of the atrium blocks direct view of the rear yard from the entry door for privacy. The bedrooms, bathrooms, play room and the sitting room are under flat wing-like roofs that balance on either side of the low sloping gable roof of the main space. Large sliding glass panels and pocketing glass doors foster openness to the front and back yards. In the front there is a fenced-in play space connected to the play room, creating an indoor-outdoor play space that could change in use over the years. The play room can also be closed off from the great room with a large pocketing door. In the rear, everything opens up to a deck overlooking a pool where the family can come together outdoors. Wood siding travels from exterior to interior, accentuating the indoor-outdoor nature of the house. Where the exterior siding doesn’t come inside, a palette of white oak floors, white walls, walnut cabinetry, and dark window frames ties all the spaces together to create a uniform feeling and flow throughout the house. The custom cabinetry matches the minimal joinery of the rest of the house, a trim-less, minimal appearance. Wood siding was mitered in the corners, including where siding meets the interior drywall. Wall materials were held up off the floor with a minimal reveal. This tight detailing gives a sense of cleanliness to the house. The garage door of the house is completely flush and of the same material as the garage wall, de-emphasizing the garage door and making the street presentation of the house kinder to the neighborhood. The house is akin to a custom, modern-day Eichler home in many ways. Inspired by mid-century modern homes with today’s materials, approaches, standards, and technologies. The goals were to create an indoor-outdoor home that was energy-efficient, light and flexible for young children to grow. This 3,000 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom new house is located in Los Altos in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, and Chuang-Ming Liu  Landscape Architect: Outer space Landscape Architects  Structural Engineer: ZFA Structural Engineers  Staging: Da Lusso Design  Photography ©2018 Mariko Reed  Location: Los Altos, CA  Year completed: 2017

Shadow Creek Drive

Osinoff General Contractors

Roberto Garcia Photography
This is an example of a mid-sized transitional u-shaped kitchen in Los Angeles with with island, a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, brown floor, white benchtop, grey splashback and subway tile splashback.

Cucina con isola e colonne in olmo

TM Italia Cucine

Photo by: Darren Chung
This is an example of a scandinavian kitchen in London with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island, grey floor and white benchtop.

winter park mountain home

jennifer rhode design

Photo of a large country l-shaped kitchen in Denver with flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, white benchtop, wood, an undermount sink, quartz benchtops and engineered quartz splashback.

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

New Home design Bespoke Kitchen/ Dining

Golden Feathers Interiors

This bought off plan 9 year old home lacked all personality for my clients, option A,B,C in these new developments end up needing a lot of personalisation. we removed the entire kitchen/dining area and flooring. It was far from desireable. Now with new warming underfloor heating throughout, bright and fresh new palette, bespoke built furniture and a totally NEW layout. This Home is more than they have ever wanted! its incredible and the space also feels so much larger due to the design planned and products used. Finished to an excellent standard with our trade team.

Transitional Kitchen Newton Square Remodel - Geneva

Redstart Construction, Inc.

Picture Perfect House
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional galley open plan kitchen in Chicago with white cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, white benchtop, a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets and glass tile splashback.

Modern Victorian

Zimmer Design LLC

Glamourous dry bar with tall Lincoln marble backsplash and vintage mirror. Flanked by custom deGournay wall mural.
Inspiration for a large traditional galley eat-in kitchen in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, black cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, coloured appliances, marble floors, no island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Contemporary Rolling Hills Kitchen

In the Deets

Light and bright contemporary kitchen featuring white custom cabinetry, large island, dual-tone gray subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, and a matching laundry room.

New Home in Orefield

Laslo Custom Kitchens, Inc.

Perimeter Hardware Paint Island - Rift White Oak Wood Driftwood Dark Stain
Design ideas for a mid-sized transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Philadelphia with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, brick splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island, white benchtop, grey cabinets, quartz benchtops, red splashback, light hardwood floors and beige floor.

Lake Minnetonka Equestrian Influence

ADŌR Homes

Design ideas for a country u-shaped kitchen in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, white splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, white benchtop and window splashback.

Kitchen with Multi-Coloured Benchtop 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!