Photo of a large transitional u-shaped eat-in kitchen in San Diego with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, light wood cabinets, granite benchtops, beige splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, with island, grey floor and multi-coloured benchtop.

Martinsville, NJ Kitchen

Filipe Custom Woodwork

Photo of a large transitional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in New York with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors and a peninsula.

Transitional Kitchen

Design ideas for a large transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Orange County with shaker cabinets, brown splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, black cabinets, brown floor, granite benchtops and matchstick tile splashback.

Vogel Kitchen

Kircher Design & Build

Inspiration for a large contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Orange County with a double-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, medium wood cabinets, granite benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, matchstick tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island and brown floor.

North Andover Renovation

Apple Wood Construction, Inc.

Kath & Keith Photography
Mid-sized traditional u-shaped separate kitchen in Boston with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, white cabinets, granite benchtops, beige splashback and porcelain splashback.

Deal/Rhoads

Greene Design LLC

Photography by Jack Gardner
Design ideas for a mid-sized industrial u-shaped open plan kitchen in Miami with light wood cabinets, tile benchtops, stainless steel appliances, concrete floors, a peninsula, a drop-in sink, beige splashback and porcelain splashback.

Kirkland Waterfront Penthouse

Bjorck Design

Custom cabinets made by Kitchen Plus. Maple wood with a hazelnut stain. Giallo Santa Cecilia granite countertops with a bricklay porcelain tile backsplash. Bamboo wood flooring.

Install, Inlay and Refinish in Historic Victorian.

Floor Huggers

Genia Barnes
Mid-sized transitional u-shaped eat-in kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, matchstick tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors and a peninsula.

White Contemporary Kitchen by Sub- Zero Wolf

Geoff Okarma Construction, Inc.

Inspiration for a large contemporary galley open plan kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, solid surface benchtops, white splashback, porcelain splashback and stainless steel appliances.

San Carlos Craftsman

Norwell Design Build

Cabinets by: Crystal Cabinet Works, Danbury Door Style, Inset Photo by: CHRISTOPHER STARK PHOTOGRAPHY
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional galley eat-in kitchen in San Francisco with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, granite benchtops, white splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors and no island.

Magnificently Modern Memorial Kitchen Remodel | 2016

Sweetlake Interior Design LLC

This amazing, U-shaped Memorial (Houston, TX 77024) custom kitchen design was influenced by the "The Great Gatsby" era with its custom zinc flared vent hood with nickel plated laminate straps. This terrific hood flares in on the front and the sides. The contrasting finishes help to add texture and character to this fully remodeled kitchen. This hood is considerably wider than the cooktop below. It's actually 60" wide with an open back splash and no cabinets on either side. We love to showcase vent hoods in most of our designs because it serves as a great conversation piece when entertaining family and friends. A good design tip is to always make the vent hood larger than the stove. It makes an incredible statement! The antiqued, mirror glass cabinets feature a faux finish with a furniture like feel. The large back splash features a zig zag design, often called "chevron pattern." The french sconces with nickel plated shades are beautifully displayed on each side of the gorgeous "La Cornue" stove adding bling to the kitchen's magnificence and giving an overall elegant look with easy clean up. Additionally, there are two (2) highbrow chandeliers by Curry & Company, gives the kitchen the love needed to be a step above the norm. The island bar has a farmhouse sink and a full slab of "Fantasy Brown" marble with seating for five. There is tons of storage throughout the kitchen with plenty of drawer and cabinet space on both sides of the island. The sub-zero refrigerator is totally integrated with cupboards and drawers to match. Another advantage of this variety of refrigeration is that you create furniture-style cabinetry. This is a truly great idea for a dateless design transformation in Houston with raised-panel cupboards and paneled appliances. Polished nickel handles, drawer pulls and faucet hardware complete the design.

Saratoga Pool House

Mimi Snowden Design

Small beach style u-shaped separate kitchen in San Francisco with a farmhouse sink, glass-front cabinets, blue cabinets, white splashback, matchstick tile splashback, stainless steel appliances and medium hardwood floors.

CAMPANILLA

Principle Design & Construction, Inc.

This is an example of a mid-sized transitional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Orange County with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, solid surface benchtops, beige splashback, matchstick tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors and a peninsula.

Roll-Out Shelves

Shelf Confident

Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Austin with raised-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, solid surface benchtops, blue splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances and ceramic floors.

Dark Cherry Kitchen

Dyer's Cabinet Shop

This is an example of a mid-sized traditional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in New York with raised-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, ceramic floors, with island, an undermount sink, solid surface benchtops, beige splashback, matchstick tile splashback and stainless steel appliances.

Silly Little Things

3 Lights Design

The wife, who is a chef and meticulously organized, had this to say about 3 Lights Design's attention to detail, "I'm so impressed how you heard all the little silly things I was saying and got it into a picture!!!" For us, the "silly little things" are everything. That's how the project's name was born. All photos by Thomas Kuoh Photography.

Delcove Way

Laura Vlaming | Arkiteriors

Mid-sized country galley open plan kitchen in Charlotte with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, granite benchtops, grey splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors and with island.

Parker Kitchen

Sander and Sons Kitchen and Bath

Photo of a large transitional u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Denver with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, with island, a farmhouse sink, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances and light hardwood floors.

Project 15 in Briarcliff Manor

Amazing Spaces

The steps leading to the kitchen from the side door were reoriented and turned in the opposite direction. This change created an opportunity for a large walk in pantry and helped to better define the flow through the space. The clean-up area is located in a more private area of the space so that dirty dishes following a party could be stacked out of sight. Slab wood veneer doors in a textured gloss finish are framed by pilasters forming a cohesive furniture concept throughout the design. White countertops receive waterfall sides in strategic locations and are complimented by white porcelain tile backsplash with a modern wavy texture. Ilir Rizaj

Transitional Painted Kitchen - Designed By CJ Lowenthal

Gilmans Kitchens and Baths

These empty-nesters were looking to create a brighter and less cluttered kitchen for entertaining. The designer began with simplifying the space, while giving more storage solutions. An extra-long island was created to create a large base for entertaining. A separate bar was inserted for appetizers and drinks to generate a better flow within the kitchen. Finally, over-head and under-cabinet lighting was added to animate the space well into the night. Treve Johnson Photography

Kitchen with Porcelain Splashback and Matchstick Tile Splashback 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!