Photo by Antoine Bootz
This is an example of a mid-sized scandinavian l-shaped open plan kitchen in New York with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, solid surface benchtops, white splashback, glass sheet splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island and red benchtop.

Inverness Drive - Mountain Transitional Kitchen

BKC Kitchen and Bath

This rustic mountain kitchen comes with a striking transitional twist which includes dark gray stained cabinets and red quartz countertops. Medallion Cabinetry, Brookhill door style, Smoke finish. Design by: Sandra Howe, BKC Kitchen and Bath

Open Shelving Adds a Clean Touch

Destination Design, LLC

Open shelves for display and functional tableware.
Design ideas for a small midcentury l-shaped open plan kitchen in Milwaukee with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, quartz benchtops, engineered quartz splashback, stainless steel appliances, ceramic floors, with island, multi-coloured floor and red benchtop.

Inverness Drive - Mountain Transitional Kitchen

BKC Kitchen and Bath

Home in San Francisco 2

Kearney & O'Banion Inc.

This is an example of a traditional kitchen in San Francisco with stainless steel appliances and red benchtop.

Renaissance d'un Grand Loft

I F Rénovation

Perrier Li
This is an example of a large contemporary galley open plan kitchen in Paris with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, wood benchtops, beige splashback, mosaic tile splashback, ceramic floors, with island, grey floor, stainless steel appliances and red benchtop.

The Treehouse Renovation

Living Stone Design + Build

Large eclectic u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Other with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, stainless steel appliances, concrete floors, with island and red benchtop.

Courtyard House

2fORM Architecture

Inspiration for a contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Other with a double-bowl sink, beaded inset cabinets, brown cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, laminate floors, with island, brown floor and red benchtop.

Transitional Kitchen

Transitional galley eat-in kitchen in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, light wood cabinets, grey splashback, stainless steel appliances and red benchtop.

Red and Retro

The Remodel Group

This retro kitchen is complete with black and white flooring, a red counter top, and open shelving providing space for colorful accent dishware.
This is an example of a small eclectic l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Portland with an undermount sink, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, solid surface benchtops, a peninsula, black floor, red benchtop and vinyl floors.

North Drive

T. Scott, Designer

This is an example of a large midcentury galley open plan kitchen in Toronto with an integrated sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, stainless steel benchtops, metallic splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, with island, grey floor and red benchtop.

Contemporary Kitchen with Open Space View

Diditan Group Inc.

Photo of a mid-sized contemporary single-wall eat-in kitchen in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, solid surface benchtops, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and red benchtop.

Bonidy NC

TAB ASSOCIATES INC

Kitchen Island to left, Wolf range/oven in stone surround beyond, Wolf single oven and warming drawer to right, Subzero beyond, Butler's Pantry entrance to left beyond. Cove dishwasher in island right of kitchen sink. Exposed ductwork painted red above both sides of great room.

2015 completed jobs

Chaulk Woodworking Inc.

Wood stained kitchen cabinetry with glass accents, cabinet crown and light rail.
Mid-sized contemporary u-shaped open plan kitchen in Toronto with a double-bowl sink, recessed-panel cabinets, solid surface benchtops, beige splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, a peninsula, brown floor, red benchtop and brown cabinets.

Small Kitchen Remodel

Brown Building Contractors

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional u-shaped open plan kitchen in Seattle with shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, a double-bowl sink, stainless steel appliances, a peninsula, white splashback, grey floor, granite benchtops, ceramic splashback, vinyl floors and red benchtop.

Character Cherry Edge Grain Butcher Block

Hardwood Lumber Company

"I'm very happy with my character cherry countertop and the service I received. The countertop has the perfect mix of heart and sap wood to match my cabinetry. It was sanded very nicely and only required minor touch ups prior to applying the Tung oil finish. I look forward to doing business with Hardwood Lumber Co. again." John

Blue & Copper Kitchen on a budget

Shaun Davies Home Solutions Limited

The painted finish wall cabinets feature an extra-height cornice scribed to the ceiling, for a more premium look and feel.
Inspiration for a small modern l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Cardiff with a single-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, laminate benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, laminate floors, a peninsula, beige floor and red benchtop.

Mid-Century Tacoma Kitchen Remodel

Kirk Riley Design

Completely remodeled Mid-century classic kitchen with red quartz counters and large format glass tile backsplash. New floor plan allowed for twice as much prep space and created a focal point with induction range and exposed vent hood. Photography: Jeff Beck

Town and Country Home

Humanity Home & Cabinetry, LLC.

Design ideas for a large contemporary l-shaped eat-in kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, with island, beige floor and red benchtop.

Compact Kitchen with Colour

Sheffield Sustainable Kitchens

Our clients wanted a fresh approach to make their compact kitchen work better for them. They also wanted it to integrate well with their dining space alongside, creating a better flow between the two rooms and the access from the hallway. On a small footprint, the original kitchen layout didn’t make the most of the available space. Our clients desperately wanted more storage as well as more worktop space. We designed a new kitchen space for our clients, which made use of the footprint they had, as well as improving the functionality. By changing the doorway into the room, we changed the flow through the kitchen and dining spaces and created a deep alcove on the righthand-side of the dining room chimney breast. Freeing up this alcove was a massive space gain, allowing us to increase kitchen storage. We designed a full height storage unit to match the existing cupboards on the other wide of the chimney breast. This new, super deep cupboard space is almost 80cm deep. We divided the internal space between cupboard space above and four considerable drawer pull-outs below. Each drawer holds up to 70kg of contents and pulls right out to give our clients an instant overview of their dry goods and supplies – a fantastic kitchen larder. We painted the new full height cupboard to match and gave them both new matching oak knob handles. The old kitchen had two shorter worktop runs and there was a freestanding cupboard in the space between the cooking and dining zones. We created a compact kitchen peninsula to replace the freestanding unit and united it with the sink run, creating a slim worktop run between the two. This adds to the flow of the kitchen, making the space more of a defined u-shaped kitchen. By adding this new stretch of kitchen worktop to the design, we could include even more kitchen storage. The new kitchen incorporates shallow storage between the peninsula and the sink run. We built in open shelving at a low level and a useful mug and tea cupboard at eye level. We made all the kitchen cabinets from our special eco board, which is produced from 100% recycled timber. The flat panel doors add to the sleek, unfussy style. The light colour cabinetry lends the kitchen a feeling of light and space. The kitchen worktops and upstands are made from recycled paper – created from many, many layers of recycled paper, set in resin to bond it. A really unique material, it is incredibly tactile and develops a lovely patina over time. The pale-coloured kitchen cabinetry is paired with “barely there” toughened glass elements which all help to give the kitchen area a feeling of light and space. The subtle glass splashback behind the hob reflects light into the room as well as protecting the wall surface. The window sills are all made to match and also bounce natural light into the room. The new kitchen is a lovely new functional space which flows well and is integrated with the dining space alongside.

Kitchen with Stainless Steel Appliances and Red 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!