By Dwell Candy Designer Andrew Gath
Design ideas for a contemporary l-shaped kitchen in Austin with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, stone slab splashback, dark hardwood floors and with island.

Sunset Plaza

KES Studio

Interiors by SFA Design Photography by Meghan Beierle-O'Brien
Mid-sized traditional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, marble benchtops, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island and brown floor.

SPRING LAKE -DINING NOOK

Sheila Rich Interiors, LLC

We added a window seat to the updated renovation of this mid-century house, creating a dining nook in the kitchen. It offers additional seating and storage while taking up minimal space. Photography Peter Rymwid

Handmade In-Frame Kitchen in Old White

BP Kitchens & Interiors

This kitchen used an in-frame design with mainly one painted colour, that being the Farrow & Ball Old White. This was accented with natural oak on the island unit pillars and on the bespoke cooker hood canopy. The Island unit features slide away tray storage on one side with tongue and grove panelling most of the way round. All of the Cupboard internals in this kitchen where clad in a Birch veneer. The main Focus of the kitchen was a Mercury Range Cooker in Blueberry. Above the Mercury cooker was a bespoke hood canopy designed to be at the correct height in a very low ceiling room. The sink and tap where from Franke, the sink being a VBK 720 twin bowl ceramic sink and a Franke Venician tap in chrome. The whole kitchen was topped of in a beautiful granite called Ivory Fantasy in a 30mm thickness with pencil round edge profile.

Thompson Residences Penthouse Suite

Nest Design Studio

Echo1 Photography
This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary galley separate kitchen in Toronto with flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, grey splashback, stainless steel appliances, quartz benchtops, stone slab splashback, dark hardwood floors, a peninsula and brown floor.

Deborah Leamann

A view into the kitchen boasts a grand island with v-groove panel detail and a marine grade mahogany top. Photo-Tom Grimes
Large country l-shaped kitchen in Philadelphia with a farmhouse sink, white cabinets, stone slab splashback, panelled appliances, beaded inset cabinets, granite benchtops, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and brown benchtop.

Kitchen Remodeling

Mayer's Construction and Remodeling

This is an example of a transitional u-shaped kitchen in Other with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, grey splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and grey benchtop.

Church Rd Project

Jess Hunter Interior Design

This 90's home received a complete transformation. A renovation on a tight timeframe meant we used our designer tricks to create a home that looks and feels completely different while keeping construction to a bare minimum. This beautiful Dulux 'Currency Creek' kitchen was custom made to fit the original kitchen layout. Opening the space up by adding glass steel framed doors and a double sided Mt Blanc fireplace allowed natural light to flood through.

Kitchens III

Webber Coleman Woodworks

Rustic White Interiors
Photo of a large l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Atlanta with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite benchtops, grey splashback, stone slab splashback, panelled appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and grey benchtop.

Castle Pines Residence Project

Truss Interiors & Renovations

Design ideas for a large transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Denver with recessed-panel cabinets, beige cabinets, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, white benchtop, a farmhouse sink, marble benchtops and stone slab splashback.

YC Residence

North Fork Builders of Montana, Inc.

Photography - LongViews Studios
Design ideas for a large country galley eat-in kitchen in Other with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, granite benchtops, black splashback, stone slab splashback, panelled appliances, with island, brown floor, medium wood cabinets, dark hardwood floors and grey benchtop.

Interiors

DM Contracting & Restoration

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional single-wall open plan kitchen in New York with shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, with island, granite benchtops, grey splashback, white benchtop, an undermount sink, stone slab splashback, panelled appliances, dark hardwood floors and brown floor.

Transitional Kitchen

Memar Interiors Inc

Large transitional u-shaped open plan kitchen in Dallas with a double-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and turquoise benchtop.

Stattuary Classic Quartz Countertops

New Stone Design

Chicago Area's Most Trustworthy Countertop Contractor Tile, Stone & Countertops Contact: Greg Munik Location: Schaumburg, IL
Design ideas for a large modern kitchen in Chicago with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Holmby Hills Residence

lauri morrison studio

Design ideas for an expansive transitional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Los Angeles with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, beige cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Chic Chateau

A. Perry Homes

Kitchen with two islands, both with island sinks; stone slab backsplash and stainless steel appliance finishes
This is an example of an expansive traditional u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Chicago with shaker cabinets, beige cabinets, beige splashback, dark hardwood floors, multiple islands, an undermount sink, marble benchtops, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances and brown floor.

Modern Brooklyn Townhouse

Collaborated Works

Design ideas for a mid-sized modern u-shaped eat-in kitchen in New York with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, marble benchtops, grey splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island and brown floor.

Comstock Hills - Total Renovation, Spanish Transitional

Dana Benson Construction

Interior Design by Grace Benson Photography by Bethany Nauert
Inspiration for a mediterranean l-shaped separate kitchen in Los Angeles with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, grey splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island and brown floor.

Light & White Kitchen | BIANCO VENATO QUARTZ

WK STONE

Bianco Venato Quartz benchtops & splashback. Kitchen Design by Horton & Co Design. Fabrication by Edstein Creative Stone. Photography by Jane Kelly.

Wolf Range and Custom Hood

Melinda Mandell Interior Design

Michelle Drewes
Inspiration for a large traditional open plan kitchen in San Francisco with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite benchtops, grey splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors and with island.

Kitchen with Stone Slab Splashback and Dark 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!