Renovations + Design by Allison Merritt Design, Photography by Ryan Garvin
This is an example of a beach style l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Orange County with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, timber splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, with island and white benchtop.

Architectural Designs House Plan 14637RK Client-Built in Virginia

Architectural Designs

Inspiration for a country l-shaped kitchen in Other with marble benchtops, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, white benchtop, shaker cabinets, white cabinets and subway tile splashback.

Shoal Creek Addition

Jameson Design Group

By moving the exterior wall to the patio out two feet, we were able to create an open kitchen/dining/living space in perfect proportion for this mid-century style home. This extra space allowed us to transform the existing galley kitchen into a U-shape with a peninsula bar. The blue base cabinets pack a punch of color, while the white uppers and backsplash create a light and airy space that looks bigger than the actual square footage.

Five Acres

BAKER POSEY DESIGN

This was a full renovation of a 1920’s home sitting on a five acre lot. This is a beautiful and stately stone home whose interior was a victim of poorly thought-out, dated renovations and a sectioned off apartment taking up a quarter of the home. We changed the layout completely reclaimed the apartment and garage to make this space work for a growing family. We brought back style, elegance and era appropriate details to the main living spaces. Custom cabinetry, amazing carpentry details, reclaimed and natural materials and fixtures all work in unison to make this home complete. Our energetic, fun and positive clients lived through this amazing transformation like pros. The process was collaborative, fun, and organic.

Trendy Transitional Kitchen Remodel

Signature Kitchen & Bath Design Inc.

This young couple wanted to maximize their odd kitchen and dining room for entertaining their family and friends. With a separate formal dining space elsewhere, we opted for a more casual kitchen island for working, eating, baking, and having an occasional glass of wine with a friend. We agreed on maintaining the original galley style kitchen floorpan but decided to shift a few appliances in order to improve efficiency. We added a large island allowing for additional storage, seating, and countertop space and then created a dedicated “beverage bar” to house the espresso machine and large wine refrigerator. We had a lot of fun playing with finishes in this space. We layered a mix of “cool” and “warm” tones to create a multi-depth effect which registers as eclectic and pulled together. Interior Design by Bennett Design Co. Photo by Mike Kaskel

Kitchen and Bathroom renovation, Albemarle County, VA

Weston Construction Company, LLC

Mid-sized modern l-shaped open plan kitchen in Other with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, glass sheet splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, an undermount sink and white benchtop.

Island Focused Modern Kitchen in Naperville, IL

Adam Hartig

Inspiration for a large contemporary l-shaped kitchen in Other with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, glass tile splashback, panelled appliances, with island, brown floor, white benchtop and dark hardwood floors.

Gray Cabinets Brighten This Small Light & White Transitional Family Kitchen

DANIELLE Interior Design & Decor

Embark on a culinary crave with this classic gray and white family kitchen. We chose a warm neutral color for the cabinetry and enhanced this warmth with champagne gold cabinet hardware. These warm gray cabinets can be found at your neighborhood Lowes while the champagne hardware are designed by Atlas. Add another accent of shine to your kitchen and check out the mother of pearl diamond mosaic tile backsplash by Jeffrey Court, as seen here. Adding this hint of sparkle to your small space will allow your kitchen to stay bright and chic. Don't be afraid to mix metals or color. This island houses the glass cook top with a stainless steel hood above the island, and we added a matte black as our finish for the Edison lighting as well as black bar stool seating to tie it all together. The Taj Mahal white Quartzite counter tops are a beauty. The contrast in color creates dimension to your small kitchen layout and will continually catch your eye. Designed by Dani Perkins @ DANIELLE Interior Design & Decor Taylor Abeel Photography

Daniel Island Drive

Delpino Custom Homes

Photography by Patrick Brickman
This is an example of 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.

5,100 Sq. Ft. Modern Farmhouse Showcase Home

Wendy O'Brien Interior Planning & Design

The spacious modern farmhouse kitchen boasts a blend of timeless and modern materials from the dramatically veined quartz countertops to the custom hand-made herringbone patterned tile. Open shelving and cubbies provide an opportunity to display accessories and dishes and the slate grey cabinet bases ground the space while the creamy white upper cabinets feel light as air.

For more photos of this project visit our website: https://wendyobrienid.com.

Open concept modern bungalow, Oakville ON

avenue design inc

Photo of a mid-sized contemporary single-wall open plan kitchen in Toronto with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, with island, an undermount sink, quartz benchtops, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, brown floor and white benchtop.

Bel Air Makeover

Palisades Kitchen & Bath

Design ideas for a beach style u-shaped kitchen in Los Angeles with a single-bowl sink, raised-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, a peninsula and white benchtop.

Gulf River Retreat

Roomscapes Cabinetry and Design Center

Design ideas for a beach style l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Boston with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, beige floor and white benchtop.

Island Forward Modern Kitchen

The Kitchen Master

Photo of a large modern l-shaped separate kitchen in Chicago with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, porcelain splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Frank's House @ Campbell CA

ZMC Products

Large modern l-shaped eat-in kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, mosaic tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, grey floor and white benchtop.

Summit, NJ Modern Kitchen Renovation

DPH Designs, LLC

Beach style l-shaped kitchen in New York with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, multi-coloured splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island and white benchtop.

Newton NH - Custom Paint by Sherwin Williams

Plaistow Cabinet

Shiloh Cabinetry, custom paint by Sherwin Williams - Peppercorn. Instead of glass in the double elliptical doors, we used mirror. The elegance of the mirror fits perfectly with the gorgeous crystal pendant lights and hides what's in the cabinet.

Perry House

Cabinet Designers, Inc

Photo of a large transitional u-shaped eat-in kitchen in New York with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Farmhouse White and Black

Stalburg Design

Inspiration for a country l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Detroit with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, white benchtop, quartz benchtops, grey splashback and porcelain splashback.

Custom Built-ins

Lisa & Leroy

Custom shelving and cabinets were more functional for these homeowners than extra seating.
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional galley separate kitchen in DC Metro with an undermount sink, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, white benchtop, recessed-panel cabinets, solid surface benchtops, grey floor, white splashback and subway tile splashback.

Kitchen with 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!