Design ideas for a mid-sized transitional u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Salt Lake City with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, light wood cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, matchstick tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, a peninsula, brown floor and white benchtop.

Saratoga Pool House

Mimi Snowden Design

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

Contemporary Kitchen

Photo of a large contemporary u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Other with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, matchstick tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors and with island.

Blueridge

12-Gauge Electric Inc.

designed by @D. Zucker Design
This is an example of an expansive transitional galley eat-in kitchen in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, matchstick tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, marble floors, with island and brown floor.

TriBeCa Loft

User

Whitney Kidder Photography
Contemporary kitchen in New York with an undermount sink, open cabinets, stainless steel cabinets, white splashback, matchstick tile splashback, stainless steel appliances and with island.

Heather & Bob's kitchen

Rebecca Melo

Cabinet Works Plus-Rebecca Melo, designer Green Mountain Soapstone, St. Catherines Karen Byker, photographer
Photo of a contemporary kitchen in Toronto with black appliances, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, soapstone benchtops, white splashback and matchstick tile splashback.

Rénovation totale d'une maison des années 30 à Bagneux

JLC Intérieurs

This is an example of a mid-sized midcentury l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Paris with an undermount sink, wood benchtops, white splashback, matchstick tile splashback, white appliances, light hardwood floors, no island, multi-coloured floor and beige benchtop.

Murrumbateman Residence

Studio Black Interiors

For this new family home in the rural area of Murrumbateman NSW, the interior design aesthetic was an earthy palette, incorporating soft patterns, stone cladding and warmth through timber finishes. For these empty nesters, simple and classic was key to be able to incorporate their collection of pre-loved furniture pieces and create a home for their children and grandchildren to enjoy. Built by REP Building. Photography by Hcreations.

Casa Privata

Niccolò Mazzoni

intervento in casa privata, nuova costruzione, modello E0 con gola zoccolo e profilo finitura titanio, basi laccato opaco polvere e top in Laminam.
Large modern galley eat-in kitchen in Florence with an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, matchstick tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, ceramic floors, with island, grey floor, white benchtop and recessed.

Martha

LOPEZ ARCHITECTS AIA

Mid-sized contemporary u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, matchstick tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, ceramic floors, with island, grey floor and white benchtop.

Wycoff, NJ Transitional Kitchen

Rita Lyons Designs

Large transitional u-shaped separate kitchen in New York with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, matchstick tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island and brown floor.

Bucknell

MAK Design + Build Inc.

Dave Adams Photography
Mid-sized contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Sacramento with shaker cabinets, stainless steel appliances, an undermount sink, medium wood cabinets, solid surface benchtops, white splashback, matchstick tile splashback, medium hardwood floors, with island and beige floor.

River Oaks Contemporary Kitchen

Kitchen & Bath Concepts

Challenge: Redesign the kitchen area for the original owner who built this home in the early 1970’s. Our design challenge was to create a completely new space that was functional, beautiful and much more open. The original kitchen, storage and utility spaces were outdated and very chopped up with a mechanical closet placed in the middle of the space located directly in front of the only large window in the room. We relocated the mechanical closet and the utility room to the back of the space with a Butler’s Pantry separating the two. The original large window is now revealed with a new lowered eating bar and a second island centered on it, featuring a dramatic linear light fixture above. We enlarged the window over the main kitchen sink for more light and created a new window to the right of the sink with a view towards the pool. The main cooking area of the kitchen features a large island with elevated walnut seating bar and 36” gas cooktop. A full 36” Built-in Refrigerator is located in the Kitchen with an additional Sub-Zero Refrigerator and Freezer located in the Butler’s Pantry. Result: Client’s Dream Kitchen Realized. Designed by Micqui McGowen, CKD, RID. Photographed by Julie Soefer.

Open Concept Kitchen

Southam Design Inc

Photo of a mid-sized contemporary eat-in kitchen in Ottawa with a single-bowl sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite benchtops, white splashback, matchstick tile splashback, dark hardwood floors and brown floor.

Twin Peaks House

Mihaly Slocombe

Twin Peaks House is a vibrant extension to a grand Edwardian homestead in Kensington. Originally built in 1913 for a wealthy family of butchers, when the surrounding landscape was pasture from horizon to horizon, the homestead endured as its acreage was carved up and subdivided into smaller terrace allotments. Our clients discovered the property decades ago during long walks around their neighbourhood, promising themselves that they would buy it should the opportunity ever arise. Many years later the opportunity did arise, and our clients made the leap. Not long after, they commissioned us to update the home for their family of five. They asked us to replace the pokey rear end of the house, shabbily renovated in the 1980s, with a generous extension that matched the scale of the original home and its voluminous garden. Our design intervention extends the massing of the original gable-roofed house towards the back garden, accommodating kids’ bedrooms, living areas downstairs and main bedroom suite tucked away upstairs gabled volume to the east earns the project its name, duplicating the main roof pitch at a smaller scale and housing dining, kitchen, laundry and informal entry. This arrangement of rooms supports our clients’ busy lifestyles with zones of communal and individual living, places to be together and places to be alone. The living area pivots around the kitchen island, positioned carefully to entice our clients' energetic teenaged boys with the aroma of cooking. A sculpted deck runs the length of the garden elevation, facing swimming pool, borrowed landscape and the sun. A first-floor hideout attached to the main bedroom floats above, vertical screening providing prospect and refuge. Neither quite indoors nor out, these spaces act as threshold between both, protected from the rain and flexibly dimensioned for either entertaining or retreat. Galvanised steel continuously wraps the exterior of the extension, distilling the decorative heritage of the original’s walls, roofs and gables into two cohesive volumes. The masculinity in this form-making is balanced by a light-filled, feminine interior. Its material palette of pale timbers and pastel shades are set against a textured white backdrop, with 2400mm high datum adding a human scale to the raked ceilings. Celebrating the tension between these design moves is a dramatic, top-lit 7m high void that slices through the centre of the house. Another type of threshold, the void bridges the old and the new, the private and the public, the formal and the informal. It acts as a clear spatial marker for each of these transitions and a living relic of the home’s long history.

Studio locatif bordelais

Coline Pouget Design

Small tropical single-wall open plan kitchen in Bordeaux with an undermount sink, beaded inset cabinets, beige cabinets, laminate benchtops, white splashback, matchstick tile splashback, panelled appliances and laminate floors.

New Home -8616 Cantera Way

Robinson Builders

Design ideas for a large transitional u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Dallas with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite benchtops, white splashback, matchstick tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and grey benchtop.

Мятная кухня в сталинке на Ленинском проспекте

Belado

Photo of a small contemporary l-shaped separate kitchen in Moscow with an integrated sink, recessed-panel cabinets, green cabinets, solid surface benchtops, matchstick tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, no island, grey floor and white splashback.

Westgarth House Renovation

Megan Norgate

Inspiration for a contemporary l-shaped separate kitchen in Melbourne with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, white splashback, matchstick tile splashback and stainless steel appliances.

Preserve Parkway

Studio Shelter

Photo of a large transitional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Denver with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, matchstick tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, multiple islands, beige floor, white benchtop and coffered.

Kitchen with White 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!