Blackened steel hardware contrasts the light Baltic birch and maple cabinets. Photography by Kes Efstathiou
This is an example of a country open plan kitchen in Seattle with light wood cabinets, black appliances, concrete floors, with island and wood.

Brimfield Home

Executive Developers, LLC

View from kitchen and wet bar from dining room
Photo of an expansive country l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Other with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, soapstone benchtops, grey splashback, engineered quartz splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, multi-coloured floor, grey benchtop and wood.

Broadmoor Mid Century

Patricia Brennan Architects

This open kitchen is great for entertaining. The vaulted ceilings emphasize the generosity of the space while the natural materials add warmth to the space.

Wine Cup Hill Kitchen & Living Room Remodel

Haven Design and Construction

Our clients desired an organic and airy look for their kitchen and living room areas. Our team began by painting the entire home a creamy white and installing all new white oak floors throughout. The former dark wood kitchen cabinets were removed to make room for the new light wood and white kitchen. The clients originally requested an "all white" kitchen, but the designer suggested bringing in light wood accents to give the kitchen some additional contrast. The wood ceiling cloud helps to anchor the space and echoes the new wood ceiling beams in the adjacent living area. To further incorporate the wood into the design, the designer framed each cabinetry wall with white oak "frames" that coordinate with the wood flooring. Woven barstools, textural throw pillows and olive trees complete the organic look. The original large fireplace stones were replaced with a linear ripple effect stone tile to add modern texture. Cozy accents and a few additional furniture pieces were added to the clients existing sectional sofa and chairs to round out the casually sophisticated space.

One Sunset Residence, Camano Island WA.

Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects

Kitchen looking toward dining/living space.
This is an example of a mid-sized modern l-shaped open plan kitchen in Seattle with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, granite benchtops, green splashback, glass tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, with island, grey floor, black benchtop and wood.

West Seattle Mid-Century

Board & Vellum

Photos by Tina Witherspoon.
Large midcentury u-shaped open plan kitchen in Seattle with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, blue splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, white benchtop and wood.

Glen Ellen Residence

Knock Architecture and Design

Inspiration for a mid-sized midcentury l-shaped open plan kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, wood benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, black appliances, concrete floors, with island, grey floor, brown benchtop and wood.

Traditional Hand Carved Kitchen in New Jersey.

WL Kitchen & Home

This traditional kitchen balances decorative details with elegance, to create a timeless design that feels luxurious and highly functional.
Design ideas for a large traditional u-shaped separate kitchen in New York with a drop-in sink, shaker cabinets, distressed cabinets, quartz benchtops, beige splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island, white floor, beige benchtop and wood.

Fine Details for Fine Dining

Lenton Company, Inc.

Mom's old home is transformed for the next generation to gather and entertain.
This is an example of a large traditional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Los Angeles with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, panelled appliances, ceramic floors, with island, brown floor, white benchtop and wood.

Wildwood - Kitchen

Giulietti Schouten Weber Architects

Inspiration for a contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Portland with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, white benchtop and wood.

Chelan South Shore Kitchen

Distinctive Kitchens

Inspiration images for our Lake Chelan South Shore kitchen and great room remodel
This is an example of a large transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Seattle with grey cabinets, quartzite benchtops, light hardwood floors, with island, a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, stainless steel appliances, beige floor, black benchtop, exposed beam, vaulted and wood.

Wainscott Residence

SKOLNICK Architecture & Design Partnership

Kitchen
Inspiration for a large contemporary l-shaped kitchen in New York with with island, a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, grey splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, beige floor and wood.

Pine Ridge MCM Addition and Whole House Remodel

Atlas Moran Construction

White Poggen Pohl cabinetry and Miele Appliances
This is an example of a mid-sized midcentury l-shaped eat-in kitchen in DC Metro with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, white benchtop, wood, quartz benchtops and ceramic splashback.

connecting the pieces renovation

BAKER POSEY DESIGN

tall retractable doors reveal a chargin stations and mail area on the left and pantry on the right, a prep sink and wall sconces, eaved ceiling and beams make this space charming and highly functional

Isle of Palms Lowcountry Modern

Phillip Smith General Contractor, LLC

Expansive beach style single-wall open plan kitchen in Charleston with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, marble splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, beige floor, white benchtop and wood.

French Country Florida Style

Waterview Kitchens

Gorgeous French Country style kitchen featuring a rustic cherry hood with coordinating island. White inset cabinetry frames the dark cherry creating a timeless design.

Molesey Park Road

Concept 8 Architects

kitchen
Inspiration for a contemporary l-shaped kitchen in Surrey with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, white splashback, stone slab splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island, grey floor, white benchtop and wood.

IMG_3030.heic

L/L Design - Build - Furnish

The focal point of the kitchen includes a custom hood, a beautiful marble backsplash, gold plumbing fixtures and hardware, as you can see it’s absolutely stunning!

Homeland Farmhouse

Nina Williams Interiors

The reclaimed wood hood draws attention in this large farmhouse kitchen. A pair of reclaimed doors were fitted with antique mirror and were repurposed as pantry doors. Brass lights and hardware add elegance. The island is painted a contrasting gray and is surrounded by rope counter stools. The ceiling is clad in pine tounge- in -groove boards to create a rich rustic feeling. In the coffee bar the brick from the family room bar repeats, to created a flow between all the spaces.

The Bedford House

Lori Dennis, Inc.

Modern Kitchen with Wood Accents. Flat panel wood cabinets and flat panel grey cabinets blended together with white marble counter and blacksplash. Round glass light pendants hang above contemporary kitchen island, white modern bar stools sit on wide plank light wood flooring.

Kitchen with with Island and Wood 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!