The addition of casement windows flanking the range opens this wall up to the stunning view, bringing light and color into the space. A slight jog in the base cabinet depth adds definition to the range and hood. The far end of the island switches from quartzite to butcher block counters, creating a perfect work space.

An Arts and Crafts Kitchen in Kent by deVOL

deVOL Kitchens

Design ideas for a transitional kitchen in Other with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors and with island.

Cornish Blue Kitchen

George Robinson Kitchens

Detail of the stunning maple wood worktop in this bespoke kitchen. Plug lids neatly conceal the integrrated waste bin unit and undermounted circular sink when not in use.

HGTV Modern Farmhouse Marine Blue Kitchen

SH interiors

We completely renovated this space for an episode of HGTV House Hunters Renovation. The kitchen was originally a galley kitchen. We removed a wall between the DR and the kitchen to open up the space. We used a combination of countertops in this kitchen. To give a buffer to the wood counters, we used slabs of marble each side of the sink. This adds interest visually and helps to keep the water away from the wood counters. We used blue and cream for the cabinetry which is a lovely, soft mix and wood shelving to match the wood counter tops. To complete the eclectic finishes we mixed gold light fixtures and cabinet hardware with black plumbing fixtures and shelf brackets.

Rosslyn Cabin

Studio Miel

Photography: Stacy Zarin Goldberg
Photo of a small contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in DC Metro with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, porcelain floors, with island, brown floor, white appliances and brown benchtop.

Briarwood Lane

J Wilson Fuqua & Associates Architects

Design ideas for a traditional eat-in kitchen in Dallas with recessed-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, mosaic tile splashback, a farmhouse sink, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors and brown floor.

Cold Springs Farm

Period Architecture Ltd.

Photo by Angle Eye Photography.
Photo of a country l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Philadelphia with stainless steel appliances, raised-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, white splashback, an undermount sink, porcelain splashback, brick floors and with island.

Cuisine Marly le Roi

Olivia Martin / Architecte d'Intérieur

Cuisine style campagne chic un peu British
Mid-sized country l-shaped open plan kitchen in Paris with a farmhouse sink, glass-front cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, no island, brown floor and brown benchtop.

42 m2 coloré

Emilie Melin architecte DPLG

Small contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in Paris with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, blue splashback, ceramic splashback, panelled appliances, terrazzo floors, multi-coloured floor and brown benchtop.

LAUREL KITCHEN

Kate Roos Design LLC

By taking over the former butler's pantry and relocating the rear entry, the new kitchen is a large, bright space with improved traffic flow and efficient work space.

Beautiful Laguna Kitchen Remodel | Burnsville, MN | White Birch Design LLC

White Birch Design, LLC

This 1970's home had a complete makeover! The goal of the project was to 1) open up the main floor living and gathering spaces and 2) create a more beautiful and functional kitchen. We took out the dividing wall between the front living room and the kitchen and dining room to create one large gathering space, perfect for a young family and for entertaining friends! Onto the exciting part - the kitchen! The existing kitchen was U-Shaped with not much room to have more than 1 person working at a time. We kept the appliances in the same locations, but really expanded the amount of workspace and cabinet storage by taking out the peninsula and adding a large island. The cabinetry, from Holiday Kitchens, is a blue-gray color on the lowers and classic white on the uppers. The countertops are walnut butcherblock on the perimeter and a marble looking quartz on the island. The backsplash, one of our favorites, is a diamond shaped mosaic in a rhombus pattern, which adds just the right amount of texture without overpowering all the gorgeous details of the cabinets and countertops. The hardware is a champagne bronze - one thing we love to do is mix and match our metals! The faucet is from Kohler and is in Matte Black, the sink is from Blanco and is white. The flooring is a luxury vinyl plank with a warm wood tone - which helps bring all the elements of the kitchen together we think! Overall - this is one of our favorite kitchens to date - so many beautiful details on their own, but put together create this gorgeous kitchen!

1926 Cottage Guesthouse

Johnson Consulting

This project was a rehabilitation from a 1926 maid's quarters into a guesthouse. Tiny house.
Photo of a small traditional l-shaped kitchen in Little Rock with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, white splashback, medium hardwood floors, no island, brown floor, brown benchtop, timber, timber splashback and stainless steel appliances.

Westhaven Kitchen

Cairns Architecture

A small remodel with a striking improvement. The upgrades only removed a couple of interior walls, with no structural changes, but dramatically opened up the kitchen to the living room and dining room. New windows allowed for balanced light that accented the more modern layout. Clients picked a mixture of finishes that freshened up the space, which some visitors to the house have described as "Scandi Chic," but while still paying homage to the original cabin that are the bones of the home.

Bethesda Sommerset

Sarah Kahn Turner

Photo by Keiana Photography
Inspiration for a large transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in DC Metro with shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, blue splashback, ceramic splashback, panelled appliances and with island.

Portage, IN. Haas Lifestyle Collection. Two-Toned Maple Kitchen

Bailey's Cabinets

Cabinet Brand: Haas Lifestyle Collection Wood Species: Maple Cabinet Finish: Bistro (upper cabinets) & Seaworthy (base cabinets) Door Style: Heartland Counter top: John Boos Butcher Block, Maple, Oil finish

kitchen

Abode Carpentry Ltd

Transitional u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Other with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, marble splashback, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, grey splashback, a peninsula, brown floor and brown benchtop.

Boscastle Road

Finkernagel Ross GmbH

This is an example of a large contemporary galley open plan kitchen in London with flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, grey splashback, with island, a drop-in sink, panelled appliances, concrete floors, grey floor and brown benchtop.

Midnight blue kitchen - Berkshire

Fowler Architecture & Planning

Photo of a large transitional l-shaped open plan kitchen in Berkshire with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, marble splashback and beige floor.

Rosslyn Cabin

Studio Miel

Photography: Stacy Zarin Goldberg
Photo of a small contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen in DC Metro with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, white appliances, porcelain floors, with island and brown floor.

Colleton River

Randolph Stewart

Design ideas for a large mediterranean u-shaped kitchen in Atlanta with shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island, a farmhouse sink, terra-cotta floors and brown benchtop.

Kitchen with Blue Cabinets and Wood Benchtops 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!