Midcentury l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Denver with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, blue splashback, glass tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, white benchtop and wood.

Mid-Century Modern Highland Park West Home

Mosier Luxury Homes

Inspiration for a large midcentury galley eat-in kitchen in Austin with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, a peninsula and white benchtop.

Interior Styling

Danielle Lancaster Interiors

This is an example of a mid-sized midcentury l-shaped kitchen in Manchester with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, quartzite benchtops, light hardwood floors, no island and white benchtop.

Midcentury Kitchen

Willow Creek Interiors

Photo of a mid-sized midcentury l-shaped open plan kitchen in Seattle with flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island and white benchtop.

Peninsula with Sink in Updated Mid-Century Modern Kitchen

MAK Design + Build Inc.

Mid-sized midcentury u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Sacramento with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, a peninsula, white floor, white benchtop and exposed beam.

A Splash of Yellow

Next Stage Design + Build

Design ideas for a mid-sized midcentury u-shaped eat-in kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz benchtops, yellow splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, white benchtop and timber.

Mid-Century Modern Rehabilitation

Herron Horton Architects, Inc.

Kitchen with walnut cabinets and screen constructed by Woodunique.
Large midcentury galley eat-in kitchen in Little Rock with an undermount sink, dark wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, blue splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, dark hardwood floors, no island, white benchtop, exposed beam, vaulted, flat-panel cabinets and brown floor.

Bloomington Flansburgh House

Susan Yeley Homes

Nearly two decades ago now, Susan and her husband put a letter in the mailbox of this eastside home: "If you have any interest in selling, please reach out." But really, who would give up a Flansburgh House? Fast forward to 2020, when the house went on the market! By then it was clear that three children and a busy home design studio couldn't be crammed into this efficient footprint. But what's second best to moving into your dream home? Being asked to redesign the functional core for the family that was. In this classic Flansburgh layout, all the rooms align tidily in a square around a central hall and open air atrium. As such, all the spaces are both connected to one another and also private; and all allow for visual access to the outdoors in two directions—toward the atrium and toward the exterior. All except, in this case, the utilitarian galley kitchen. That space, oft-relegated to second class in midcentury architecture, got the shaft, with narrow doorways on two ends and no good visual access to the atrium or the outside. Who spends time in the kitchen anyway? As is often the case with even the very best midcentury architecture, the kitchen at the Flansburgh House needed to be modernized; appliances and cabinetry have come a long way since 1970, but our culture has evolved too, becoming more casual and open in ways we at SYH believe are here to stay. People (gasp!) do spend time—lots of time!—in their kitchens! Nonetheless, our goal was to make this kitchen look as if it had been designed this way by Earl Flansburgh himself. The house came to us full of bold, bright color. We edited out some of it (along with the walls it was on) but kept and built upon the stunning red, orange and yellow closet doors in the family room adjacent to the kitchen. That pop was balanced by a few colorful midcentury pieces that our clients already owned, and the stunning light and verdant green coming in from both the atrium and the perimeter of the house, not to mention the many skylights. Thus, the rest of the space just needed to quiet down and be a beautiful, if neutral, foil. White terrazzo tile grounds custom plywood and black cabinetry, offset by a half wall that offers both camouflage for the cooking mess and also storage below, hidden behind seamless oak tambour. Contractor: Rusty Peterson Cabinetry: Stoll's Woodworking Photographer: Sarah Shields

West Seattle Mid-Century

Board & Vellum

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

Bastien Renovation

Su Casa Cabinets INC

Large midcentury u-shaped kitchen pantry in Other with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, solid surface benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, multi-coloured benchtop and timber.

All Electric Home - kitchen

Tali Hardonag Architect

Photo of a mid-sized midcentury l-shaped kitchen pantry in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, multi-coloured splashback, panelled appliances, vinyl floors, with island, multi-coloured benchtop and exposed beam.

Lake Sawyer Remodel

Malone's Landscape Design | Build

Open architecture with exposed beams and wood ceiling create a natural indoor/outdoor ambiance in this midcentury remodel. The dark granite countertops are perfect for the black and white themed decor and the flat panel cabinets house the built in Fischer Paykel column refrigerators.

Ideal Space, Lavish Lifestlye

Prime Realty

Small midcentury l-shaped open plan kitchen in Los Angeles with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, green cabinets, granite benchtops, white splashback, engineered quartz splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor, white benchtop and timber.

Montclair Sanctuary

Tina Montemayor Design

Small midcentury l-shaped open plan kitchen in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, green splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island, multi-coloured benchtop and exposed beam.

Kitchen Island, cabinets and workspace

Braden Construction, Inc.

Large center island, medium color flat-panel lower drawers, and campground green upper cabinets.
Photo of a large midcentury galley eat-in kitchen in Other with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, green cabinets, wood benchtops, beige splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island and beige benchtop.

Oak Hills Mid Century Modern

Mosaik Design & Remodeling

This outdated kitchen came with flowered wallpaper, narrow connections to Entry and Dining Room, outdated cabinetry and poor workflow. By opening up the ceiling to expose existing beams, widening both entrys and adding taller, angled windows, light now steams into this bright and cheery Mid Century Modern kitchen. The custom Pratt & Larson turquoise tiles add so much interest and tie into the new custom painted blue door. The walnut wood base cabinets add a warm, natural element. A cozy seating area for TV watching, reading and coffee looks out to the new clear cedar fence and landscape.

Dexter Colonial (Midcentury Modern Remodel)

exactly.

Design ideas for a large midcentury u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Detroit with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Forest Hills Mid-Century Remodel

The Kingston Group - Remodeling Specialists

Inspiration for a large midcentury l-shaped eat-in kitchen in Nashville with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, green splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, white benchtop and vaulted.

20th Century Denver

Watson & Co

Design ideas for a midcentury galley kitchen in Denver with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, multi-coloured splashback, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Eichler - Inspired Home

Carmit Oron Interior Design

Inspiration for a large midcentury single-wall eat-in kitchen in San Francisco with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, porcelain floors, with island, grey floor, white benchtop and vaulted.

All Cabinet Finishes Midcentury Kitchen 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 Midcentury 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!