John Granen.
Inspiration for a large modern u-shaped kitchen in Seattle with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartzite benchtops, white splashback, subway tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, slate floors, a peninsula, black floor and white benchtop.

Modern Rustic Home

Aubrey Veva Design

Inspiration for an industrial u-shaped kitchen in Salt Lake City with shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, white splashback, subway tile splashback, panelled appliances, cement tiles, with island, multi-coloured floor and white benchtop.

Navy Blue & White Kitchen Renovation

Groysman Construction

Design ideas for a mid-sized transitional u-shaped kitchen in San Diego with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, cement tiles, with island, grey floor and white benchtop.

Pearl District Condominium Remodel

User

Design ideas for a small beach style u-shaped kitchen in Portland with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, grey splashback, subway tile splashback, panelled appliances, a peninsula, white benchtop, quartz benchtops, light hardwood floors and beige floor.

Barn House

Maple Hill Design

Kitchen Island with open shelving. - Maaike Bernstrom Photography.
This is an example of a mid-sized country u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Providence with a farmhouse sink, blue cabinets, marble benchtops, grey splashback, porcelain splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island, beige floor, white benchtop, shaker cabinets and light hardwood floors.

Whitewater Retreat

Geneva Cabinet Company, LLC

GENEVA CABINET COMPANY, LLC., Lake Geneva, WI., -What better way to reflect your lake location than with a splash of blue. This kitchen pairs the bold Naval finish from Shiloh Cabinetry with a bright rim of Polar White Upper cabinets. All is balanced with the warmth of their Maple Gunstock finish on the wine/beverage bar and the subtle texture of Shiplap walls.

Eleventh Street Apartment

kimberly peck architect

photo by Pedro Marti The goal of this renovation was to create a stair with a minimal footprint in order to maximize the usable space in this small apartment. The existing living room was divided in two and contained a steep ladder to access the second floor sleeping loft. The client wanted to create a single living space with a true staircase and to open up and preferably expand the old galley kitchen without taking away too much space from the living area. Our solution was to create a new stair that integrated with the kitchen cabinetry and dining area In order to not use up valuable floor area. The fourth tread of the stair continues to create a counter above additional kitchen storage and then cantilevers and wraps around the kitchen’s stone counters to create a dining area. The stair was custom fabricated in two parts. First a steel structure was created, this was then clad by a wood worker who constructed the kitchen cabinetry and made sure the stair integrated seamlessly with the rest of the kitchen. The treads have a floating appearance when looking from the living room, that along with the open rail helps to visually connect the kitchen to the rest of the space. The angle of the dining area table is informed by the existing angled wall at the entry hall, the line of the table is picked up on the other side of the kitchen by new floor to ceiling cabinetry that folds around the rear wall of the kitchen into the hallway creating additional storage within the hall.

When Three Become One

Square Footage Inc.

Photos by Valerie Wilcox
This is an example of an expansive transitional u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Toronto with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, panelled appliances, light hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and blue benchtop.

Newtown Borough Beauty

Bare Root Design Studio

A family completes their major renovation in Newtown,Bucks County with this stunning crisp and casual dream kitchen. Photo credit: Joe Kyle
Design ideas for a large transitional u-shaped kitchen in Philadelphia with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, white splashback, marble splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island, brown floor and white benchtop.

Portfolio

Catherine Hastings Interiors

Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional u-shaped kitchen in Other with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, white splashback, stone slab splashback, grey floor, white benchtop and a peninsula.

Highland Park Kitchen

Kelly Martin Interiors

This is a kitchen remodel in a Craftsman style home located in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA. Photo: Meghan Bob Photography
Photo of a mid-sized arts and crafts u-shaped kitchen in San Francisco with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, ceramic splashback, stainless steel appliances, cement tiles, no island and blue floor.

Constance St. New Orleans

Ambiance Cabinets & Design

Photo of a large country u-shaped kitchen in New Orleans with a farmhouse sink, blue cabinets, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, with island, shaker cabinets, medium hardwood floors and brown floor.

Baron’s Kitchen

KVK Designs

Inspiration for a large country u-shaped separate kitchen in San Francisco with a farmhouse sink, beaded inset cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, multi-coloured splashback, mosaic tile splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors, with island and brown floor.

Montclaire

Modul Marble-Charlotte

Large transitional u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Charlotte with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, white splashback, stone slab splashback, panelled appliances, medium hardwood floors and with island.

Eyecatching asian island

Noah Martin Wood Design

Design ideas for a mid-sized asian u-shaped open plan kitchen in Sacramento with raised-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, wood benchtops, brown splashback, travertine splashback, stainless steel appliances, ceramic floors, with island, beige floor and a farmhouse sink.

The Mill House

Churchwood Design

Photo courtesy of Centaur Media. A bespoke hand-painted tulipwood kitchen with mobile island unit.
Design ideas for a large country u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Other with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartzite benchtops, medium hardwood floors, with island, red splashback, brick splashback and brown floor.

Modern classic kitchen

The Design Yard

Photo of a transitional u-shaped open plan kitchen in Belfast with recessed-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, mirror splashback, black appliances, with island and white floor.

Appartement parisien

MEERO

Design ideas for a mid-sized transitional u-shaped open plan kitchen in Paris with a drop-in sink, raised-panel cabinets, blue cabinets and terra-cotta floors.

Meander Road

Meriwether Inc

Photography by Corey Gaffer
Design ideas for a large traditional u-shaped kitchen in Minneapolis with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, marble benchtops, white splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood floors and with island.

My Houzz: A 1920s Dutch Doctor's House gets new life...

Louise de Miranda

Photo: Louise de Miranda © 2014 Houzz
Design ideas for an eclectic u-shaped kitchen in Amsterdam with blue cabinets, stainless steel appliances and medium hardwood floors.

U-shaped Kitchen with Blue Cabinets 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!