Custom hand-painted Terra-cotta backsplash tile. Custom fabricated hood. Omega Cabinetry.

We designed this cosy grey family kitchen with reclaimed timber and elegant brass finishes, to work better with our clients’ style of living. We created this new space by knocking down an internal wall, to greatly improve the flow between the two rooms. Our clients came to us with the vision of creating a better functioning kitchen with more storage for their growing family. We were challenged to design a more cost-effective space after the clients received some architectural plans which they thought were unnecessary. Storage and open space were at the forefront of this design. Previously, this space was two rooms, separated by a wall. We knocked through to open up the kitchen and create a more communal family living area. Additionally, we knocked through into the area under the stairs to make room for an integrated fridge freezer. The kitchen features reclaimed iroko timber throughout. The wood is reclaimed from old school lab benches, with the graffiti sanded away to reveal the beautiful grain underneath. It’s exciting when a kitchen has a story to tell. This unique timber unites the two zones, and is seen in the worktops, homework desk and shelving. Our clients had two growing children and wanted a space for them to sit and do their homework. As a result of the lack of space in the previous room, we designed a homework bench to fit between two bespoke units. Due to lockdown, the clients children had spent most of the year in the dining room completing their school work. They lacked space and had limited storage for the children’s belongings. By creating a homework bench, we gave the family back their dining area, and the units on either side are valuable storage space. Additionally, the clients are now able to help their children with their work whilst cooking at the same time. This is a hugely important benefit of this multi-functional space. The beautiful tiled splashback is the focal point of the kitchen. The combination of the teal and vibrant yellow into the muted colour palette brightens the room and ties together all of the brass accessories. Golden tones combined with the dark timber give the kitchen a cosy ambiance, creating a relaxing family space. The end result is a beautiful new family kitchen-diner. The transformation made by knocking through has been enormous, with the reclaimed timber and elegant brass elements the stars of the kitchen. We hope that it will provide the family with a warm and homely space for many years to come.

Riverside

Jennifer Radakovic Design

Retro Revival

SGDI - Sarah Gallop Design Inc.

Ema Peter Photography http://www.emapeter.com/ Constructed by Best Builders. http://www.houzz.com/pro/bestbuildersca/ www.bestbuilders.ca

Van Ness by Storie

Storie Collective

Boho meets Portuguese design in a stunning transformation of this Van Ness tudor in the upper northwest neighborhood of Washington, DC. Our team’s primary objectives were to fill space with natural light, period architectural details, and cohesive selections throughout the main level and primary suite. At the entry, new archways are created to maximize light and flow throughout the main level while ensuring the space feels intimate. A new kitchen layout along with a peninsula grounds the chef’s kitchen while securing its part in the everyday living space. Well-appointed dining and living rooms infuse dimension and texture into the home, and a pop of personality in the powder room round out the main level. Strong raw wood elements, rich tones, hand-formed elements, and contemporary nods make an appearance throughout the newly renovated main level and primary suite of the home.

Out of the Blue

C K Cabinetry and Design, LLC

Photography by Jeffery Volker

TALL, DARK + HAWKEYE

Studio Sven

Pine House

Bryant Alsop Architects

Cuisine emerald

Maison Laurel

Laura Garcia

Organic Coastal

Nina Williams Interiors

This kitchen boasts a huge island with six counter stools. The island is green and the backsplash is accented with green zelige tile from Morocco. Textured wicker pendants and white oak shelves give this kitchen an organic feel. White Cafe appliances with brass pulls compliment the white cabinets.

Tropical Kitchen Racine

Decorating Den Interiors - Lois Pade

Rustic Beams

CP Designs Colorado

Warmth of wood, stone, distressed wood, copper & granite makes this kitchen extra appealing.

Gardener's Retreat

Lowell Custom Homes

Lowell Custom Homes, Lake Geneva, WI., Open kitchen plan features Wood-Mode Brookhaven II cabinetry from Geneva Cabinet Company created in a custom color with Quartzite countertops. Appliances include a Wolf range, Miele Oven, Steam Oven, Warming Drawer, and Sub Zero refrigerator. Artistic tile backsplash provided by Bella Tile and Stone in warm coral and soft white.

Breakfast Room Addition, Central West End

Mosby Building Arts

The breakfast addition has built-in banquette seating adjacent to a breakfast bar that connects it to the kitchen. A Central West End home in the City of St. Louis now has a sunroom addition and porch that tastefully compliments the original architecture from 1892. Outside, the brick, cedar and wrought iron back porch reaches out to both the in-ground swimming pool and the driveway. Inside, the sunroom is a combination breakfast nook with banquette seating and a home office. Built-in furniture is how the room accommodates multiple functions while feeling spacious. The homeowner talks about this project at: http://youtu.be/Q5JiQ3errIk Photo by Toby Weiss @ Mosby Building Arts

Padina Remodel

Ariel Bleich Design

Transitional Kitchen, fully remodeled, mix on modern and traditional elements. Materials used are white oak floors, wood and painted cabinets, quartzite countertops and Zellige tile backsplash. The range hood surround is plaster. The appliance garage has glass doors that retract into the cabinet the glass pattern is ribbed.

Colorful & Cheery

Sunnyfields Cabinetry

Transitional kitchen counter with white cabinetry, dark countertops, matching dark wood shelving, and light teal tile backsplash.

New Home Construction

Parkinson Building Group

Custom home by Parkinson Building Group in Little Rock, AR.

Southwestern Kitchen in Jamison, PA

Lang's Kitchen & Bath

This kitchen renovation brings a taste of the southwest to the Jamison, PA home. The distinctive design and color scheme is brought to life by the beautiful handmade terracotta tiles, which is complemented by the warm wood tones of the kitchen cabinets. Extra features like a dish drawer cabinet, countertop pot filler, built in laundry center, and chimney hood add to both the style and practical elements of the kitchen.

White cabinets to putty cream with taupe detailing

Brilliant Cabinet Solutions

These 1990's white cabinets are very high end but they needed some new granite and a switch in the base color to a putty colored cream with a taupe glaze detailing to tie them in with the new cream and brown granite (the old granite not pictured here was pink, white and gray). The entire palate came from the already existing back splash.

Family Residence, Custom Home, Kitchen

CBI Design Professionals, Inc.

This home is in a rural area. The client was wanting a home reminiscent of those built by the auto barons of Detroit decades before. The home focuses on a nature area enhanced and expanded as part of this property development. The water feature, with its surrounding woodland and wetland areas, supports wild life species and was a significant part of the focus for our design. We orientated all primary living areas to allow for sight lines to the water feature. This included developing an underground pool room where its only windows looked over the water while the room itself was depressed below grade, ensuring that it would not block the views from other areas of the home. The underground room for the pool was constructed of cast-in-place architectural grade concrete arches intended to become the decorative finish inside the room. An elevated exterior patio sits as an entertaining area above this room while the rear yard lawn conceals the remainder of its imposing size. A skylight through the grass is the only hint at what lies below. Great care was taken to locate the home on a small open space on the property overlooking the natural area and anticipated water feature. We nestled the home into the clearing between existing trees and along the edge of a natural slope which enhanced the design potential and functional options needed for the home. The style of the home not only fits the requirements of an owner with a desire for a very traditional mid-western estate house, but also its location amongst other rural estate lots. The development is in an area dotted with large homes amongst small orchards, small farms, and rolling woodlands. Materials for this home are a mixture of clay brick and limestone for the exterior walls. Both materials are readily available and sourced from the local area. We used locally sourced northern oak wood for the interior trim. The black cherry trees that were removed were utilized as hardwood flooring for the home we designed next door. Mechanical systems were carefully designed to obtain a high level of efficiency. The pool room has a separate, and rather unique, heating system. The heat recovered as part of the dehumidification and cooling process is re-directed to maintain the water temperature in the pool. This process allows what would have been wasted heat energy to be re-captured and utilized. We carefully designed this system as a negative pressure room to control both humidity and ensure that odors from the pool would not be detectable in the house. The underground character of the pool room also allowed it to be highly insulated and sealed for high energy efficiency. The disadvantage was a sacrifice on natural day lighting around the entire room. A commercial skylight, with reflective coatings, was added through the lawn-covered roof. The skylight added a lot of natural daylight and was a natural chase to recover warm humid air and supply new cooled and dehumidified air back into the enclosed space below. Landscaping was restored with primarily native plant and tree materials, which required little long term maintenance. The dedicated nature area is thriving with more wildlife than originally on site when the property was undeveloped. It is rare to be on site and to not see numerous wild turkey, white tail deer, waterfowl and small animals native to the area. This home provides a good example of how the needs of a luxury estate style home can nestle comfortably into an existing environment and ensure that the natural setting is not only maintained but protected for future generations.

Kitchen with an Undermount Sink and Terra-cotta 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!