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Kirsten Francis

93 Best Kitchen Design Ideas for Every Style and Budget

Create the kitchen of your dreams with these smart, savvy, and stylish ideas.

By Amy MitchellUpdated: Jul 26, 2024

The kitchen is the heart of the home, as the saying goes. But if you’re living with a too-cramped layout or outdated cabinets, it can feel more like heartache than true love. In this photo gallery of kitchen design ideas, you’ll discover loads of clever ways to take your cook space from “seen better days” to the kitchen of your dreams.

For both big and small kitchen ideas on a budget, paint is perhaps the easiest way to make a big impact. Kitchen color ideas—like painting cabinets, walls, ceilings, and floors—go a long way. (And while we savor all timeless white kitchen ideas, we’ve yet to meet a green kitchen or a blue kitchen we don’t love!). Here are some other quick and inexpensive weekend DIY projects: replacing cabinet hardware, swapping out dated fixtures with cool kitchen lighting ideas, or even something as simple as arranging your favorite collections on open shelving (it feels new, and it’s free!).

If you’ve just plain had it with your kitchen and are craving a full overhaul, put that contractor on speed dial and plan your budget for surprises. Renovations that involve kitchen layout ideas can be a bit more complicated but well worth the investment in creating the most functional and beautiful space ever. So get cooking now with these smart kitchen décor ideas!

Here are more kitchen ideas to help you achieve the cook space of your dreams:

Pick a Sunshine-y Paint

a cheery sunny yellow kitchen with gingham curtains and white marble countertops that extend into an ornately carved backsplash behind the sink

In this happy yellow kitchen, custom Shaker-style cabinets and a tall 6-foot-8-inch wood-paneled backsplash are coated in a vibrant yellow paint. Design details like the William Morris wallpaper, gingham cafe curtain, and painted checkered floors add even more cheer.

Get the Look:
Cabinetry Paint Color: Sudbury Yellow by Farrow & Ball

Add a Touch of Sparkle

neutral farmhouse kitchen with a wood table

Erin Kelly

In this tiny Ohio cottage’s kitchen, simple Shaker-front cabinets, soapstone countertops, and calming taupe walls are all equally unfussy, while bits of sparkle from the Zellige tile on the backsplash and flecks of gold in the picture frame add the just-right touch of polish.

Get the Look:
Wall Paint Color: Lime White by Benjamin Moore
Backsplash Tile: Parched Vellum Zellige Tile by Clé

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Build in Open Shelving

green kitchen in an 1850s maryland farmhouse with open shelves

Helen Norman

To keep her farmhouse kitchen airy and open, homeowner and photographer Helen Norman wrapped two walls with three rows of simple bracketed shelves. “I think a kitchen breathes better with the openness above,” she says. Open shelving has other notable perks: It offers a place to display collections and invites guests to serve themselves (no opening every cabinet to find a coffee mug!).

Get the Look:
Cabinetry Paint Color: Gloucester Sage by Benjamin Moore

Mix Countertop Materials

a tiny blue kitchen pantry space that has marble countertops and wood too

Laurey W. Glenn

With so many great countertop choices on the market, mix up materials as needed, like here, where marble is featured on the sink wall with wood countertops on the sides. This same design idea is widely employed in farmhouse kitchens with islands, with one type of countertop around the perimeter and a contrasting material on the island.

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Frame the View

barn kitchen with wood dresser as cabinet

Erin Little

Whether you’re in the country, in the mountains, or by the sea, sometimes the view is the best thing about a room. In this airy barn kitchen, designer Christina Salway left this trio of large windows bare to celebrate the landscape beyond. Creamy white walls pair with touches of natural wood on cabinets, ceiling beams, and window trim to create a quiet, rustic design.

Get the Look:
Wall, Ceiling, and Cabinetry Paint Color: All White by Farrow & Ball

Lay Statement Tiles

a kitchen with a dining room table with chairs and a stove

Nick Johnson

Floor tile can add quite the pattern punch to any kitchen. Here, new Moroccan floor tile has an aged finish that brings in soft color and pattern that lays the groundwork for this kitchen’s entire design.

Get the Look:
Bentwood Chairs: For similar, Bentwood Dining Chairs from Amazon
Wall Paint Color: Mountain Peak White by Benjamin Moore
Cabinetry Paint Color: Olympic Mountains by Benjamin Moore

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Display Prized Possessions

a kitchen with mint green painted cabinets and a collection of white dishes and a table in the middle

Rikki Snyder

Novelist Jean Hanff Korelitz’s circa-1890s home came with most of the built-ins, including the kitchen’s tall cupboard that holds her extensive ironstone collection. For her pink lustreware, she stacked old cubbies above the salvaged sink.

Get the Look:
Cabinetry Paint Color: Palm by Farrow & Ball

Paint the Floors

David Hillegas

“The best way to express color and pattern in a kitchen is with a painted floor,” says designer Heather Chadduck Hillegas. “I’ve always been inspired by those in Bunny Mellon’s homes and wanted to do something similar.” To achieve this look, try a floor stencil, then give it instant age by using a palm sander to remove some of the paint. Seal with polyurethane.

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Add Charming Checks

farmhouse kitchen of north carolina homeowner ronnie thompson with green cabinets and gingham wallpaper

Becky Lugart-Stayner

At Country Living, we’re hard-pressed to find a pattern with more country charm than checks. Here, gingham wallpaper in a pretty straw and cream colorway wraps the walls of this North Carolina kitchen. Deep green lower cabinets, a furniture-like built-in, and a farmhouse table with chairs and a bench make this kitchen feel homey and comfortable.

Get the Look:
Cabinetry Paint Color: Enchanted Forest by Benjamin Moore
Wallpaper: For similar, “Bebe Gingham Driftwood” by Seabrook

Consider Concrete Countertops

concrete countertops site atop reclaimed wood cabinetry in a mountain house

Brie Williams

In this North Carolina cabin, hardworking concrete countertops sit atop rustic cabinets made of reclaimed wood. Heavier than other materials, concrete countertops often require reinforcements, so be sure your cabinets are structurally sound before installing.

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Embellish the Ceiling

cabin kitchen in north caroline blue ridge mountains that is rustic yet refined

Brie Williams, styling by Rachel Rivers

When renovating a kitchen, don’t forget the fifth wall—the ceiling. Whether you paint it, cover it in a snappy wallpaper, or clad it in wood, a stylish ceiling application instantly makes a room feel its coziest. In this North Carolina cabin designed by architects Pursley Dixon, the pine ceiling is stained a soft white for an understated look. A semi-transparent stain allows the knotholes to show through, which makes for a decidedly farmhouse feel.

Stay Grounded with Brown Furniture

white farmhouse kitchen with green painted floor

BRIE WILLIAMS, styling by Page Mullins

When your kitchen sings with color, keep the room grounded with neutral brown furniture. In this cheery kitchen, a 19th-century English pine dresser (left) and hanging pine plate rack house a collection of everyday blue-and-white transferware, while a farmhouse table and wood countertops bring even more warmth.

Get the Look:
Floor Paint Color: Arsenic by Farrow & Ball

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Utilize Vertical Space

white kitchen with green and white checkerboard floor

Kirsten Francis

In a kitchen, every inch counts. Here, tiny cabinets tuck in just below the ceiling to maximize vertical space. We suggest storing less-used seasonal items in higher cabinets. Glass-front doors allow pretty glassware to be admired.

Get the Look:
Cabinetry Paint Color: Creamy by Sherwin-Williams

Open Up to the Outdoors

the outdoorsy type southern california cottage, homeowner raili clasen kitchen

KARYN MILLET

Bifold windows above the kitchen sink fully connect the indoors and out. Outside, a bar-height terrazzo counter extends the kitchen’s entertaining and dining space and serves as the small kitchen’s work space.

Get the Look:
Chair Paint Color: Avocado by Sherwin-Williams

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Cover Appliances in Pretty Panels

airy coastal kitchen with cabinets and island painted in silver lining by benjamin moore

Read McKendree

In this timeless coastal kitchen, cabinetry panels cover the refrigerator and dishwasher, which makes for a seamless and tailored look. The soft gray paint color echoes the water views beyond.

Get the Look:
Cabinetry Paint Color: Silver Lining by Benjamin Moore

Pick a Peg Rail

farmhouse kitchen sink with shaker peg rail

Erin Kelly

For a humble (and smart!) storage option, pick throw-back peg rails. There’s a reason they’ve been a country favorite forever. We love them for hanging utensils, towels, baskets, and pans.

Get the Look:
Cabinetry Paint Color: Renwick Beige by Sherwin-Williams

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Drench Your Kitchen in a Single Color

a blue kitchen with a large island that has a gray countertop

The kitchen of this Mississippi farmhouse feels softer and friendlier courtesy of a fresh coat of country blue paint on the cabinetry, walls, doors, island, and even the ceiling. Brass hardware and lighting, antique silver trays, wood-seated counter stools, and handsome beams bring a warm and cozy factor to the otherwise cool space.

Get the Look:
Cabinetry, Wall, Trim & Ceiling Paint: Dutch Tile Blue by Sherwin-Williams

Pick a Pop of Color

a kitchen with painted green floors and a vintage vibe thanks to mix match barstools and bright colors and a cafe sign

Adam Albright

A classic all-white kitchen leaves room for creativity and color. In this lake house cottage, a happy hodgepodge of barstools, collected vintage items (including the fun “café” sign), and grassy-green painted floors all contribute to this kitchen’s casual, friendly vibe. But perhaps our favorite pop of color comes from a pair of fire-engine red pendants above the peninsula—and they play perfectly with the wall-mounted rotary phone (love!).

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Buy Black Appliances

ZIO AND SONS

Stainless steel has its merits, but sometimes a sophisticated statement piece is just what you need to anchor a room. Consider appliances in shades of black and slate (or even poppy colors like blue, red, or green) for a striking focal point. Here, the black sink backsplashes, and countertops bring bold contrast to this handsome kitchen by Anthony D’Argenzio of Zio and Sons.