Whether you’re planning a full remodel or simply gathering ideas for a future update, browsing inspiring kitchens is a great place to start. This countdown of the most-saved new kitchen photos uploaded to Houzz so far this year highlights clever layouts, thoughtful mixes of traditional and modern style, and creative uses of color and texture.

10. Designed for Family Life

In this Larchmont, New York, kitchen by JWH Design and Cabinetry, a generously sized white oak island supports casual meals and everyday gathering. Rich navy blue cabinets (Naval by Sherwin-Williams) add personality, balanced by white marble-look quartz countertops and backsplashes that keep the room bright. A matching oak range hood layers in warmth and texture. A nearby butler’s pantry provides extra storage.

9. Warm Wood Statement

Richly grained dark wood cabinetry takes center stage in this Philomath, Oregon, kitchen by Neil Richardson Architect, adding character and reflecting the home’s rural surroundings. A restrained palette of white and off-white surfaces balances the bold look. Minimal upper cabinets keep the space feeling open, and counter-to-ceiling tile with an undulating surface catches natural light, adding subtle movement. Warm brass accents, floating wood shelves and brown bar stools reinforce the palette. Taj Mahal quartzite countertops with soft gold veining tie the light and dark elements together.

8. Hidden Work Zone

A taller-than-standard island conceals the sink area in this Bloomington, Minnesota, open-plan kitchen, creating a tidy visual buffer and adding generous drawer storage. McDonald Remodeling finished the island in matte green (Dark Olive by Benjamin Moore), echoing the wooded landscape beyond. A lower counter extension forms a casual breakfast bar and defines an efficient work area. A restrained palette of green, terra cotta and natural white oak accents against crisp white walls keeps the space calm and cohesive.

7. Nature-Inspired Palette

Sage green cabinetry sets the tone in this Marion, Massachusetts, kitchen by Beige and Bleu Design Studio. The soft matte finish pairs with a natural wood island and richly stained pine beams that echo the surrounding wooded landscape. Woven bar stools and turned island legs introduce subtle craft detail. An antique brass pot filler and gooseneck faucet, a farmhouse sink and Shaker-style cabinetry lend European cottage charm.

6. Focal Point Range

The cooking zone takes center stage in this traditional Pennsylvania kitchen by McQueen Building, highlighted by a decorative hood and an off-white marble-look backsplash. Lantern-style antique brass sconces frame the range. Wood and off-white cabinetry against warm white walls (Dover White by Sherwin-Williams) keep the space calm and cohesive. Copper-and-brass pendant lights, traditional hardware and richly stained plank flooring layer in warmth and timeless character.

5. Clever Storage

Storage is cleverly maximized in this San Francisco kitchen by Baron Construction and Remodeling without crowding the space. Slim gaps beside and above the refrigerator hold baking sheets, cutting boards and serving pieces. Cabinets along the back of the island add extra capacity. A pantry and laundry area behind the range wall provides additional storage, keeping the island and cooking zone calm and uncluttered. A white oak island and wide-plank flooring reinforce the warm, layered feel.

4. Layered Elegance

Large cabinets in this Austin, Texas, kitchen by Urbane Design feel substantial without overwhelming, thanks to narrow frames, fine-grain doors, slim brass handles and gently curved crown moldings. Pendant lights are sized to anchor the space without dominating, and black island doors recede and let the warm wood cabinetry shine. White quartz countertops and backsplashes, paired with a simple white range hood, break up the wood and keep the room bright and airy.

3. Bold Blue Cabinets

Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy cabinets anchor this Hooksett, New Hampshire, kitchen by Granite State Cabinetry. It’s balanced by a glass-fronted unit, pale gray tile surrounding the sink window and white marble-look quartz countertops and backsplash. A custom metal hood in smoky gray and deep bronze echoes the quartz tones. A large walnut-stained island under starburst pendant lights provides a perfect spot for prepping and entertaining.

2. Modern Farmhouse Style

Clean-lined white and plain-sawn white oak cabinetry anchors this Milwaukee kitchen by Highland Builders, paired with off-white marble-look countertops. Farmhouse touches — a tongue-and-groove range hood, textured tile, a gooseneck faucet and vintage bell jar pendant lights — add character. The classic wood-and-white palette keeps the space fresh and open. Clever storage solutions help make this a highly functional kitchen.

1. Texture and Tone

Layered textures keep this all-white San Clemente, California, kitchen by Pure Salt Interiors warm and inviting. Shaker cabinets with brass handles include glazed upper cupboards for glassware. Undulating zellige wall tile and subtly veined countertops add depth. Natural materials — woven rattan pendant lights, linen-and-wood bar chairs, richly grained wood floors and warm metal faucets and accessories — introduce character and a lived-in feel.

White-and-wood kitchen palettes have been extremely popular for years. But you’ll find fresh ideas for creating the classic combination in this countdown of the most-saved new kitchen photos uploaded to Houzz so far this year. You’ll also find neat storage ideas, creative island designs and more inspiring features and details worth saving to your own ideabooks.

1. Arches and Texture

This Dallas kitchen by Le Belle Maison Interiors beautifully combines many of the design elements renovating homeowners are asking for today — and many featured in other photos in this countdown. They include a white-and-wood palette, a large island for entertaining and paneled appliances. A couple of other trending details to note in this kitchen are the zellige backsplash tiles and the arched doorway, the latter of which is echoed by the arched counter stool backs and dome-shaped island pendant lights.

2. Simply Marbleous

Remodeled by Broad Oaks Construction, this San Francisco kitchen features white upper cabinets paired with rift white oak lower cabinets with a clear stain. The two tones are bridged by a countertop and backsplash of Calacatta Paonazzo marble, which is prized for its bold golden, black and sometimes plum-colored veining. The back of the island has a reeded detail for extra visual interest and texture.

3. Bit of Bling

This Princeton, New Jersey, kitchen remodeled by The Home X has a limited palette of light wood, crisp white and shades of gray. But it’s full of luxe details. For example, an intricate backsplash composed of tiny tiles in a herringbone pattern stretches countertop to ceiling. Furniture-like legs support the island overhang. And delicate, cage-like chandeliers add opulent gold counterpoints to the cooler-toned and earthier elements.

4. European Elegance

Patrick and Meghan Sharp of Mister + Mrs Sharp and builder John Bynum created this sophisticated Atlanta kitchen, which has white oak cabinetry with a medium brown stain, glazed white terra-cotta backsplash tiles and a marble-look quartz countertop. Behind the range top, the quartz swoops up with a graceful curve to meet a European-style range hood supported by corbels. Additional regal accents include the counter stools’ velvety upholstery and burnished brass accents such as the double gooseneck spout faucet and pot filler.

5. Window Dressing

Reeded glass-front accent cabinets extend from countertop to ceiling in this rich wood-toned Philadelphia kitchen by Bella B Home Designs. Lights inside the cabinets illuminate the dishware and enhance the reed detail, while modern torch-like sconces draw attention to the gold-and-black detail on the shapely range hood and the dramatic veining in the stone backsplash.

6. Spring Mix

Filled with compelling contrasts and special details, this Orange County, California, kitchen was designed by Alicia Torosian, who uses Houzz Pro business software to manage her projects. Torosian paired earthy green cabinets with white quartzite countertops around the kitchen’s perimeter, extending the quartzite partway up the range wall. Above the quartzite, a thin whitewashed-brick backsplash runs up to the vaulted shiplap-covered ceiling. At the center of the room, a dark wood island has a black granite countertop embellished with an ogee edge.

7. Architectural Intrigue

A barrel ceiling with rich walnut paneling and cove lighting is a showstopper in this Sherwood, Oregon, kitchen. Created by Holly Moore, Stacey Miller and Matt McQueen of Lifetime Remodeling Systems, the kitchen also has a large arched window and a smaller circular window that give the room a unique look and frame the spectacular wooded views. The walnut ceiling detail coordinates with the window trim, walnut cabinetry and detail on the decorative range hood.

8. Subtle Style

The slatted detail on the range hood is a subtle, on-trend addition to this Los Angeles kitchen by general contracting firm New Vision Builders. Warm wood cabinets, paneled appliances and a shared countertop and backsplash material contribute to the room’s pared-back — but not plain — look.

9. Herringbone and Hexagons

A herringbone-pattern wood floor and hex-pattern backsplash add texture and geometric pattern to this white-and-wood Los Altos, California, kitchen by KNR Design Studio and Changras & Frey Construction. Sunshine pouring into the room through the skylight accentuates the backsplash tiles’ shape and sheen.

10. Step on Up

This Portland, Oregon, kitchen by Guggenheim Architecture + Design Studio has appealing clean lines, mixed wood tones, midcentury-modern-style elements, skinny Shaker cabinet fronts and rounded island corners. But a detail that makes it especially popular is the handy folding step stool, which fits into a narrow gap between cabinets.

Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: David Brown, a software engineer who loves to cook and have his family over for dinner
Location: Sykesville, Maryland
Size: 230 square feet (21 square meters); 17 feet by 13½ feet
Designer: Andrea Lynn Orndorff of A. Lynn Design

Before its remodel, the kitchen in David Brown’s 1910 cottage in Sykesville, Maryland, had gone for decades without updates. It had little counter space and storage, and the dark paneling and limited light made it dim no matter the time of day. Brown is up on all things tech and wanted modern upgrades and a lighter, more open kitchen, but he appreciated his home’s age and wanted his remodel to honor it.

“When David first came to me with ideas for his new kitchen design, he was considering stained cherry cabinets,” interior designer Andrea Lynn Orndorff says. But after seeing the photos he had saved to his Houzz ideabook, it was clear he wanted a white kitchen.

“My goal was to keep the overall look light, bright and fresh with white cabinetry and light walls, while also pulling in some warmer elements and adding texture via the material choices,” Orndorff says. “It was important that the new kitchen not feel too modern, so David and I worked together to create an updated space in keeping with the feel of the house.”

A Small Island Replaces the Peninsula

Orndorff suggested removing the peninsula that separated the eat-in area from the kitchen and replacing it with a small freestanding island. This made room for a more functional layout. “The island was important to the overall design — it needed to feel like a simple piece of furniture,” Orndorff says. “I avoided cabinetry on its base, which would have weighed down the whole room.” The choice to use recessed lighting and no pendants also keeps the room feeling open and bright.

The 48-by-25-inch island’s butcher-block top adds a warm contrast to the white, as do the cherry floors, chosen to match new flooring Brown had installed elsewhere in the house.

Orndorff left the natural pine on the window sashes to bring in more wood. It was Brown’s idea to install a beadboard ceiling. “The ceiling added some cottage charm that he didn’t want to lose with a new kitchen,” Orndorff says. Brown, an avid cook, also requested a shelf for his cookbooks.

A More Open Floor Plan

Orndorff removed the peninsula and moved the oven, microwave and range over to the wall along the bottom of the plan shown here. She installed a banquette in the eat-in area (upper right). The refrigerator remained on the same wall (top left) and the sink remained underneath the window.

Walnut-stained open shelves between the cabinets to the right of the sink add more warm wood and keep the room from feeling weighed down by loads of upper cabinets.

The backsplash is 3-by-6-inch glossy subway tile in a light gray.

Before: This photo was taken from the existing eat-in area. The homeowner wanted a more open layout.

After: The refrigerator stayed in roughly the same spot after the renovation.

Exposed Brick Leads to an Expanded Space

“David suspected that a previous remodel had left some dead space behind the refrigerator wall in the kitchen,” Orndorff says. They looked in the basement and attic for clues. In the attic they found an old brick chimney and realized it had been covered by a wall in the kitchen.

Orndorff suggested exposing the brick in the kitchen and discovered dead space along the entire wall to the left of the chimney — 16 inches of depth she used to widen the kitchen from just over 12 feet to 13½ feet.

“I really wanted to get an island in this narrow kitchen,” she says. “With the additional width we gained, we were good to go.” This was the only change she made to the kitchen’s footprint.

Orndorff also replaced clunky baseboard heating with radiant heat within the toekicks of the cabinetry.

The brick was a delightful find and adds warmth and texture. Orndorff carefully worked it into the design — note how the cabinet installers hand-chiseled that white filler piece to fit snugly along the irregular edge of the bricks. “The exposed chimney is very nice,” owner Brown says. “I was on the fence when it was originally proposed. I am glad we went with it.”

Orndorff used a glass cabinet in this spot to lighten things up and create a place for display. Extra illumination comes from lighting in the top of the cabinet and beneath It.

Before: This was the old eat-in area. The wall to the right of the table felt like wasted space.

After: With the old peninsula gone, Orndorff had enough circulation area to make use of that wall next to the dining area. She created a full wall of cabinets and appliances: a wall oven with a microwave above it, an induction cooktop, the dishwasher and the sink (to the right of the dishwasher). By using an induction range, she freed up storage space for pots and pans beneath it. Counter space around the range provides room for food prep. The tall cabinet at left past the ovens is a food pantry with pullout shelving.
For the appliances, Orndorff chose GE’s Profile series in a slate finish. “This finish is softer and warmer than stainless steel,” she says. “It feels right at home in a residential kitchen and is less prone to fingerprint smudges.” To avoid being too matchy, she chose a stainless steel vent hood from KitchenAid.

The Shaker-style cabinets are in keeping with the cottage’s age

Countertops Bring the Contrast

“For the countertops, David was looking for a slate look with a matte finish,” she says. She sourced a quartz that looks like soapstone with a suede finish. Soapstone would have been found in a 1910 cottage back in the day. Quartz, an engineered surface, lends the look but is more durable.

“The look-alike was the perfect choice,” Orndorff says. “It has a subtle vein pattern and a suede finish without the maintenance of soapstone or slate — no oiling required.” A bridge faucet and apron-front sink give another nod to vintage cottage style.

Wall paint: Moonshine, Benjamin Moore; trim and ceiling paint: Extra White, Sherwin-Williams; quartz counters: Charcoal Soapstone with suede finish, Silestone 

An Eat-In Spot for Frequent Family Dinners

Brown loves to have family members over and cook for them, so an eat-in spot where they could all fit for dinner (and keep him company while he cooked) is an important social element of the new kitchen.

A Saarinen tulip table with a marble top introduces an iconic modern element into the room. Orndorff designed a built-in banquette for seating around it. Its walnut finish ties it to the open shelves we saw before.

A chandelier made of weathered zinc and oak has a simple form, like the table, but its Colonial style stands in contrast to it. “I like to bring together items that speak together in form but come from different eras or from different places around the world,” Orndorff says.

Splurges and Savings

The biggest splurge was the Silestone counters, though Orndorff notes that they planned carefully to use every little bit of one slab so as not to have to purchase a second one. They also opted for high-quality cabinets, and Brown is glad they did.

They saved by finding the Saarinen table on sale and by sourcing budget-friendly tile and hardware.

Takeaways

• To keep a kitchen feeling airy, choose an island with an open base and mix in some glass-front cabinets and-or open shelves.
• Cookbook lovers: Let your design pros know you want designated space for cookbooks within the kitchen.
• Warm a white kitchen with key touches of other textures such as wood, brick and textiles.
• In an old house, poke around in the attic and basement for clues to the original floor plan; you may find that a chimney or other usable space has been walled off.
• An induction stove frees up room beneath it for cookware. It also offers more control for electronic cooktops and is easier to clean than traditional burners.
• You can bring in modern materials and still maintain architectural integrity. Here it was a quartz countertop that looks like soapstone.
• Upper cabinets don’t have to look bulky. Notice the way they’re laid out here to maintain a more open feel.

Cabinetry designer: Emily Austin of Austin Design Services
Contractor: Paul Lewis of Lewis & Associates

Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of six that keeps the kitchen extra busy in the mornings
Location: Hinsdale, Illinois
Size: 520 square feet (48 square meters)
Designers: Stephanie Frees (kitchen design) and Amy Tausk (interior design)

This kitchen was just too much — towering, bulky cabinetry, a closed-off feeling and millwork details like scrolls, medallions, beading, fanciful corbels, even a giant fridge that looked like it was wearing a crown. All of this overwrought detailing was cramping the style of this family of six. “The kitchen was too old-world for them,” says interior designer Amy Tausk.

So in keeping with the overall traditional style of the house, Tausk and kitchen designer Stephanie Frees lightened and brightened the space with a simpler, more current transitional style that respected the architecture and worked well for the family’s lifestyle. While the family found a lot about the existing layout that worked for them, they made some big architectural changes. The new plan changed the flow between the kitchen and dining room and created a new butler’s pantry that worked for the whole family, with stations for making breakfast and lunch and serving beverages.

Style. Tausk describes the kitchen as transitional. “It blends the best of traditional familiarity with modern sophistication to create a comfortable, livable space,” she says. The family was ready to simplify the ornate details that did not suit their style, but they wanted to keep an elegant feel. “We were inspired by the modern farmhouse look because it feels more casual and in keeping with this family’s unfussy style,” Tausk says. “But we wanted to put our own spin on it and create something that was a little different. We wanted things bright and white but to bring in warmth with wood tones and lots of texture.”

Before. The kitchen was too traditional for the homeowners and there was no direct link to the dining room and its wonderful natural light. “The house used to be very dark old-world traditional,” says Tausk, who worked on the interiors throughout the house. She notes that the floors, while light in color, were impossible to keep looking clean. “The main entrance to the kitchen from the front hall was through a little hallway with a desk on one side and a pantry door on the other,” she says. “Not only was this desk space not needed since the family has a large home office space, but it also became a clutter-and-drop zone. And this was the first thing you’d see as you’d walk into the kitchen.”

Now two openings on either side of the range alcove lead to the dining room.

Lighting. You astute Houzzers probably noticed that the light fixtures are the same in the before and after photos. That’s because lighting was the first thing Tausk helped her clients change out before they embarked on the full remodel. Previously there had been a pair of tiny pendants over the island that were out of scale. Now new large glass globe pendants suit the scale without blocking the view through the room too much.

Wall paint: White Dove; cabinet paint: Classic Gray, both Benjamin Moore

Refrigerator wall (before). A behemoth of a fridge bulked up this wall, ceremoniously adorned with scrolled columns and crowned with an arch with a medallion and just about every other sort of fanciful overwrought detail you can think of thrown in there.

Through the arched opening on the right is the hallway to the front of the house, and it served as the main entry into the kitchen before. The kitchen desk area previously mentioned was through the archway on the right.

Refrigerator wall. The cabinetry along the right side of the kitchen includes a panel-front Sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer that blend right in. There is a pullout coffee station between them.

Cabinet paint: Classic Gray, Benjamin Moore; coffee system: Miele; column refrigerator and freezer: Sub-Zero

Range alcove. The range alcove remained in about the same place, but now it has a simplified look marked by a mix of lovely textures — shiplap, quartz and a distressed beam mantel. And now it’s flanked by the two openings to the dining room. The range is 48 inches wide and has six burners, a griddle and two ovens.

The designers walked the homeowners through several different options before landing on this design, including a decorative cement-tile backsplash and a stone to tie in with the stone fireplace in their family room. “Ultimately, these options started feeling like too much — we liked the simplicity of the quartz backsplash and brightness and clean lines of white shiplap,” Tausk says. “The reclaimed wood beam was our way of bringing in the warmth, color and texture we wanted.”

There are spice shelves tucked into each end of the alcove. The top drawers in the alcove’s cabinets have inserts for all of the cooking utensils while the drawers below hold the pots and pans.

Shiplap and wall paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore; backsplash and counter: Pearl Jasmine, Silestone; 48” range, Wolf

Here you can get a better look at the spice rack and a peek into the breakfast bar portion of the butler’s pantry.

And here you can see how the room now enjoys the view into the dining room and the sunlight that floods it. African baskets add texture to the wall.

Eat-in area. The large family gathers for almost all of their meals in this comfortable and bright spot. The homeowners already had the table, which the designers had refinished to look like new. “We purchased new upholstered chairs in a navy color so that they would be both comfortable and easy to maintain,” Tausk says. A new chandelier over the table has traditional detailing but a more modern linear silhouette.

Dining chairs: Arhaus; E.F. Chapman Classic Linear Chandelier, Visual Comfort; browse linear chandeliers

There is a reconfigured butler’s pantry behind the refrigerator wall. There is access from both sides — through the opening on the right there is a beverage bar; through the opening on the left there is a breakfast bar and lunch-making area.

Kids’ breakfast and lunch-making bar. “This area was custom-designed to house all of the items needed for the kids to get their breakfasts and pack their lunches,” Frees says. The cabinet on the left has a bread drawer in it and all of the lunchware and water bottles are stored in the drawers below it. The counter above it is for the Keurig (for hot chocolate and tea) and a toaster, and the adjacent wall holds a microwave drawer. The baskets hold all of the snack foods.

Subway tile: Masia, Soho Studio; microwave drawer: Wolf

Once you walk past the breakfast bar and turn right, you enter the food storage pantry. At the other end of the pantry is a hallway to the kitchen from the front of the house — custom doors with fluted-glass inserts introduce the alder wood seen throughout the kitchen to those about to enter the room.

Beverage bar (before). That clutter magnet of a kitchen desk mentioned earlier used to mark the main entry into the kitchen

Beverage bar. The desk has been replaced with a beautiful beverage bar. “Because the main kitchen area is more neutral, we decided to have a little fun with color in the bar area,” Tausk says. Everyone fell hard for the combination of soft blue, a knotty alder wood backsplash and brass hardware, and it provides a prettier journey from the front of the house into the kitchen. As you can see here, the pantry doors echo not only the alder wood but also the brass hardware.

Cabinet paint: Solitude, Benjamin Moore; lighting and cabinet hardware: Rejuvenation

There is a beverage fridge on the left and a wine fridge on the right.

Beverage and wine refrigerators: U-Line.

Floor plan. Here you can see the way the pantry is laid out along the bottom of this plan. The dining room is behind the range wall.

I know this beautiful kitchen’s size and budget are beyond reach for most of us, but there are plenty of ideas to steal from it.

Takeaways

• If you’re tired of all white in the kitchen but still love a light look, take a handful of baby steps away from it — using a light gray on the cabinets, mixing in wood details, choosing a different color or wood for an island base or painting window trim a contrasting color.
• You’re not likely to know exactly what you want right away. Take the time to walk through different options and looks. For example, looking at options they initially thought they wanted for the range alcove made this family realize they didn’t want it to look too busy or too heavy, and they landed on just the right look.
• Consider cleaning when choosing a floor tile and grout, especially in a high-traffic, high-spillage-potential area like a kitchen.
• Think about every single thing you want to grab when you are prepping, cooking and cleaning and arrange for convenient storage within reach of those areas.
• Got four kids? Get dark or wipable upholstery on the kitchen chairs.
• Think about ways you can set up stations to keep people out of the way of the cook.
• The easier you make it for your kids to grab their own breakfasts and pack their own lunches, the easier your mornings will be.
• If you are getting rid of items like cabinets, lighting or a sink that simply don’t suit your style but are in good condition, there are plenty of resources for donating them for reuse. Check out How to Donate or Recycle Home Remodeling Materials for more information.

A two-toned palette sounds limited? These four kitchens beg to differ. With the wide range of wood tones, stains and grain styles on offer, as well as all the shades of white and various products and materials available in both colors, the possibilities really are limitless. The designers here went with farmhouse, traditional and midcentury styles, but any style is a good candidate for this classic palette. See for yourself below, then show us your own white-and-wood kitchen in the Comments.

“After” photos by Valerie Wilcox

1. Bright Farmhouse

Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Midhurst, Ontario
Size: 252 square feet (23 square meters); 21 by 12 feet
Designer: Aniko Nicholson Design

Before: These Canadian homeowners loved wood finishes, but too much of one type of it — an orange-red cherry on the cabinets and flooring — made their kitchen feel busy and hemmed in despite the open-plan concept. They brought on interior designer Aniko Nicholson to approach the wood and the layout more strategically, and to create a better lighting plan and a focal point.

After: The charming new farmhouse-inspired design balances soft medium-tone white oak (including on the island base and paneled fridge), reclaimed barn beams (including over the range) and warm white finishes (including a shiplap-clad ceiling as well as cabinets painted in Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee). Bright copper pendant lights enliven the look.

Nicholson also reconfigured the layout and some core elements. A floor-to-ceiling cabinet has taken the place of a jutting-out pantry, allowing for better flow and a longer island. Hefty bulkheads by the window are gone. And a wider opening on one side means the kitchen now has lovely views through the living room window, and the living room has better light.

Nicholson centered the range alcove on the new island and created this focal point backsplash. It and the island top are composed of a richly textured sintered stone surface called Dekton Arga XGloss.

“After” photos by Spacecrafting

2. New Take on Traditional

Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Bill and Mary Maney and their Labrador retriever
Location: Maple Grove, Minnesota
Size: 275 square feet (26 square meters)
Designer: Mary Maney of Crystal Kitchen + Bath

Before: An abundance of honey-toned cabinets and a similar flooring gave this suburban Minnesota kitchen a bland look. It also had a crowded feel, due to low-hanging cabinets, cluttered countertops, a flow-impeding fridge and a plethora of items atop the upper cabinets. Homeowner Mary Maney, who happens to be an interior designer, got to work transforming the kitchen into a bright and inviting gathering place with a traditional feel.

After: Knocking the kitchen back to the studs allowed Maney to bring in new everything, including windows, and to switch up the layout a bit for better circulation. The fridge, now paneled, is now on the oven wall, and a cooktop on the back wall has replaced an electric cooktop in the island.

A walnut vent hood over the cooktop makes a statement, set off by generous amounts of white and beige. The cabinets now reach the ceiling for a more streamlined look, while wide-plank engineered white oak flooring grounds the room. A glass-front storage tower with interior lighting and walnut paneling turns dishware into decor.

Wall paint: Accessible Beige, Sherwin-Williams; trim paint: Super White, Benjamin Moore

See why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software

Here’s a closer look at the walnut statement hood, which matches the island base, and at the eye-catching backsplash, which is composed of mosaic Calacatta marble tiles with brass, surrounded by 3-by-12-inch honed marble tiles.

“After” photos by Provoke Studios

3. Tidy Galley

Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple, their four kids, two dogs and cat
Location: West Vancouver, British Columbia
Size: 117 square feet (11 square meters)
Designer: Lori Steeves of Simply Home Decorating

Before: At the back of a compact home in the Canadian province of British Columbia, this galley kitchen didn’t serve the homeowners and their four children well. With only 117 square feet to work with, designer Lori Steeves came on board to improve the storage, flow and look while keeping to the home’s midcentury design.

After: Steeves nixed the island, which housed the sink and an air vent, in favor of a peninsula with seating. She moved the sink under a newly placed window and scooched the fridge and range to the right to make room for a pantry cabinet. The clean lines and two-toned palette — white oak-look cabinetry and bright white — streamline the look.

Browse counter stools in the Houzz Shop

Moving the window allowed the designer to extend the upper cabinets, and she also used pullouts, deep drawers and a lazy Susan to make the most of the storage space. Two other space-maximizing tricks: grooves instead of hardware on some of the cabinets, and LED lights on the bottom of the upper cabinets instead of ceiling fixtures.

4. Making Connections

Kitchen of the Week
Who lives here: A couple with two kids in middle school
Location: Melrose, Massachusetts
Size: 365 square feet (34 square meters)
Design team: Amy Tangorra (lead designer), Alex Scovell (space planning) and Paige Lewin (finish selections) of Our House Design+Build

Before: Disconnected from the breakfast bar and not in keeping with the homeowners’ love of nature and midcentury style, this New England kitchen was ready for a makeover — one that would include a bigger island to accommodate all four family members. The homeowners tapped a team with Amy Tangorra as the lead designer for the makeover.

After: Removing the wall opened up the kitchen to the breakfast area and made room for a bigger island. Note how the same white oak flooring spans the two spaces for a cohesive look, yet each area feels distinct.

Cotton-white walls, off-white backsplash tiles and white quartz countertops create a fresh counterpoint for custom-stained red birch cabinetry and a matching vent hood. Low-back wood stools fit the palette and midcentury vibe beautifully. The interior side of the island houses a microwave drawer and more storage, and open wood shelves to the left of the window (not seen) hold display items and everyday dishware.

Wall and trim paint: Chantilly Lace, Benjamin Moore; backsplash tile: Halite, Fireclay; counters: Delgatie, Cambria; vent hood: Stanisci Design & Manufacturing