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20 Modern Kitchen Design Ideas
As we’ve mentioned before, we love going to the Parade of Homes to see new trends and upcoming styles for homes — and drooling over the gorgeous houses and especially the kitchens (heart of the home, you know! ❤) !
Even though our homes and kitchens are much smaller than these homes, there are always creative ideas and design elements that can be inspiration for a small kitchen design, too.
These modern kitchen design ideas embrace many styles, from truly sleek modern cabinets to more farmhouse style and transitional — and there are white kitchen, gray kitchens, and black kitchens, too!
Watch the video tour for the whole room experience, and read below for designer info plus more photos, details, and decor picks.
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Kitchen Design Idea #1: Modern Black & White
The dramatic contrast between the black cabinets and white walls here is so striking!
The drama is complemented by the black and white veining in the countertops, and then balanced by the wood tones in the decor, counter stools, and wood floors.
Also, that dark stainless steel refrigerator is so pretty!
Design by The Studio Interior Design
I’m sure you noticed the diagonal shiplap planks on the range hood here.
But did you notice the matching inlaid planks on the cabinets?
Having an inset wood section on the black cabinets and bottom drawers in the same wood is a modern take on two-tone kitchen cabinets.
The white counters and long stacked modern subway tile backsplash keep the lightness and add variety, too.
Kitchen Design Idea #3: Waterfall Island Countertop
Design by Gerry & Kathy Hotzapfel
We love this sleek modern kitchen with euro cabinet style with minimalist pulls!
Our similar IKEA cabinets are white, but this light wood keep things neutral without being dark.
The shiny stainless steel appliances and that tall stainless steel range hood vent match the shine in the backsplash tile, and that waterfall kitchen island is so gorgeous!
Kitchen Design Idea #4: Extra Tall Range Hood
Design by BLVD Homes (Laura Penrod Smith)
For a tall kitchen with high or vaulted ceilings, extend the range hood up, up, up — even taller than the cabinets!
This extra tall range hood is darker than the light wood cabinetry so it is the focal point of the kitchen — but be sure to watch the video to see the awesome hidden pantry!
Kitchen Design Idea #5: Industrial Pipe Open Shelving
Design by Interior Design Center (Brook Nyberg)
This modern gray kitchen features neutral flat cabinets, and a subtle veining in the stone counters and large tile backsplash.
To add some visual interest, open shelving is a great idea and the industrial pipe shelves here look great — and they’re easy shelves to DIY or even fake the look using PVC pipe instead.
Kitchen Design Idea #6: Interesting Tile Backsplash
Design by Ence Homes (Amanda Phelps) and Designer Furniture Gallery (Shirece Tobler)
This black and white kitchen features a gorgeous large black kitchen island with waterfall top — but let’s take a closer look at the backsplash.
From a distance, it looks similar to regular small subway mosaic tile, but up close you can see just how gorgeous it is! Elongated hexagon tiles with some metallic tiles mixed in.
Kitchen Design Idea #7: Integrated Range Hood
Design by Tasteful Trends Interiors (Angie Marshall)
This large kitchen features not one but THREE islands — a double island with a sink and range top that’s split in the middle for a walkway, plus a large island with a sink and seating area.
Since most of us won’t have space for that, we can still emulate this kitchen with the integrated range hood style. It fits right in with the beautiful wood cabinets.
The upper range hood panel is a great place to hang a clock or wall decor, too.
Kitchen Design Idea #8: Lighted Upper Cabinets
Design by Tasteful Trends Interiors (Angie Marshall)
One of the biggest ways to make your home feel high end it is to diversify your lighting — like adding lights above the cabinets, or in a upper cabinet with glass doors.
This black kitchen also features gorgeous glass candelabra chandeliers, a contrast wood range hood, and a modern tile backsplash to match the marble countertops.
Love this look? See more dark kitchen cabinet inspiration and tips.
Kitchen Design Idea #9: Wood Beam Ceiling
That curved range hood is gorgeous, but the wood beam ceiling steals the show in this white farmhouse kitchen! A great idea for a ceiling inset or tray ceiling.
This kitchen is also a great example of mixing wood tones with the wood floor, wood island, wood barstools, and wood ceiling beams.
Design by Olsen Homes Interior Design
If you’re looking to make a statement, adding curves to an otherwise straight-line home design will do the trick!
This kitchen features an arch above the stove and ovens and an extra-wide range hood, but you can add curved arches to any area of your home with our DIY interior arches and curves tutorial.
If that coffered ceiling caught your eye, you can DIY that too with the tutorial here.
And let’s take a peek back at that full walk-in pantry and butler’s pantry prep area, shall we?
Tall white upper cabinets to the ceiling, gray countertop, and light wood lower cabinets (maybe white oak?) with brass hardware for the cabinets and drawer pulls — this would be a great design for any kitchen!
Add the brick backsplash, floating shelves around the windows, and a jute rug, and this is practically perfect.
Kitchen Design Idea #11: Curvy Accents
Design by Allison Campbell Designs
Speaking of curves — one way to make your home feel custom is to add other curved architectural pieces or accents.
In addition to columns and doorway arches, you can add organic curved lines to your cabinet doors (check out the video to see the fridge enclosure!), range hood, or even open cabinets like we did with this vanity makeover.
Kitchen Design Idea #12: Creative Kitchen Storage
Design by Billy Clementine Interiors
This modern white kitchen features great extra storage from the drawers in the banquette bench to the recessed shelving by the stove.
And one thing we’ve noticed more and more — lots of deep drawers, perfect for storing dishes, pans, pots, and even kitchen essentials like baking supplies as a pantry alternative for a small kitchen.
(And did you see that gorgeous gold faucet, too?!)
Kitchen Design Idea #13: Interesting Lighting
When you want to make an impression, splurge on non-traditional and interesting lighting for your kitchen!
Most kitchens will not have the gorgeous natural light that this open kitchen has with many windows and a skylight.
Instead, add a statement light fixture, or hang standard pendant lights in an interesting way, like here. Build your own basic corbel or a curvier vintage-inspired corbel and add a hanging cord and pendant.
Changing up a couple of pendants over the kitchen island or peninsula can really add style and take your kitchen design up a notch.
Design by Inouye Design
We’ve mentioned it a couple times now — an interesting ceiling is a high-end feature that’s easy to DIY on a budget!
This open kitchen combines a plank shiplap ceiling with painted white beams for an interesting look that doesn’t distract from the white bright style of the rest of the room.
Plus, watch the video to see the butler’s pantry — a great idea if you’re building a new home or have space to add one!
Kitchen Design Idea #15: Mixed Metal Finishes
This gray and black kitchen is neutral but not boring! (See more gray kitchen ideas here.)
The mixed metal finishes of flat black cabinet knobs, stinless steel and matte black appliances, and brushed bronze pendant lights are like the perfect jewelry on a classic outfit.
Design by Inouye Design
Two-tone cabinets (like these gray and white kitchens) are a great way to add some contrast to a kitchen. But two-tone doesn’t have to be just different uppers and lowers!
The combination here of some wood cabinets next to full-height black cabinets is gorgeous, and the modern sleek cabinets let the finish shine.
Kitchen Design Idea #17: Continuous Backsplash
Design by Osmond Designs
A gorgeous gray solid-surface countertop slab leads right up into a continuous backsplash here!
This is one high-end feature that will cost a bit more to do in real solid stone, but if you can paint countertops to look like marble or stone (which you totally can!), why not keep painting a backsplash, too?
And a bonus in this gorgeous black kitchen — look at this awesome walk-in pantry!
You could build this custom on a budget just like we built our built-in bookshelves and corner bookshelves.
Considering painting your kitchen or pantry? Try these top paint color choices for cabinets.
Kitchen Design Idea #18: Wood Accents
Design by Inouye Design
This two-tone white and wood kitchen takes it to a new, custom style! The white cabinets are broken up visually by adding wood accents to the range hood flanked by wood floating shelves.
The white marble quartz countertops are gorgeous, too!
Kitchen Design Idea #19: Glass Cabinet Doors
Design by Erin Hansen Design
Mixing it up to combine wood cabinet doors with glass cabinet doors is a great kitchen design idea.
This kitchen features tall cabinets with one door that has both a wood panel and a glass panel. The two-thirds glass looks amazing and having just one handles makes for easy access to your dishes.
This is a nice compromise if you want the open shelf look but with more protection for your dishes from dust, etc.
Learn how to build your own shaker cabinet doors or raised panel cabinet doors.
(Bonus) Kitchen Idea #20: Countertop Tower Storage
Design by Allison Campbell Design
This kitchen isn’t featured in the video, but we wanted to show you this gorgeous two-tone wood and white design.
The countertop tower storage cabinets are a great way to organize your kitchen with additional drawers, display cabinet space, and upper wall cabinets storage.
And the gorgeous style continues — but in reverse — into the dining area as well. A whole wall of built-in storage space is great for a large dining area like this (there are 2 dining tables for seating plenty of guests!)
More Kitchen Design Ideas
For more modern kitchen design ideas, browse our Get This Look kitchens, including some of our favorite Fixer Upper kitchens:
This content was originally published here.