In my honest and humble opinion, the kitchen is by far the important room in my home. Cooking home cooked meals is one of my love languages, and I really take pride in preparing meals. While this has been a life long passion, it makes me laugh to think about the abominable kitchens that I’ve tried to work with in my youth.
I’ve lived in all sorts of different homes. Bedrooms so small that I could only have a foldable futon in order to open the door, bathrooms so dingy that no amount of cleaning would ever make them shine, and kitchens so disheveled it’s a miracle I didn’t perish in a grease fire.
I am proud to say that I have reached a point in my life where the kitchen in my home is something I am very proud of. Completely customized to my liking, my kitchen has everything within reach, an area where my guests can sit while I prepare their special meal, and on top of all of that, it’s truly beautiful to look at.
That’s why we’ve created this collection of contemporary kitchen ideas. Everyone deserves to have the kitchen that makes them feel like a pro, so if you’re heading out on your very own kitchen renovation projects, hopefully this collection provides you all of the inspiration you need to complete your contemporary kitchen dreams.
1. The Sleek yet Cozy Contemporary Kitchen
Floors & Walls: We’re starting off this collection with a contemporary kitchen that is using more classic elements with modern execution in order to create a kitchen that is both seemingly vintage and timelessly stylish, but still with a fresh feel to it.
This beautiful kitchen design starts with a lovely hardwood floor with a more classic wood stain. This is met with fresh white walls and a fun patterned tile backsplash above the oven. Where things start to feel elevated is with the bold black window framing, and the black wooden beam as well.
Features: This spacious L shaped kitchen is complete with light hardwood for the drawers, which have been topped with shining white countertops to give a splash of modernity. A huge centre kitchen island is a massive contemporary addition with a dark stone slab as a countertop, and black high stools for the breakfast bar area.
Decor: To me, this kitchen is decorated perfectly. I don’t want my kitchen to feel to cluttered or busy, so I just like to keep it to pretty appliances and plants! The high quality faucet, elegant light fixtures, and fun back splash all provide enough to make this room feel complete. And can we talk about how amazing those under mount rail lights are?
This amazing kitchen design has come from Architectural Designs, and you can see the rest of the home by clicking right here!
2. The Hallway Contemporary Kitchen
Floors & Walls: One aspect of modern life is the fact that we really don’t have as much space as we used it. Inflation, increasing population, and lack of available space all contributes to homes being built smaller, but definitely more ergonomic. A smaller home doesn’t mean a less-nice home. I find smaller homes to be cozy, and quite frankly, I don’t need that much space.
One thing I’ve learned about more ergonomic and space-conscious designs is that hallways are a massive waste of space. Turning a hallway into anything is a great way to eliminate spaces that pretty much don’t have any other use. Here we have a different take on tiled floors where instead of using square tiles, hexagons have been used to create a beehive pattern! This is met with white walls and black doorways.
Features: This quaint kitchen though smaller in size, certainly has everything you need to have a working kitchen. The single wall kitchen features mirrored cabinets – which is a great way to make a room feel bigger – and sleek black countertops.
Decor: While this room isn’t currently decorated, to me it is just begging for some colorful or textured decoration. With such big windows some hanging plants could be very happy in here. With the black and white color scheme, having colorful appliances and hand towels would be a great way to get some interest into the space!
This neat kitchen design comes from Alia Bengana.
3. The Rustic Restaurant Style Contemporary Kitchen
Floors & Walls: Here we have a gorgeously rustic looking kitchen, but in a way that it doesn’t feel disheveled or outdated. This comes from using gorgeous organic materials that have been created with expert craftsmanship.
This stunning room starts with some huge stone tiles in a copper color. The walls are made from rectangular wooden slabs with black creases. The ceiling has been left white to ensure that there is still a surface for daylight to bounce off of, and to keep things feeling airy.
Features: This single wall kitchen is anything but modest. Gorgeous cabinetry has gone into this space that almost creates an illusion effect. There is certainly a refrigerator under there, but I don’t know where! A long kitchen island with its own stove top is a great way to open the kitchen to the rest of the room where you can be facing out and hosting while also cooking.
Decor: I love it when a room is intentional with its decorating, and we see that here with the very cultured pieces found in gorgeous wooden sculptures, beautiful copper pans on display, and a bright and colorful piece of artwork on the back wall.
This creative kitchen design comes from SAOTA, and you can check out the rest of the home design here.
4. The Bright & White Contemporary Kitchen
Floors & Walls: We’re switching gears a little bit with this kitchen design, showing that a room can be modern and elevated but still cozy and inviting. White features absolutely dominate this room, starting with white tile floors which are met with white walls and windows with black framing. I find that keeping the ceiling with wooden panels is such an excellent way to keep an element of warmth, which prevents this room from feeling too sterile.
Features: This gorgeous L shaped kitchen really has it all. Beautiful white cabinets have been framed with wood trim, while the upper cabinets are made from a beautifully stained wood. A generously sized kitchen island creates tons of counter space while also allowing for some seating under the breakfast bar. I think my personal favorite area is the open shelving next to the little corner fireplace. A fireplace in the kitchen: new goal in life.
Decor: While this kitchen isn’t currently decorated, there is so much that could be done with all of that available counter space. The color scheme is already so gorgeous that I wouldn’t want to add too bold of a color, but I can imagine some mauve hand towels, and maybe some vases of dried flowers. Even a cozy little runner rug by the sink would add something marvellous to the kitchen space.
This amazing kitchen design is courtesy of Thellend Fortin Architectes, and you can check out the rest of the home here.
5. The Corner Contemporary Kitchen
Floors & Walls: This kitchen is simply adorable. And not because it’s tiny, because it’s so cleverly designed and because it has been situated in its very own little nook. Many contemporary homes are being built smaller, and i love how this room is almost situated in a segue area between two living rooms. This adorable wooden corner kitchen starts with wooden floors and white walls. That’s it that’s all.
Features: This entirely wooden kitchen works because the shade of wood that has been used is so light and lovely that the room can feel cozy and elegant at the same time. Wooden cabinets, drawers, shelves, and countertops all come together to create something incredibly cohesive and stylish.
Having some open shelving for your nice dishware helps make the room feel less closed off, while keeping the closed cabinets near the bottom allow for some messier storage (which everyone needs in their kitchen, let’s face it).
Decor: Another part that I love about the room is that the utile elements of the kitchen are what create the decoration. I too, am very particular about what kinds of dishes I have, because when a dish is made right, it is itself a piece of art. And what better way to be smart about your space and spending, than allowing something to have two uses in your home? Beauty & bounty.
This gorgeous kitchen space has been designed by Paul Bernier Architecte, and you can see the rest of this gorgeous home by clicking right over here.
6. The Sandalwood Contemporary Kitchen
Floors & Walls: Here is another great example of a kitchen that is using nothin’ but wood to create something that’s exceptionally gorgeous by being exceptionally simple. The same shade of wood stain has been used for every feature of the room starting with the floors, but they are met with crisp clean white walls.
Features: This spacious L shaped kitchen comes equipped with absolutely everything you could need and more. Wooden cabinets and wooden drawers are met with white countertops – which is a very welcome break in the wood theme, especially considering that the backsplash is wooden as well!
We have a double stainless steel oven, a camouflage refrigerator to the right of that, and a huge kitchen island with a ton of extra counter space and a breakfast bar with three black stools nestled in to it. I also adore the huge landscape window above the sink which is contributing to that light and airy feeling.
Decor: I really appreciate the way that this kitchen is decorated. It’s using elements that already belong in the kitchen as decoration, like bowls of vibrant fruit, brightly colored appliances, and potted plants. Simple hanging lights with naked bulbs add to the beautiful simplicity of the room.
This simple and lovely kitchen design is courtesy of Scott Posno Design, and you can see the rest of the home here.
7. The Geometric Contemporary Kitchen
Floors & Walls: This modern kitchen design is modern from head to toe. This room starts with cement floors which is a super modern and industrial approach and white walls, but the room becomes modern in a fun and funky way once we notice the geometric wall pattern. Geometric wooden cut outs have been designed as a sort of window covering which also provides some rustic charm and artistic flare.
Features: Darker features are found throughout this kitchen design which is another standard contemporary characteristic. Black is always sleek and it’s a great way to elevate your kitchen into the modern trends.
Black cabinets, black counters, and a black kitchen island all come together to create something quite stylish. I really appreciate the dining table here with an off white tone and beautiful leather chairs to match. This really prevents the space from becoming too stuffy or too monochrome, and adds a lovely warm element.
Decor: While the room isn’t yet decorated, I find that a vase of flowers, some bowls of fresh fruit, and some lightly toned hand towels could really bring the room together and provide a welcoming vibe.
This lovely kitchen design comes from 1:1 Arquitetura:Design, you can see the rest of the home design here.
8. The Elevated Log Cabin Kitchen
Floors & Walls: I think that this may be one of my favorite designs in the collection. This open and airy kitchen space becomes all the more special because you get a glimpse of what the rest of this glorious home looks like.
This overwhelmingly lovely home starts with a gorgeous stain of wood that reminds me a dock on a lake. The home alternates between pillars made from rustic, unfinished wood, and warmer toned wooden panels for the ceiling. Where these aspects aren’t present, we have white walls that help maintain that feeling of airiness. I also adore how wherever there is a window, it is a floor to ceiling window.
Features: This single wall kitchen is anything but too small thanks to the huge kitchen island in the centre. While the wall portion holds a double oven, sink, gas stove top, and lower cabinets, the kitchen island is where we find tons of storage and counter space. I cannot find the fridge.
Decor: Every element of this room and home is so gorgeous that I really don’t crave anything more for the space. While it doesn’t feel super lived in at the moment, I think that’s all it would need to become the most glorious kitchen alive.
This impeccable kitchen design comes from Hughes Umbanhowar Architects.
9. The Midcentury Rustic Contemporary Kitchen
Floors & Walls: I personally love and adore this more modest kitchen design. I love when designers use more nostalgic and vintage inspirations but use modern execution in order to elevate. This awesome kitchen starts with some super fun tiles of white and mustard to create something unique and fun, while the rest of the room is left plain with white walls and really beautifully rustic brick ceilings. I wonder why the ceiling is curved like that!
Features: This closed kitchen space still feels open and airy thanks to all-white features. An entire wall made from white cabinets and a camouflage fridge feels deceptively clever, while a huge kitchen island with white countertops provides all that extra counter space, and a place for some little stools. A little oven with a gas stove top feels like a great size for an apartment kitchen.
Decor: This room is very simply decorated with a collection of decorative bowls as well as a super happy potted plant. I’d love to see some wooden stools sitting at that breakfast bar, and maybe a big framed print on the wall above the island.
This fun kitchen design is courtesy of Nook Architects, and you can see the remainder of this cool and unique space right here.
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10. The Midcentury Modern Modern Kitchen
Floors & Walls: Now this is what I call a stylish kitchen. I adore anything that is midcentury modern, and this is how you do it right. This super open, airy, and funky really has it all, and it all starts with some shined cement floors. We don’t really have walls in this room, because all of the walls are windows! What could be better?
Features: I will start out with the lilac pink Smegg refrigerator. It’s so bright, playful, and glorious and I love how much it contrasts with the other rustic wooden features of the room. We have gorgeous lower wooden cabinets with a shined countertop, and a high top kitchen island with super thin legs so that nothing impedes your view.
And it doesn’t stop there. A glorious built-in breakfast nook complete with wooden benches topped with dimple mustard cushions provides a wonderful place to sit and read the paper, while a circular table with midcentury modern inspired chairs with stunning wood framing and linen cushions is where you go to play cards while drinking a paper plane.
Decor: All of the aspects of this room are so gorgeous on their own that it already feels complete. Happy plants throughout the house provide movement and life, while the gorgeous view of greenery outside is all the artwork you could really need. Though I think I would change the black lamp shades hanging above the island, I can’t be too mad. Everything else is perfection to me.
This glorious kitchen design is courtesy of Jesse Bennett, and you can see the rest of the home here.
11. The Hosting Contemporary Kitchen
Floors & Walls: I’ve always dreamt of buying a house with 5 of my closest girlfriends and us just spending the rest of our days together, making each other meals and swimming and painting our nails and going to visit our husbands on the weekends. Just a total reversal of lifestyle.
If that were my life, this would be our kitchen. This amazingly huge kitchen starts with beautiful brown concrete floors that have been shined, while the remainder of the house is made from gorgeous wood panels, complete with an impressive vaulted ceilings with exposed wood beams.
Features: While there are tons of rustic elements to this room, there are also tons of modern elements to balance them out. We have a double refrigerator with clear doors which I love, shining black stone countertops, and a double sink built in to the kitchen island.
The kitchen island itself is enormous with enough room for 6 seats (a great way to get your guests involved in the prepping) while also having an extra bar area for even more seating. This house is truly made to host, and this open kitchen is probably where I would spend all of my time.
Decor: Again, this kitchen is decorated in the best way a kitchen can be decorated: with beautiful appliances. A rack for hanging pots, floating shelves for your prettiest dishes, and colorful chairs all contribute towards something really special. One vintage element I adore is the star clock on the back wall.
This perfect-for-hosting kitchen is designed by Johnston Architects PLLC, and you can see the rest of the home here.
12. The View Room Contemporary Kitchen
Floors & Walls: What a gorgeous thing to see. Rooms like these are things that some of us can only dream of, but it’s just nice to know that they exist, y’know? This spectacular kitchen starts with gorgeous hardwood floors which are met with little splashes of white wall, and a beautiful wooden ceiling with recessed lighting built in.
Features: This single wall kitchen begins with a unique open shelving area with vertical wood panels to create a lovely feature with little platforms for smaller decorations. The kitchen island in this room is longer that the room itself, made from beautiful wood and complete with a breakfast bar with modern high stools set underneath.
Decor: While the view from the floor to ceiling windows in art in itself, I do appreciate the pots of fresh flowers and plants to bring some life into the room. The pops of green are lovely against the primarily wooden kitchen space.
This stunning kitchen is thanks to Bates Masi Architects, and you can see the rest of the kitchen right over here.
13. The Wood & White Kitchen
Floors & Walls: The grand kitchen design starts with a really warm and richly stained wood which has been shined to your heart’s content, which is then brought into an arrangement of white walls and accent walls made from vertically arranged wood panels.
Features: This single wall kitchen space is met with a generously lengthy kitchen island with a gorgeous white marble waterfall countertop. The kitchen itself features dark hardwood drawers with white countertops.
Decor: While the kitchen itself isn’t very decorated, just being able to see the way the space interacts with the rest of the home tells you that it doesn’t really need to be. Elegant simplicity is shining its brightest in this space, I especially love the bench cushion set in front of an open window.
This lovely kitchen design has come from Base Architecture, and you can see the rest of the home here.
14. The Rustic Dream Kitchen
Floors & Walls: This is clearly something special. This space is clearly rustic but clearly modern. Clearly cozy but clearly elegant. A rather special kitchen design if you ask me, and you are since you’re ready this article.
The room starts with some beautiful stone slabs for the floor with a charming speckled pattern. The vaulted ceiling is truly something to behold with exposed wooden framing, and the only glimpses of wall that we see are actually windows.
Features: This huge L shaped kitchen is floor to ceiling wood. Wooden cabinets, wooden drawers, and a wooden refrigerator door. Using black as a backsplash for the kitchen feels especially clever and rather stylish.
But my favorite part of this room is the enormous dining table. This picnic style table has bench seating on one side, but the other side features a collection of different wooden stools. This simple and unique idea has taken away the uniformity we usually see with dining sets, and done something different and wonderful.
Decor: This simple kitchen is decorative purely in its design. Geometric hanging lamps add interest, while the room divider is host to a collection of ceramics and books. Just beyond we have an incredible ocean view. The perfect room.
This glorious kitchen design is thanks to SAOTA, and you can see the rest of the home here.
15. The Stone Mastery Contemporary Kitchen
Floors & Walls: Yet another amazing kitchen design that is almost unbelievable. This extravagant kitchen starts with dark stone tiles, and nothing but floor to ceiling windows to reveal a rather exquisite looking patio scene outside. Wood, stone, and metal all work together to create a room that makes quite a statement.
Features: While no kitchen appliances can actually be seen, we do get to see the amazing seating areas of the room. One is made from pure stone with a shining countertop but rough edges and golden bar stools to match, while the other is a dark hardwood picnic table with a live edge, and slightly different golden bar stools.
Decor: I love the non traditional decorative elements that have been used here. A wonderful bubble-esque light fixture featuring many golden orbs of light hangs over the picnic table, while a strange metal sculpture adorns the kitchen island. So strange, what a delight.
This awesome kitchen design is courtesy of ARRCC.
16. The Airy Kitchen
Floors & Walls: We’re finishing off this collection with something that is super modern in that it is literally plain white box, which is something we catch a lot with more contemporary designs.White floors lead in to white walls and a white ceiling. Though I think the backsplash is so ever gently off-white.
Features: This single wall kitchen comes with a camouflage refrigerator, white drawers and cabinets, but a kitchen island with a white waterfall countertops but with wooden siding. This rustic element is so welcomed in a room this monochrome.
Decor: I personally love adding floating shelves to kitchens in order to show off your prettiest dishes, and in this case some adorable little ceramics, knick knacks, and potted plants. Simply adorable. Adorably simple.
This cute kitchen design is courtesy of T B A, and you can see the rest of the home right over here!
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