In real apartments, rooms are small and budgets are not unlimited, and this puts a ton of restrictions on kitchen design.

That is where we will start.

Kitchen design approached creatively or by the rules

Practical Kitchen Design

Obvious ideas that people still get wrong:

  1. Upper cabinets to the ceiling are standard. With them, the kitchen interior looks built-in and modern. Clutter and dirt do not collect. There is extra room for rarely needed items.
  2. Lift-up hardware for upper cabinets costs more than swing doors but gives no advantage in convenience or appearance – forget it.
  3. Pullout hardware for lower cabinets also costs more, but it is much more convenient – this is worth paying extra for.
  4. Handles are unnecessary on upper cabinets with any opening system. Make the upper doors 3/4 inch longer and open them from the bottom.
  5. Build these into the sink: a faucet with separate outlets for tap and filtered water, and a soap dispenser. The area immediately becomes clearer.
  6. Use the windowsill by putting a countertop in its place.
  7. Additional lighting (the backsplash, for example) should switch on at the kitchen entrance from the same two-gang switch as the main light. Not separately, as most people do. Ideally, the switch should be easy to press with your knee (admit it, you also like eating outside the kitchen and often leave with your hands full?).

Important! There is a fork ahead.

If you are interested in these rational kitchen design ideas and real photos where they are used, go here:

  1. Small kitchen interiors
  2. Tiny square kitchen remodeling
  3. Kitchens up to 65 square feet
  4. 100-square-foot kitchens – common apartment kitchens and not only those.
  5. U-shaped kitchens

Because limited space is exactly where you have to go deep into ergonomics and follow the rules.

What follows here is a photo gallery of bright, unusual designer solutions that look stylish and interesting despite the rules. Plus links to articles about styles and so on.

modern kitchen design with over 120 photos

Kitchen Interior Styles

Modern style does not require perfect obedience to the rules, and that is why it is so cool.

Below is about the feeling created by the appearance, not about holding the kitchen interior inside artificial boundaries.

scandinavian-style kitchen with black-and-white tiled floor with a pattern

Also read the overview of all interior design styles.

1. Scandinavian

A very modern approach to a kitchen remodel:

  1. Simple finishes and furniture
  2. Neutral colors (white, gray, wood)
  3. Small accents through patterns or bright spots

The result is a cozy interior without kitsch or showing off, for minimal money, but with individual touches.

scandinavian styled white kitchen design of a white kitchen with patterns on the backsplash design of a kitchen in white and turquoise with patterns on the floor light gray kitchen design design of a kitchen with gray furniture and a yellow stool unusual gray kitchen in scandi style nonstandard solution for kitchen with dark gray cabinet fronts simple and tasteful kitchen design in scandi style gray modern kitchen in scandi style gray modern cabinet fronts with routed detailing scandinavian kitchen with teal cabinet fronts 3D cubes on the kitchen backsplash

The photos clearly show that you do not need to overthink it. Just 1 interesting detail is enough to make a kitchen interior unusual:

  1. Three-dimensional cube tile or black-and-white patterned tile on the backsplash
  2. An L-shaped breakfast bar with a view out the window
  3. Turquoise walls and patterns on the floor
  4. Light gray matte milled cabinet fronts
  5. Exposed wiring and a concrete ceiling painted directly

That is the whole point of Scandinavian style – overall simplicity and local accents.

Many photos and ideas for adapting it to real apartments: Scandinavian kitchen interior.

2. Neoclassical

A very popular style that does not actually exist.

But the idea is good:

Take neutral elements from traditional styles (milled cabinet fronts, decorative handles, elaborate light fixtures), but calmly use modern things for everything else. This approach is widely used in the U.S. and is called transitional or traditional style there.

kitchen design - multiple styles on 1 photo design of a kitchen in two colors classical style white kitchen silver-colored kitchen in neoclassical style design of a small gray kitchen in neoclassical style dream designer kitchen in neoclassical style classical kitchen design with modern touches classical kitchen design with modern appliances concept kitchen with unusual designer solution featuring glossy cabinet fronts in neoclassical style nonstandard design of a gray kitchen in neoclassical style simple kitchen design in neoclassical style simple kitchen interior in neoclassical style light gray kitchen in neoclassical style contemporary provence variation in kitchen design modern interpretation of classic kitchen design stylish design of a classic kitchen cabinet fronts with routed detailing in modern kitchen design black and white kitchen in neoclassical style

Leave out gilding, murals, molding, and other deliberate signs of luxury that increase the budget without guaranteeing a better remodel. Read about neoclassical kitchens.

You get a cozy, beautiful kitchen without overpaying for imitation traditional appliances and furniture. In the feeling and overall impression of the design, these kitchens resemble Scandinavian ones, while the furniture resembles a Provence-style kitchen.

3. Loft

We do not care about the rules, so all we want from the style is:

  1. Brutality
  2. Surfaces with rough texture (concrete, brick, travertine) that we will then light and get beautiful, deep shadows
  3. Dark colors
contemporary loft style kitchen design 2 photos of a modern loft kitchen design loft and high-tech style kitchen design design of a kitchen for a bachelor with a breakfast bar island dark wood and black kitchen design black cabinet fronts and concrete-look backsplash kitchen design loft-style kitchen with concrete ceiling unusual kitchen design with wooden beams nonstandard kitchen design with stainless steel countertop Modern kitchen design with wooden-slat furniture finishes

The drawback:

every kitchen solution has to be interesting. A regular radiator or faucet can easily break the overall image, while designer ones are expensive. That is why it is easier to borrow individual style elements than follow it completely. I have already covered all the details of loft-style kitchen design in an apartment (there are plenty).

Loft likes large spaces, so it may make sense to remove some walls. Read about the details of open-plan kitchen and living room design.

4. Minimalism

The permanent foundation of every modern style. In real apartments, kitchens grow a large number of objects and end up in permanent disorder. That is why closed storage is everything to us.

The standard combination of colors that do not draw attention is a white kitchen with wood countertops. In this version, even a slight mess will not destroy the feeling of minimalism, plus it is practical and inexpensive.

Built-in appliances in a modern kitchen design of a white kitchen in minimalist style with a marble island built-in kitchen design simple and tasteful kitchen design without extra decor kitchen design in an apartment with elements of minimalism and loft styles minimalist kitchen with living room design of a small white kitchen with a glass backsplash design of a small kitchen in minimalism style design of a straight kitchen design of a corner kitchen with white glossy cabinet fronts white kitchen interior of a modern spacious kitchen-living room kitchen in minimalist style in a two-level apartment minimalist kitchen design in a real apartment simple kitchen interior in minimalism style simple modern kitchen design in an apartment modern kitchen design in an apartment with no extra items black and white minimalist kitchen interior

Like any stylish modern kitchen, it requires every appliance and piece of furniture to be completely built in – there should be no dark corners, upper cabinets stopping short of the ceiling, freestanding ranges, or microwaves.

The biggest advantage of minimalism is that even if you make a ton of mistakes with the finishes and choose the wrong flooring and cabinets, the kitchen design will still remain acceptable.

Dream Kitchen Design

Do not even try to implement the kitchen designs in this section without a large budget and a design plan. But you can borrow individual features.

In many ways, the kitchens in the pictures look beautiful and expensive because of luxury materials: stone, stone veneer, hardwood floors, solid-wood cabinet fronts, and natural wood on tables and breakfast bars.

But there are 2 ideas that can be moved from a dream kitchen into a real design:

  1. Designer light fixtures. There are now many copies and simply similar versions of Italian and other expensive fixtures, but made in China or Poland. They are often no worse in quality – globalization has a positive effect on the “spread” of design.
  2. Bold, localized color accents. The last section is devoted entirely to color.

For an example, let’s divide the photos into 2 groups:

  1. The kitchen design is based on expensive things and cannot be reproduced on a budget
  2. Interesting kitchens with unusual ideas made from ordinary materials

Expensive:

art deco kitchen design traditional american kitchen design stone kitchen design concept kitchen with cabinet fronts in dark walnut design of an unusually tall kitchen with modern elements dining table made of oak designer kitchen renovation in gray tones Brown Art Nouveau-style kitchen with cork flooring simple kitchen design with expensive decor and furniture luxurious kitchen with orange cabinet fronts hidden lighting as an important design element of the kitchen countertop and backsplash of kitchen made of porcelain tile

Interesting:

kitchen with decorative plaster ceiling Silver 3D facades for built-in kitchen cabinets Glossy black and white kitchen with a breakfast bar high ceiling kitchen design of a modern kitchen with a chrome refrigerator and lights design kitchen with marble countertop and backsplash interesting kitchen solution - stone veneer on the wall interior of a kitchen in unsaturated gray tones modern art-deco kitchen with glossy cabinet fronts in wood-look kitchen-living room in art deco style with blue chairs nonstandard kitchen interior with two-toned lower cabinets modern kitchen with wood-look

Interesting Colors

Usually I write: make kitchens white, make them light, do not use bright colors, and especially not dark ones because they are impractical too.

And not without reason: brightness in an interior = risk. But at the same time, it is a simple and free way to make an unusual kitchen design. Here are 2 photo examples where unconventional accents made the remodel very interesting:

Pastel pink non-standard kitchen design bright kitchen design with yellow carpet

Let’s look at 2 types of color that I usually do not recommend, but before that, I strongly advise understanding my article about combining colors in an interior – without it, the chance of mistakes approaches 100%.

There I explained why using pure color in furniture and finishes is a bad idea. But unusual muted colors and their shades are an interesting solution.

Cool Colors

For a while, pure blue kitchens were in fashion, and they were awful. Although the potential of blue shades is enormous.

Add black, and you get a dark blue kitchen:

Glossy blue kitchen in classic style white and blue kitchen design blue kitchen in provence style small kitchen with glossy blue cabinet fronts with routed detailing blue kitchen with 3d door cabinets modern kitchen design in scandi style and blue color modern kitchen design on two sides with white and blue modern kitchen design with blue and white colors modern dark blue kitchen gray patterns and dark blue design of the kitchen combination of colors in a white kitchen dark blue furniture on the kitchen

An unusual kitchen design idea: solid-wood cabinet fronts painted a non-neutral color while preserving their texture (grain, knots, and so on).

dark blue wooden kitchen design interesting kitchen design idea - blue painted wood

Light blue looks very fresh:

Glossy light blue kitchen A light blue chair and backsplash in a modern kitchen bright light blue kitchen design

But my favorites are blue with gray and green added, moving toward muted mint and muted turquoise. Despite being unpopular and non-obvious, this kitchen design solution is fairly safe in terms of the chance of making a mistake.

Turquoise kitchen in Scandinavian style Turquoise kitchen in a modern style with wooden slats Turquoise kitchen with gray tiled floor with a pattern dusty blue turquoise kitchen matte dirty turquoise modern kitchen modern kitchen design in dusty blue

But a green kitchen is a very risky solution. This color looks very different in sunlight and without it, so I would not recommend using it in a room that gets lots of natural light – the result will be unpredictable.

oxford green kitchen design matte green cabinets in modern kitchen dark green color in kitchen design

Dark Colors

I do not recommend black or any dark glossy cabinet fronts – a terribly impractical option. But a matte, uneven finish can make an interesting kitchen.

kitchen design with attic window black kitchen in scandi style kitchen design with countertop by the window black kitchen design with marble-look countertop black kitchen kitchen with black furniture classical kitchen design in black modern kitchen in dark tones dark modern kitchen design

It is still suitable only for large spaces and requires lots of artificial light.

If you want to move away from tired white, beige in shades of light bronze and warm milk may be enough.

Glossy beige kitchen in modern style Glossy kitchen in rendered milk chocolate color design of a kitchen with matte beige cabinets cocoa milk colored kitchen design design of a light gray kitchen

This article is unlike my others and is more about photos, ideas, and inspiration.

I usually give clear recommendations to protect you from common mistakes. I strongly recommend reading the other articles, and good luck with your remodel!