9 Standout Ideas for a Unique Kitchen
Celebrate kitchens that flout convention, favouring a look that’s quirky, colourful and highly original
While there’s plenty to love about the classic contemporary kitchen – bi-fold doors, side-return extensions, sleek and modern styling – some of you have been in touch to request a showcase of a few of the less conventional kitchens on Houzz. So if you love the sleek functionality of many contemporary kitchens, but hanker for a cook space that cuts a more unique figure, then this is the collection for you.
These fabulous kitchens work hard, but have combined their practical role with gorgeously unusual features and exciting ingredients. Best of all, many of these spaces incorporate affordable ideas, proving a big budget is not always necessary when it comes to boosting the style and personality of your kitchen.
These fabulous kitchens work hard, but have combined their practical role with gorgeously unusual features and exciting ingredients. Best of all, many of these spaces incorporate affordable ideas, proving a big budget is not always necessary when it comes to boosting the style and personality of your kitchen.
Introduce vintage
Don’t overlook the opportunity to bring pre-loved furniture into a kitchen. While new cabinets that have been professionally fitted deliver practical benefits, a vintage piece can work equally well and will add a shot of unique character and style. Try a simple wall cupboard or make a bigger statement by sourcing a large piece like this old display cabinet from a department store, which now functions as storage and an alternative island.
Don’t overlook the opportunity to bring pre-loved furniture into a kitchen. While new cabinets that have been professionally fitted deliver practical benefits, a vintage piece can work equally well and will add a shot of unique character and style. Try a simple wall cupboard or make a bigger statement by sourcing a large piece like this old display cabinet from a department store, which now functions as storage and an alternative island.
Fit coloured cabinets
This kitchen takes the familiar sleek contemporary cupboard doors and gives them a wild new look thanks to bold, Mondrian-style colours (and with the artfully positioned bowl of tomatoes, that palette is now complete). The island is cleverly mounted on a Perspex stand and appears to be floating, helping the space to feel bigger and lighter.
This kitchen takes the familiar sleek contemporary cupboard doors and gives them a wild new look thanks to bold, Mondrian-style colours (and with the artfully positioned bowl of tomatoes, that palette is now complete). The island is cleverly mounted on a Perspex stand and appears to be floating, helping the space to feel bigger and lighter.
Mix up materials
Steer away from a minimal, matchy-matchy look and work a clutch of different materials into your space for a really fresh, unique space. This beautiful kitchen in a Victorian house mixes antique furniture with contemporary cabinets, and uses luxurious sheet copper as the splashback as well as on each end of the island. Mixing up materials in this way helps keep costs down too, allowing you to splash out on some details and save on others, without compromising the look of the space.
Steer away from a minimal, matchy-matchy look and work a clutch of different materials into your space for a really fresh, unique space. This beautiful kitchen in a Victorian house mixes antique furniture with contemporary cabinets, and uses luxurious sheet copper as the splashback as well as on each end of the island. Mixing up materials in this way helps keep costs down too, allowing you to splash out on some details and save on others, without compromising the look of the space.
Reuse and recycle
This kitchen was created using entirely recycled materials. The units are faced with old cupboard doors, which have been cut down and sanded, and topped with a benchtop made from old scaffolding planks, sanded smooth. Salvaged corrugated iron clads the walls.
10 ways timber can warm up your home
This kitchen was created using entirely recycled materials. The units are faced with old cupboard doors, which have been cut down and sanded, and topped with a benchtop made from old scaffolding planks, sanded smooth. Salvaged corrugated iron clads the walls.
10 ways timber can warm up your home
Paint a patchwork
Giving your kitchen cupboard doors a coat of paint will quickly refresh them and ensure your space has a new look, but why stop there? Try painting the doors in a handful of different colours, to create quirky, eye-catching storage.
Giving your kitchen cupboard doors a coat of paint will quickly refresh them and ensure your space has a new look, but why stop there? Try painting the doors in a handful of different colours, to create quirky, eye-catching storage.
Brighten the walls
Adding a vivid shade to the walls is a simple, effective method for instantly giving your kitchen lots of character. This space also contains vintage decorative pieces, which all stand out boldly against the striking green walls.
Adding a vivid shade to the walls is a simple, effective method for instantly giving your kitchen lots of character. This space also contains vintage decorative pieces, which all stand out boldly against the striking green walls.
Have fun with freestanding
Forget building in expensive cabinetry and celebrate the freedom that freestanding furniture offers. This kitchen simply consists of three large, chunky units (one containing the sink) from Ikea. Teaming them with stripped floorboards and salvaged wood – used to clad the walls – adds exciting contrast and gives these mainstream pieces a more exciting, original feel.
Forget building in expensive cabinetry and celebrate the freedom that freestanding furniture offers. This kitchen simply consists of three large, chunky units (one containing the sink) from Ikea. Teaming them with stripped floorboards and salvaged wood – used to clad the walls – adds exciting contrast and gives these mainstream pieces a more exciting, original feel.
Sail to an island
If you are having a kitchen designed from scratch and made especially for you, why not let your imagination run wild? Instead of a regular rectangular island you could choose a more interesting shape, like the boat seen here. Nautical style at its most literal!
TELL US
What do you think of these original kitchens? Share your thoughts – and describe your perfect kitchen – in the Comments below.
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If you are having a kitchen designed from scratch and made especially for you, why not let your imagination run wild? Instead of a regular rectangular island you could choose a more interesting shape, like the boat seen here. Nautical style at its most literal!
TELL US
What do you think of these original kitchens? Share your thoughts – and describe your perfect kitchen – in the Comments below.
MORE
12 Ways to Give Your Kitchen Some Wow
Decidedly Different Dining Rooms
Kitchen Inspiration: 10 Creative Kitchen Islands to Escape To
This gorgeous black kitchen feels like a fresh take on the all-white kitchens beloved by the minimalism movement – stunning in their own way, but not for everyone. It’s beautifully designed without being showy, and its dark good looks and original splashbacks give it heaps of character. The design is wonderfully pared-back too, and the whole kitchen looks as thought it has been quietly slotted along one wall of this apartment, taking up minimal space and ensuring the beautiful ceiling mouldings and flooring still shine.
See even more stunning splashback ideas