What’s Your Kitchen Style? Here's a Guide to 12 Popular Designs
Whether you like modern, traditional or eclectic, these guides will help you decide which kitchen is for you
Style is easier to recognise with your eyes than with words: You know it when you see it, and the photo that inspires you most can often surprise you. Think you know your kitchen style? Check out these guides to our favourite kitchen design themes, then tell us which one takes the cake.
Modern kitchens
Definitions of “modern” vary widely, but when we think of modern kitchen designs, we often think of frameless cabinets, sleek and simple hardware, strong horizontal lines and a lack of ornamentation, with the natural beauty of the materials shining through.
Guide: 8 Elements of a modern kitchen
Definitions of “modern” vary widely, but when we think of modern kitchen designs, we often think of frameless cabinets, sleek and simple hardware, strong horizontal lines and a lack of ornamentation, with the natural beauty of the materials shining through.
Guide: 8 Elements of a modern kitchen
Farmhouse kitchens
Warm and homey farmhouses anchored a life on the land, and they still offer great functionality and comfort. Their open shelving, wide sinks, classic flooring and big kitchen table make them easy to work in and easy to love.
Guide: 8 Elements of a farmhouse kitchen
Warm and homey farmhouses anchored a life on the land, and they still offer great functionality and comfort. Their open shelving, wide sinks, classic flooring and big kitchen table make them easy to work in and easy to love.
Guide: 8 Elements of a farmhouse kitchen
Rustic kitchens
‘Worn’, ‘distressed’ and ‘rough hewn’ may not be the first words that come to mind when we think of kitchens. But today, rustic rivals the classic white kitchen in popularity – thanks to their timber, stone, brick, vintage appliances and fireplaces.
Guide: 15 Ways to cozy up a kitchen with rustic style
‘Worn’, ‘distressed’ and ‘rough hewn’ may not be the first words that come to mind when we think of kitchens. But today, rustic rivals the classic white kitchen in popularity – thanks to their timber, stone, brick, vintage appliances and fireplaces.
Guide: 15 Ways to cozy up a kitchen with rustic style
Traditional kitchens
Traditional kitchens are defined by their details, which can include arches, decorative mouldings and corbels, raised-panel cabinets, a mix of antique finishes and furniture-like turned legs – even a chandelier. Whether they have a classic American or old-world flavour, they still carry the stamp of their owner’s personal style.
Guide: 15 Elements of a traditional kitchen
Traditional kitchens are defined by their details, which can include arches, decorative mouldings and corbels, raised-panel cabinets, a mix of antique finishes and furniture-like turned legs – even a chandelier. Whether they have a classic American or old-world flavour, they still carry the stamp of their owner’s personal style.
Guide: 15 Elements of a traditional kitchen
Fusion kitchens
Think of a fusion kitchen as the great moderator. With the warmth and welcome of traditional design and the clean, simple lines of contemporary style, fusion spaces project balance and harmony. Because they offer a great deal of flexibility, they’re a great choice for homeowners whose taste spans the two.
Guide: 8 Elements of a fusion kitchen
Think of a fusion kitchen as the great moderator. With the warmth and welcome of traditional design and the clean, simple lines of contemporary style, fusion spaces project balance and harmony. Because they offer a great deal of flexibility, they’re a great choice for homeowners whose taste spans the two.
Guide: 8 Elements of a fusion kitchen
Cottage kitchens
Cozy, happy and unpretentious, a cottage kitchen harks back to simpler times and evokes a sense of easy, carefree living. Beadboard, soft colours, vintage hardware, wood floors, bright accents and curtains will infuse your kitchen with cottage comfort.
Guide: 8 Elements of a cottage kitchen
Cozy, happy and unpretentious, a cottage kitchen harks back to simpler times and evokes a sense of easy, carefree living. Beadboard, soft colours, vintage hardware, wood floors, bright accents and curtains will infuse your kitchen with cottage comfort.
Guide: 8 Elements of a cottage kitchen
Craftsman kitchens
Craftsman style arose in the early 20th century as a reaction to the mass-produced fussiness of the Victorian era. Its rich woods, built-ins, handcrafted tiles and well-made simplicity continue to charm us.
Guide: 8 Elements of a craftsman kitchen
Craftsman style arose in the early 20th century as a reaction to the mass-produced fussiness of the Victorian era. Its rich woods, built-ins, handcrafted tiles and well-made simplicity continue to charm us.
Guide: 8 Elements of a craftsman kitchen
Paris bistro kitchens
If you long for a sugar-laced café au lait on Rue Montmartre, why not bring a little Parisian style into your house? Intimate kitchen lighting, pretty cookware on display, tile floors and a striped awning ought to do it.
Guide: 9 Ways to conjure a Parisian bistro in your kitchen
If you long for a sugar-laced café au lait on Rue Montmartre, why not bring a little Parisian style into your house? Intimate kitchen lighting, pretty cookware on display, tile floors and a striped awning ought to do it.
Guide: 9 Ways to conjure a Parisian bistro in your kitchen
Classic kitchens
What is classic? The answer is as varied as cooks are. Still, white or cream kitchen cabinets, simple architectural details and black accents offer a blank slate that homeowners can personalise with contemporary, traditional and eclectic touches as they see fit.
Guide: 8 Elements of classic kitchen style
What is classic? The answer is as varied as cooks are. Still, white or cream kitchen cabinets, simple architectural details and black accents offer a blank slate that homeowners can personalise with contemporary, traditional and eclectic touches as they see fit.
Guide: 8 Elements of classic kitchen style
Mediterranean-style kitchens
Flared hoods, hand-painted tile, warm wood cabinets, beamed ceilings and arched cooking alcoves are just some of the features that put Spanish revival kitchens on the most-wanted list.
Guide: 8 Elements of a Mediterranean kitchen
Flared hoods, hand-painted tile, warm wood cabinets, beamed ceilings and arched cooking alcoves are just some of the features that put Spanish revival kitchens on the most-wanted list.
Guide: 8 Elements of a Mediterranean kitchen
Eclectic kitchens
Do you rebel against styles and refuse pigeonholes? It’s your house; you can mix and match for your own distinct kitchen style however you please. The trick: Be a rebel with a cause. Get ideas for a very personal kitchen, with touches of modern and rustic styles, well-traveled flair, humour and irreverence.
Guide: 10 Elements of an eclectic kitchen
TELL US
What is your kitchen style? Do you have a favourite? Tell us in the Comments section.
MORE
Houzz Quiz: What Style of Kitchen Should You Have?
Do you rebel against styles and refuse pigeonholes? It’s your house; you can mix and match for your own distinct kitchen style however you please. The trick: Be a rebel with a cause. Get ideas for a very personal kitchen, with touches of modern and rustic styles, well-traveled flair, humour and irreverence.
Guide: 10 Elements of an eclectic kitchen
TELL US
What is your kitchen style? Do you have a favourite? Tell us in the Comments section.
MORE
Houzz Quiz: What Style of Kitchen Should You Have?
Contemporary kitchens can be very sleek, but while a purely modern kitchen often celebrates structure and grid, a contemporary kitchen is often more playful in form and finishes, including elements of other styles and creating its own reflection of the times.
Guide: 6 Elements of a contemporary kitchen