137,400 Modern Kitchen Design Photos

Coastline Building Design (Kirsty Starkey)

Major renovation of an existing inner city house with beach views. Kitchen, bathrooms, laundry and study area. Colour scheme for the house was based on the Statuario marble benches and splashback in the kitchen - white, charcoal and silver. Multi level home with living room looking over the kitchen towards the city on one side and beach in the other direction. Beautifully book-matched stone benchtop in the kitchen with matching splashback behind a stainless steel bench. David Simmonds Photography

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design & pictures by Imke Laux/ Laux Interiors Berlin

The right kitchen tiles can make a compact kitchen feel noticeably larger than it actually is. Size, finish, and layout each shape how open a room reads, and getting that combination right turns a cramped cooking area into one that feels calm and uncluttered. The decisions below — from light reflectance to grout colour to tile format — are the ones that quietly determine how spacious a small kitchen looks and how well it holds up to daily use. Light Reflectance In Wall Tiles How a surface handles light has a direct effect on perceived space. Glossy finishes bounce daylight across the room and brighten the corners that compact kitchens tend to leave dark, which is why brilliant white kitchen tiles lift ambient brightness so quickly. Matte finishes do the opposite — they absorb light and can make a tight space feel slightly more enclosed. Reflective wall tiles amplify whatever natural light is already available, often without the need for extra fixtures. Cream tones add warmth while keeping luminosity high, and high-gloss surfaces push brightness even further. A luminous room almost always reads as larger than a dark, light-absorbing one, so designers frequently lean on reflective finishes to stretch a small footprint. Grout Colour And Floor Continuity Visible grout lines create a grid that stops the eye and draws attention to tight dimensions. Matching grout colour to the tile surface removes those interruptions, and the seamless effect works especially well with natural beige tones. Narrow joints help too, which is why rectified, precision-cut edges suit small spaces — they allow ultra-thin grout lines and a more continuous surface. High-contrast grout introduces visual busyness that compact rooms can't afford. Colour-matched epoxy keeps joints clean and durable while preserving that unbroken plane. The result is a near-monolithic floor that the eye reads as a single expanse rather than a patchwork of small units. Large-Format Tiles In Compact Spaces It runs counter to intuition, but oversized formats often perform best in the smallest rooms. Fewer joints mean less visual clutter, and a 60x120cm tile laid horizontally stretches the perceived width of a tight galley layout. Large slabs reduce the intersections that chop up kitchen floor tiles, drawing the eye outward toward the edges of the room. Replacing small square tiles with larger porcelain slabs also modernises the overall feel and creates a calmer, more continuous base. For most compact kitchens, that uninterrupted surface area does more for the sense of space than a busier small-format floor ever would. Layout And Orientation Pattern direction changes how a wall reads. Vertical stacking draws the eye upward and lifts perceived ceiling height, useful in rooms that feel boxed in. Horizontal stacking does the reverse, visually widening narrow walls — a run of deep blue kitchen tiles laid horizontally adds depth without closing the space in. Classic brick-bond and metro layouts offer timeless appeal but need careful orientation to suit the room. Herringbone introduces movement and draws attention away from a limited floor area, though the zigzag demands proportional planning so it doesn't overwhelm a small space. Colour And Pattern Strategy Busy patterns can swamp a small room if they're used everywhere. A single feature zone solves this: confining patterned kitchen tiles to one backsplash area adds character without tipping into visual chaos. Elsewhere, a monochrome palette keeps the room unified, and tone-on-tone schemes — subtle grey kitchen tiles, for instance — create a sophisticated backdrop for modern appliances. Deliberate contrast can still define zones intelligently. Pairing black kitchen tiles on base units with lighter walls above grounds the room and creates a gentle gradient, which tends to flatter a compact layout more than a single flat colour throughout. Porcelain Vs Ceramic Durability Material density drives longevity in a high-traffic cooking zone. Porcelain kitchen tiles are vitrified, giving them superior water resistance and structural integrity, and they stand up to decades of heavy daily use. Ceramic kitchen tiles are lighter, which makes them well suited to walls and splashbacks where reduced weight helps installation and allows more intricate detailing. Maintenance differs between the two clay-based materials. Non-porous porcelain is the safer choice for busy households and floors that see spills and moisture, where absolute water resistance matters most. Polished Onyx-Effect Tiles For Splashbacks Polished surfaces replicate the luxury of natural stone without the upkeep stone demands, and an onyx-effect finish brings a high-end look to a modern kitchen. The reflective glaze bounces task lighting across prep areas attractively. The trade-off is that glossy finishes show watermarks more readily than matte ones, so they reward regular wiping. Set against that, strong heat resistance makes them a sensible option for stove-adjacent areas where the surface takes direct warmth. Wood-Effect Porcelain For Open-Plan Kitchens Wood-effect porcelain pairs timber aesthetics with the thermal conductivity needed for underfloor heating — it retains and radiates warmth far more effectively than real timber. Plank formats also elongate a room when laid parallel to the longest wall. Many of these tiles convincingly mimic Scandinavian oak or richer walnut tones, delivering durability, warmth underfoot, and a visual stretch all at once. For open-plan layouts with heating beneath the floor, it's one of the more practical premium choices available. Backsplash Decisions A splashback is prime real estate for a design statement, and reflective surfaces add depth right at eye level. Veined options like marble-effect tiles bring organic movement to otherwise rigid cabinetry, and matching the splashback to countertop materials creates a cohesive, considered finish. Grout maintenance matters most behind hobs and sinks, where stain-resistant epoxy keeps surfaces hygienic and easy to clean over the long term. High-performance splashbacks generally share three properties:

• High thermal shock resistance against direct stove heat
• Zero porosity, to repel cooking oils and heavy moisture
• Clean integration with the surrounding wall tiles

Geometric Alignment With Square Formats Symmetrical grids bring order to a constrained space. Uniform 60x60cm squares create a balanced, calming visual field, and they align neatly with minimalist cabinetry edges. Laying square tiles diagonally tricks the eye into reading a wider floor — the diamond layout is one of the most reliable optical tricks for a small kitchen. Square formats also lend themselves to colour experiments; natural green kitchen tiles, for example, introduce a touch of biophilic warmth without overwhelming the room. Current Direction In Small-Kitchen Tiling Contemporary kitchens favour seamless transitions between floor and wall. Carrying the same material across both surfaces erases structural boundaries and wraps the room in a single continuous finish, which makes a compact space feel more open. Metallic accents — a hint of gold catching morning light — add unexpected luminosity to dark corners, and they're having a moment in higher-end schemes. Texture is the other lever: ribbed or grooved surfaces create subtle shadow play and stop an all-white kitchen from feeling clinical, all without taking up any physical space. Final Thoughts Making a small kitchen feel larger comes down to a few coordinated decisions: appropriate scale, reflective finishes, and layouts that lead the eye outward rather than chopping the room into pieces. Each choice affects both how spacious the room looks and how well it performs day to day. Combining durable materials with these visual strategies gives you a compact kitchen that feels open, holds up to heavy use, and still looks considered years down the line.

Ultramodern German Kitchen in Worthing, West Sussex A natural wood finish and matt effect textures have been used to modernise this Worthing kitchen and matching TV area. The Brief This client required a modernisation of their kitchen and dining area to bring it up to date with a neutral theme. The design needed to be light and airy, plus it had to make the most of natural light through windows to the rear of the property. They sought to improve this room for the entire family and had ideas to improve the dining space with a TV to watch whilst cooking or enjoying meals together. Design Elements After searching for inspiration and style ideas in some of our brochures, this client settled on a natural wood and matt effect combination from German supplier Bauformat’s brochure. Opting for slightly alternate tones to suit their own preference, a Toffee wood finish and Sand Beige matt finish would be the chosen finishes for this space. The task then for designer Aron was to deploy this combination across an arrangement of furniture to suit this client’s requirements. The layout is not dissimilar to the client’s previous kitchen, though Aron has improved the flow of furniture to enhance storage space and natural light into the kitchen. A long run is used across the rear wall of the property to house a sink, dishwasher, hob and extractor, which allows natural light to pour through these windows. Opposite, full-height units facilitate integrated appliances and the client’s own ovens. In the corner next to the door wall units have been included above a wooden splashback, and a small worktop area has also been created which is ideal for storing small appliances. Special Inclusions Several special inclusions help to improve the function of this space, with many inspired by our showroom displays and designer Aron’s recommendations. Pull-out integrated storage drawers, a tambour unit, and drawer dividers are just some of the options this client has chosen to include. The modernisation of this space also extends to several new appliance choices. A Quooker boiling tap provides this kitchen space with a constant stream of 100°C boiling water and is installed above a contemporary 1.5 bowl Blanco sink. Next to this, a Neff hob is accompanied by an overhead extractor from Neff also, which both add great functionality when it’s time to cook. To suit this new design, lighting and electrical improvements have been made throughout. Ceiling downlights, a pendant light above the dining area, and undercabinet lights installed beneath wall units brighten up this space. New electrical sockets have also been installed to suit the layout. Project Highlight The TV area is a lovely in keeping addition to this kitchen space, with additional storage created for decorative items another great inclusion. This area is sure to change the way this family uses their kitchen making it a more sociable environment for future use. The End Results This project incorporates all the elements of the initial brief with a cohesive design replicated across a vast kitchen and new TV and dining area. This great design is accompanied by fantastic workmanship from our installation team to create a kitchen space this client will love for years to come. If you are looking to transform your kitchen space, discover how our expert designers can help with a free design appointment. Arrange your free design appointment online or in showroom. Request a Callback I Book an Appointment

Light and airy contemporary kitchen with minimalist features. The large, stone clad island and expansive skylight hero the space.

Photo's by Chaz Snell of Wideangles.co.uk Modern slab super matt cashmere kitchen doors, Silestone worktop Snowy Ibiza, Quooker tap with Silestone side sink and Stainless steel sink 1810, Blum Legar soft closing drawers, tower unit and pull out storage. LED lighting.

Lisa Lodwig