99 Timeless Kitchen Design Ideas for 2025

In this two-story entertaining barn on a ranch in California, designer Adam Ben Wagner opted for integrated storage in the kitchen, which flows directly into the lounge. “I wanted the kitchen to feel incorporated into [the] space but without sticking out like a typical kitchen,” he says. “I conceived of the cabinetry as full-height bookshelves and storage, reading more like an intimate library space.”

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Designer Kristen Peña chose the green backsplash as an alternative to the blues dominating the kitchen design industry. Inspired by the cypress trees in Pebble Beach, the Ann Sacks tiles each have a unique green hue and texture, so when paired together, they create an eye-catching visual.

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Because the kitchen is one of the first spaces you encounter in this NYC home, designer Francis Nicado focused on easy cleaning. Durable counters and Ann Sacks backsplash tile can be quickly wiped down, while performance fabric on the stools handles spills and crumbs expertly. “The blue island and barstools tie this space together with the adjacent breakfast room to create a cohesive experience,” Nicdao says.

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In a blank box home in Nashville, designer Stephanie Sabbe set out to create architecture from scratch. The kitchen features largely neutral tones, which allow the impressive millwork to shine. An antique dining table takes center stage in the open floor plan, and brass hardware was chosen for its unique patina, which develops over time.

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Designer Caitlin Jones Ghajar designed a fully functional kitchen in this San Francisco apartment, but knew her client would rarely use it to cook meals. “It’s a fully functioning kitchen with a cooktop and all of that,” Jones Ghajar says, “but it really was about having tea in the afternoon and a cocktail before you go out for dinner.” Instead, the vibrant space keeps the homeowner’s daily essentials within easy reach, with no excess storage or counter space wasted.

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In designer Heather French’s beautiful kitchen, she didn’t hold back when it came to layering patterns. From the matching cafe curtains and skirt around the island and the rug to the marble backsplash, patterns rule the space, with inky navy cabinets to anchor it all.

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Designer Amber Lewis steered her clients away from a bright yellow kitchen and toward a demure color palette that meshes old-world elements with New England charm. The patinaed copper and Calacatta marble lean more vintage, while the painted cabinetry and linen seating reflect a casual coastal style.

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Designer Breegan Jane admits that she is not a cook, so she designed her kitchen with one thing in mind: entertaining. Take this as your sign to design the kitchen you need, not the one that’s expected of you.

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Kitchen islands are a substantial kitchen feature that you’ll never regret adding. If your current kitchen isn’t large enough to fit one in, you might want to consider taking down some walls to do so. Chandler and Jeremy Quarles from Peach & Pine Interiors did just that for their own kitchen design idea, placing a 10-foot, solid walnut island in the center of the room. It’s elegant and timeless, and really brings the entire space together.

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Not only will an alcove bring more dimension to your space, but adding one in will help craft more pronounced sections of your kitchen. In this one by Peach & Pine Interiors, you can tell just by looking at it that this one is specifically for cooking with the range, a pot filler, and counter space on either side of the stove in the darkened space. The design duo added a dark soapstone backsplash and walnut shelving to match the new island to better visually differentiate the cooking zone.

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Marble typically isn’t the first stone countertop designers go for in a kitchen because it’s relatively soft compared to its quartzite and granite alternatives. However, the team at Peach & Pine Interiors simply solved this by choosing a harder version: Barcelo Cream marble. It’s “more user-friendly than many marble species,” says Chandler Quarles. “It has been easy to use and maintain!”

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Whether it’s your forever home or not, your kitchen design ideas should look exactly how you want them to. So if that means making it a fun, vibrant space that’s focused on the design rather than the appliances, then so be it. Galeana Younger, the designer of this home (and the daughter of the homeowner) says, “This was such a fun kitchen to design…We used four different tile patterns, and it took us a few samples before settling on a paint that wasn’t too sweet or subtle. This yellow has just the right amount of green in it—it’s almost electric.”

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Design the kitchen that works best for your lifestyle. If you’re a home chef, then go ahead and splurge on twin islands to maximize prep space. Designer Amy Knerr could’ve put in one huge island, sure, but by installing two, she was able to preserve the flow of the room.

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This gorgeous kitchen design idea by Wendy Labrum has the striking Calacatta Viola marble to thank for its unique, enviable look. The rest of the kitchen could easily skew more modern, but the stonework and wooden beams anchor it into something warmer, showing just how much a statement stone can transform a kitchen.

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Look to our 2024 Whole Home in Asheville, North Carolina, for all the inspiration you need when pondering whether to add those super-special extras around your kitchen. “This house is all about relaxation and enjoying the luxuries of life. Wine collecting, art collecting—those are the kind of things I was picturing,” says Kelsey McGregor, the kitchen designer. It only made sense to add a wine fridge that blends into the cabinetry of the space to truly capture that ethos.

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Don’t give all your attention to your indoor cooking space—invest in a chic and supremely functional outdoor kitchen to expand your living and entertaining space. For our 2024 Whole Home, the team from Curated Nest wanted the grill specifically to feel more like furniture than an appliance, so they splurged on the Zwilling Flammkraft model and went with Cosentino Dekton Onirika for the hood cover and backsplash.

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Don’t feel pressure to squeeze in a kitchen island if there’s simply not enough space for one—go with a peninsula instead. Designer Kate Marker would typically choose an island over this attached feature, but with the limited space she had, the designer was able to make the peninsula work. “It really suits the space perfectly,” she says.

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If you’re looking for a unique way to add interest to your walls without solely relying on paint, choose to add tile all the way up to the ceiling on an accent wall. In the main kitchen of our Whole Home, Kelsey McGregor installed this zellige tile from floor to ceiling, incorporating the shiny and smooth texture that a simple paint couldn’t bring.

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Related Story: 57 Gorgeous Kitchen Backsplash Ideas for Every Home’s Style