35 Designer-Approved Kitchen Decor Ideas That Are Perfect for Cooking and Entertaining (2024)

This open kitchen sits in the middle of a relaxed country house in Alabama, with its oak-and-marble design by an expansive salon to the front and more intimate blue-green keeping room with breakfast nook off the back. Windows on three sides of these primary rooms invite in glorious natural light and accentuate the home’s bucolic grounds. The home was designed by Melanie Pounds.

Ceiling-height wall tiles in alternating dimensions (Waterworks), reclaimed brick flooring, and oak countertops anchor this California kitchen designed by Ken Fulk in beautiful rusticity. Black cabinetry grounds the space with sophistication.

This Lake Toxaway, NC, kitchen designed by Platt Architecture and designer Cliff Fong features a soothing palette that reflects the mountain lake landscape. A custom-green island is fitted with Juno limestone counters, which also forms the backsplash; natural wood-hued cabinetry features detailing inspired by the work of George Nakashima.

Wood accents, like the dark stained beams and the interlocking white oak tile from Jamie Beckwith, add just a hint of rustic warmth to this serene white kitchen in a Naples, Florida, retreat designed by Celerie Kemble.

In his centuries-old farmhouse overlooking Portofino, Italy, landscape architect Marco Bay highlighted the home's foliage by framing local dried grasses and incorporating textural elements. For example, wild salvia dries from the ceiling-mounted rack in the kitchen, serving both a practical and stylish role. The shelving above the counter displays a mix of heirloom and Ligurian wares. The sconces were finds from the Paris Flea Market.

Upon learning his client was a serious cook, designer Peter Dunham immediately began brainstorming ways to balance functionality and brilliance within this California kitchen. A steele-and-brass custom hood, inspired by 19th-century English houses, became the main focal and decor point of the space. The rush-backed counter stools (Hollywood at Home) and sage clay tiles (Mission Tile West) reinforce the hood's textural elegance.

After revising the layout of this modern kitchen and moving it to the heart of the 19th-century Paris loft, design duo Le Berre Vevaud selected eye-catching artwork by Tom Henderson and blown-glass Lustre globes to act as the room's main focal points. The stools from Bassam Fellows surround the Zimbabwe granite counters.

Birmingham-based designer Caroline Gidiere established a sense of comfort in her combined kitchen and den by opting to paint her cabinetry a dark, glossy hue (Off-Black by Farrow & Ball). The stainless steel countertops connect seamlessly to the appliances and satin nickel hardware. The island stools (Williams-Sonoma) make a textural nod to the home's garden.

Smokey tones and striking sculptural elements offer a dramatic flair to this quaint cook space by Paris-based designer Jean-Louis Deniot. The upper cabinets fitted with mirrored eglomise facings "almost look like venetian blinds," notes the designer. The range is from La Cornue.

The aqua ceiling (Picture Perfect by Benjamin Moore) and blue-patterned wallcovering casts a soothing glow over designer Meg Braff's Long Island kitchen. The watery hues are complimented by a mix of white furnishings such as the updated cabinetry (painted white by Fine Paints of Europe), double range from BlueStar, and Danby marble countertops.

Olive green tones and mossy grays reference the English landscape outside the windows of this Shropshire kitchen renovated by design firm Plain English. The prep island at the center of the cook space helps connect the room to its origins as an 1890 farmhouse with freestanding furniture.