Luxury Kitchen Design

What defines a luxury kitchen? Explore the options for luxury kitchen design, and prepare to create a best-in-class kitchen in your own home.

November 18, 2020
High-End Traditional Kitchen With Golden Granite Countertops

Old World Kitchen With Glazed Floor-to-Ceiling Cabinets and Granite Backsplash

Mushroom-colored walls and cabinets, combined with golden granite countertops and custom wood moldings, complete this Old-World kitchen remodel. A large dark-finished island complements the neutral tones in the space.

Photo by: Karen Kettler

Karen Kettler

By: Sean McEvoy and Felicia Feaster

Luxury kitchen designs tend to combine the highest-quality materials, leading-edge technologies and top-of-the-line appliances (and, like it or not, a heaping helping of budget) to create magazine-worthy kitchens.

If you're contemplating a kitchen remodel or installing a new kitchen, and budget isn't your second, third or even a top ten concern, you'll definitely want to explore the wide range of options available for luxury kitchens.

Features of a Luxury Kitchen

Black Range in White Kitchen

Black Range in White Chef Kitchen

This kitchen's gorgeous custom La Cornue stove and range hood were created for a homeowner who loves to cook and entertain.

Photo by: Nick Sargent Photography

Nick Sargent Photography

This kitchen's gorgeous custom La Cornue stove and range hood were created for a homeowner who loves to cook and entertain.

High-End Appliances

In terms of appliances, accessories and cooking and cleaning implements, the sky is the limit in many luxury kitchens. Double-door refrigerators, double and triple sinks, ranges with row upon row of burners and fast-cooking, high-tech ovens are all common features. Adding a Rolls-Royce of ranges (Aga, La Cornue, Thermador, Bertazzoni Heritage) shows you are a serious foodie with the bank to invest in luxury cooking implements.

Luxury Modern Kitchen With Floor to Ceiling Windows

Luxury White Modern Kitchen With Stunning Views

Floor to ceiling windows bring the beauty of the outdoors in. This elegantly modern white kitchen maintains simple clean lines and allows the spectacular view to be the true focus.

Photo by: Ciro Coelho

Ciro Coelho

Traditional, Contemporary and Modern Style

While no particular style is more common for luxury kitchens than another, some seem to naturally lend themselves to a luxurious approach. Traditional, contemporary and modern style kitchens are common in luxury homes, although if your budget will accommodate a luxury kitchen design, no one's going to stop you from creating one in a rustic, country or farmhouse style.

Waterfall Countertop Kitchen Island With Black Barstools

Neutral Transitional Kitchen With Waterfall Island

The large island in this transitional kitchen makes an attractive option for casual dining. Black barstools provide welcome contrast to the richly veined white marble that makes up the island's waterfall countertop and matching range backsplash.

Photo by: Julie Soefer

Julie Soefer

Luxe Materials Like Marble + Granite

Materials for luxury kitchens tend to be high-end, durable and attractive. Countertops are often granite, backsplashes may be as well, or they may feature custom tile work in mosaic, subway or other styles, to add visual interest.

Gray Contemporary Kitchen

Luxurious Contemporary Kitchen with Large Island

Modern cabinetry provides a sleek, continuous line that's one with the dark hardwood flooring in this open-plan luxury kitchen. The room features Thermador appliances and quartz countertops, with a waterfall edge on the spacious island. Five barstools offer comfort for both dining and conversing with the cook, while modern pendants illuminate the task area.

Photo by: Parks Realty, a member of Luxury Portfolio International

Parks Realty, a member of Luxury Portfolio International

Luxury Woods + Custom Cabinetry

Luxury kitchen cabinets are usually similarly high-end, often custom-made from expensive woods like cherry or ebony. They typically feature durable high-quality hardware with expert interior construction. Traditional cabinet doors may feature intricately carved faces or molding, while modern and contemporary styles will be sleek and unadorned — often featuring no-hardware opening — but boast similarly sturdy construction and expert craftsmanship.

White Kitchen With Gold Accents

White Kitchen With Gold Accents

This white kitchen with gold pendant lighting and hardware exudes sophistication and elegance. There's also plenty of storage and counter space thanks to the two islands with luxury countertops.

Photo by: Halstead Real Estate, a member of Luxury Portfolio International

Halstead Real Estate, a member of Luxury Portfolio International

Epic Islands

No longer content with just one island, the luxury kitchen features two with room for eating and food prep and an abundance of storage. Super-sizing your island also ups the luxury factor, adding more work space and a sense of drama.

Glam Range Hoods

A custom range hood rather than a standard stainless one not only adds a bespoke detail, it can coordinate beautifully with your hardware, lighting and other features for design cohesion.

White Kitchen With Dark Wood Floor

White Chef Kitchen With Dark Wood Floor

To keep an all-white kitchen from feeling too cold and sterile, add in some texture to warm things up. Here, the kitchen's dark wood floor and gold accents are a welcome contrast.

Photo by: Halstead Real Estate, a member of Luxury Portfolio International

Halstead Real Estate, a member of Luxury Portfolio International

Statement Light Fixtures

Gorgeous designer or imported light fixtures, especially when hung in multiples, give visual impact to your kitchen.

Modern Kitchen With Island

Modern Kitchen With Island

The custom kitchen inside this colonial-style home features a large center island with a luxury countertop. The oak floor runs throughout the interior.

Photo by: Halstead Real Estate, a member of Luxury Portfolio International

Halstead Real Estate, a member of Luxury Portfolio International

Clutter-Free Countertops

Keeping clutter hidden and your surfaces sleek means you have plenty of space to store items and value aesthetics above all.

Our Favorite Kitchen Faucets for Every Style and Budget

Make a splash in your kitchen design with our favorite faucet finds.

High-Tech Touches

Touchless faucets, charging stations, smart refrigerators and built-in iPad and television screens bring efficiency and connectivity to the kitchen.

Built-In Pantries

Built-In Kitchen Pantries

Photo by: Jeff Herr/TerraCotta Design Build

Jeff Herr/TerraCotta Design Build

Plenty of Built-In and Purpose-Driven Storage

Custom-space for everything from paper towel rolls to spices and cleaning products is the ultimate luxury in our organization-obsessed age.

Beverage Station With Tea

Beverage Station With Tea Boxes

A beverage station is a luxurious perk in this kitchen. Pull back the cabinet doors to reveal enough room for drink-making appliances and all the supplies.

Photo by: Jackson Design and Remodeling

Jackson Design and Remodeling

Customization

A built-in deep fryer, a wine or drink refrigerator, mutiple freezer drawers, an espresso station, a brick oven, are all ways to adapt the kitchen to your needs and set your kitchen apart from your neighbor's.

Kitchen With Brass Pulls, Hardware, Lights Throughout, Island Cooktop

Transitional Kitchen With Lots of Brass Accents

This beautiful, transitional kitchen is filled with brass details from top to bottom. A brass light fixture above the kitchen sink compliments all the brass hardware on the soft, white cabinets and hidden refrigerator. The stainless steel oven on the kitchen island even features polished brass hardware.

Photo by: Vivian Johnson

Vivian Johnson

Hidden Appliances

Custom cabinentry that keeps refrigerators and small appliances out of sight continues to be a way to give a high-end kitchen a sleek appearance.

Gray Kitchen With Black Island

Gray Chef Kitchen With Black Island

This handsome kitchen looks fit for a king with its regal black-and-gold island, barstools and range hood. Pale gray cabinetry acts as a foil to those bolder elements.

Photo by: Christian Garibaldi, Garibaldi Imagineering LLC

Christian Garibaldi, Garibaldi Imagineering LLC

Metallics

All that glitters is an important aspect of turning an ordinary kitchen into a luxurious one. Gold and metallic touches on range hoods and light fixtures, mixed metals and shiny surfaces all add glamour to your kitchen's look.

Double Everything in Kitchens

Double Everything in Kitchens

Everything in the kitchen seems to be doubling, says David. “When designing kitchens, we focus on zones: a cooking zone, a cleaning zone and prep zones." Now his clients are interested in adding two sinks, two trash/recycling centers, two cooking surfaces, dual icemakers with large and pellet ice and even two paper towel pull-outs. “This (double everything trend) stems from our zoning approach to space planning.”

Photo by: Emily J Followill, as seen in Quintessential Kitchens and Spaces by Matthew Quinn: Volume Two

Emily J Followill, as seen in Quintessential Kitchens and Spaces by Matthew Quinn: Volume Two

Double of Everything

Double islands, double sinks, double ovens all add up to a kitchen built for maximum efficiency and luxury.

Blue Mediterranean Kitchen Backsplash

Blue Mediterranean Kitchen Backsplash and Cooktop

For the backsplash of this gourmet kitchen, designers used brick tiles with a detailed-yet-subtle pattern, finishing in a grand square of sunbursts over the cooktop.

Photo by: Grace Blu Designs

Grace Blu Designs

A Custom Backsplash

The ability to create a one-of-a-kind backsplash from tile or a slab of marble is like having an original artwork in your kitchen.

White French Country Kitchen With Beamed Ceiling and Stainless Steel

White French Country Kitchen With Beamed Ceiling

This beautiful French country kitchen is decorated with gorgeous white cabinetry and a remarkable kitchen island. The beamed ceiling adds a country ambience to this elegant kitchen.

A Striking Ceiling

Whether painted or graced with custom millwork, a striking ceiling is another way to show you have the discretionary funds to not overlook any design element.

Blue Butler's Pantry

Blue Butler's Pantry

Just around the corner from the living room, blue cabinets and gold hardware help make the butler's pantry a showcase space all to itself.

Photo by: Halstead Real Estate, a member of Luxury Portfolio International

Halstead Real Estate, a member of Luxury Portfolio International

A Butler's Pantry

At ther service of keeping mess and clutter at bay and making sure small appliances are stowed away, the ample storage in a butler's pantry makes it a must-have.

Bold Color

A striking, on-trend color, from black to blue to pink shows you have an awareness of trends and can afford to redo your kitchen when the fashion has passed.

Large Kitchen With Farmhouse Sink

Kitchen With Two Islands and Farmhouse Sink

A large kitchen with two islands, quartz countertops and a farmhouse sink. The hardwood floors lead to an adjacent family room with fireplace.

Photo by: Houlihan Lawrence, a member of Luxury Portfolio International

Houlihan Lawrence, a member of Luxury Portfolio International

A Signature Sink

The kitchen sink is actually the most used kitchen appliance and should be a focal point where you allocate a major share of your kitchen budget.

Kitchen Layout Options

Many homeowners begin their luxury kitchen design process by considering the layout of the kitchen of their dreams. There are several options to choose from.

Galley

Galley kitchens are fairly straightforward affairs featuring a narrow passage between two walls. One wall generally features cooking components and storage, the other generally features cleaning components and more storage. Galley kitchens are common in smaller homes, and would be a less common choice for a luxury kitchen — they're efficient affairs, but their configurations limit the luxe level considerably, though higher-end apartments and tiny homes can certainly enhance the luxury factor by adding luxury elements to their galley kitchen.

L-Shaped

L-shaped kitchens offer a slightly more high-end option, with an angled cooking and cleaning area, more room for storage, and a better opportunity to feature a kitchen island.

U-Shaped

Finally, U-shaped kitchens are probably best suited for a luxury kitchen design — they feature three walls ready for cooking, storage or cleaning features, and they're often large enough to accommodate a considerable center island for food preparation and extra storage.

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