Beautiful Designer Kitchens

We've gathered all our best kitchens in one place – from country casual to sleek and modern. Check them out and get inspired!

Nautical Kitchen

The backsplash tiles, handcrafted in Mexico, have some variation in the surface, which suits an older house. 14" Holophane lights in Statuary Bronze from Ann-Morris Antiques. Vintage pond yachts were collected by the owner.

White and Dark Wood

Navajo White paint on the walls has a hint of brown in it, which relates to the Tudor Brown on the cabinets; both paints by Benjamin Moore. Brass hardware, from Nantucket Housefitters, seemed appropriate for a boating family. 48" Dual Fuel Viking range. Provenance Woven Woods Rustica shades from Hunter Douglas. Nantucket baskets from Four Winds Craft Guild.

Island Sink

Elkay's Gourmet sink with Ashford faucet in Satin Nickel by Grohe. The hand-painted wallcovering in the breakfast room is by Kevin Paulsen

Pop of Color

Painting the interior of kitchen cabinets a contrasting color — in this case apple green — is something both architect Gil Schafer and his color consultant, Eve Ashcraft, love to do. Aside from supplying a shot of color, it sets off the china. Featured in August 2007 issue.

Candy Land Kitchen

"I wanted to make this heavenly Candy Land," Jamie Gottschall says of her Pennsylvania kitchen, featured as the House Beautiful Kitchen of the Month in June 2006. "I wanted people to walk in and feel like they could lick the walls, like it was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

California Kitchen

A 4-by-4-foot chase — a column holding all sorts of electrical wiring and plumbing — runs right through the room and could not be moved. So designer Sandra Bird worked around it, and built it out into four areas: a cooking area with the range, a buffet for the table, a desk, and then a baking area in back. Featured in September 2007.

Cabinetry with Period Charm

Home Depot designer Emily O'Keefe added cabinetry with period charm to this kitchen. "Since space was tight, I went up, stacking the cabinets," she says. "The ceilings are 11 feet high, but not every cabinet touches the ceiling — that way they look more like furniture." Featured in February 2007 issue.

Clutter-Free Kitchen

Judith Barrett designed her kitchen to be remarkably organized and clutter-free. Leave it to a cookbook writer to know what works best. Featured in February 2007 issue

Casual Feeling

Designer Ray Booth wanted to give the kitchen an aged, casual feeling, with distressed finishes. The ceiling is made from pecky cypress, and the center island is oak treated with ammonia and wire-brushed to pull out the grain. Featured in April 2006

Dual Islands

Homeowner and interior designer Anne Miller uses both islands as seating areas at kitchen dinner parties. "The built-in breakfront was designed to look like a piece of furniture, with glass fronts and mirror-backed cabinets to reflect the glassware," she says. Featured in April 2007 issue.

Understated Electric

Though a "pass-through" refrigerator is the kitchen's quiet star, the marble countertops and twin 19th-century light fixtures are also understatedly electric. Kitchen of the year designed by Joan Schindler. Featured in May 2007 issue.

A Kitchen for a Collector

The antique oak cabinet, originally made for a French store, is perfect for a collector. Designer Susan Dossetter found the reproduction Windsor chairs in Nantucket and had the table made to work with the chairs and the cabinet. Co-designed by Andrew Skurman. Featured in April 2008.

Vintage Meets Modern

With modern amenities and vintage touches, this kitchen has old pendant light fixtures, no-fuss zinc countertops, and chairs rescued from a friend's basement and painted a sunshiny yellow. Designed by Ruthie Sommers. Featured in June 2007 issue.

French Brasserie

Designer John Oetgen spent a lot of time in French brasseries, which inspired this amusing kitchen complete with blue-and-green bistro stools. The range hood, done in hand-hammered zinc, was made to look like a fabric canopy. Featured in August 2007 issue.

Sensual Neutrals

Just like the rest of the house, this kitchen, designed by Kathy Smith, is a study in beige, brown, and gold. Featured in September 2007.

Belgian Kitchen

This kitchen design embodies the Belgian penchant for simplification, with its clean-lined gray-green cabinets and untreated pecky cypress ceiling. Designed by Kay Douglass. Featured in October 2007 issue.

High-Ceilinged Kitchen

Although this kitchen isn't big, it has a 10-foot ceiling. Designer Nancy Boszhardt thought it would be cozier with a "strong" ceiling that would minimize its verticality. Instead of using bead board, as she did in the rest of the house, she left the boards open and added old-fashioned fixtures. Featured in October 2007.

Simple Farmhouse Kitchen

The kitchen ceiling is faced in 300-year-old floor beams, rescued from an old barn and whitewashed. Designed by Susan Tully. Featured in November 2007 issue.

Blue and White Kitchen

Designer Robin Bell used variations of white and blue throughout this house, including the kitchen. Featured in November 2007 issue.