Kitchens Down Under: 20 Design Ideas to Inspire You
These popular Australian kitchens have exciting ideas to borrow no matter where you live
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The winners from Australia’s Best of Houzz Awards 2016 brought us inspiring home design images that had us dreaming about our own home renovations. Kitchens were no exception, with professional home builders, architects, interior designers and other home professionals setting the standard for how good cooking spaces can look.
Browse 2016’s most popular U.S. kitchen photos
The winners from Australia’s Best of Houzz Awards 2016 brought us inspiring home design images that had us dreaming about our own home renovations. Kitchens were no exception, with professional home builders, architects, interior designers and other home professionals setting the standard for how good cooking spaces can look.
Browse 2016’s most popular U.S. kitchen photos
2. Opposites attract. A heritage-listed home received a modern makeover by rosstang architects with a striking monochrome color scheme throughout. In the kitchen, layers of textures include stainless steel, Carrara marble and wood panels, and then there’s that Christopher Boots light. Architect Rosemary Ross says her favorite aspect of the kitchen is that it combines bold and robust materials with delicate, elegant lines.
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Tour the rest of this home
3. Bee’s-knees color combo. Many of us may not think of using black and yellow in the kitchen, but Atticus & Milo show how it can work. The design team used vibrant block colors throughout the house.
4. One-sided conversation. Playing with the large space, this design by carterwilliamson architects accentuates the open space by using just one wall. The black wood cabinetry against the white ceiling brings drama to the room.
5. Creative open shelves. The open shelving in this contemporary kitchen by Luigi Rosselli Architects adds another layer of detailing. Staggered bookshelves store cookbooks in the island, and wood shelving on the wall displays the homeowner’s best dishes and glassware.
6. Reflective design. Watershed Design created this timeless kitchen combining wood, marble and stainless steel. The mirrored backsplash is a fun feature that also creates the illusion of more space.
7. Larger than life. Talk about large open-plan living spaces. This kitchen-dining-living room by Mixed Element is a popular design on Houzz, with 9,700 users saving it to their own ideabooks. The high ceilings, warm wood and bold pendant lights make this kitchen dramatically beautiful.
8. Toned-down wood. We see a lot of kitchens on Houzz featuring white on wood, and this L-shaped design by Liz Prater Design Home shows us how to do it well. The raw wood adds a warm tone to the stainless steel and polished white cabinets.
9. A whiter shade. An all-white kitchen doesn’t need to be boring. Poliform has created a space that catches the eye with the shelving display and glowing sphere pendant lights.
10. Hello, ply! One of the friendliest homes we have featured on the site, Hello House by Oof Architecture, showcases a host of innovative design ideas. In the kitchen, we see how to make small open-plan living spaces work harder, with polished concrete flooring that reflects the light and stools that can be pulled up to the kitchen island to transform it into a dining room.
11. Mixing it up. Art of Kitchens demonstrates how two worlds can collide in this award-winning design. The designers did this by combining the flashiness of the gold reflective cabinetry with the rustic charm of the wood island and stools.
12. Slide on in. There’s no reason a kitchen island has to conform. This concrete countertop with a polished finish by Corben Architects breaks all the rules.
13. Cutting-edge contemporary style. Black, white and wood is a winning combo in the kitchen, and Greig Design & Construction has executed it nicely with this project. Exposed-bulb pendant lights, a mirrored backsplash and a semitransparent fridge give this design a cool edge.
14. Fully integrated. The sharp edges and rich materials in this streamlined built-in design by Porebski Architects give it a super-stylish feel. The dining table appears to float, and the Christopher Boots light adds even more elegance.
15. Tons of light. Many of us strive to find ways to let the light into darker areas of our homes. This circular skylight lets the light flow through the kitchen, designed by Decus Interiors.
16. Art house. This Marrickville, New South Wales, home by David Boyle has to be one of the most colorful properties on the street. The homeowner loves collecting art, and each wall offers a new space to hang a piece on. The long exposed-brick wall boasts a painting called Great Band Names I’ve Thought Of (But Never Used) by Mark Hetherington.
17. Out of this world. Andrew Simpson Architects’ Cloud No. 9 project almost seems out of this world, with its elaborate and large-scale modern design. It’s not often we see purple in the kitchen, but in this one the color ties the whole design together perfectly.
18. Down-to-earth. Lime Building Group designed this home in Bowral, New South Wales, and the kitchen shows off its country roots. The Shaker-style cabinets, Aga stove and patterned tiles add some country charm to the open-plan space.
19. Shades of gray. Concrete can look cold, but this kitchen by Robert Mills Architects and Interior Designers shows us how to warm it up. With a vibrant orange artwork on the countertop and wood flooring, the gray becomes intriguing instead of just aloof.
20. Gathering place. The kitchen is often the space where guests gather, so it’s important that it’s a comfortable room to spend time in. R.Z. Owens Constructions made this kitchen a very social space with multiple chairs set around the island, where people can sit down, chat and enjoy watching the host show off cooking skills.
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Browse Houzz guides for creating your own dream kitchen
Find architects and kitchen designers near you
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Browse Houzz guides for creating your own dream kitchen
Find architects and kitchen designers near you
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